Its not often
on Driverheaven we review prebuilt desktops or laptops,
but today we are going to throw a curveball into the works and
look at one of Sony's sexiest computers available, the VGN-T1XP.
This laptop is targetted squarely at those of you wanting long
battery life, razor sharp screen quality, diminutive size with
high speed wireless for maximum portability. Needless to say
this wont be the ideal machine for portable gaming, so if you
are on the lookout for a desktop replacement then look elsewhere.
So how much does this super portable laptop cost? you can pick
it up for around £1800 in UK stores at time of press,
so its not for those on a budget.
Sony make two
versions of the this machine with different coloured tints -
the VGN-T1XP/L (Midnight Blue) and the VGN-T1XP/T (Burgundy).
The images above
dont really do the size of this machine justice, so I feel its
best we compare the physical dimensions next to a Dell
D505 and a Voodoo 3400+. Also in the
last picture below you can see the Sony VGN-T1XP alongside a
few Dell 2001FP TFT screens.
Sony have improved one of the weak points of LCD technology
- pure blacks generally ending up a dark shade of
grey. Now we have Sony's X-BLACK LCD's. Having
experienced the X-Black technology for the last week or so,
I will say it really does work and adds quite a bit
of depth to DVD video viewing. As with quite a few Sony models
there is a layer of high quality glass in front of the TFT,
which gives a very bright and glossy high quality display.
As you would expect
from Sony the quality of finish is extremely high with substantial
attention to detail across the whole machine. Now time to look
at the specification indepth.
| Operating
System: |
Windows
XP Professional with Service Pack 2 |
| Processor: |
Intel
Pentium M Processor (Ultra Low Voltage) 733. 1.10GHZ 400mhz
Frontside Bus. Supports Intel SpeedStep Technology |
| Cache
Memory: |
2
Megabyte on die |
| Hard
Drive Size: |
40
GB (Ultra ATA/100) |
| Standard
Ram: |
512
MB DDR SDRAM (DDR266/DDR333*selectable via
CP)
1 Vacant Expansion Slot |
| Maximum
Ram: |
1
GB DDR SDRAM |
| LCD
Screen: |
10.6"
WXGA (1280x768) X-Black LCD |
| Graphics: |
Intel
855GME integrated graphics chip and 64 MB of shared memory |
| Sound
Capabilities: |
16-bit
CD-Quality stereo sound |
| Optical
Drive: |
DVD±RW
drive:
Up to 24x CD ROM reading speed; up to 24x CD-R
writing speed; up to 12x CD-RW reading speed, up to 10x
CD-RW writing speed, up to 8x DVD-ROM reading speed; up
to 4x DVD-R reading speed; up to 2x DVD-R writing speed;
