2 Battery Capability Is VERY NIFTY!!!
Written: Oct 21 '00 (Updated Oct 21 '00)
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Pros: Thin, 2 battery capabilities, i.LINK capabilities...
Cons: Price, I wish it had more RAM for price point...
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| jmrm5's Full Review: Sony VAIO PCG-F590K |
The Sony VAIO PCG-F590K is a very neat and strong notebook computer, to say the very least. It features the 3MAX+ Notebook System which is intended to give you capacity, power, and portability. I should say the only thing that this computer has going against it is the astronomical price.
It retails for just under $4000USD!!! Wow I say. That is one expensive piece of machinery. But, I guess the price really does not matter for those who are shopping for this type of computer anyways.
The Sony VAIO PCG-F590K comes with a “beautiful” (to say the least) 15" MAX Screen which is also a full-color XGA active matrix LCD display. It should be noted that when compared to a SVGA display, the Sony XGA displays can show up to 60% more data per page when viewed at the 1024 x 768 resolution.
The Sony VAIO PCG-F590K also features the “MAX Battery.” This battery is notebook can use either one of 2 Lithium-Ion batteries at once when you insert the second optional battery in the floppy drive bay. (Very nifty)
It should also be noted that the entire notebook is only 7.3 lbs and approximately 2.1" thin, which is right on par with other manufacturer’s smallest/most powerful notebooks.
I guess the determining factor is buying these Sony notebooks is that the Sony VAIO PCG-F590K features Digital Video Editing Using i.LINK (IEEE 1394) technology. This notebook is equipped with the i.LINK interface so you can connect to a Sony Digital Handycam camcorder.
Once connected, the Sony DVgate software will let you capture, edit, and present full motion digital video. It will also capture and store still images from the digital video. It should be noted that these notebooks are the only ones to feature this capability.
I personally wonder when the other notebook manufacturers will include the i.LINK terminals to their existing line. Sony does so simply because economically it makes sense since they manufacture camcorders.
The Sony VAIO PCG-F590K main features are as follows:
-Intel Pentium III Processor 750 @ MHz, which includes the Intel SpeedStep technology
-128 MB SDRAM expandable to 256 MB (I feel there should be more thou)
-18.1 GB HD
-15" XGA (1024x768) TFT screen (VERY NICE)
-Lithium-Ion battery, with dual battery capability (really nifty feature I might add)
-i.LINK (IEEE 1394) S400 interface which supports high speed digital video, audio transfer capabilities (endemic to SONY only!!!)
-8X DVD-ROM drive with DVD movie playback
-NTSC video out ports (Expected)
-integrated 56K modem (yada yada yada)
-built in stereo speakers (pretty good sounding ones also)
-3 Programmable Power Keys for easy access to applications (reminds me of a Compaq feature)
-AGP enabled 256-bit graphics chip with 3D graphics support
All in all, this notebook computer has all that is required for today’s power user. If DV editing is in order with your DV camcorder this is the one. Mind you SONY does offer other notebooks with the same iLINK capabilities at a cheaper price. But that is your decision.
My experience with this notebook at my work has always been a pleasant one. The department guys who use it often let me play (on my break of course) with it and I do admit they are fun to fidget with.
DV editing is very useful for the techie father who wants to capture and archive all of his family’s experiences. So if this sounds like you well then definitely the SONY VAIO line is your kind of notebook.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 4000USD
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 701-800
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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jmrm5
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Reviews written: 90
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"jmrm5 is a professional reviewer for a national electronic equipment magazine and a newspaper."
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