Sony VAIO VGN-AR790U/B AND Sony VAIO VGN-AR890U
This will be long but it will also be very detailed, as I do have a lot of experience with Sony Vaio desktop replacement notebooks.
I’m not a hardcore tech person but I know enough to get by, and I really have a love thing going on with Sony Vaio’s and a lot good things happening, in my life with Vaio’s. So I guess you could say I’m passionate about them.
This is my first Amazon review, as I normally do not have the time (who really does these days?) but I do purchase, a great deal of products from Amazon and I’ve received so much good info out of the reviews here; so I’d like to give something back now.
The reason I list both the AR790U/B and AR890U is because they are identical notebooks; with the SINGLE exception of the AR890U having larger hard discs. Really, the hard discs are the ONLY hardware differences between the two models. Odd thing is the AR890U is currently listed here on Amazon, for a few hundred dollars less than the older AR790U/B. Amazon had incorrect spec info listed for the AR890, which they may have corrected by now, after I had spoke to them about it, about a month ago. If in doubt about specs, go to sonystyle.com and look up the AR890 specs there. Note that the AR790 has been dropped from sonystyle.com as it is a discontinued model now. I currently own and am using daily, the AR790U/B and within my business, I own 2 more AR790’s and one AR890. I’ve been using Sony Vaio’s since they were introduced back in I believe late 97′ or early 98′ always opting for the top of the line desktop replacement Vaio models. Basically I’ve purchased most of Sony’s desktop replacement notebooks, over the years. Although a couple years back, I gave HP Pavilions two tries and was never really satisfied, with the overall build and experience I had with those. So take into consideration here, that I only have experience with Sony other than those two HP’s.
The AR series design can be found, on a range of Vaio’s dating back to late 2006/early 2007 in the AR 190 and 270 series (my first was the AR270 in early 2007). The Vaio AR series has a VERY attractive piano black high gloss exterior (entire lid only) that always seems, to get attention out and about, from coffee shops and airports to boardrooms. People will ask about it and make comments about how nice it looks. The chrome lining around the side is also nice and overall, this notebook design seems to look timeless; classy and elegant as if it will take many years, for it to look dated which is nice for most end-users, who will want to hold onto it, for years to come. The notebook is large and heavy but it does not seem to look or feel too thick when closed. Although I had a hard time, finding a notebook bag, that could fit it and that I liked, until I came across a very nice one: http://www.amazon.com/SIERRA-Wenger-Single-Gusset-Computer/dp/B000BYSUPW/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219787331&sr=8-1 . The image here doesn’t do it justice; this is a very nice looking bag which can very easily hold the Vaio AR, extra batteries Logitech wireless mouse and even folders (in the same compartment as the notebook). Circuit City carries this bag in-store if you want to check one out. Padding all around and very stylish inside out, with a very strong build quality. The reason I mention it is because many bags, will not be able to hold the large AR. Alright back to the notebook……..
Even after a year and a half with this design, I’m still unimpressed with the mouse buttons on the AR. Yes, they work when you click them but if there is one thing wrong with the design of this notebook; it is the mouse buttons which somehow feel dated and clunky. Like I mentioned I’m a 10-year notebook user but these mouse buttons were placed at the edge of the notebook and that just makes for an odd experience, even after time. My solution to that has been a Logitech wireless mouse which I also highly recommend. I currently use The Logitech MX Revolution which comes with the MX5500 Bluetooth keyboard combo. Previously I had been using the Logitech VX revolution which is a smaller mouse but better suited for travel and if you don’t want to use an external keyboard. Regardless the Logitech mice/keyboards work very well with the AR’s and trust that if you give one of the mice a try, you’ll never want to handle the AR’s pad again. Along the same lines, I also use an external display (Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM - 24″) via HDMI and it works flawlessly as a desktop setup. I honestly could not be more pleased with the above combination as it all works very well, regardless of the fact that I have just over 80 programs installed on this system. A word of warning, if you try a wireless mouse, you may not ever want to use the touchpad again. Every time I travel and use the AR I reach for my Logitech because the touchpad just doesn’t feel right anymore, almost as bad as trying to switch from using your right hand to your left hand. Keep in mind that the newer MX5500 Combo comes with Bluetooth so that you can connect the keyboard and the mouse without the USB receiver. This is great to travel with the mouse and use it without having to plug in the USB receiver. A hard mouse pad that can be used on carpet or anywhere also comes in handy too. I use the 1030 Surface Archetype made by Func Industries, which also fits in my notebook bag with no problem, right underneath the notebook.
Aside from the mouse buttons, most other keys and buttons are pretty well laid-out. There is no separate number pad even though there appears to be more than enough room in which Sony could have placed one, but that’s not something Sony does on notebooks (as far as I’ve seen in the past). The keys feel solid as if they will last for those who won’t be using an external keyboard. In the past, some Sony models keys would pop out over time. With the HP Pavilion desktop replacement I had tried, it got way too hot, to the right of the mouse pad, right where you rest your hand. On the AR it does get pretty warm right in the same area but not HP cook a steak hot like I had experienced. Warm but I don’t see anyone with sensitive skin or not, finding it to be too hot (let’s say a few digits below the too hot level). The inner plastic around the keyboard and screen is a very dark gray color rather than the piano black top exterior. At first glance this could look a bit generic to some people but for me it all flows just fine. When the unit is on there is a nice looking Sony logo that has a solid white glow that remains on, just below the LCD screen. The web cam like most, is right above the screen and is almost hidden not only because of the dark finish of the frame but because its behind the frame as if the entire frame around the screen is like one piece of clear glass or plastic, with the camera behind it.
The hook to keep the notebook locked was a bit of a letdown because it has no spring action. This means that to have the hook lock/unlock into the lid, you need to slide a button which is not as smooth as it could have been. So when you close the lid, it won’t automatically lock; you have to slide the button. This could be a good design feature in regards to opening and closing the lid often. It just seems to be that that hook gets in my way sometimes.
The speakers, built into the lid, right below the AMAZING screen, are nicely integrated into the design but I do have to say that the HP notebooks I had, both had louder speakers (I think one was even advertised as having a sub-woofer???). The Speakers on the AR do work and are loud enough to be heard, should a group of people be gathered around your notebook. However they just aren’t the loudest ones out there, I’m sure of that. Again I use that Samsung mentioned above and through the single HDMI connection, I hear through the Samsung’s built speakers and rarely use the AR’s.
The media buttons, CD eject button and the 2 programmable buttons are placed well for those of us who don’t need to have access to media buttons when the lid is closed.
Sony puts stickers all over the deck, and let me just tell you that if you don’t peel them off carefully, you’ll end up with a sticky mess, that will probably stick around, for as long as you’ll own the notebook. On one AR I had left over glue, from a sticker to the right of the touch pad, bother me enough that I got to rubbing very hard with glass cleaner and sure enough it came off, but the paint had faded a bit in that one spot. On next AR, I didn’t want to make the same mistake, so I asked tech support (THAT’S LEVEL 2 SAN DIEGO TECH SUPPORT; more on this later) and they said WD-40 does the trick. So WD-40, a little rubbing and that glue mess came right off and didn’t damage the paint at all this time.
Speaking of the paint, sadly on every AR (excluding the one just purchased 2 months ago) will chip in ONE spot. That would be the area right around the slot for the Memory Stick and SD Card. It’s happened enough times where I know that if you are going to be inserting and removing cards frequently, then you’ll want to try and get used to guiding the cards right in and not letting them rub against the sides because rather quickly (a few months) the paint, in just that small area, chips and you are left with a purple plastic underneath. The good news is that it’s a very small area which most people won’t even notice unless they get up close, as in eyes 5 inches away or closer. Other than that, the paint and exterior have held up very well, on the AR’s (oldest being an AR270 purchased early 2007, which again has the same body as the AR790 and 890).
These AR’s can get pretty hot underneath but if you’ve used other desktop replacements such as HP’s, then you like me, won’t find the unit hotter than other desktop replacements. I’ve read about people using notebooks like these, in bed or on carpet. While you can do so, Sony (recommends that you always have the unit sitting on a flat surface that allows the vents on the bottom, to take in cool air, as the vents on the rear right side, blow out the hot air. Now since the AR is a big boy, it’s sometimes hard to find something, but I strongly suggest that if you’re in bed or on carpet, that you find a large book (one of those large world encyclopedia perhaps) or some kind of board so that the rubber stubs underneath the notebook, can do as they were intended, by leaving that air gap open and the entire bottom suspended above whatever surface. I mention this because I’m amazed at how many people I’ve met, who sit a laptop like this on a pillow, for hours and then the unit just shuts itself off from overheating. Speaking of overheating I’ve had the AR790 running for 12 hours and even 24 hours, doing work and have never had it overheat. Also the fans by default, run very quietly and then if things begin to heat up, it’s as if it changes gears and gets louder but still not too loud compared to an HP Pavilion.
