SONY VAIO VGC-RT150Y

A Digital Artist's All-in-One PC

Look out. Apple—there's a stylish new all-in-one desktop in town. The Sony VAI0 VGC-RT150Y, a sleek black multimedia PC with quad-core power, can compete with the best Macs out there. Unlike the VAIO TV/ PC combos of yore, the RT150Y is a professional-grade system—with a price to match.

The RT150Y's centerpiece is its 25.5-inch LCD screen. with a native resolution of 1.920-by-1.200 (16:10), which is perfect for creating 16:9 HD video content or viewing a two-page spread. It has a matte finish for combat ing glare and Sony's XBrite-FullHD technology—along with 1080p support. Inside, this system has powerful components. including a 2.66-GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor, dual 500GB hard drives in a RAID 0 array, and 8GB of RAM. Most notable is its envy-inspiring multimedia hardware: an ATSC/HDTV tuner, a Blu-ray burner, flash memory card readers, and HDMI input and output ports. This is the first system I've seen that has HDMI input as well as output. The system's 512MB nVidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics card is good enough for medium-level 3D gaming.



The RT150Y is a very good multimedia performer, scoring 28 seconds on Photoshop CS3 and 40 seconds on Windows Media Encoder, among thebest scores I've seen for multimedia PCs. This system can play newer 3D games like World in Conflict (35 frames per second), but it struggled with Crysis (27 fps). I was pleased to find that the crapware typically found in VAIO systems has been cut way back, which gives a nice performance boost. Although this VAIO is a bit overpriced. high-level pros who love
good design and want to stick with Windows should consider the RT150Y.—Joel Santo Domingo



Specs: 2.66-GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor; 8GB 800-MHz DDR2 SDRAM; two 500GB, 7,200-rpm SATA hard drives in a RAID 0 array; 512MB nVidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics card; Blu-ray writer; five USB 2.0 ports, one Fire Wire port, integrated 2.1 speakers, Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit).

PC Magazine January 2009

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Sony VAIO AW170Y/Q

Packed with features, power, and a gorgeous screen


THE SONY VAIO AW170Y/Q is the latest desktop-replacement notebook to feature a breathtaking 18.4-inch display and a wealth of learnt es. Break out this 8.8-pound eye-catcher, and you'll be the envy of the laptop-toting set. Plus you'll send a signal that you're surviving the market crash just fine, thank you, since you just dropped $3,300 on a new laptop. Unfortunately, we're not convinced the AW170Y/Q is fast enough to justify the puke.

Compared with other 18-inch notebooks, such as the $2,199 HP Pavilion HDX18 or the $1,549 Toshiba Qosmio G55-Q802, the VAIO seems way overpriced. But its vastly superior feature set puts it mote in line with Dell's XPS M1730. which sells for $2,899 at its best configuration.That's a $400 gap that gets filled in with Sony's bundled software and chic design, which may not be enough for most users.

The VAIO cuts a dramatic profile. Its shiny, piano-black case opens to reveal a subdued, classic matte-black interior, a gargantuan wide-screen display, and a full-size keyboard with Chiclet-style separation. A sleek speaker grille above the keyboard houses a tow of touch-sensitive media buttons, while a wide mist test, textured to feel like leather, frames the touchpad. Sony has otherwise exercised admit able restraint, adorning the VAIO AW170Y/Q with not much else save a subtle, green LED that lights up (slowly) when the system turns on. The power switch, meanwhile, is housed in an elegantly recessed cylindrical cover hinge.

On the inside, the VAIO is loaded with power. A 2.53G1-1z Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU is coupled with a dual hard drive array (RAID Level 0), providing a whole terabyte of storage space. A built-in TV tuner, 4GB of RAM, and a noisy Blu-ray DVD burner are just some of the signs that you're entering desktop-replacement country. Sony also throws in a fingerprint reader, a bezel-mounted Webcam, 802.11a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth with A2DP technology. Connectivity will never be a problem, since the system has HDMI, optical-out, FireWire, and two memory-cards slots along with the standard host of ports.

All those top-notch features aside, the 18.4-inch display is the VAIO's real claim to fame. Featuring an LED backlight and Sony's antireflective XBrite technology, the screen is stunning. When we watched The Squid and the Whale. colors were crisp and blacks deep and rich. Full 1080p HD support lets you play the latest DVDs, while the screen's 1,920x1,080 native resolution accommodates an intimidating number of spreadsheet cells. DVD playback was very smooth. and audio came through loud and clear, though we did experience a couple of hiccups as we watched out test movie.

In general. the VAIO handles daily tasks with ease. It sped through our iTunes conversion test in 3 minutes and 29 seconds and took 5 minutes and 48 seconds to complete ow Windows Media Encoder test—two scores that are in line with the T9400-based systems from Sony and iBuypower we recently tested. But the VAIO faltered on Futuremark's PCMark Vantage test, turning in a score of 3,147, more than 300 points behind the Sony and over 800 points behind the iBuypower.The VAIO also matched these two systems in Cinebench testing, scoring 5,219 on version 10.

In 3D testing, the VAIO's 512MB GeForce 9600M GT graphics card delivered a it my impressive 6,351 on Futuremark's 3DMark06 test, blowing the other systems out of the water. Even at its native resolution, the VAIO kept pumping out pixels, scoring a solid 3,686. But then it clocked a more pedestrian 30 frames per second (fps) on our F.E.A.R. tests at 1,024x768 resolution and an unimpressive 13fps at native Tesolu tion. That's fast enough to play most titles, but true garnets will be left wanting more.

