Sony VAIO VGN-TX670P

Less than a year after debuting its VAIO T series ultraportable laptop (and several iterations later), Sony gives its thinnest and lightest model a new look, some new features, and a new name. At $2,300, the VAIO VGN-TX670P costs about as much as the previous VAIO VGN-T350 model but adds a slightly wider screen and subtracts a few ounces from an already lightweight profile.

This is an eminently ultraportable laptop: the VAIO VGN-TX670P's carbon-fiber body measures 10.75 inches wide, 7.65 inches deep, and less than an inch thick. At 2.8 pounds (3.5 pounds with its small, ice cream sandwich-size AC adapter), it's one of the smallest and lightest machines around, especially for having an optical drive onboard. The Sharp Actius MP30, which also weighs 2.8 pounds and has an optical drive, costs about $700 less than the Sony, though it has a significantly smaller, 10.4-inch standard aspect display and lacks many of the Sony's multimedia and connectivity niceties. The Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D weighs less than a pound more, offers a comparable set of features and specs, and costs several hundred dollars less; the $1,379 Averatec 1000, weighing a pound more, is another low-price option. Other laptops in the Sony's weight class, including the $2,000, 2.7-pound Toshiba Portege R200 and the $2,000, 2.5-pound Dell Latitude X1, lack the optical drive.

The VAIO VGN-TX670P requires the cardinal compromise of every other ultraportable laptop on the market: the keyboard is cramped and has small keys. Still, it's relatively sturdy and responsive and not as small as others--particularly the Averatec; in fact, we comfortably typed out this review on it. Likewise, the touch pad and the mouse buttons are small but usable. The superslim, 11.1-inch wide-screen display, with its 1,364x768 native resolution, isn't the dazzling gem we've seen on recent Sony laptops, such as the VAIO VGN-S470P, but it's good enough. The stereo speakers, which sit above the keyboard, are what you'd expect from a laptop this size: weak and tinny.

This notebook has all of the ports that a business user will need (two USB 2.0 ports, four-pin FireWire, VGA, PCI Express card slot) and a handful that cater to the entertainment-minded. Most significantly, along with the VAIO BX series (announced in August), the VAIO VGN-TX670P marks the first time Sony has incorporated an SD card reader in one of its laptops--a belated and inevitable concession from a company that until now has supported only its own proprietary Memory Stick flash format. In addition to a multiformat, double-layer DVD burner, featuring the smallest eject button we have ever seen, and external volume and mute buttons--always a nice touch--the VAIO VGN-TX670P has a row of disc controls that sit above the keyboard, including one configurable quick-launch A/V mode button that lets you play a DVD or a CD without booting Windows. On top of Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Sony includes a nice array of its own software, including media, connectivity, and support utilities, as well as the standard apps for burning and playing discs.

In terms of connectivity, the VAIO VGN-TX670P offers the most complete set of features available today in a laptop of any size. In addition to LAN, modem, 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth, this notebook offers built-in cellular networking (you can read more about the details in our review of the VAIO VGN-T350P, where this feature first appeared). We found that the cellular antenna was unobtrusive but came loose easily and wouldn't be hard to lose.

Our prototype test unit included a number of modest components that didn't stand in the way of the VAIO VGN-TX670P's performance. The unit included an ultra-low-voltage, 1.2GHz Intel Pentium M 753 processor; 1GB of slow 266MHz memory; Intel's 915PM/GM/GMS chipset with an integrated graphics subsystem that borrows up to 128MB of RAM from main memory; and a 60GB hard drive spinning at a sluggish 4,200rpm. In CNET Labs' mobile benchmarks, our unit ran neck and neck with the older-generation VAIO T-series machines, as well as with the Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D and the Dell Latitude X1, each of which was outfitted with a 1.1GHz Pentium M processor. Though we don't recommend it for heavy-duty computing or gaming, the VAIO VGN-TX670P can easily handle the standard productivity tasks of the typical business traveler, including in-flight DVD viewings. The VAIO VGN-TX670P's battery lasted for a fantastic 6.6 hours in our Labs' drain tests--excellent performance by any standard.

Depending on where you buy it, Sony backs the VAIO VGN-TX670P with either its new business-focused VAIO Care program (read about details here) or its industry-standard consumer warranty: one year of free service (including free shipping both ways) and 24/7 toll-free telephone tech support; after the year expires, support calls cost $20 per incident. Sony offers an array of warranty extensions; a three-year plan with onsite service costs $250. The company's Web site provides a good knowledge base and e-mail support from Sony technicians.