up to 4x DVD-RW reading speed; up to 2.4 x DVD+RW writing
speed; up to 4x DVD+R reading speed; up to 2.4 x DVD+R
writing speed. |
| Communication
Abilities: |
Ethernet
network (10BASE-T/100 BASE-TX) (RJ-45), PSTN; built in V.92/V.90
(56 kbps) data/fax modem (RJ-11), Wireless LAN 802.11b/g,
Bluetooth Wireless Technology |
| Built
in Capabilities: |
Stereo
Speakers, touchpad, Plug & Display |
| Interface
on Notebook: |
Docking Station Connector,
iLink (IEEE1394) S400, 2 USB 2.0 ports (high speed/full
speed/low speed), Type A connector, monitor VGA, external
speakers or headphones, microphone port, DC in (AC adapter),
Memory Stick slot (standard/Duo size, Memory Stick PRO,
High speed data transfer compatible). PC Card slot (type
I or II and Cardbus support), modem port, Ethernet network
(10|BASE-T/100BASE-TX) (RJ-45). |
| Special
Buttons: |
Wireless
Switch, volume button, mute/sound effects button, AV buttons,
DVD, Play/Pause, next chapter, Previous Chapter, Stop |
| Wireless
Lan: |
IEEE
802.11b/g standard (IBSS Ad Hoc mode support), Frequency
Band: 2.4 GHZ ISM; Speed: max
11 Mbps (IEEE 802.11b) max. 54 mbps (IEEE 802.11g) (1).
Distance: max 100m (open space). Channels:
From 1 to 13 (IEEE 802.11b/g) DS-SS/OFDM (IEEE 802.11g)
Encryption Key: 64 bit/128bit WEP and WPA |
| Bluetooth
Wireless Technology: |
Bluetooth
standard version 1.2; Speed: approx 723 kbps; Output: Max
+6dbm; Distance: max approx 10m (open space); Profiles:
Generic Access Profile (GAP), Service Discovery Application
Profile (SDAP), Serial Port Profile (SPP), Dial up Networking
profile (DUN), Generic Object Exchange Profile (GEOP), Object
Push Profile (OPP), Personal Area Network Profile (PAN),
Hardcopy Cable Replacement Profile (HCRP), Human Interface
Device Profile (HID), Frequency Band: 24.ghz ISN (2.400
GHZ - 2.4835 GHZ). |
| Supplied
Accessories: |
Rechargeable
Battery (VGP-BPS3), AC adapter (VGP-AC16V8), AC Power cord |
| Power
Source: |
16V
DC/AC100-240V |
| Power
Management: |
Energy
Star Compliant - ACPI ) Advanced Configuration & Power
Interface) |
| Battery
Type: |
Lithium
Ion |
| Dimensions
(w x h x d): |
272mm
x 25-34 mm x 205mm |
| Weight
with battery: |
1.38kg |
| Operating
Temperature: |
+5c
to 35c (temperature gradient less than 10c/hour) |
| Storage
Temperature: |
-20c
to +60c (temperature gradient less than 10c/hour) |
| Operating
Humidity: |
20%
to 80% (not condensed), provided that humidity is less than
65% at +35c (hygrometer reading of less than +29c) |
| Storage
Humidity: |
10%
to 90% (not condensed), provided that humidity is less than
65% at +35c (hygrometer reading of less than +35c) |
| System
recovery files: |
Delivered
on hard disk drive |
| Software: |
Audio:
SonicStage 2.1, Sonicstage Mastering Studio 1.3, Moodlogic;
CD/DVD Burning: RecordNow! 7.2, Click to DVD 2.1, Media
Sharing: VAIO Media 3.1, Office Applications: Adobe Acrobat
Professional 6.0 Try and Buy, Adobe Elements 6.0, Adobe
Reader 6.0, Microsoft Works 7.0; Photo: Adobe Photoshop
Album Starter Edition 2.0, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0,
Picturegear studio 2.0 Security and Utilities: Google Toolbar,
Hotkey Utility, Memory Stick Formatter, Norton Internet
Security 2004, Norton Password Manager 2004, SafeGuard PrivateDisk,
Sony Notebook Setup, VAIO Power Management, VAIO update,
My Info Centre, Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Personals, Video:
Adobe Premier Standard, DVgate Plus 1.3, VAIO Edit Components,
WinDVD 5.0 for VAIO, VAIO Zone 1.1 |
The machine is exceptionally well
laid out and its clear from my use of this machine and Sony
laptops from a few years ago just how far they have refined
the interface, ease of use and port connectivity. The laptop
is coated in a rough surfaced material which not only looks
great but gives great grip when being held, in the images taken
by my Fuji S20 pro in super macro and my Konica/Minolta Dimage
A2, its interesting to see how this surface reflects the light
as if its "dusty".
On the front right
side of the machine we have ports for a microphone and headphones
along with the volume controls and "effects" button.
If you press this button, it un/mutes all sound, but holding
it down calls up an onscreen interface menu seen below and
adds sound enhancements specific to various prebuilt modes within
Sonicstage mastering studio (see below).
I am not going
to go into all the software supplied with the laptop as a considerable
amount of this software is indeed free or "trial version"
but I will cover some of the Sony proprietary sofware supplied.
|
Most
of the Sony software suite is all centered around the
VAIO Launcher which is immediately reminiscent
of Apple's Dock software except it is placed on the right
side of the screen not along the bottom at default. The
software can be set to launch automatically on windows
boot up and in use I found it surprisingly stable, customisable
and functional. It is also very stylish and it seems Sony
have put substantial revenue into the design of this package.
You can not see for example in the image (left) the "pulsing"
graphical touches to the highlighted image within the
launcher. |
Your DVD viewing
can also be controlled from buttons on the fascia of the laptop,
just under the screen. The power button glows green when turned
on.
The VAIO
DVD Player is based around the excellent Windvd
5 and Sony really have revamped the interface in
a way that adds to the appearance of the player, rather than
just "slapping on" some substandard interface layout
they have really done an excellent job in keeping the whole
black tech feel work across the whole suite. As a
matter of interest you can bypass this specialised player
and load the "ordinary" Windvd5 if you prefer.
Next:
Sony VGN-T1XP continued
|