Meanwhile, the VAIO's relatively small 4.800mAh battery lasted just 1 hour and 18 minutes on our DVD rundown test. If you plan on taking your VAIO on the road, you'll want to opt for the $50 extended-life battery.

Part of why the VAIO costs more, of course, is that Sony preloads its software suite—which includes media, audio, and moviemaking packages, as well as Microsoft Works—onto the hard drive. A one-year warranty comes standard, and you can purchase tip to three years of protection for $299.



If you're in the market for a true multimedia powerhouse notebook with Bluray—and style is a main concern—the VAIO is worth a look. But film editors, multimedia pros who have their own software, and even families looking for a single, do.evetything home computer can get more bang lot the buck with high-end systems from Dell, HP, Toshiba, and even MSI. You'll give up some resolution and some style points, but you'll save serious cash and get roughly the same performance. —Asa Somers

www.sonystyle.com

Computer Shopper January 2009

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Sony BWU-300S

This is the third-generation BD burner from Sony, and it's built for speed. The drive can push 6X media to 8X (35.96MBps). Sony says you might start to see blank 6X BD-Rs and BD-R DLs early this year, but the company had to slip us some media pulled from the Japanese market for our testing.

Is the speed increase for real? Yeah, it is, compared to Sony's earlier efforts. The BWU-300S can nearly fill a 50GB BD-R DL faster than previous models could lase a 25GB, rewritable BD-RE. This Sony is on par with the competition when it comes to belting out DVDs, too. It's not exactly a barnburner at ripping DVDs or CDs, however, although its CD burning speed is adequate.

In the retail box, there's a skinnier front panel for the disc tray, should the more attractive default fascia conflict with your case or artistic sensibilities. As for software, you'll get a CyberLink bundle for BD Profile 2.0 playback; BD-AV authoring, editing, and backup; along with a BD-Live-compatible Copy of "Men In Black."

As ever, Sony is on the high side when it comes to price. Online prices should be more palatable than the $399.99 MSRP, but it's still a hefty chunk of change considering how long Blu-ray has been around. Perhaps the financial hit the company reportedly takes every time it sells a PlayStation 3 at a loss (partly in an effort to push Blu-ray adoption, ironically) has to be paid elsewhere. Like here.

What should worry Sony is the fact that a 6X drive from LG, the GWB-H20L, can write BDs nearly twice as fast as this 8X drive (according to test results on page 72 or our October 2008 issue) and retails for $100 less.

by Marty Sems
www.sonystyle.com


Computer Power User January 2009.

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Sony VAIO VGN-FW198U/H

Entertainment laptop could deliver a bit more



THE SONY VAIO VGN-FW198U/H is the first entertainment laptop we've seen using Intels new Centrino 2 platform. We expected more from the system, but its Blu-ray burner and $2,099 price mostly make up for its performance issues.
The attractive 6.8-pound system comes with a matte-silver finish and shiny silver around the keyboard and palm-rest area. Sony included a 16.4-inch, glossy Xbrite-HiColor screen with a resolution of 1,600x900-good enough to play Blu-ray discs at 720p HD resolution but not at the full 1080p that Blu-ray natively supports. Nonetheless, movies on the VGN-FW198U/H look fantastic. The on-board speakers sound decent, though they fall short in the bass department.
Connectivity includes 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VGA and HDMI out, FireWire, and a trio of USB 2.0 ports. There's an Express-Card/34 slot, SD card slot, and Memory Stick Duo slot with MagicGate functionality. The VAIO also integrates a 1.3-megapixel Webcam into the LCD bezel.
The VGN-FW198U/H uses a Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU, running at 2.53GHz, with a front-side bus speed of 1,066MHz. Sony equips the notebook with 4GB of RAM and 320GB hard drive. The system's discrete graphics come courtesy of ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 3470 with 256MB of dedicated video RAM.

The VGN-FW198U/H turned in solid numbers on most of our bench mark tests, but the VGN-FW198U/H's Achilles heel is its 3D performance. Despite the unit's discrete graphics card, it delivered poor gaming scores for the class. The VGN-FW198U/H's battery life is also slightly low for its class at 1 hour and 25 minutes. -Shane McGlaun
source: Computer Shopper October 2008.
www.sony.com

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Sony JDR CX11E with Smile Shutter Technology

We can expect Sony’s new Handycam HDR-CX11E camcorder anytime soon in the stores and comes with it’s Smile Shutter stills camera technology. With this, you can monitor a person’s subtle expressions and get the pic with the best smile and can be set to recognize child or adult faces with the help of a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens. The handycam has a the 1920×1080 Full HD footage and is endowed with 7.6 megapixels. It runs on a high speed BIONZ processor with D-range technology and makes sure you do not have to struggle through the contrast settings as the camera does this job on it’s own. It might shock you to hear that when being used as a stills camera, Sony’s handycam is capable of 10.2 effective megapixels. The camera is equipped with 5.1 channel surround sound, zoom microphone which minimizes background noise, 2.7 inches LCD plus widescreen touch panel, and many other cool features. The pricing is not yet known and Sony has preferred to keep mum about this though it can be pre ordered from it’s site.

source: http://www.gizmowatch.com

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