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Toshiba Tecra M4

CNet Reviews Toshiba Tecra M4 and Says:

With a silver lid and a black base, the Toshiba Tecra M4 convertible tablet looks right at home in the boardroom. It is solidly designed and loaded with features, but its 2.9 kilogram weight is a killer if you want to hold your tablet like a clipboard for any length of time. If you want a decent laptop with tablet functionality, the Tecra M4 provides top-notch performance, a comfortable keyboard, and a large 14-inch screen. If you're looking for something to use primarily as a tablet, you're better off with smaller devices such as the ThinkPad X41.

Design
Measuring 328mm wide, 289.7mm deep, and approximately 38.4mm thick, the Toshiba Tecra M4 has the same dimensions as the Toshiba Satellite R15; both are significantly larger than the other convertible tablets we've seen, such as the HP Compaq tc4200. Again, the Tecra M4 is one of the heaviest tablets around and really appropriate only for carrying down the hall and on occasional trips.

The large dimensions do allow for some creature comforts, including a spacious keyboard and two pointing options: an eraser-head pointing stick (similar to the TrackPoint on ThinkPads) and a touch pad. As on the HP Compaq tc4200, the pointing stick and the touch pad each has its own mouse button, and the touch pad features horizontal and vertical scroll zones. With the Tecra M4 in tablet mode, you can navigate and write on the screen with a stylus that has the bulk of a ballpoint pen and offers a good pen-on-paper feel. We do wish the Tecra M4's pen had a tether to keep us from losing it, though.

Features
If you want to see life on the big screen, the Toshiba Tecra M4 is the tablet for you. While others may feature 14-inch screens, none can touch the Tecra M4's superfine 1,400x1,050 SXGA+ native resolution, which lets you view multiple windows while in landscape mode. Unfortunately, the screen is prone to glare and doesn't have as wide a viewing angle as we've seen elsewhere. With the Tecra M4 in tablet mode or laid flat beneath overhead lights, we had problems viewing the screen at a 45-degree angle.

Another advantage of the Toshiba Tecra M4's size is that it can accommodate a decent mix of ports and connections. In addition to the headphone and microphone jacks, you'll find VGA, S-Video, four-pin FireWire, infrared, and three USB 2.0 ports. There are also SecureDigital and Type II PC Card slots, and you can connect to the Internet via modem, Ethernet, or 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. We like that the headphone and microphone jacks, the volume control, and a button to kill the wireless are easily accessible on the front of the machine. Small stereo speakers offer decent sound, but the lid covers them in tablet mode. The Tecra M4 lacks a fingerprint scanner, which would both provide security and make it easier to log on in tablet mode; however, it does have a Trusted Platform Module to help protect you from data theft. Like other Toshiba laptops, to keep data safe in the event that it's dropped, the Tecra M4 stops the hard drive from spinning whenever the tablet moves too fast. For tablets, which are often held on a wobbly arm and are more likely to be dropped, this feature is a necessity.

The Tecra M4 runs Windows XP Tablet Edition, and our test unit came with a good selection of software, including Microsoft Office OneNote, Microsoft Works 8.0, and Zinio Reader for reading digital magazines. It also came with Toshiba's very cool ConfigFree utility, which has a neat NORAD-like radar graphic that plots the signal strength (but not the location) of nearby wireless networks.

Performance and battery life
Toshiba has always been competitive with features and has put more power under the hood of the Tecra M4 than you will find in any other tablet. Our test unit included a very fast 2GHz Pentium M processor, 512MB of quick 533MHz SDRAM, and a smoking Nvidia GeForce Go graphics card with 64MB of dedicated video memory (rare for a tablet). In CNET Labs' performance benchmarks, the Tecra M4 performed 24 percent faster than the similar-size Toshiba Satellite R15, which has a slower 1.6GHz processor. The Tecra M4 also handily beat the 1.8GHz Pentium M-based HP Compaq tc4200 and the Averatec C3500, which has a 1.67GHz processor. Only the new Acer TravelMate C310, with its 2.2GHz processor and 14.1-inch screen, looks poised to give the Tecra M4 a run for its money.

On the downside, the Toshiba Tecra M4's battery lasted for a mediocre 2 hours, 47 minutes. By contrast, the Toshiba Satellite R15's lasted 4 hours, 42 minutes, and the HP Compaq tc4200's lasted 4 hours, 56 minutes. If you don't need the DVD drive, you might want to consider swapping it out for an additional slim SelectBay battery, which Toshiba claims will give you a total of 6 hours of battery life (CNET did not test this battery).


