Sony VAIO R505GL SuperSlim Pro PC Notebook

Pros: Sleek and lightweight at 3.75 lbs, magnesium-alloy case, crisp and bright 12” LCD, i.Link port
Cons: Docking station adds considerable bulk, not as stylish as its counterparts, no integrated wireless

Design: Sony Vaios are well known for their distinctive styling and solid construction. This laptop is no exception. The GL features a silver and purplish magnesium alloy lid with an embossed “Vaio” logo. While very attractive, it’s easily ...

Pros: light weight, portable, durable (from experience), excellent graphics
Cons: built in speakers are really weak, that's all.

I bought my Sony R505GL at the advice of my brother prior to my deployment to the pending war with Iraq in January 2003. My brother highly recommended Sony laptops from his experience with his Sony laptop throughout law school and the pain and anguish ...

Pros: Lightweight
Cons: Died exactly 1 week after warranty expired. $1,200 paperweight.

Almost exactly a week after the warranty expired, my Vaio collapsed and died.

The CD drive wouldn't read CDs any more.

A blue screen registry error followed shortly thereafter at startup.

The solution for that serious error? Reformat the hard drive and reinstall the system. Fat chance if the CD drive doesn't work.

Good luck working with Sony support. It's non-existent. An email submitted to online support has gone unanswered for 10 days. It's phone-based support system is entirely voicemail-hell-driven. Since talking with a real person is impossible at Sony, my best deduction using their automated system is that it will cost me $640 to repair my $1,200 laptop.

Now I'm stuck with the most expensive paper weight I've ever bought.

Sony, never again.

I would recommend this Sony notebook highly to anyone who is looking for a top quality lightweight compact unit. It is not a desktop replacement but is packed with up to date features. I tried other brands and Sony models, and all things considered this won the prize hands down. It is a delight to use and has DVD CR-RW, ethernet and regular phone line-in receptacles, pc card and memory stick slots, USB and other ports. Boosting memory (regular, inexpensive) from 256 to 384 max increased performance, and video memory from 32 to 48. Dynamic screen, wonderful touch pad and keyboard. Handy detachable docking station can be left at home.

wonderful product especially with the reduced price. wish the DVD was writable too. build in wireless is super and just buy a snart drive and you will not need any floppy

i think that this sony laptop has been great. i haven't had any problems with it in the time i have owned it. any questions that i had were promply taken care of by their excellent technical staff. one thing that it lacks though is an s-video out port, which i think is a feature that this notebook should have.... only problem i can think of at the moment...

its nice advance technology,good for office small and large scale buisenes,federal government e.t.c.its also okay coperaed to other laptops producers or manufacturers

My wife bought this machine two weeks ago. So far we have not had a problem with the computer. It is comparable to the IBM thinkpads. If you own a Sony Digital camera, the Memory stick port is a big plus. So far we have not experienced any problems, but I find the machine to be a little noisy.

Its great, my kids can play and watch DVD's on it during long car rides so they are no longer bored! This is the best laptop i ever bought and Sony is a great company.