Sony VAIO VGN-T150/L 10.6" Notebook PC (U/L/V Intel Pentium M Processor 733 (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW/CD-RW Drive)

Rating:
Summary: Stylish and media-savvy, but not perfect
Review: Sony's new T-series VAIO ultraportable laptops replace the camera-included TR series, which has been discontinued. There are currently four models in the T-series: T140, T150, T160, and T170. All sport the same casing (no surprise), same weight (3.1 lb. incl. piggy-back battery but excl. AC adapter), same processor (the new Intel ultra-low-voltage Pentium M 733 (based on the Centrino, not Pentium IV, running at 1.1Ghz but with an amazing 2MB level-2 cache!), same screen, and same hard drive (slow-ish 4800rpm 40GB shock resistant drive).

The differences among the models are as follows:

- The 140 and 160 come with a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, so you can't burn DVDs.
- The 150 and 170 come with dual-format DVD burner/CD-RW drive, so you can burn both the plus and minus formats of DVDs.
- The 140 and 150 come with 512MB of RAM.
- The 160 and 170 come with 1GB of RAM (max the T-series can take).
- If there's a "P" after the model number (e.g., VGN-T150P/L), it means the computer comes with WinXP Professional installed. The absence of "P" means you get WinXP Home.
- The "L" after the model number signifies the color scheme. Most of the T's come in what Sony calls "midnight blue," a stylish color that gives an understated emphasis to the exterior. On Sony's website (sonystyle.com) you can special-order a T150P/T that has a burgundy exterior, which looks really "hot."

All the T-series VAIOs are designed with two primary goals in mind: ultra portability, reflected mainly in the travel weight; and multimedia capabilities. In fact, VAIO buffs will recall that VAIO stands for Video Audio Integrated Operation, which (I presume) in Japanese means a multimedia-centric computer.

All the T models are equipped with an optical drive. Only a year ago, the only ultraportable with a built-in optical drive was the 2.8lb. Panasonic ToughBook W2 (which, as you'll see, is still my favorite ultraportable, for lighter weight and bigger screen). I personally recommend a 150 or 170 with the dual-format (not dual-layer) DVD burner. These days, whether you burn personal videos or backup files, a DVD burner really comes in handy. Of course, if you plan to use the VAIO T as a secondary computer for Starbucks or Barnes & Noble or flying, you can save yourself $150 by skipping the DVD burner. (You still get a CD burner with the 140 and 160.)

The VAIO T's are very stylish. Except for the protruding battery which seems like an afterthought, the notebook is well designed and well built. You get both 802.11b+g wi-fi and Bluetooth built-in, as well as an i.Link port and a MemoryStick slot. (Too bad Sony still refuses to support the much more popular Secure Digital format in their laptops.)

The T's screen is amazing. Well, it's both amazingly small (only 10.6" vs. the Panasonic W2's 12.1") and amazingly bright, easily viewable outdoors. The widescreen resolution is 1280x768, great for watching DVDs but a pain in the eye for doing your everyday work. (You may want to turn on Windows' built-in font-magnification function, via the Accessibility control panel. Also turn off font smoothing.) I get eye strains from reading e-mails and surfing the Internet. Panasonic W2's 12.1" screen seems so much bigger. Like most ultraportables, the T uses shared memory for video, so don't expect to play Doom 3 on this.

The keyboard on the T is shrunk to accommodate the small footprint of the ultraportable. I had the 2.7lb. VAIO N505VE before so I got used to the small keyboard quickly. If you are a touch typist who's never used a 90%-sized keyboard, you might be unhappy with the size, at least in the beginning.

Performance is snappy on this laptop despite the many plug-ins it comes with; the new processor with its enormous L2 cache and the generous amount of RAM surely help. When you get the 1GB versions, the performance is simply great for a laptop this size.

Sony should be lauded for getting some amazing battery life on this machine, but spanked for making the battery stick out in the T's rear. I watched a 3-hour DVD movie (with wi-fi intentionally left on) as I sat in a B&N cafe. After the boring movie ended, the T still had plenty of juice left. Just amazing.

So, in short, for about two thousand big ones, you get a multimedia road warrior that will turn heads in cafes and on the Amtrak (and might even invite a mugging or two if you are in the wrong neighborhood). The small screen is amazingly bright, and the stick of a battery powers this laptop for good hours. If you want an ultraportable, I still recommend you look at the Panasonic W-2, which is even more stylish (I just love its circular, under-the-keyboard DVD loading), has a bigger screen and weighs less. But if you want an ultraportable with a built-in DVD burner, the T is probably the best you can get right now.

(I also like Fujitsu laptops, so you might want to consider the Fujitsu Lifebook P7010 ultraportable as well: cheaper, 80GB hard drive, fingerprint sensor, SD/CF/MemoryStick slot, up to 10.5 hours of battery life!)

I hope my quick review helps you. Feel free to e-mail me at hotmail with your questions.