As I mentioned above, I use an external LCD, mouse and keyboard, when at home or in my office. I also use a USB hub for all of my USB connections. I use the USB port in the rear, which is right next to the power port; both on the left rear of the notebook. And then I also use the HDMI port (located on the right side close to the center) connected to my monitor. I also use a San Disk SDHC class6 8GB SD Card, for Vista’s Ready boost feature (although I have yet to notice any performance difference, even though Sony level 2 tech says there will be a difference, with a heavy program loads). There are two more USB ports and for me personally, I try to never use them because I really dislike the fact that they are both located right up front (right side corner up front). It just seems like it would be too easy to plug something in like a USB stick and have your right hand slap and break it right off and perhaps damage the USB port in the process. Could be all in my mind but I just don’t like that placement.
Sony discontinued Infrared on most if not all Vaio’s years ago but you’ll notice that there is a little red beam of light which comes from the left side corner, near the rear, right next to the headphone jack. That little red beam can’t be turned off (unless perhaps you really know your way around the registry). It’s for an audio cable which most people won’t need or have a connection for. Just make sure you don’t try to plug a standard headphone cable into the wrong whole as I’ve been told you could damage the one with the red beam. Regardless, the beam is so not a big deal and before you know it, you’ve gotten used to it and forgotten about it.
I assume most notebooks these days have this feature, but the AR series was the first time I saw Vaio’s with a physical switch that allows you to turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (both, not just one or the other) on or off anytime. This comes in handy if you want to keep you PC running while you’re away yet be 100% sure that nobody can gain access t your PC via an internet connection.
Like all Sony’s the AR790 comes loaded with A LOT of junk ware as I would call it, that you may not need but software that will surely buzz in your face on start-up. A word of warning; DO NOT REMOVE programs which contain the words SONY VAIO unless you are sure of what they are. I have done this before and ending up corrupting the Sony Vaio Recovery Center (which you will need sooner or later) and once corrupted, it cannot be re-installed without doing a full system recovery which is a long process (2 to 3 hours). Soon as you get your AR I recommend going to download.com and getting a freeware application called Revo Uninstaller. This program is wonderful in many ways and does uninstall of programs like windows, but also digs deeper to remove leftover items from programs.
In Vista (if you’re new to Vista), this may not work for all but for me I first turn off the UAC (User Account Control) in User Accounts, from the Control Panel. If you’re new to Vista; having UAC on, will drive you CRAZY!!!! Next I used Revo to uninstall all the junk ware that I knew was safe to delete; things like AOL programs, trial ware of Web Root Spy Sweeper (this one will still leave a folder full of junk in your Programs folder, even after uninstall, so go in and delete it manually after uninstall). Go through the long list; for me I found 35, yes 35 programs that I considered junk ware and deleted in Revo. Also Adobe Reader Pro is pre-installed. This is the Pro version Trial and as soon as you try to open up a PDF file it will start up and ask you to purchase now or later. For many users, the answer is to delete it and then go ahead download and install the freeware version to only read PDF files and not create them. The way its set up (like Spy Sweeper and Norton) Sony I’m sure has talked folks into buying stuff they really don’t need or want, just by having all this junk ware installed and in your start-up list.
Sony Vaio’s do not come with System Recovery discs these days. However, there is a hidden partition which contains the full system recovery files (including your full Vista license, all programs and drivers). You can access this at anytime through the Sony Vaio Recovery Center program. Just type the same in the Vista search field or find it in programs menu. Also, should windows get corrupted and you’re not able to load windows, you can press one of the F keys (sorry I don’t recall which one at the moment) after powering on your notebook and it will load and take you right into the Sony Vaio Recovery Center program, without loading windows. From within the program you can reinstall windows, repair windows and or any drivers or programs that came preinstalled. Also you can delete the hidden partition and reclaim the space it uses. Either way, I highly recommend that you make your own recovery discs right away and you can do this from within the Vaio Recovery Center. Creating disc can be done with two single layer DVD’s (dual-layers don’t work on the AR790).
Also the AR790 does not come preinstalled with Microsoft Vista Service Pack-1. Let me just say that you’ll want to get online and download this ASAP. All of my AR’s all had issues with Vista running out of memory while I was trying to move 80GB of music and image files onto the AR. This issue and a few others are fixed by installing Service Pack-1 (not a Sony issue but a Microsoft Vista issue). You’ll notice that there are a lot of windows updates needed for the AR790 and I recommend you let windows install them all right away as this will address a few issues that you very well may experience, right out of the box. Also you may not see Service Pack-1 in the Windows Update list until after many other updates have been done first and your PC rebooted a few times. You’ll know its Service Pack-1 when it tells you that your PC will be shutdown and restarted several times during the long process of installing Service Pack-1
Also I’ve now been told by two different level 2 tech support people, that the Sony website updates (drivers and other programs) DO NOT need to be updated on the AR790 even though they are listed there, UNLESS you experience a problem with one of the pre-installed programs or drivers. I made the mistake of going on an update spree because the dates were newer than the manufacturing date of my PC. What ended up happening with one update was that my DVD player which worked from day one, stopped working after I installed an update I saw in the list on the Sony Support site.
The screen on the AR790 is flawless! It is a very sharp and beautiful display at its highest resolution. And as I mentioned above The Samsung SyncMaster 2493 can display the AR790’s full resolution and does a VERY good job. Also note that to just about all human eyes, the screen resolution, out of the box, makes everything look way too small. For me I find the best fit is the resolution set to max 1920×1200 and adjust the font size to 144% DPI. Messing around with the Resolution and DPI settings, will help you find the perfect fit for you.
Video playback on the AR790 is very good and to date I have never experienced anything that I would consider poor performance. I have done some HD video editing on the AR790 and working with high resolution images is always beautiful on the AR790. I don’t know much about graphic cards but I do know that I have not been let down by any tasks I’ve asked this PC to perform.
The big screen does use a lot of battery power and so it should be known that you’ll be on the lower end of the power length range published. The standard size battery that comes with the AR, with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth on and the screen brightness set at 50%; I believe gave me about 1:15 before it got down to about 15% to 20%. Not good at all but turning down the brightness as much as you can stand; does help a lot on this PC.
The extended batteries for the AR790, are expensive; around 250 each when I had purchased them. But they do perform very well at about 2 hours to 2 and half hours each (I think I’ve even gone as high as 2:45 on one). In the same bag I mentioned above, I’m able to carry 3 extended batteries along with the standard battery inserted. Also note that, the extended batteries do stick out, almost an inch from the back of the unit (but don’t stick out from the bottom). At first thought this seems unattractive and annoying but for me it has really not been an issue other than having to remove the extended batter to fit the notebook in the bag I use, without it having to be a tight fit. Also make sure if you do go with an extended battery, that you purchase the right model because there are two different battery connections for the older AR’s (last year’s AR270) and the newer 790 and 890. The correct model is the Sony Rechargeable Battery Pack VGP-BPL9 for the AR790 and 890. As I mentioned, they are expensive, but for me personally, I could not see myself owning this notebook without at least one extended battery on top of the supplied standard sized battery.
The standard sized battery will really disappoint many people; on full or near full brightness, I’ve seen my standard sized battery, run down 50% in about 35min. Yes that bad! Measuring 1% per minute of use, I tried to see if it could last 60min on my regular brightness level and I don’t think it was going to make it 60min. Then again if you are going to skip a 2nd battery you can always carry the AC adapter along for the ride and not have any worries.
I grew up loving video and PC games, but as a 27-year old CEO/business owner; I don’t have the time to play games very often these days. However I did a few tests and the AR passed them all. I’m not sure what the latest and great are in the world of PC games but I did purchase and install F.E.A.R, Bio-Shock, Crysis and some of the Myst games (Uru) and they all performed very well on the AR790. I logged a few hours with F.E.A.R and I’m told Crysis needs even more graphics power and I was able to play that game for many hours, over one weekend last month and there was no freezing up but I did notice that during a few scenes where a lot of things were exploding all over the screen, that the action slowed down a lot for a few moments, until the screen wasn’t completely filled with explosions. And yes the AR790’s fan ran in 2nd gear the entire time playing games. I should note, that whether it makes a difference or not, I did turn off the Wi-Fi-/Bluetooth, turned off my Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Outlook and anything else that I didn’t need to have running while playing. Also I had that SD Card running the Ready Boost. So I’m not a real gamer (yes I know I’m missing out) but I do run programs like Flash/Photoshop CS3, Sony Vegas Pro, ULead VideoStudio and all work well with no issues. Quickbooks 2008, OneNote, Word 2007, Outlook 2007 and a few other programs are sometimes running at the same time as my graphics and video software and most of the time things all work well together.
