Rating: 
Summary: fine for me but...
Review: After months of looking for a laptop, i finally chose this one.
The size won me over and so far its performance has been wonderful.
The keyboard is a little small but it gets a little taking used to, as does the extremely small shift key.
My main problem with the computer is that the casing got scratched up about 3 days after i got it and i just put it into a regular bag. I'm so dissapointed because one of its strongest appeals was its look.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly designed
Review: I am writing from this unit now. This is my second V505DX. The first one had to go back after I noticed that the keyboard was warped and defective. Unfortunately, although this computer is sleek and stylish-looking and light, it has exceedingly poor ergonomics. As has been noted in many reviews, the Touchpad is poorly designed and tends to move the cursor on its own. Even worse is the keyboard, which cannot be typed on at a high rate of speed. If you try to type on this keyboard at full speed you will notice that it simply does not respond, and that letters will be missing from your writing. This means you must constantly keep a close eye on what you are typing, and if you spot an error, you must back-track and edit accordingly. Needless to say, this is a very burdensome excercise. I have never experienced this on any laptop before. My advice to new buyers is to type on this unit for at least 10 minutes continuously to see if these issues manifest themselves. If they do, I would not buy this unit. As a sidebar, I will also state that nearly all of the Sony products I have ever purchased - including 2 televisions, 1 audio amplifier, and 2 computers - have proved to have defects. Therefore, I am very skeptical when someone argues that the problems I am currently experiencing are anomolous. TEST THE Sony V505 BEFORE YOU BUY!!!
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE SUPPORT FROM SONY
Review: I bought the 505dx after looking long and hard at the TR series, and ended up buying it because it had much the same features at a slightly lower price. So far, I'm glad I did. The 505dv is packed with memory (comes with 512, can be upgraded to 2 gigs) and a very fast processor for a computer this small (1.4 mhz pentium M). As someone else has noted, the video card has its own memory. The 505Dx really seems to be targeted at people who want to do digital video or media, hence the extremely large hard drive, relatively souped-up video card, and relatively large amount of memory capacity. It also comes with a large amount of media software preinstalled. Oddly, this model does not seem to have a DVD-writable drive available as an option. The laptop itself is just under five pounds, and the casing seems strong and durable. It offers two USB 2.0 ports, which, trust me, you will appreciate when using peripheral devices. Other perks include built-in wireless networking and a memory stick slot. Now the downside-the laptop does not have a very large range of available features-you can choose XP pro or home, 40-80GB hard drive, and more memory, but not much else is optional. This is common failing of laptops in general. As with most small laptops, the optical drive is built-in and can't be swapped out. The keyboard and mouse are hard to use and the mousepad in particular is not very sensitive (another common failing of laptops in general). The sound from the speakers is crappy, but laptop speakers always sound crappy. Get some external speakers or headphones. Also, note that sony skimps on its warranties-mine came with only a one-year limited warranty for parts and service and 90-day free technical support. Sony really needs to take a lesson from Dell and offer greater warranty coverage, especially for laptops, which tend to be more fragile and abused. In all, I think this computer is a great value for the money, particularly if you want something small and powerful with which to do music downloading and sharing.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent choice for music and media on the go!
Review: I bought the 505dx after looking long and hard at the TR series, and ended up buying it because it had much the same features at a slightly lower price. So far, I'm glad I did. The 505dv is packed with memory (comes with 512, can be upgraded to 2 gigs) and a very fast processor for a computer this small (1.4 mhz pentium M). As someone else has noted, the video card has its own memory. The 505Dx really seems to be targeted at people who want to do digital video or media, hence the extremely large hard drive, relatively souped-up video card, and relatively large amount of memory capacity. It also comes with a large amount of media software preinstalled. Oddly, this model does not seem to have a DVD-writable drive available as an option. The laptop itself is just under five pounds, and the casing seems strong and durable. It offers two USB 2.0 ports, which, trust me, you will appreciate when using peripheral devices. Other perks include built-in wireless networking and a memory stick slot. Now the downside-the laptop does not have a very large range of available features-you can choose XP pro or home, 40-80GB hard drive, and more memory, but not much else is optional. This is common failing of laptops in general. As with most small laptops, the optical drive is built-in and can't be swapped out. The keyboard and mouse are hard to use and the mousepad in particular is not very sensitive (another common failing of laptops in general). The sound from the speakers is crappy, but laptop speakers always sound crappy. Get some external speakers or headphones. Also, note that sony skimps on its warranties-mine came with only a one-year limited warranty for parts and service and 90-day free technical support. Sony really needs to take a lesson from Dell and offer greater warranty coverage, especially for laptops, which tend to be more fragile and abused. In all, I think this computer is a great value for the money, particularly if you want something small and powerful with which to do music downloading and sharing.