Notebook Review Reviews Toshiba Tecra M4 and Says:

The Toshiba Tecra M4 is a very unique computer which I would describe as a jack of all trades. It's thin, fairly light, pretty powerful, and moderately priced. It basically falls into the category of thin and light desktop replacements. However what sets it apart from the competition is a turnable screen and a stylus. That's right, the Tecra M4 is also a Tablet PC which allows you to input notes and information through the stylus or even through speech with an integrated microphone array.

Tecra M4 specs as reviewed:
# Intel Pentium M 750 (1.86 Ghz)
# 256 MB (upgraded to 2 GB by buying memory through newegg.com)
# 40 GB Hard drive
# SXGA+ (1400 x 1050)
# Intel 802.11 b/g wireless
# DVD/Cdrw combo drive
# Windows XP Tablet Edition
# 6 cell battery
# nVidia Go 6600 TE
# free accesories after mail in rebate (ballistic case, epson printer, netgear wireless router)

Reasons for Buying
I'm going to graduate school soon so I began looking for a new computer. My old laptop was outdated and could barely keep up with web browsing, and I was tired of lugging its weight (about 7.5 pounds). However since this was going to be my only computer I wanted something with a decent screen size, and good power for directx programming or an occasional game. Thus I began looking at thin and light desktop replacement notebooks. These were some of the notebooks I considered:

# Toshiba Tecra M3
# IBM Thinkpad T43
# Asus z71v
# Asus w3v
# Dell Inspiron 6000
# HP L2000

During my search however I stumbled upon the M4 which was a tablet. It had everything I wanted in the thin and lights, and was within the same price range. After doing some research on tablets and checking them out in person at the local CompUSA, I realized that this was just what I was looking for. It would allow me to take notes easily in class eliminating the clutter of papers I have trouble organizing, and it would allow me to draw my own pictures for organizing my thoughts or create graphics for my programs. So I went ahead and ordered one from Toshiba Direct for about $2200 - 200(mail in rebate for the accesories)= about $2000.

Buying experience
The laptop took 10 days to build, and then another 4 days to arrive from China. The free accessories arrived earlier since there was no building time. During this time I called customer service twice to inquire about my order status, and each time within 5 minutes I was able to talk to a customer service representative. Both times they seemed quite competent in helping me with my order and both spoke perfect english. Thus I feel quite comfortable in being able to contact customer support should I need it.

Design and build quality
This laptop sports a simple sleek look with a black base and silver screen. I find the designe quite elegant. It won't draw too much attention at first, but when you twist back the screen it will probably turn a few heads. The chassis feels quite solid, and the only place I can find any flex is near the lower right corner of the keyboard near the arrow keys. There is absolutely no flex on the screen as I have been pushing on the back and have noticed no ripples whatsoever. Additionally there is a vibration sensor in the device that senses movement and stops the hard drive from spinning in order to prevent damage to the hard drive. My only concern with the design is with the rotation hinge since it has to support the screen. It seem solid enough, but I'm still somewhat worried about how well it can support the display as I'm used to conventional notebooks which support multiple hinges.

Buttons and Ports

I love the layout of the ports on this model as well. There are three usb ports, 2 of which are on the left side, and one of which is on the bottom right. This port is quite useful for plugging in a mouse, while the 2 on the left are perfect for me to plug in my dvdrw, and an external HD. There is also a firewire port on the left side as well so I have the option of using that for my dvdrw too. This notebook only has a SD card reader unlike others which I've seen which support 4-6 different kinds of flash cards. For me this is fine since my camera uses SD, but for others this could be a possible issue. There is also only one pcmcia slot, but since there is a gigabit ethernet built into the back it's not really missed. On the front is an on/off switch for the wireless as well as the volume control along with headphone and microphone jack. The microphone jack isn't really needed though since there are microphones built into the system of which I've located 2 (one in the front and one on the left side).

Sony S Series VAIO

Incredibly slim and lightweight with a generous workspace, built-in wireless LAN(1) and a sleek, durable magnesium case, the VAIO® S Notebook is designed to be highly mobile. Robust features, including a 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive, DDR2 memory, 553 MHz front-size bus and Intel® 915 chipset, enable optimal productivity on the road.

VAIO® S Series notebooks are packed with unique and powerful features designed to enhance your productivity on the road and beyond. Generous screen and keyboard won't cramp your style whether you’re on a plane or at a hotspot. Essential performance and productivity tools keep you working on the way to your meeting. Integrated multimedia features let you unwind after a hard day -- enjoy movies and music on your way home. Slim, light and just the right size for frequent travelers who won’t sacrifice function for performance or convenience.