The AR790 is by no means a slow machine and again this is coming from a guy who has installed well over 80 programs (many are big ones). Most things work fast and smooth but I must say that overall this machine does perform slower than the first AR I had which was an AR270. So how could the AR270 with a slower processor outperform the AR790 you ask? The AR270 was running Windows XP is how. Vista on the AR as level 2 tech support confirmed with me; does require a lot more processor power than XP did. Matter in fact he was quick to let me know that because of driver and other issues, he himself and a lot of his associates, were sticking with XP a while longer. Well I haven’t had any driver issues with Vista 32-bit other than a few of the older PC games I tried installing, wouldn’t work. Oh yes, before I forget on the last AR790 set-up, kept get the blue screens on start up at least twice a week. Well first I had a bad ram card which Sony says could have been the cause. They FedEx me a shipping box to have the unit repaired. They said under warranty the ram cards were covered but they needed to have the entire PC. Took about 8 days from start to finish to get the PC back to me. 2nd blue screen issue was caused by me installing a version of ScanSoft PapertPort 11 and Omni Page Pro that were not Vista 32-bit compatible. So my warning to you is if you want to avoid blue screen shut downs on the AR790, make sure you only install programs and drivers that are made for Vista 32-bit.
Speaking of Vista 32-bit, in case some of you are wondering, I have got word from level 2 tech support that they are being trained in Vista 64-bit and that’s because AR models with Vista-64-bit will be coming out sometime between Dec 08′ and March 09′ if not a bit sooner is what I’ve been told. I thought I would jump aboard but I’m planning to stick with this AR790 because as they explained to me, that even though the 64-bit Vista OS will use the full 4GB of ram rather than the 3GB used in 32-bit Vista, 64-bit drivers will not be a walk in the park and 32-bit software (most new software as of right now) will not work on the 64-bit system.
Also for those who may not already know this; within the BIOS of all newer AR’s running Vista, Microsoft has made sure that you are not able to install XP on these new BIOS versions. So if you’re thinking of going back, it’s not going to happen.
I had mentioned tech support and this is an issue that all Sony Vaio customers should keep in mind. When you purchase a Sony Vaio Notebook, you get one-year of free tech support. Your 1-year of free tech support begins the first time you call (whenever that may be) Sony and register your serial number and personal information (provided you didn’t allow the web registration to happen). Now when you do call Sony, after all the menu options, you’ll be transferred to a level 1 tech support person in India.
Now my following comments have nothing to do with India as a nation and a race of people. What I’m leading up to is the fact that the people in level one, most of the time are not very skilled with the notebook in question. Many times, they will need to put you on hold while they research your question. Many times, the info they have in front of them is the same info you can find yourself on the tech support webpage. Should they not be able to find a solution for you, they will give you an EIN (Event Identification Number) and you will want to write it down and keep it for future use. Then they will transfer you to level 2 tech support. Level 2 tech Support is ONLY based in San Diego California and these people REALLY know their stuff. Sometimes they can be a bit arrogant because they really know their stuff but 9 times out of ten I’ve had my issues worked out when transferred to them.
So you’ll want to keep whatever EIN is given to you by level 1, because even if you get your issues resolved in that call, you may want to use that number the next time you call. Next time you call in, you get to a level one person in India and you tell them your name and give them your EIN and say that you would like to be transferred to level 2 tech support in San Diego California. If they try to keep you with them, you simply just state the same thing again and if they give you a hard time, then ask to speak with a supervisor in their department if they are not willing to go ahead and transfer you. This works almost always and this is what level 2 told me to do, if I wanted/needed to get to them.
Be forewarned that there have been two instances where level one said they were transferring me to level 2 and instead they either transferred me to another level one person in India or actually lied to me and stated that they were level 2. Level 2 is only located out of Sony’s San Diego facility (same place you send your notebook when it need repairs). 2nd time they lied to me, I asked the gentlemen on the phone, for level 2 and he said oh yes sir, this is level 2. I then said oh this is level 2 in New York City and he said yes that is right………
Alright well I hope I’ve included everything that I had originally wanted to, and I hope this long review, has been of help to some of you shoppers out there. If anyone has any questions, I’ll try to check back here and answer them as best I can. Amazon has been a wealth of knowledge for my shopping choices, so I’m glad to be able to help out. Now go get yourself an AR, they are real classy machines.
Ashton
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:12:25 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:40:39 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:40:56 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:47:26 PST |
Tag Feeds At Technorati
Copyright 2002-2010 by the authors
Tag Feeds At Technorati
New Tag Results, from Technorati and Ingboo
Technorati and Ingboo have partnered together to provide an all new kind of subscription experience for Technorati content, including tagged posts. Look for a blue Ingboo icon for a full range of subscription options.
Feeds are also available for:
Latest Original Articles from Technorati
We also have channel feeds, writer feeds, and editorial tag feeds, which can be found on their respective pages.
|
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:12:25 PST |
|
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:40:39 PST |
|
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:40:56 PST |
|
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 15:47:26 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 16:22:31 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 16:36:30 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 16:39:55 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 17:12:11 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 18:15:10 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Tuesday Mar-09-2010 18:55:50 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 14:29:45 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 14:37:36 PST |
 |
DELL- HUGE 15"SCREEN-GREAT DEAL AT A CHEAP $-WORKSGREAT US $169.00 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 15:28:00 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 15:48:12 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 15:48:16 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 15:55:16 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 16:23:04 PST |
 |
Vutec Laptop Table Portable EVLT100 Great TriPod US $9.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 16:30:15 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 16:50:58 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 17:33:26 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 17:47:34 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 18:08:20 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 18:36:24 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 18:36:27 PST |
 |
New 1 HP dv4 dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $859.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 19:46:49 PST |
 |
DELL INSPIRON E1505 DUAL CORE 1.73 LAPTOP SILVER WINXP US $425.00 End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 21:41:42 PST |
 |
Dell Inspirion 1100 1 GB RAM 2.4 GHz 18 GB GREAT COND! US $99.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:35:53 PST |
 |
New eMachines eME725-4520 Laptop T4400 3g 250g 2.2GhzX2 US $374.88 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:02:09 PST |
 |
New eMachines eME725-4520 Laptop T4400 3g 250g 2.2GhzX2 US $374.88 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:02:45 PST |
 |
New eMachines eME725-4520 Laptop T4400 3g 250g 2.2GhzX2 US $359.99 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:03:11 PST |
 |
New eMachines eME725-4520 Laptop T4400 3g 250g 2.2GhzX2 US $374.88 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:03:33 PST |
 |
