Sony VAIO VGN-AX570G 17" Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 750, 1024 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dbl Layer/DVD+/-RW Drive) | List Price: $2,309.99
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Platform: Microsoft XP Media Center Edition
Brand: Sony
Binding: Personal Computers
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Sony and Only [Posted on 2005-11-24]
I am not a expert on Personal Computers by all means. This is just one opinion of many out there and Sony did not endorse me ( now that would be sweet ).Awesome Screen.Brightness of the screen is whoaa !!!. Good Battery. Simple and efficient keyboard .Very quick response time on most applications. Since I just got it I might have some additional inputs and thoughts in the future (but then again I do not want to bore people with my blah,blah).Price could have been better but again I compared it with some HP and Toshiba's and I went with this choice. For me Clarity of the Screen was important since i do lot of Account Presentations and Hypos for my Clients and Prospective Clients so 17" Screen helps also when on the road.I hope it helps some folks with decision which way to go.See you.
Sony Quality, Near Desktop Performance, Incredible Features [Posted on 2005-12-07]
I've owned this laptop for about a month now (Bought it from Best Buy). I needed something that would be as powerful as my home PC. I run an online radio station (http://www.cleftintherock.net), and we broadcast live from events. Previously I'd have to lug my 250 pounds of computer junk to each show. This laptop weighs in at 8lbs so it was definitely a wise investment. Also, the fingerprint reader on this is actually effective, I've used others that are erroneous and can sometimes let in unauthorized users.
What's incredibly cool is that it comes with two SATA hard drives. Although they suck the life out of the battery (only lasts about 1 1/2 hours) Each drive is 80GB in size. My only complaints about this entire laptop is the hard drive speed, and lack of OS recovery discs. For 5400RPM hard drives, these things are quick, but isn't it time that we move laptop drive standards to 7500? Maybe I'm just used to the RAID-0 array of Raptors in my home PC (10,000RPM).
Overall, the ax570g is the best bang for your buck, and as a Sony laptop product it will last years to come. (i have a co-worker with a 5 year old vaio)still running strong.
Full-Featured Powerhouse With Some Limitations [Posted on 2005-12-13]
I bought this machine as a powerful portable for software development and home entertainment use and wasn't disappointed. With the most amazing screen of any current laptop and some of the speedier components on the market right now, I'm not left twiddling my thumbs during the processor-intensive tasks as I was with my older laptop. Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 is a welcome addition, and the graphics card and specs are Windows Vista ready for all you future-proofers!
I also found myself really liking some of the features I was apathetic of at first. The fingerprint scanner is a real time-saver when logging into websites or using one-touch fast user switching and the Bluetooth capability enables me to use a wireless (Bluetooth) mouse without having to take up a USB port to do it (plus it should come in handy for syncing a PDA)! I was also impressed with the included remote control that lets you use your computer as a TV/Stereo/DVD player when using the Media Center.
There are a few downsides to be aware of, however, when considering buying the AX570G. First, you don't want to use this as a business traveller's notebook: the heavy weight and super-short battery life make it an unappealing choice for use on long plane or car rides when there's potentially no power supply available.
The computer is a powerhouse you can pack up and easily take with you, but consider yourself tethered to a power supply after settling in at your destination.
Second, the RAM is expandable to 2 GB, but the two available slots are already taken by the factory-supplied 512 MB chips which you'll have to discard if you upgrade.
Third, the speakers are pretty wimpy. If you're going to use the machine for entertainment (which it's made for), make sure you have an external set to plug into the TV tuner or headphone jack.
Forth, there's not a great out-of-the-box utility to take advantage of the web cam. You can use Windows Movie Maker to make a movie, but I haven't found anything that lets you shoot stills with it (and I don't care about web cams and IM).
All in all, however, I'd highly recommend buying this machine if you're after features, performance, and the best screen around! I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do!
Vaio has beautiful display but no documentation [Posted on 2006-01-30]
The wide screen on the Vaio is a beautiful display. It complements the multimedia capability of the laptop very well. The only short coming of the computer is the lack of any hard copy documentation or backup recovery disks. In the event of a misstep the owner must call Sony Vaio and purchase a recovery disk.
Nice screen, but..... [Posted on 2006-01-30]
The laptop did not arrive with DVI-D output as listed in the description. It has d-sub/vga or s-video unless I purchase the optional docking station. The case has d-sub. The tv card has tv/video inputs and s-video output. This laptop was purchased a month ago for my vision-impaired husband who fell in love with the beautiful screen but also to connect to our 42" HD LCD, which it is unable to do as received. A disappointment. I could get an dsub/dvi adapter cable or use the tv card s-video, but from the product description, I was expecting out of the box dvi connectivity. I recommended to my husband that we return it, but he decided to keep it. He really does like that screen!
The screen is lovely and the laptop connected seamlessly with my son's Xbox 360 over our lan. There have been no problems with the computer as received, its components nor its software.
I am happy to indulge my husband with this laptop, but it does irk me to pay the extra grand over what this laptop is actually worth just for the Sony name. My 2-yo Sager is currently about twice as powerful and twice as functional and as reliable for about the same price two years ago. With DVI-D output, etc, etc, etc. No, the screen is not as nice, but next time it will be another (my fourth) Sager.
The computer was received from JR Music promptly, well packaged and in good condition.
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