Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P 4.5" Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive) | List Price: $2,000.00
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Brand: Sony
Binding: Personal Computers
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Features: - Amazingly small micro PC fits in your hand--4.5 inch LCD touch screen and hidden keyboard
- 1.2 GHz Ultra Low Voltage Intel Core Solo U1400 processor, 40 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM
- Tri-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g), wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) with Cingular SIM card, Bluetooth connectivity
- One built-in USB 2.0 port and Memory Stick slot; includes port replicator with three USB, one FireWire, Ethernet, VGA out, composite A/V out
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Very slick [Posted on 2008-02-08]
The unit is very well designed for two-hand, two thumb operation. I like the thumb mouse control button. The docking/charging station and the touchscreen were pleasant surprises. The keyboard isn't as easy to operate as the much smaller Treo - definitely needs to be revisited by Sony. The zoom works nicely, but the translucent zoom setup screen (which pops up on cursor movement if zoom is active) often obscures a portion of the small screen, interfering with cursor placement. Beautiful high res display.
Absolutely awesome as an ultramobile PC [Posted on 2008-02-12]
I had been researching on ultramobile PCs for quite a while and even looked at the Asus Eee PC, which is cheap but has a terrible low-res low-quality screen (and weighs a hefty 2 lbs, the same as my Sharp PC-MM20 *real* laptop with more memory and a 40GB hard drive). In the end I decided I'd want something no more than 1.5 lbs. and roughly pocketable.
I had doubts about the VAIO UX line because, frankly, I didn't like the design, and I didn't care for the EDGE WWAN feature (I'd rather have the faster EV-DO). But when I saw one in action a few weeks ago, I decided it was good enough for me, and the price is right, so I bought one.
Man, was that a good buy or what. The PC has pleased me in every way. I can now run Office 2003, Money 2008, the full version of Firefox, IE 7, and I just installed TaxACT 2007 (low-cost tax prep software). The screen is smallish but very sharp and can be very bright (I leave it at a low level to conserve battery), the keyboard quite usable, and the included port replicator makes docking at home a breeze. I hook a 7-port USB 2.0 hub to the port replicator and I now seriously plan to make this my primary PC, replacing a 3-year-old desktop.
One option I'll look into is, per the advice of a poster in the product forum here, replacing the internal drive with a 100GB one. Other than that, I'm extremely, absolutely happy with a road-capable real PC that weighs only 1.2 lbs. (it actually feels lighter) that also turns into a decent desktop PC for general use.
BTW, if you want an ultramobile PC definitely get something like this model which comes with Windows XP instead of Vista.
Battery life sucks! [Posted on 2008-04-14]
i bought mine a year and a half ago..
cons:
my battery lasts only 10minutes sometimes less..! and even the newest versions come with the same type of battery. it also comes with bunch of junk programs i had to go trough and delete almost every program that came with it. recovery system takes about 10gb of memory +windows and else. expensive replacements and parts. keyboard and buttons are bad almost no use.. vs.
pros:
i gues this doesnt need much explaining
small slick design, easy to carry, touch screen(a litle hard to use),
sim card slot: you can have internet anywhere a cellphone would work(i called sony and made them unlock it and used it with t-mobile which is around $30 cheaper than cingular a month,
2built in cameras,
microphone(i couldnt use much on msn but i dont know maybe its me)
I call it, "Mighty Tiny." [Posted on 2008-04-24]
Since my husband is the computer expert and I'm not, I'm going to give you a completely layman's review, here.
I'm 35, I'm a computer game junkie. My primary use for this computer is, therefore, games. I play on a lot of gaming sites as well as downloading more simple-type games like Zoo Tycoon, Roller Coaster Tycoon, etc. To be honest, some games are simply better on what we affectionatly call "Tiny" with the touch screen and stylus, while other games are just too difficult to deal with on such a small screen (like the afore-mentioned RCT). I have a desk top computer that I wouldn't trade for the world, and "Tiny" wasn't meant in our house to replace that. But since my husband makes his living programming, I hate to tie up any computers or desk space on the days he works at home.
Okay, here we go with what is becoming my "review MO."
The Good =
1. Tiny is portable, which I love. It will be going camping with me, period. (You can't ride the ATV where we go after midnight...too much noise. So I will be playing my games when I can't sleep.)
2. Tiny can share the disk drive with my desk top, so I can still play games that require a disk. (I don't know how my husband set this up to work, but it does without any problems at all.)
3. I LOVE the fact that it's OS is XP Pro. (Vista and I aren't exactly great bedfellows.)
4. I love the handwriting memo program on mine. Very handy.
5. The "monitor." It's crystal clear. I don't have great vision, but I also don't wear glasses, and I can download E books and read them without using the magnify feature. (I feel that I must mention, here, that in another review for this product, someone said that you can't input data while in magnification, but I futzed around with it and found that I could. It ain't great, but can be done.) You can adjust the brightness along quite a substantial range.
6. The two cameras are cool, although more of a toy for me than a practical use. They do work pretty well, however. I was pretty impressed.
7. I do a little competetive gaming - I SMOKE most of my competetion just because I can move a lot faster with the touch screen and stylus. woo hoo lol
The Bad =
1. I have run into a few games that Tiny can't handle because of it's limited screen resolution capabilities. Mr Programmer Hubby says this, however - "There are some programs (pathetically written) that do not handle the resolution Tiny can run. That's not Tiny's fault." He's feeling a little territorial. lol
2. I won't lie to you...typing is difficult enough that I put off answering emails until I can get to my desktop. HOWEVER!!! I have found a small bluetooth keyboard that doesn't just fold...it accordians to very tiny. I will be getting one before we go on vacation.
The Ugly =
1. Battery doesn't last very long.
2. I've had Tiny for nearly 5 months, and there are already some issues with wear on the screen from the stylus. I have invested in screen cleaning wipes, and do my best. I didn't buy the screen protectors because of all the bad reviews I read. Mr. Programmer Hubby is a little surprised at how easily the screen can get a little daily-use damage. It hasn't affected my ability to see anything clearly up to this point, however. But when Tiny is turned off, you can see the points of wear on the black screen.
I'm still giving Tiny (a.k.a. Sony Vaio UX 280) 5 stars because, as I tell my husband, "I really REALLY love him." Tiny was my Christmas present from Mr Programmer, and I've never had a gift I loved more.
P.S. I'm sorry that this review was not as entertaining or as "ramped up" as I can get, but love is a sacred thing. LOL
Very Good Product! [Posted on 2008-06-15]
--Much better than a palm pilot -- it really is a real laptop that fits in your pocket
--It only has 1 USB but I bought a USB expansion port thing that gives me 4 USB ports and plugged it into this thing and it worked great
--I live in Canada and can not use the Cingular wireless built in...but I have a Telus wireless account with a Sierra cellular wireless USB card and can surf the net, get remote access from anywhere :) Great if you want to remotely administer your computers from handheld device -- but you have to remember to carry your wireless modem in another pocket.
--I have full Office 2000, Internet Explorer 7, remote acess software, and everything running on it. Only problem is that Internet Explorer 7 has this 1 update that doesn't want to install.
--It does eveything as advertised!
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