New eMachines eME725-4520 Laptop T4400 3g 250g 2.2GhzX2 US $374.88 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:04:01 PST |
 |
New eMachines eME725-4520 Laptop T4400 3g 250g 2.2GhzX2 US $374.88 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:11:05 PST |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 14:50:17 PST |
 |
New HP dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Win 7 Notebook US $829.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 15:46:17 PST |
 |
New HP dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Win 7 Notebook US $829.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 15:56:19 PST |
 |
New HP dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Win 7 Notebook US $829.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 16:52:12 PST |
 |
New HP dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Win 7 Notebook US $829.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 17:40:03 PST |
 |
New HP dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Win 7 Notebook US $829.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 18:42:59 PST |
 |
New HP dv4t 14 Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Win 7 Notebook US $829.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 19:55:01 PST |
 |
1 DELL LATITUDE D600 DVD P4 M WiFi XP-2 WI FI LAPTOP US $249.99 End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 17:22:54 PST |
 |
THE Ultimate Panasonic 1.6GHz CF-29 Toughbook - GPS! US $1,299.00 End Date: Saturday Mar-13-2010 19:35:31 PST |
 |
Asus G51vx Gaming Laptop/4gb ram/ 1gb vram/ HD LCD ++++ US $1,195.00 End Date: Saturday Mar-13-2010 21:47:05 PST |
 |
PepperPad Handheld Web Laptop 8.4" LCD Touch-screen 20G US $250.00 End Date: Sunday Mar-14-2010 12:56:55 PDT |
 |
Dell Inspiron XPS 640m / e1405 14" Gaming Laptop Cheap US $250.00 End Date: Sunday Mar-14-2010 14:44:24 PDT |
 |
Laptop Dell Inspiron 1000 Notebook Computer ASIS PP08S US $99.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Mar-15-2010 12:01:44 PDT |
 |
HP Compaq tc4400 TOUCHSCREEN Laptop Windows XP Tablet US $399.00 End Date: Thursday Mar-18-2010 16:07:57 PDT |
 |
New 1 HP HDX16T 16" Laptop Core 2 Duo Blu-Ray Notebook US $879.95 End Date: Thursday Mar-18-2010 19:57:49 PDT |
 |
DELL PRECISION M65 CORE 2 DUO 1.83 T5600 LAPTOP DVD-RW US $399.99 End Date: Saturday Mar-20-2010 23:27:27 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D630 CORE 2 DUO 2.2 T7500 LAPTOP DVD-RW US $599.99 End Date: Sunday Mar-21-2010 14:47:08 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D630 CORE 2 DUO 2.2 T7500 LAPTOP DVD-RW US $499.99 End Date: Friday Mar-26-2010 10:59:48 PDT |
 |
HP COMPAQ NC6400 1.83 2GB BUSINESS LAPTOP NOTEBOOK WIFI US $352.00 End Date: Friday Mar-26-2010 11:00:19 PDT |
 |
PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK CF-29 LAPTOP RUGGED CF29 TOUGH BOOK US $599.52 End Date: Friday Mar-26-2010 11:06:46 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D630 CORE 2 DUO 2.2 T7500 LAPTOP DVD-RW US $499.99 End Date: Friday Mar-26-2010 11:40:44 PDT |
 |
DELL PRECISION M65 CORE 2 DUO 1.83 T5600 LAPTOP DVD-RW US $399.99 End Date: Saturday Mar-27-2010 14:35:45 PDT |
 |
HP COMPAQ NC6400 2GHZ 2GB BUSINESS LAPTOP NOTEBOOK WIFI US $374.99 End Date: Sunday Mar-28-2010 6:31:17 PDT |
 |
Panasonic Toughbook CF 29 1.6gHz/1024MB/80GB DVD/CDRW US $652.52 End Date: Sunday Mar-28-2010 6:31:41 PDT |
 |
New eMachines eME725-4520 Laptop T4400 3g 250g 2.2GhzX2 US $374.77 End Date: Tuesday Mar-30-2010 10:20:50 PDT |
 |
DELL Inspirion 2500 Laptop Computer PP02L Internet PC US $175.00 End Date: Tuesday Mar-30-2010 16:28:46 PDT |
 |
HP HEWLETT PACKARD TC4400 TABLET LAPTOP NOTEBOOK WIN XP US $452.00 End Date: Tuesday Mar-30-2010 21:12:15 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D610 CENTRINO 2.13 LAPTOP WIRELESS WIN XP US $339.99 End Date: Tuesday Mar-30-2010 21:15:46 PDT |
 |
ThinkPad T41 Working - no hard drive US $179.00 End Date: Wednesday Mar-31-2010 7:10:16 PDT |
 |
HP PAVILION DV7-2185DX Laptop Quad Q9000 17.3 LED LCD! US $1,234.95 End Date: Wednesday Mar-31-2010 12:42:36 PDT |
 |
IBM THINKPAD T43 CENTRINO 2.0 LAPTOP WIRELESS NOTEBOOK US $319.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 11:05:35 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D610 CENTRINO 2.13 LAPTOP WIRELESS WIN XP US $324.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 11:08:26 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D610 CENTRINO 1.86 LAPTOP WIRELESS WIN XP US $299.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 11:10:58 PDT |
 |
DELL 2GB 80GB D810 CENTRINO 2.13 LAPTOP WIRELESS WIN XP US $364.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 11:52:30 PDT |
 |
Panasonic Toughbook CF-29 Rugged WiFi Laptop Notebook US $849.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 20:05:17 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D400 CENTRINO 1.4 LAPTOP WIRELESS WINXP US $189.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 20:50:36 PDT |
 |
TOSHIBA TECRA M3 LAPTOP P4 CENTRINO 2.0GHZ DVD 80GB 2GB US $324.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 20:51:30 PDT |
 |
1 DELL LATITUDE D600 DVD P4 M WiFi XP-2 WI FI LAPTOP US $259.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 20:53:02 PDT |
 |
HP COMPAQ NC6000 1.6Ghz 40GB LAPTOP NOTEBOOK COMBO XP US $259.99 End Date: Thursday Apr-01-2010 21:02:32 PDT |
 |
NEW-RETAIL $1013 @WALMART - DISCOUNT NEW LENOVO LAPTOP US $640.00 End Date: Friday Apr-02-2010 12:12:36 PDT |
 |
DELL PRECISION M65 CORE 2 DUO 1.83 T5600 LAPTOP DVD-RW US $399.99 End Date: Friday Apr-02-2010 20:28:22 PDT |
 |
Dell Latitude Laptop D410 DVD-CDR WiFi Notebook Grade A US $279.99 End Date: Friday Apr-02-2010 20:29:44 PDT |
 |
PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK CF-29 LAPTOP RUGGED CF29 TOUGH BOOK US $599.52 End Date: Friday Apr-02-2010 20:30:52 PDT |
 |
Dell Latitude Laptop D410 DVD-CDR WiFi Notebook Grade A US $279.99 End Date: Saturday Apr-03-2010 10:19:24 PDT |
 |
DELL INSPIRON 1100 P4 2.4 LAPTOP WIRELESS XP NOTEBOOK US $299.99 End Date: Saturday Apr-03-2010 10:24:34 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D820 CORE DUO 2.0 T2500 LAPTOP DVD-RW XP US $499.99 End Date: Saturday Apr-03-2010 10:37:46 PDT |
 |
IBM THINKPAD T43 CENTRINO 1.8 LAPTOP WIRELESS NOTEBOOK US $279.99 End Date: Saturday Apr-03-2010 22:48:01 PDT |
 |
~New~ eMACHINES eME725-4520 3GB 250GB 15.6" DUAL LAPTOP US $378.00 End Date: Monday Apr-05-2010 10:43:51 PDT |
 |
Mini Netbook-Laptop-7"-WiFi Internet Ready!!! US $216.05 End Date: Tuesday Apr-06-2010 16:46:57 PDT |
 |
Mini Netbook-Laptop-7"-WiFi Internet Ready!!! US $216.05 End Date: Tuesday Apr-06-2010 16:47:47 PDT |
 |
Mini Netbook-Laptop-7"-WiFi Internet Ready!!! US $216.05 End Date: Tuesday Apr-06-2010 16:48:45 PDT |
 |
Mini Netbook-Laptop-7"-WiFi Internet Ready!!! US $216.05 End Date: Tuesday Apr-06-2010 16:50:13 PDT |
 |
DELL LATITUDE D830 CORE 2 DUO 2.4 T7700 LAPTOP DVD-RW US $799.52 End Date: Wednesday Apr-07-2010 15:47:25 PDT |
Delicious/tag/cheap laptop deals
recent bookmarks tagged cheap laptop deals
Mac & Apple Computers - Used Macs, Refurbished Macs, Apple Laptops | PowerMax.com
Has old Mac trade-in program
Related posts:
19 responses so far ↓
1 Plair
The computer is great. We were a little disappointed that it didn’t have the hdmi link to plug it into the tv so we could watch blu-ray on the big screen. It did not specify that it had this link but it didn’t say it didn’t either! We bought it for the kids and they love it. We had had it about 2 weeks when it started this scan on its own. It said to select the operating windows from the list and nothing was listed. Called Amazon and they sent us a new one! We got it the next day! That’s what I call service!!!!!
2 Orlowsky
Excellent working condition. Very quiet, and I am a graphic designer and I am able to run all of the new software with no hitches. great graphics quality and a nice big screen. blu-ray is cool. only 4 stars because no dvi out and/or no hdmi, (which I knew didn’t come with but would be the icing on the cake). Overall great value, and besides, it’s a Sony product. No brainer.
3 Redman
I purchased this laptop because of the style, the sony brand, and I was impressed with my families vaio’s, and i’m very pleased I did! One thing to start with is the price, it is very good and competitive (I did look around) also the screen looks so bright and the picture is fantastic. I have grown ever fond of sony in the past couple of years but only recently have I been this happy with them. Everything I have ever bought with the name sony on it has lived up to my ever growing expectations, this laptop is no exception. If you are looking around for a laptop I would advise to give sony’s modles a look, they have such style and class in there design, and are packed with features and nice layouts. This is a great laptop, I am happy I bought it.
