Networked Worker's Best Buddy
Written: Mar 18 '01 (Updated Aug 07 '02)
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Pros: Portability, speed, large hard drive, power saving, features
Cons: Small keyboard, Small screen, no CD/Floppy drives
The Bottom Line: With latest price drop, if you also buy a USB hub and mouse, and have a network connection, this is one powerful notebook computer!
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| richlt's Full Review: Sony VAIO SR17K PC Notebook |
After a bad experience with a Compaq laptop, the Sony SR17K (the K is for Windows 2000) has been a dream come true, but will not please everyone.
Portability:
The first thing you will notice is that it is small: less than 1" thick and weighing in at 3.3 lbs, you can put this in your briefcase or carry-on bag and not think twice. However, you are not limited by a super-mini keyboard that HPCs suffer from.
Speed:
A 700Mhz PIII is more than enough for business use, and even games. Instead of the typical 2MB NeoMagic or error prone ATI chipset video, Sony decided to use a Savage 8MB chipset, which can provide a clear picture to 1024x768 resolution. I've also installed some games released in the last year and have been pleased with the performance, despite claims that Sony laptops are a little lacking on performance in comparison to others at the same speed.
Storage:
This is a pro and a con. The included hard drive is 20MB in size and more than enough for business or personal use. Sony divides it into 2 10MB partitions. The drawback to storage on this unit is a lack of a floppy or CDROM drive. The only way to get applciations on this unit is to buy a compatible USB or Firewire CD or Floppy drive. Alternatively (this is what I do) install and copy applications over a PCMCIA network card.
Power Saving:
The SR17K uses the new 'Speedstep' technology, which helps your laptop last longer while on battery power. When you are on battery, the system can (or not, if you set it up this way) switch from 700Mhz to 500Mhz CPU speed, which saves your battery. In addition, the Standby mode works well. My wife left the unit on battery power, stopped working and put the system on standby over the weekend. When she brought it out of standby by hitting a key, the system came right back up and still had juice to spare! The screen also dims while on battery mode, which you can adjust, but again, this is a power saving feature.
Other Features:
This unit has a firewire and USB port. I've used the firewire to import DV video successfully from my MiniDV camcorder. They include Adobe Premiere LE for video editing and too many other 3rd party applications for me to mention (check the sony web site). There are some other Sony apps that help with managing and importing multimedia as well. I tried a Microsoft USB Optical mouse and had no problems. You can use the touchpad, but some people, like me, can't stand them.
But....
The keyboard is naturally smaller than a fullsize keyboard. 2 weeks passed before I could switch to it without hitting the wrong key for 'delete' or backspace. The screen at 10.4" helps reduce battery use, but is probably not appropriate for extended daily use. However, the unit comes with a VGA adaptor so you can plug in a monitor (All resolutions except 800x600 look good on a monitor!). Finally there is the storage issue I mentioned earlier. Also note that you can buy this for a lot less money than I paid for it when first release [ :( ]
Update:08/02. I still like this slim laptop...HOWEVER, the batteries have run dead and I've found that replacements cost about $300. OOF-DA!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2600
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
Screen Size: 10
RAM: 128
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
richlt
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Member: Richard Thomsen
Reviews written: 50
Trusted by: 11 members
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