Key Messages

Remarkably slim and lightweight tool for the mobile user. : The VAIO® S Series Notebook PC employs cutting-edge notebook technologies and a highly mobile design. It offers integrated wireless LAN³, an exceptional 13.3” widescreen display with XBRITE™ LCD technology, and a generous keyboard in a 4.3 lb. form factor. The VAIO® S Notebook is the portrait of sleek, contemporary style.

Exceptional display technologies. : The VAIO® S Notebook features a 13.3” widescreen display with Sony’s original XBRITE™ LCD technology for higher brightness levels than standard displays. The result: deeper blacks, brighter whites, true-to-life color and razor-sharp detail. Smart Display Sensor makes connecting to a compatible external projector or display easy and worry-free. It automatically senses and selects the appropriate input for your external device and adjusts optimized resolution.

Utilize cutting-edge notebook technologies.. : The VAIO® S Notebook has a 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive, advanced DDR2 memory, 533MHz Front Side Bus, Intel® Pentium M processor and 915 chipset work together to provide impressive application performance and processor speed. The nVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 6400 graphics chip with Turbo Cache™ technology delivers turbo-charged graphics performance, excptional DVD viewing and optimized use of the latest multimedia applications.

Enjoy mobile multimedia entertainment. : The VAIO® S Notebook allows you to create dynamic presentations, view movies with stunning clarity and create and manage your multimedia files with ease. With DVD+R Double Layer/ DVD±RW⁴ drive and Click to DVD™ software you can easily create high-quality, customized DVDs. Manage your music files and make audio CDs using SonicStage® software. And with MagicGate™ functionality, easily transfer secure data files to your PSP.

Hardware

Processor	:	Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73GHz1, 2MB L2 cache)
Front Side Bus Speed	:	533MHz
Chipset	:	Intel® 915GM
LCD	:	13.3" WXGA with XBRITE™ Technology (1280x800)
Integrated Wireless LAN	:	Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection (802.11b/g)3
Hard Drive	:	80GB2 5400rpm Serial ATA
Memory	:	512MB PC2-4200 533MHz DDR2 (512MB x 1) (Expandable to 2GB)
Graphics	:	Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 128MB dynamically allocated video graphics
Graphics Interface	:	VGA out w/ Smart Display Sensor
Optical Drive	:	DVD+R Double Layer/DVD±RW Drive4 DVD+R DL Write (2.4x MAX) DVD+R Write (4x MAX), DVD+RW Write (2.4x MAX) DVD-R Write (4x MAX), DVD-RW Write (2x MAX) CD-R Write (24x MAX); CD-RW Write (10x MAX) DVD Read (8x MAX); CD Read (24x MAX)
Modem	:	Integrated V.92/V.90 Modem with RJ-11 interface
Ethernet	:	10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet with RJ-45 interface
Audio	:	Windows® sound system compatible, Built-in stereo speakers
Audio Interface	:	Stereo mini microphone jack, Stereo mini headphone jack
Memory Stick® Media Slot	:	Supports optional Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO™ 5 with MagicGate™ functionality
PC Card Slots	:	One PCMCIA - Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support
Other Interfaces	:	One 4pin i.LINK®6 connector(IEEE 1394), 2 USB 2.0 ports, port replicator connector
Optional Port Replicator	:	3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, VGA, printer, DC in
Pointing Device	:	Electro-Static touch pad
Keyboard	:	QWERTY, 82 keys with 2mm stroke and 18.05mm pitch
Action Buttons	:	S1, S2 (programmable), WLAN on/off
Power Requirements	:	105W+10%
Battery	:	Lithium-ion Battery (VGP-BPS2)
Estimated Battery Life	:	Standard Battery: 1.5 - 3.0 hours7

Software

Operating System	:	Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Sony Original Software	:	Click to DVD™ - DVD Creation DVGate Plus™ - Digital Video SonicStage® - Digital Music VAIO Media™ - Network File Sharing Image Converter - PSP Transfer
Other Software Applications	:	Adobe® Photoshop® Elements Starter Edition InterVideo® WinDVD® Intuit Quicken® 2005 New User Edition (Previous Quicken users may require upgrade.) Microsoft® Works 8.0 Microsoft® Office® 2003 60-Day Trial Small Business Edition Roxio® DigitalMedia SE
Anti-Virus and Recovery Software	:	Norton® Internet Security™ 90-Day Subscription Intermute™ SpySubtract™ 30-Day Trial VAIO® Update software VAIO® Recovery Wizard software VAIO® Support Central
Internet Services	:	AOL Online™ 180-Day Trial - New Users Only