Rating: 
Summary: Notebook died twice in 4 months
Review: I bought this notebook in December 2003 because I was attracted by its sleek and shiny design, and thought I could trust a Sony product. Looks are certainly deceiving. Two months later, I left the notebook idle for 5 minutes while I attended to something else, and when I returned and touched the touchpad to activate it, the whole thing shut down and wouldn't start up again. Sony Support told me to take out the battery, hold down the power button, etc., but nothing worked so it was sent in for repair and I received it 4 working days later. A month and a half later, in mid-March, I touched the touchpad to move the mouse and the notebook died again!! It was completely unresponsive to any attempts to revive it. I am incredulous at the quality of this product. Sony should really get its act together. If there's one thing I have learned from using this product, it is to constantly backup my files. When the notebook was working, it worked beautifully, but it's intolerable to have to send it in for repair every couple of weeks. I would strongly urge prospective buyers to consider other laptops, e.g. the IBM X40.
Rating: 
Summary: Sony consistently creates great technology for work and play
Review: I have been a long time fan of Sony technology, and in my lifetime have purchased 5 Sony PC's (two desktops, three laptops in total). I also own a Sony flat screen TV, Sony DVD player, Sony Playstation 2, Sony stereo system, Sony digital camera, and I have owned three different Sony CLIE's (PDA). I have consistenty found Sony products to be of high quality and highly reliable. I agree that Sony tends to be on the pricier end, but I personally am willing to pay the extra bucks for a package which combines style, performance and innovation. But I digress...so, THIS laptop is perfect for somebody like me...I'm a woman with small hands and the need for a lightweight laptop that can also perform. (Granted, if you are a bigger person with large hands, this probably isn't the laptop for you, but then again, you'd have problems adjusting to the keyboard of just about any ultra-portable, I think.) I have a fast-paced job which requires a lot of word processing, spreadsheet production, desktop publishing, and e-mail, and I use this laptop at home many an evening and when I am travling to keep up with my workload. In addition, I am an avid PC gamer, and this machine has done quite well with just about every game I've played on it thus far -- including Doom 3, which just came out (granted, you don't get the top-notch, bells-and-whistles experience given the specs, but it's entertaining enough!). It's also one of the few ultra-portables that actually has the optical drive (DVD/CD-RW) drive integrated, which makes it really quick to pack up and go. My system has never crashed, my screen has consistently delivered a lovely picture, and this thing just keeps on going and going and going. I've had it for about a year, and the only reason I might sell it is to upgrade to the latest V505 model. I've had this baby for just under a year and I LOVE it!!
Rating:
Summary: I love it!
Review: I love this notebook! I'm a college student and I love how this notebook is lightweight and extremely quiet. It's easily transported in my backpack, and doesn't make any sound when I'm in class (the fan is very quiet). The laptop also looks very sleek and stylish. Although some people think that the screen (12.1") is too small, I think it's the perfect size. One of the main reasons I chose this laptop was for its smaller physique. Even the adapter is sleeker and smaller than the adapters of other laptops. Normally, the battery lasts for four hours, with the screen brightness level at Level 4 (maximum is Level 8). The battery lasts longer if I decrease the brightness level. I'm extremely satisfied with this laptop. I really don't have any complaints, although I have to agree with the previous review that the speakers are not up to par. Otherwise, I believe that this laptop is a great value. It contains many wonderful features in a small, unique package.
