Sony VAIO FW Review
Design
Size & Weight
For a 16.4” laptop the Fw-270j is actually fairly compact, measuring just 1.1” thick at the tip and 1.5” at the hinge. The overall dimensions of 15.1 x 10.3 x 1.1-1.5” are reasonable for the form factor. The weight is 6.4lbs, which is respectable for a laptop of that size. However, while it wasn’t overly cumbersome in the end, we still thought twice about carrying the laptop with us when we first decided to carry it outside the house. We imagine this is a laptop you won’t mind moving when you need to, but that you won’t bother moving very far when you don’t.
Display Quality
Despite feeling slightly miffed by the “Full HD 1080p” sticker on the front, the glossy 1600x900 LCD was bright and clear. Just to clarify, 1600x900 is HD-friendly but it’s only 720p (Sony explains that it’s only 1080p “when connected to a compatible HDTV”, which basically means you can use it as a Blu-ray player). The back lighting was very bright on maximum settings, which helped fight off the glare of the glossy screen. The large display has excellent horizontal viewing angles, making it possible for multiple people to easily watch a video at the same time. The vertical angles aren’t quite as good, but are still decent.
Features
The FW270j is a laptop that is clearly designed for multimedia enjoyment, and to that end the Blu-ray drive, HDMI port and high end display prove a valuable tandem. Next to the set of media control buttons, there is also a button labeled “AV Mode” which calls up Sony’s built in media playing software.
There is also a programmable shortcut button on the other side of the media control buttons, and an integrated webcam. Sony packs this laptop with software that will help you take your pictures and turn them into a movie or any other sort of presentation. You can even use it as a security camera of sorts which will only film when the camera detects motion.
One thing we didn’t like that much was the internal speaker. The volume got pretty loud, but the quality of sound failed to impress. For a computer designed to play media, we were expecting more.
Conclusion
With an HDMI port, a Blu-ray player and a beautiful and brightly lit 16.4” 16:9 1600x900 HD display, the Sony VAIO FW270j is a laptop designed for multimedia and designed for it well. As good as media looks when played on it, the FW270j itself is no slouch. With a minimalist design featuring an all silver chassis and black pebble keyboard, this laptop is easy on the eyes. It packs an Intel Core 2 Due P8400 2.26GHz along with 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD too, so it’s hardly limited to multimedia use. Although the weight is not excessive for the form factor it’s still a bit heavy to carry around, and the relatively low battery life will further incline you to keep this notebook close to home. Overall, the laptop was comfortable and easy to use, scoring slightly lower than expected in performance tests but scoring highly in style points to make up for it. Combine that with high end multimedia capabilities and a reasonable price, and you’ve got a laptop worth looking into.
Buy from Amazon.com
| Price Used | Price New | Technical Details | Laptop |
| $759.99 | $799.00 | · Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 2.20GHz Processor and 4GB of DDR2 memory · Portable, powerful high definition and entertainment platform · ATI Radeon Mobility HD4650 graphics card with 512MB of dedicated VRAM (2287MB Total Available Graphics Memory) · The integrated Blu-Ray Drive not only reads Blu-Ray discs but it allows you to create them as well (BD-R/-RE/-ROM) · 16.4-inch widescreen display with a 1600 x 900 (720p native) resolution · 802.11a/b/g/n wireless and Stereo Bluetooth connectivity | Sony VAIO VGN-FW590F3B |
| $655.99 | $900.00 | · 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 Processor, 800MHz Front Side Bus · 4GB DDR2 SDRAM (2GBx2) · 320GB 7200RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive, DVD/CD +/- RW Optical Drive · Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit · 16.4" widescreen LCD with XBRITE-FullHD technology, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD | Sony VAIO VGN-FW448J/B |
| $924.99 | $1,035.06 | · 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 Processor · 4GB DDR2 800MHz Memory · 500GB Serial ATA 5400RPM Hard Drive, Blu-ray Drive · 16.4'' (1600x900) Widescreen LCD Display, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 · Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) | Sony VAIO VGN-FW520F/H |
No comments:
Post a Comment