Like No Other
Written: Aug 05 '04 (Updated Sep 29 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Quality of Tech Support: |
|
|
|
Pros: Handsome minimalist design, space-age material, world's lightest, world's thinnest, processing power
Cons: No touchpad, mouse not included, small screen
The Bottom Line: The highlight of the X505 is definitely design; it’s beautiful without being obnoxious and loud. It reminds Apple people that true beauty is nothing without subtlety.
|
|
|
| babyeddy7's Full Review: Sony Vaio X505 (vaiox505) PC Notebook |
X505 is a felicitous name for this Vaio notebook; it's expensive, exclusive and exquisite. Even the performance is excellent for a device of such small stature. My first thought about the X505 was that it belongs on Sony's list of Qualia products. Here is a gadget that truly captivates all who see it. And you have to see the X505 to believe technology on this level exists.
Look & Feel
Simplicity is the computer's hallmark. Even the packaging is minimalist. The large power button is on the right end of the spine, while the AC power plug is located on the left. Three buttons for the trackpoint rest along the base’s bottom. Logos and ports are well camouflaged and no speakers are visible. The elegant casing slopes gently with no abrupt cuts. An etched, white gold Vaio logo contrasts the rich matte black of the upper casing. Unlike aluminum and steel, which have a grainy, speckled appearance under incandescent light, the nickel-reinforced carbon has an even color. It feels like smooth anodized metal, but instinctively you know it's more refined.
Fortunately derivatives of carbon fiber do much more than look expensive. The material is also responsible for the computer's near weightlessness, unmatched heat dissipation, long battery life, minimum heft and strength beyond titanium or magnesium. All of these properties converge to form the core of the occult X505 experience.
Functionality
Crafting the world's thinnest and lightest notebook computer demands a few sacrifices. Many of this Vaio’s functions depend on included accessories. The 5-in-1 memory card adapter plugs into the PCMCIA slot on the right of the machine and accepts all kinds of compact flash media. Also for use in the slot is a 802.11 a/b/g LAN card, which provides wireless Internet connectivity at Starbucks and many other public places. Regular dial-up access will require the purchase of additional accessories, though 10/100 Ethernet is possible with the supplied dongle. Oddly, Sony did not include the USB mobile mouse available on the Japanese model. The cumbersome trackpoint makes it a critical accessory, so get the matching PCGA-UMS3/B for $40. It will occupy one of the two USB 2.0 ports, which exchange data with all kinds of peripherals including printers and Walkmans. One IEEE 1394 iLink/FireWire port, commonly used for camcorders, is also built in. If you find that the speakers are too weak or you want privacy, just plug headphones into the stereo mini plug.
An optical disk drive is not included with the VGN-X505ZPKIT, but the new VGN-X505ZPKIT2 package provides a matching one for an additional $400. Any USB drive will do, however.
The keyboard may be attractive, but it's keys are a little small. It seems this wasn't even necessary, since they are spaced so far apart that Sony could have made them larger. In addition the keyboard is mounted along the bottom edge of the base, making typing in the lap somewhat difficult. Aside from all this, the springs are solid and word processing is no problem after getting accustomed.
The LCD screen is well built, but the 10.4" diagonal span and maximum resolution of 1024 X 768 means that images are small and viewing is sometimes inconvenient. I hope the next X505 will feature Sony's XBRITE technology. If a larger monitor is available, you can equip the provided VGA adapter to avoid strain on the eyes. This is also convenient for projectors and presentations.
The software suite of Windows XP Professional, Office 2003, SonicStage, PictureGear Studio and WinDVD covers all the basics of multimedia and productivity. For most users 20 GB hard drive space should be sufficient.
Its miniature appearance creates low performance expectations, but the X505 fares better than any ultralight notebook I've tested. The excellent 1.1 Ghz Pentium M paired with 512 MB of DDR memory delivers surprising speed. Even the graphics card is better than most.
Portability
Knowing the concept behind the X505, you can neglect this portion of the review. The notebook is the world’s smallest, the world’s lightest and the world’s thinnest. It is as light as a stack of four magazines and its dimensions are slightly smaller than one. These space-age specifications required extreme customization, unlike other notebooks which are amalgamations of interchangeable parts. Even the AC power adapter is tinier than usual. Two black nylon/leather cases with Velcro enclosures are included, one for the laptop and another for the accessories. Each is lined with felt to protect contents from any klutzy mishaps. When you’re out in the city, it’s a good idea to keep everything in the carrying cases so you don’t get robbed.
Battery Life
With a power-saving Pentium M and the absence of a cooling fan and internal drive, the computer has an inflated maximum battery life of four hours. I am getting about half of that doing Excel spreadsheets, going online and word processing. It’s a decent figure considering that battery life is proportional to size and weight and that the X505’s battery is so tiny and light. The lithium-ion cell is the cylindrical unit in the spine of the notebook, which can be swapped with additional batteries (PCGA-BP505) costing $300. I try to use the AC power adapter as much as possible to help preserve the long-term battery longevity.
Technical Support
The only time I used Vaio's technical support was with my PCV-W10. After formatting my hard drive and installing Windows 2000, I needed file names of deleted programs. Assistance was quick and friendly. But from what I read in magazines, Sony is not the greatest when it comes to this kind of service.
Technical Specifications
(provided by sonystyle.com)
Processor: Ultra Low Voltage Intel® Pentium® M 1.1 GHz
Front Side Bus Speed: 400 MHz
Chipset: Intel 855GM
Hard Drive: 20 GB
LCD: 10.4” XGA (1024 X 768)
Graphics: Intel 855GM Chipset Integrated Graphics
Memory: 512 MB (64 MB shared with video RAM)
Video RAM: 64 MB (shared)
Ethernet: 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet
Conclusion
Being among the best at the Consumer Electronics Show requires uniqueness and design marvel. Being at the top of the list demands the extremes in these regards. The X505 has small drawbacks regarding function, but it clearly conceives a new class of capable miniature notebook computers. Along with the QRIO robot, Qualia, the DSC-F828, the VGC-RA810G and many other products, it is part of Sony's master plan to be like no other.
Purchasing
Sony Style is the only retailer for the $3,000 X505. This means you get more for your money, since there is no middleman between the manufacturer and retailer. It is in stock at SonyStyle.com and stores in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Palo Alta and Las Vegas. Be sure to visit one of these locations to see the notebook for yourself. Many eBay listings for the notebook are fraudulent, so use good judgment before bidding.
See Sony Style's X505 Website:
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=R1XGBzazLP7GQHehHvXMDHmjq2gAJ_Yl-JQ=?ProductSKU=VGNX505ZPKIT&Dept=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers&CategoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_X505_Series
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2999
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 10 inches
RAM: More than 256
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
babyeddy7
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Derek
Location: New York City
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 3 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.