4 Christy
My husband purchased this laptop for me for christmas before he deployed so that we could stay in touch. I love it at first I downloaded pictures and installed wirless so that I could talk to him when ever. Well 2 days after opening it the harddrive fried, not to mention that Sony won’t take it back since we live overseas. I HATE THIS THINK what a waste of money!
5 Nordquist
This color is perfect for my wife, she’s really into pink lately. She has an older version of Vaio, black one, now it’s mine after upgrading to the newer one. The software is fine, there’s some junk you have to remove / uninstall to make it run smoother, but now-a-days any computer you buy from a name brand store comes loaded with junk software. Spend a few hours to unload and it’ll make your system run much smoother.
Other than that, the system runs perfectly fine.
6 Rausch
I have to return this item because I think for me there License Agreement is outrageous SO PLEASE READ THERE LICENSE AGREEMENT PLEASE READ IT. Before Agreeing
I like the product but the license agreement is outrageous
7 Ozaki
Beautiful, fast, packed with features and software and ready to go in minutes right out of the box, I fell instantly in love with the thing. And being a longtime Mac person it was a difficult decision to give a Window machine a try. So yes the sound is a little weak, surprisingly from a Sony object, and now I hope it doesn’t break in 3 weeks, as I read a lot about Vaio problems… In the meantime I see in it everything I need from a laptop. And Amazon offered an incredible price, free delivery that happened to be the next day. So far a top consumer experience for me.
8 Irvin
I was very pleased with this purchase. It showed up very quickly and was clean and complete. The computer was easy and fun to setup. There was a predictable amount of OEM software such as AOL and Windows OneCare but this was easily removed.
This laptop has easily the best keyboard of any I’ve tried and that includes Mac products. I do prefer the 200 series over the 300 series which has gone to white keys. That was a mistake.
Display quality is excellent and DLNA integration works well too.
HDMI is well integrated but does not seem to have an option to compensate for overscan. If you’re hooking this computer up to a regular TV be prepared to lose the menu bar and start menu off the screen.
9 Pittroff
Throw your XP install disc in the trash. Hope you like 64-bit Vista, cuz that’s all you get. My specific Vista issues are at the end, if you want to read them. Unfortunately for me, after spending many sleepless nights trying to find a way, I surpassed my return date. Never imagined that a branded notebook would be built w/ hardware that’s not compatible w/ even the most recent legacy Windows OS (especially considering what an asspain Vista has been for everyone). Now I’m stuck with it. Tried to get Sony to exchange for an older, referbed Viao that’s XP compatible. Customer relations refused. They did, however, try to sell me an xp downgrade disc after reading in my case file from tech support, that xp was not compatible with the hardware on this new model.
If you are currently an XP only type, DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE!!!!! There will undoubtedly be programs/external hardware that will not work with Vista 64. And again, xp no worky. The closest I got was with virtualpc/vmware. XP actually installed on the VM, but if you try to enable hardware (USB in my case), you get the blue screen of death, and disabling the hardware doesn’t fix before having to reinstall.
Booting to an xp install disc in any other way gets you the blue screen of death.
Blu-ray support: WinDVD has been somewhat unstable, shutting down several times after opening to an inserted blu-ray disc. Multiple attempts eventually worked, and I haven’t had any mid-movie shutdowns. The pre-installed version is barebones, with the majority of the tools disabled which has caused some headaches with resolution settings and aspect ratio (see below).
WMP has had issues as well - not opening at all when selected being the most common problem.
HDMI out: I connect to a 52″ Bravia LCD. There are at least 3 different places to change resolution settings (on the laptop) so it can get confusing. I tampered with the settings for hours to get a display on my tv, before finally calling tech support (mistake). She remote admin’d into my machine, used trial and error with the same settings I had played with, then when nothing worked she went to sys restore (without asking me 1st) which failed. I had to reformat!!! I eventually got a working display on the lcd, but I’m still having aspect ratio issues.
1st problem: I had my previous laptop (HDD mech failed) backed up to Maxtor mini’s that I had password protected. Maxtor manager installed on vista but runs with errors (no drivepass), so when I plug in, instead of asking me for a password, it prompts me to reformat!!). Looks like I’ll have to ask a friend w/ xp to borrow their computer so I can remove drivepass from the mini’s in order to use them with this sony.
2nd problem: No pin client software for 64bit - needed for me to check my .mil email and use other applications that require a CAC card. This constitutes about 50% of my computing needs, making it impossible to work from home.
Other minor, but acceptable downsides: It’s heavy; batt life in saver mode is only about 2.5 hours; keypad sux (I bring a bluetooth mouse w/ me).
Pros: 4GB RAM/250GB HD; big screen, great picture - good for watching movies as long as you have a power source. If you know for sure that Vista 64 will work for everything you need, it should work well for you.
Any experts out there that know of work-arounds for these issues, I’m all ears and any advice would be appreciated (unless it’s to return the laptop before 14 days is up).
10 Ozuna
I have had this Laptop for 1 week, and I think it is great. There are just a few things you must be aware of if you are thinking of using it as an entertainment computer to hook up to your Plasma TV:
1). When watching a DVD through the HDMI connection to a plasma you get a slight shutter.
2). When I tried to rent stripes through Amazons VOD, the same thing happened. I was using FIOS through a wifi connection however, I have yet to try a downloaded version.
I think my plasmas refresh rate is so different from the 60 MHZ max from the laptop that it causes this?
If anyone has an idea of how to work around this I would really appreciate it.
Anyway, I still think it’s a great computer, and I would buy it again.
11 Tankersley
I got this laptop around thanksgiving 08. I have worked on this for about a month. I’d say, its excellent value for money.
The Pros
- Its a Sony priced cheaper than Dell or HP(For similar configuration). - - It looks good(expensive) for its price.
- With a 16:9 aspect ratio, its makes watching movies a pleasure.
- 4 GB memory is more than what I need for my computing needs. I also do some development work and 4 GB gives me good breathing space.
- The keyboard. Its sexy and convenient.
- Blu-Ray player. It allows me to watch Blu-Ray movies in 16:9 aspect ratio (mentioned above).
- HDMI out. It allows you to project your Blu-Ray movies or computer onto your LCD TV.
The Cons
- It gave me trouble on the very first day of usage. I installed Kaspersky anti virus, and Vista downloaded some windows update by itself and the laptop restarted. Thats when it went into an infinite loop. It would say installing 1,2,3 of three updates and then restart. I searched the net and found others had also faced this issue with VAIO. Finally called customer support and they helped me out by restoring my laptop to an earlier version of registries. It has since not given me much trouble.
- There is no S-Video out. I have an old tv that does not support HDMI. With my earlier laptop I could hook it up through an S-Video cable and project netflix watch now movies onto my tv screen. I’ve lost that ability. I now watch these movies only on the laptop.
- HDD is noisy.
- Vista 64 sucks. With a high end Intel Chip, I expected improved performance. I have not seen much of it. I’m sure its because of Vista. If I had XP, I’m sure it would have been super fast.
- Speakers. Now that I’m forced to watch movies on the laptop (No S-Video) I’m disappointed in the quality of speakers. As this is a media notebook I’d expect better speakers to go with 16:9 screen.
- The screen is not true 1080p. The resolution is 1600X900. It’d be better if it was 1080.
Overall, for the price I paid $1065 its a good machine, especially because it plays Blu-Ray for that price.
12 Chamberlin
I like this laptop, it has been my workhorse for 2 and a half years now.
13 Nease
I feel cheated with the product I bought, one of the main reason is the performance of the system, a computer powered by the Nvidia GeForce 8600M graphics card Video, should not behave the way this one does. I use design programs such as Autodesk Architectural Desktop and 3ds Max and I feel very disappointed with the performance I have got with 4 GB of RAM. Another thing is that the finish of the product is not for a $1500 USD PC, the front part of it, by one month of usage, is presenting several scratches and in the frontal panel, where is placed the slot for the memory stick and the wireless switch button, got most of the black paint away… I feel I got a refurbished computer instead of a new one. Plus I could not do anything because by the time I got the PC here in Dominican Republic, it was too late for refunding it back to Amazon… -1 star
14 Finkelstein
Like previous person said
I purchased this product with high hope too. It was OK at beginning and after 4th day,it starting crash like hell every time I turn it on. All I can say is ” Don’t Buy it, unless you have a lot of money!!”