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How to buy cheap or discount laptops

So you want to buy cheap or discount laptops and don't know where to look. You are very lucky because we searched the web and write this summary to help you find your way to your new mobile pc/laptop. Here is some tips:

Help Wtih Pcs Says:

What to look for in a cheap laptop or notebook. The main thing to consider is what you are going to be using it for. Most people use laptops for light work, ie, word processing, accounts, surfing the internet, etc. Most modern machines will cope easily with this sort of use, in fact, nowadays most laptops boast features that would have been considered top of the range for PCs just over 12 months ago!

If you want cheap laptops that are up-to-date your best choice is... to buy the cheapest laptop that is the lowest-end model in its brand... Buy laptop cheap and save money on high-speed internet. Don't believe in hype that you should look for laptop deals among the higher-end models. I hope our laptop reviews and comparison will help you to choose the best cheap laptops.

New low-end laptops will save you hundreds of dollars and still provide all features most people really need for their basic computing needs.

Save not just money but your frustration by buying low-end cheap laptops that can easily handle emailing and web browsing ... Or watch your brand new high-end laptop from Dell, IBM, Sony, Toshiba, HP or Gateway going on sale as an outdated model only three months after you bought it.

These laptops let me do my day to day computing tasks (and more) with ease. And I disagree with those guru wannabes who advise to get the most memory and CPU a laptop can handle.

I suggest that you save on your laptop now - you can always upgrade later, and only if you need it. Check this laptop reviews page. It covers the lowest-end cheap laptops from Dell, IBM, Sony, Gateway and Toshiba that will save you money.

i just searched froogle for keywords discount laptop and cheap laptop. The results are very good and affordible. For example Dell Latitude C610 ,Intel Pentium 3,1.2 GHz!, 512MB of memory. This laptop is enoug for surfing net and some of older games. So use froogle to find cheap or discount laptops, you will be pleased.

Apple Powerbook G4

NoteBook Review, Reviews Apple G4 and says:

The Powerbook is Apple's desktop replacement notebook, but unlike most PC notebooks in this category, the Powerbook is not bulky, nor is it thick and heavy. In fact, the Powerbook is about as thin as mainstream notebooks get, and as light as I could imagine any laptop with this size screen. As far as configuration goes, I opted for the 15.2 inch widescreen version with a 1.67 GHz G4 processor, 512 megs of ram, a 64 mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 video card, and a super drive.

Reasons for Buying:

I was very apprehensive about buying the Powerbook because I had used PC's for my whole life. In fact, I was comfortable enough with PC's that I had become the sort-of neighborhood mechanic. When it came time to choose a computer for college, I had in the back of my mind the aesthetic appeal of the Apple line of computers and hoped that I could find a windows laptop with a similar look and feel. After what seemed like endless searching, I came upon the Asus W3v, which hadn't even begun to ship to the US yet. So, I put most of my eggs into one basket and decided upon the Asus. But, when they started shipping, I heard nasty things about palm rest heat that scared me away enough to go to my local Apple store and test-drive a Powerbook in the flesh. In a matter of minutes, I was sold.

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Cnet writes:

The arrival of the 12-inch PowerBook G4 at the beginning of this year was big news. The Apple faithful finally got an ultraportable; in fact, the 12-inch PowerBook was (and still is) the smallest notebook ever to come out of Cupertino. But to pare it down to size, Apple cut a few corners from the original. This update retains everything we like about the design, but it addresses many feature shortcomings by adding a faster processor and graphics, room for more memory, and analog and DVI outputs. Bargain hunters will find that the just-announced 800MHz iBook offers similar portability and features (not to mention longer battery life) for $500 to $700 less, but pound for pound, no other Mac offers as much as the 12-inch PowerBook.

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TheTechZone Writes:

*Singing* Just one look, that's all it took, ya just one look.... Ops! Sorry about that. Got carried away. Just one look is all you need to fall in love with Apple's new 17" PowerBook G4. This is like the supermodel of notebooks; you know, the one that everyone can't help but notice at a party. The PowerBook G4 is the kind of notebook that makes people’s jaws drop. Not just because of the sheer size of the 17" wide screen display but by the sheer beauty of its aluminum housing. One thing for sure, Apple knows the meaning of style. Before the PowerBook, I have never seen such a good looking notebook.

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