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE SUPPORT FROM SONY
Review: I purchased this laptop at the end of November 2003. I liked the laptop - lightweight, good battery life (for what I need), compatiable for wireless internet - quick - keyboard takes a little getting used to, but not bad once you get started. I was very happy with my purchase. At the beginning of January I accidently picked up this laptop by the screen. Apparently this caused a VERY LARGE THUMB PRINT ON THE LCD SCREEN. So words of advice, never EVER touch the screen. In the middle of January I set my laptop down. When I came back it would no longer go on. I called Sony help on a call that lasted 3 hours. WE TRIED NUMEROUS THINGS TO GET THE COMPUTER TO WORK AGAIN WITH NO AVAIL. I WAS TRANSFERRED TO ABOUT 5 PEOPLE DURING THIS CALL. FINALLY THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE WAS THE SHIP THE COMPUTER TO SONY FOR REPAIR IN CALIFORNIA. I LIVE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NO LOCAL REPAIR SHOPS. So off the computer went to California. Since the computer was ONLY 2 MONTHS old they said whatever was wrong would be covered under warranty. WELL HERE IS WHERE THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS........Remember the THUMB PRINT I told you about from touching the LCD screen. They were trying to charge me $795.00 to replace the LCD screen and would not do any repairs until I agreed to pay the $795.00 for the replacement of the LCD screen. Not that I particullary like having a thumb print on my LCD screen, I like even less having to pay $795.00 after just purchasing the computer in November for $1,799.00. Touching the LCD screen SHOULD NOT CAUSE SUCH A THING. I had a DELL laptop for 4 years and touched it on many occasions and NEVER EVER had a problem. Not once did the DELL stop working for no reason or break because I touched the LCD screen. After 2 weeks of fighting with SONY........probably a GOOD 15 hours total on the phone, it was finally decided that they would NOT FIX THE LCD SCREEN, but they would get the computer to start working again. It has yet to be explained to me WHY the COMPUTER STOPPED WORKING IN THE 1st place. That was covered under warranty and my computer is now back 2 weeks later up and running. I can put up with a thumb print I guess. But words of advice NEVER EVER TOUCH YOUR LCD SCREEN. IT IS VERY SENSATIVE. AND SONY CUSTOMER SUPPORT HAS TO BE THE WORST I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH IN MY LIFE. I probably spoke with about 20 people during this time and only one girl by the name of WENDY provided me any CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Although I do like this computer, I would not recommend it. A computer should not stop working for no reason after 2 months and an LCD Screen should not leave an imprint after touching it. The customer support is terrible. If I had it to do all over again I would go back to a DELL which caused me no problems in the 4 years I had it. It was just time to upgrade to a largeer, quicker, newer version. The weight of this computer and style is what led me to this. Really, its not worth it compared to the aggreviation that I have experienced and the lack of customer support.
Rating:
Summary: Good enough
Review: I wanted a laptop that is portable and have good graphic card. So I don't regret that I purchased this laptop because it is very light and performs great on 3D games.
3DMark score was 768 which is about the same as Desktop intel 2.4GHz with Geforce 4 Ti 4600 can perform.
I could play Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo (yes, demo just came out!!) w/o lag @ high resolution.
Only reason I gave 4 stars is that its hard drive is noisy. It has noise that new hard drive shouldn't make. gir gir gir gir.. U know..
I wonder if my laptop is defective or all v505dx hard drive is noisy but it is real problem in the quiet library.
Rating:
Summary: Did I just get lucky?
Review: I'm amazed to see all of the negative reviews of this laptop. I purchased mine in January 2004 (though not from Amazon) and took it to France three days later to study abroad. It was, by far, the smallest and lightest laptop of any of the students in my program.
I use it for word processing, wireless internet, web design, music and digital photography (storing and editing in Photoshop) and it hasn't failed me yet. The keyboard did take a little getting used to - especially the small shift key on the right side, but I didn't buy the computer for the shift key. I use it every day, sometimes for hours at a time, and absolutely wouldn't trade it for anything. My only wish is that the drive partitioning had beed set up differently. My C drive keeps filling up and there's tons of space on the D drive, but I'm sure it won't be hard to fix once I get around to it.
I wouldn't discount this laptop entirely if the specs fill your needs - I've had a great experience with it.
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