15 DelRey
Sony VAIO VGN-AR790U/B AND Sony VAIO VGN-AR890U
This will be long but it will also be very detailed, as I do have a lot of experience with Sony Vaio desktop replacement notebooks.
I’m not a hardcore tech person but I know enough to get by, and I really have a love thing going on with Sony Vaio’s and a lot good things happening, in my life with Vaio’s. So I guess you could say I’m passionate about them.
This is my first Amazon review, as I normally do not have the time (who really does these days?) but I do purchase, a great deal of products from Amazon and I’ve received so much good info out of the reviews here; so I’d like to give something back now.
The reason I list both the AR790U/B and AR890U is because they are identical notebooks; with the SINGLE exception of the AR890U having larger hard discs. Really, the hard discs are the ONLY hardware differences between the two models. Odd thing is the AR890U is currently listed here on Amazon, for a few hundred dollars less than the older AR790U/B. Amazon had incorrect spec info listed for the AR890, which they may have corrected by now, after I had spoke to them about it, about a month ago. If in doubt about specs, go to sonystyle.com and look up the AR890 specs there. Note that the AR790 has been dropped from sonystyle.com as it is a discontinued model now. I currently own and am using daily, the AR790U/B and within my business, I own 2 more AR790’s and one AR890. I’ve been using Sony Vaio’s since they were introduced back in I believe late 97′ or early 98′ always opting for the top of the line desktop replacement Vaio models. Basically I’ve purchased most of Sony’s desktop replacement notebooks, over the years. Although a couple years back, I gave HP Pavilions two tries and was never really satisfied, with the overall build and experience I had with those. So take into consideration here, that I only have experience with Sony other than those two HP’s.
The AR series design can be found, on a range of Vaio’s dating back to late 2006/early 2007 in the AR 190 and 270 series (my first was the AR270 in early 2007). The Vaio AR series has a VERY attractive piano black high gloss exterior (entire lid only) that always seems, to get attention out and about, from coffee shops and airports to boardrooms. People will ask about it and make comments about how nice it looks. The chrome lining around the side is also nice and overall, this notebook design seems to look timeless; classy and elegant as if it will take many years, for it to look dated which is nice for most end-users, who will want to hold onto it, for years to come. The notebook is large and heavy but it does not seem to look or feel too thick when closed. Although I had a hard time, finding a notebook bag, that could fit it and that I liked, until I came across a very nice one: http://www.amazon.com/SIERRA-Wenger-Single-Gusset-Computer/dp/B000BYSUPW/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219787331&sr=8-1 . The image here doesn’t do it justice; this is a very nice looking bag which can very easily hold the Vaio AR, extra batteries Logitech wireless mouse and even folders (in the same compartment as the notebook). Circuit City carries this bag in-store if you want to check one out. Padding all around and very stylish inside out, with a very strong build quality. The reason I mention it is because many bags, will not be able to hold the large AR. Alright back to the notebook……..
Even after a year and a half with this design, I’m still unimpressed with the mouse buttons on the AR. Yes, they work when you click them but if there is one thing wrong with the design of this notebook; it is the mouse buttons which somehow feel dated and clunky. Like I mentioned I’m a 10-year notebook user but these mouse buttons were placed at the edge of the notebook and that just makes for an odd experience, even after time. My solution to that has been a Logitech wireless mouse which I also highly recommend. I currently use The Logitech MX Revolution which comes with the MX5500 Bluetooth keyboard combo. Previously I had been using the Logitech VX revolution which is a smaller mouse but better suited for travel and if you don’t want to use an external keyboard. Regardless the Logitech mice/keyboards work very well with the AR’s and trust that if you give one of the mice a try, you’ll never want to handle the AR’s pad again. Along the same lines, I also use an external display (Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM - 24″) via HDMI and it works flawlessly as a desktop setup. I honestly could not be more pleased with the above combination as it all works very well, regardless of the fact that I have just over 80 programs installed on this system. A word of warning, if you try a wireless mouse, you may not ever want to use the touchpad again. Every time I travel and use the AR I reach for my Logitech because the touchpad just doesn’t feel right anymore, almost as bad as trying to switch from using your right hand to your left hand. Keep in mind that the newer MX5500 Combo comes with Bluetooth so that you can connect the keyboard and the mouse without the USB receiver. This is great to travel with the mouse and use it without having to plug in the USB receiver. A hard mouse pad that can be used on carpet or anywhere also comes in handy too. I use the 1030 Surface Archetype made by Func Industries, which also fits in my notebook bag with no problem, right underneath the notebook.
Aside from the mouse buttons, most other keys and buttons are pretty well laid-out. There is no separate number pad even though there appears to be more than enough room in which Sony could have placed one, but that’s not something Sony does on notebooks (as far as I’ve seen in the past). The keys feel solid as if they will last for those who won’t be using an external keyboard. In the past, some Sony models keys would pop out over time. With the HP Pavilion desktop replacement I had tried, it got way too hot, to the right of the mouse pad, right where you rest your hand. On the AR it does get pretty warm right in the same area but not HP cook a steak hot like I had experienced. Warm but I don’t see anyone with sensitive skin or not, finding it to be too hot (let’s say a few digits below the too hot level). The inner plastic around the keyboard and screen is a very dark gray color rather than the piano black top exterior. At first glance this could look a bit generic to some people but for me it all flows just fine. When the unit is on there is a nice looking Sony logo that has a solid white glow that remains on, just below the LCD screen. The web cam like most, is right above the screen and is almost hidden not only because of the dark finish of the frame but because its behind the frame as if the entire frame around the screen is like one piece of clear glass or plastic, with the camera behind it.
The hook to keep the notebook locked was a bit of a letdown because it has no spring action. This means that to have the hook lock/unlock into the lid, you need to slide a button which is not as smooth as it could have been. So when you close the lid, it won’t automatically lock; you have to slide the button. This could be a good design feature in regards to opening and closing the lid often. It just seems to be that that hook gets in my way sometimes.
The speakers, built into the lid, right below the AMAZING screen, are nicely integrated into the design but I do have to say that the HP notebooks I had, both had louder speakers (I think one was even advertised as having a sub-woofer???). The Speakers on the AR do work and are loud enough to be heard, should a group of people be gathered around your notebook. However they just aren’t the loudest ones out there, I’m sure of that. Again I use that Samsung mentioned above and through the single HDMI connection, I hear through the Samsung’s built speakers and rarely use the AR’s.
The media buttons, CD eject button and the 2 programmable buttons are placed well for those of us who don’t need to have access to media buttons when the lid is closed.
Sony puts stickers all over the deck, and let me just tell you that if you don’t peel them off carefully, you’ll end up with a sticky mess, that will probably stick around, for as long as you’ll own the notebook. On one AR I had left over glue, from a sticker to the right of the touch pad, bother me enough that I got to rubbing very hard with glass cleaner and sure enough it came off, but the paint had faded a bit in that one spot. On next AR, I didn’t want to make the same mistake, so I asked tech support (THAT’S LEVEL 2 SAN DIEGO TECH SUPPORT; more on this later) and they said WD-40 does the trick. So WD-40, a little rubbing and that glue mess came right off and didn’t damage the paint at all this time.
Speaking of the paint, sadly on every AR (excluding the one just purchased 2 months ago) will chip in ONE spot. That would be the area right around the slot for the Memory Stick and SD Card. It’s happened enough times where I know that if you are going to be inserting and removing cards frequently, then you’ll want to try and get used to guiding the cards right in and not letting them rub against the sides because rather quickly (a few months) the paint, in just that small area, chips and you are left with a purple plastic underneath. The good news is that it’s a very small area which most people won’t even notice unless they get up close, as in eyes 5 inches away or closer. Other than that, the paint and exterior have held up very well, on the AR’s (oldest being an AR270 purchased early 2007, which again has the same body as the AR790 and 890).
These AR’s can get pretty hot underneath but if you’ve used other desktop replacements such as HP’s, then you like me, won’t find the unit hotter than other desktop replacements. I’ve read about people using notebooks like these, in bed or on carpet. While you can do so, Sony (recommends that you always have the unit sitting on a flat surface that allows the vents on the bottom, to take in cool air, as the vents on the rear right side, blow out the hot air. Now since the AR is a big boy, it’s sometimes hard to find something, but I strongly suggest that if you’re in bed or on carpet, that you find a large book (one of those large world encyclopedia perhaps) or some kind of board so that the rubber stubs underneath the notebook, can do as they were intended, by leaving that air gap open and the entire bottom suspended above whatever surface. I mention this because I’m amazed at how many people I’ve met, who sit a laptop like this on a pillow, for hours and then the unit just shuts itself off from overheating. Speaking of overheating I’ve had the AR790 running for 12 hours and even 24 hours, doing work and have never had it overheat. Also the fans by default, run very quietly and then if things begin to heat up, it’s as if it changes gears and gets louder but still not too loud compared to an HP Pavilion.
As I mentioned above, I use an external LCD, mouse and keyboard, when at home or in my office. I also use a USB hub for all of my USB connections. I use the USB port in the rear, which is right next to the power port; both on the left rear of the notebook. And then I also use the HDMI port (located on the right side close to the center) connected to my monitor. I also use a San Disk SDHC class6 8GB SD Card, for Vista’s Ready boost feature (although I have yet to notice any performance difference, even though Sony level 2 tech says there will be a difference, with a heavy program loads). There are two more USB ports and for me personally, I try to never use them because I really dislike the fact that they are both located right up front (right side corner up front). It just seems like it would be too easy to plug something in like a USB stick and have your right hand slap and break it right off and perhaps damage the USB port in the process. Could be all in my mind but I just don’t like that placement.
Sony discontinued Infrared on most if not all Vaio’s years ago but you’ll notice that there is a little red beam of light which comes from the left side corner, near the rear, right next to the headphone jack. That little red beam can’t be turned off (unless perhaps you really know your way around the registry). It’s for an audio cable which most people won’t need or have a connection for. Just make sure you don’t try to plug a standard headphone cable into the wrong whole as I’ve been told you could damage the one with the red beam. Regardless, the beam is so not a big deal and before you know it, you’ve gotten used to it and forgotten about it.
I assume most notebooks these days have this feature, but the AR series was the first time I saw Vaio’s with a physical switch that allows you to turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (both, not just one or the other) on or off anytime. This comes in handy if you want to keep you PC running while you’re away yet be 100% sure that nobody can gain access t your PC via an internet connection.
Like all Sony’s the AR790 comes loaded with A LOT of junk ware as I would call it, that you may not need but software that will surely buzz in your face on start-up. A word of warning; DO NOT REMOVE programs which contain the words SONY VAIO unless you are sure of what they are. I have done this before and ending up corrupting the Sony Vaio Recovery Center (which you will need sooner or later) and once corrupted, it cannot be re-installed without doing a full system recovery which is a long process (2 to 3 hours). Soon as you get your AR I recommend going to download.com and getting a freeware application called Revo Uninstaller. This program is wonderful in many ways and does uninstall of programs like windows, but also digs deeper to remove leftover items from programs.
In Vista (if you’re new to Vista), this may not work for all but for me I first turn off the UAC (User Account Control) in User Accounts, from the Control Panel. If you’re new to Vista; having UAC on, will drive you CRAZY!!!! Next I used Revo to uninstall all the junk ware that I knew was safe to delete; things like AOL programs, trial ware of Web Root Spy Sweeper (this one will still leave a folder full of junk in your Programs folder, even after uninstall, so go in and delete it manually after uninstall). Go through the long list; for me I found 35, yes 35 programs that I considered junk ware and deleted in Revo. Also Adobe Reader Pro is pre-installed. This is the Pro version Trial and as soon as you try to open up a PDF file it will start up and ask you to purchase now or later. For many users, the answer is to delete it and then go ahead download and install the freeware version to only read PDF files and not create them. The way its set up (like Spy Sweeper and Norton) Sony I’m sure has talked folks into buying stuff they really don’t need or want, just by having all this junk ware installed and in your start-up list.
Sony Vaio’s do not come with System Recovery discs these days. However, there is a hidden partition which contains the full system recovery files (including your full Vista license, all programs and drivers). You can access this at anytime through the Sony Vaio Recovery Center program. Just type the same in the Vista search field or find it in programs menu. Also, should windows get corrupted and you’re not able to load windows, you can press one of the F keys (sorry I don’t recall which one at the moment) after powering on your notebook and it will load and take you right into the Sony Vaio Recovery Center program, without loading windows. From within the program you can reinstall windows, repair windows and or any drivers or programs that came preinstalled. Also you can delete the hidden partition and reclaim the space it uses. Either way, I highly recommend that you make your own recovery discs right away and you can do this from within the Vaio Recovery Center. Creating disc can be done with two single layer DVD’s (dual-layers don’t work on the AR790).
Also the AR790 does not come preinstalled with Microsoft Vista Service Pack-1. Let me just say that you’ll want to get online and download this ASAP. All of my AR’s all had issues with Vista running out of memory while I was trying to move 80GB of music and image files onto the AR. This issue and a few others are fixed by installing Service Pack-1 (not a Sony issue but a Microsoft Vista issue). You’ll notice that there are a lot of windows updates needed for the AR790 and I recommend you let windows install them all right away as this will address a few issues that you very well may experience, right out of the box. Also you may not see Service Pack-1 in the Windows Update list until after many other updates have been done first and your PC rebooted a few times. You’ll know its Service Pack-1 when it tells you that your PC will be shutdown and restarted several times during the long process of installing Service Pack-1
Also I’ve now been told by two different level 2 tech support people, that the Sony website updates (drivers and other programs) DO NOT need to be updated on the AR790 even though they are listed there, UNLESS you experience a problem with one of the pre-installed programs or drivers. I made the mistake of going on an update spree because the dates were newer than the manufacturing date of my PC. What ended up happening with one update was that my DVD player which worked from day one, stopped working after I installed an update I saw in the list on the Sony Support site.
The screen on the AR790 is flawless! It is a very sharp and beautiful display at its highest resolution. And as I mentioned above The Samsung SyncMaster 2493 can display the AR790’s full resolution and does a VERY good job. Also note that to just about all human eyes, the screen resolution, out of the box, makes everything look way too small. For me I find the best fit is the resolution set to max 1920×1200 and adjust the font size to 144% DPI. Messing around with the Resolution and DPI settings, will help you find the perfect fit for you.
Video playback on the AR790 is very good and to date I have never experienced anything that I would consider poor performance. I have done some HD video editing on the AR790 and working with high resolution images is always beautiful on the AR790. I don’t know much about graphic cards but I do know that I have not been let down by any tasks I’ve asked this PC to perform.
The big screen does use a lot of battery power and so it should be known that you’ll be on the lower end of the power length range published. The standard size battery that comes with the AR, with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth on and the screen brightness set at 50%; I believe gave me about 1:15 before it got down to about 15% to 20%. Not good at all but turning down the brightness as much as you can stand; does help a lot on this PC.
The extended batteries for the AR790, are expensive; around 250 each when I had purchased them. But they do perform very well at about 2 hours to 2 and half hours each (I think I’ve even gone as high as 2:45 on one). In the same bag I mentioned above, I’m able to carry 3 extended batteries along with the standard battery inserted. Also note that, the extended batteries do stick out, almost an inch from the back of the unit (but don’t stick out from the bottom). At first thought this seems unattractive and annoying but for me it has really not been an issue other than having to remove the extended batter to fit the notebook in the bag I use, without it having to be a tight fit. Also make sure if you do go with an extended battery, that you purchase the right model because there are two different battery connections for the older AR’s (last year’s AR270) and the newer 790 and 890. The correct model is the Sony Rechargeable Battery Pack VGP-BPL9 for the AR790 and 890. As I mentioned, they are expensive, but for me personally, I could not see myself owning this notebook without at least one extended battery on top of the supplied standard sized battery.
The standard sized battery will really disappoint many people; on full or near full brightness, I’ve seen my standard sized battery, run down 50% in about 35min. Yes that bad! Measuring 1% per minute of use, I tried to see if it could last 60min on my regular brightness level and I don’t think it was going to make it 60min. Then again if you are going to skip a 2nd battery you can always carry the AC adapter along for the ride and not have any worries.
I grew up loving video and PC games, but as a 27-year old CEO/business owner; I don’t have the time to play games very often these days. However I did a few tests and the AR passed them all. I’m not sure what the latest and great are in the world of PC games but I did purchase and install F.E.A.R, Bio-Shock, Crysis and some of the Myst games (Uru) and they all performed very well on the AR790. I logged a few hours with F.E.A.R and I’m told Crysis needs even more graphics power and I was able to play that game for many hours, over one weekend last month and there was no freezing up but I did notice that during a few scenes where a lot of things were exploding all over the screen, that the action slowed down a lot for a few moments, until the screen wasn’t completely filled with explosions. And yes the AR790’s fan ran in 2nd gear the entire time playing games. I should note, that whether it makes a difference or not, I did turn off the Wi-Fi-/Bluetooth, turned off my Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Outlook and anything else that I didn’t need to have running while playing. Also I had that SD Card running the Ready Boost. So I’m not a real gamer (yes I know I’m missing out) but I do run programs like Flash/Photoshop CS3, Sony Vegas Pro, ULead VideoStudio and all work well with no issues. Quickbooks 2008, OneNote, Word 2007, Outlook 2007 and a few other programs are sometimes running at the same time as my graphics and video software and most of the time things all work well together.
The AR790 is by no means a slow machine and again this is coming from a guy who has installed well over 80 programs (many are big ones). Most things work fast and smooth but I must say that overall this machine does perform slower than the first AR I had which was an AR270. So how could the AR270 with a slower processor outperform the AR790 you ask? The AR270 was running Windows XP is how. Vista on the AR as level 2 tech support confirmed with me; does require a lot more processor power than XP did. Matter in fact he was quick to let me know that because of driver and other issues, he himself and a lot of his associates, were sticking with XP a while longer. Well I haven’t had any driver issues with Vista 32-bit other than a few of the older PC games I tried installing, wouldn’t work. Oh yes, before I forget on the last AR790 set-up, kept get the blue screens on start up at least twice a week. Well first I had a bad ram card which Sony says could have been the cause. They FedEx me a shipping box to have the unit repaired. They said under warranty the ram cards were covered but they needed to have the entire PC. Took about 8 days from start to finish to get the PC back to me. 2nd blue screen issue was caused by me installing a version of ScanSoft PapertPort 11 and Omni Page Pro that were not Vista 32-bit compatible. So my warning to you is if you want to avoid blue screen shut downs on the AR790, make sure you only install programs and drivers that are made for Vista 32-bit.
Speaking of Vista 32-bit, in case some of you are wondering, I have got word from level 2 tech support that they are being trained in Vista 64-bit and that’s because AR models with Vista-64-bit will be coming out sometime between Dec 08′ and March 09′ if not a bit sooner is what I’ve been told. I thought I would jump aboard but I’m planning to stick with this AR790 because as they explained to me, that even though the 64-bit Vista OS will use the full 4GB of ram rather than the 3GB used in 32-bit Vista, 64-bit drivers will not be a walk in the park and 32-bit software (most new software as of right now) will not work on the 64-bit system.
Also for those who may not already know this; within the BIOS of all newer AR’s running Vista, Microsoft has made sure that you are not able to install XP on these new BIOS versions. So if you’re thinking of going back, it’s not going to happen.
I had mentioned tech support and this is an issue that all Sony Vaio customers should keep in mind. When you purchase a Sony Vaio Notebook, you get one-year of free tech support. Your 1-year of free tech support begins the first time you call (whenever that may be) Sony and register your serial number and personal information (provided you didn’t allow the web registration to happen). Now when you do call Sony, after all the menu options, you’ll be transferred to a level 1 tech support person in India.
Now my following comments have nothing to do with India as a nation and a race of people. What I’m leading up to is the fact that the people in level one, most of the time are not very skilled with the notebook in question. Many times, they will need to put you on hold while they research your question. Many times, the info they have in front of them is the same info you can find yourself on the tech support webpage. Should they not be able to find a solution for you, they will give you an EIN (Event Identification Number) and you will want to write it down and keep it for future use. Then they will transfer you to level 2 tech support. Level 2 tech Support is ONLY based in San Diego California and these people REALLY know their stuff. Sometimes they can be a bit arrogant because they really know their stuff but 9 times out of ten I’ve had my issues worked out when transferred to them.
So you’ll want to keep whatever EIN is given to you by level 1, because even if you get your issues resolved in that call, you may want to use that number the next time you call. Next time you call in, you get to a level one person in India and you tell them your name and give them your EIN and say that you would like to be transferred to level 2 tech support in San Diego California. If they try to keep you with them, you simply just state the same thing again and if they give you a hard time, then ask to speak with a supervisor in their department if they are not willing to go ahead and transfer you. This works almost always and this is what level 2 told me to do, if I wanted/needed to get to them.
Be forewarned that there have been two instances where level one said they were transferring me to level 2 and instead they either transferred me to another level one person in India or actually lied to me and stated that they were level 2. Level 2 is only located out of Sony’s San Diego facility (same place you send your notebook when it need repairs). 2nd time they lied to me, I asked the gentlemen on the phone, for level 2 and he said oh yes sir, this is level 2. I then said oh this is level 2 in New York City and he said yes that is right………
Alright well I hope I’ve included everything that I had originally wanted to, and I hope this long review, has been of help to some of you shoppers out there. If anyone has any questions, I’ll try to check back here and answer them as best I can. Amazon has been a wealth of knowledge for my shopping choices, so I’m glad to be able to help out. Now go get yourself an AR, they are real classy machines.
Ashton
16 Overturf
I received the product in very good conditions. The problem was tha I didn’t receive one item but I got in contact with the people in amazon and they got in contact with the people of sony so they sent me the missing item
17 Pedersen
Well it is a beautiful laptop! I love it.I really , really, really want it, BUT !!!!I cant use it. I got it friday , took it out of the box started it up and BAM! the keyboard does not work. Sony is sending someone over to my house to fix it and I hope they can fix it. We got it from amazon and i hope that if sony cant fix it that amazon will ship out a new one. Ive never had an issue with amazon so i have trust in them.I will keep you updated….
18 Bloomfield
I ordered this Vaio (in grey) from Amazon over a month ago when it was offered as a Gold Box item. His Compaq mini-tower had died two months prior and I thought a laptop would make more sense for him now.
I am not going to go into the technical mumbo-jumbo because you can see the specs posted in the product description section. Suffices to say that it is adequately supplied with memory, has sufficient disk storage and comes with… hmmm… Vista.
On the computer itself, it is a true laptop, meaning that it’s not a TOO large mini-super-computer-emulator but not too small either. The display looks great. The keyboard is only adequate. This model does not come with a mouse so, if you don’t want to depend on the little touchpad, make sure you have a USB mouse handy.
Installation… well you turn it on and it works. As it is always the case with ‘consumer’ computers, as soon as you turn it on, you are bombarded with tons of tutorials and various pre-installed trashware/bloatware - the usual suspects: AOL, Macaffee, Adobe, Norton… It took me a couple of hours to clean it up and leave only the stuff that was not on a ‘trial’ base and get rid of all the well-meaning spyware.
So, after cleanup, we got ourselves a nice, Wi-Fi enabled, AOL/Explorer/Macaffee/Norton-free little laptop that my son loves using for his personal entertainment and for the occasional school homework - Microsoft Works comes pre-installed for that.
Battery life appears to be adequate but the battery is relatively slow to charge - I guess you can’t have everything at the same time.
On the ‘cool’ factor. The laptop comes equipped with a built-in camera almost invisible, it plays DVDs and, of course it has a microphone. My kid also likes the text-to-speech capability but he’s telling me that the computer is more often wrong than right when interpreting his words. The cool stuff that DOES work is the fingerprint authentication. You provide the computer your fingerprints and you no longer need to enter username/password ever again. You simply slide your finger (any finger) over the reader and, you’re authenticated.
I never had to call the Sony customer service, so I can’t comment on that. I am very much a do-it-yourself type when it comes to computer (never on cars).
Overall rating: I am satisfied with the the laptop but the keyboard could have been better.
19 Johnstone
I bought it, loved it, and used it every work day at the college where I was employed. We had offices, but there were not enough work stations. I used my SONY on a spare table and all was well. Strangely, the unit DIED on the next day that I gave up the chore of three freshman comp classes and a long drive in exchange for resuming my retirement.
When I removed it from the case this last Monday, it was completely dead. No light, no fan, just zip anything. I had the warranty in hand, plus a three year one I purchased from Office Max. Hey-THANKS to the manager at the Griffin store (Pete),contact was made quickly with Sony, an extra service of a great business.
The shipping box arrived, I packed the laptop and shipped it right away. Two days later, I go online and there on the Sony website is the information and reference numbers!
Summary-I have no doubt the computer will be returned promptly. If I learned anything in my senior years (70), it is an essential move to buy where there is service to HELP get a warranty with a computer quickly and in the proper way, and that is person-to-person with a local business. I would mot denigrate the quality of this laptop, BUT I would advise on ANY computer a full year’s warranty and spending a few bucks beyond that as I did.
You must log in to post a comment.