VAIO Type S - Page 8

So the S Series looks good but is quite flimsy when actually in use?

I pretty much have to buy a Sony (I get a pretty good discount through a friend) so it is really between this and the v505.

I don't really mind a little bit of flimsiness (sp?) I just wondered does the S series look (like stylish) as good as it does on the net?

I took another look at it today. I guess I might be able to get used to the fragile feel, but I'd have to take extra care not to damage the screen. The keyboard still feels like a poor design choice.

It does look like the pictures. It's a clean, modern design. Seeing it in person, it doesn't really stand out as much as you might think it would, but that's probably a good thing.

I never really liked the V505 design, so even though it feels a bit more solid, it would be tough for me to choose it over the S.

How do you get a feel for the case? All the laptops at the stores are basically locked up so that you can't close the screen. Basically I was only able to type on it and noticed a lot of flex in the middle. However, the TR3 seemed to have more flex but the other notebooks such as the Z1, the A series, and the V505 were very stable.

Well, it wasn't locked up at the store I went to. It only had the AC adapter cable and alarm tethering it to the display. I picked it up and opened/closed it a number of times.

Sorry I meant the Z1 Series. I pretty much have decided that is what I will get now (Z1) as it is exactly what I need:

- great design
- stylish
- fast
- don't play games so I don't need a good video card
- wireless
- thin and light
- just need it for school (typing), music, and DVD watching

what card does it have, out of curiosity?

Ok, I checked out the S-Series at Circuity city twice now. The keyboard does flex a bit in the middle ... as for the flimsy casing or lcd, it was no more flimsy than the other 15" and 15.4" lcd I started contorting. Plus, it is not like I am going to be whipping a $2000 piece of equipment around. I will treat it like the baby it is. I like the overall design, but the keyboard flex worries me a bit. Isn't this a similar problem that Dell had with the first 8600's? Didn't a mod come out to fix the flex? The xbrite screen was obviously still impressive.

I still think I'll get it, but I emailed Sony again about when it will be customizable or if it will have the 9700 GPU and still get the same stupid response: "I am afraid we do not have information as to when you will be able to customize an S series Notebook..." Oh, I also asked them if we could purchase a European S Series through Sony USA and this is the response: "I am afraid that is not possible."

I have a contact at Sony I'll try on Tuesday ... she's the one who actually told me Sony dumped the A-Series 15.4" model. I'm sure she might have some more inside info.

It's pretty bad, ATI Radeon 16mb 7500 I believe But like I said I just need it for school and it's perfect for me.

only $2000? where are you buying it from?!?! j/k, like i think i have said previously, i don't trust customer service people OR salespeople all that much, and this illustrates exactly why: they have a reluctance to tell you the complete truth (or any truth for that matter). I could see why the S-series might not be customizable, but there is no reason why it shouldn't have the 9700. As for the problem with getting a European S-series, you could try to get soemone you know across the pond to order it for you and then ship it to you once he gets it, or simply Google(.co.uk, of course ) for Sony's european distributor and then see if you could order one and then ship it over here.

I used to think Sony Customer Service was crap ... but that was from what other people have said. I've had two incidents with them in regards to my Sony 19" monitor and my 32" Sony tv. Both times, the waiting times were very short and the problems resloved quickly. I was impressed both times. They even covered the 1-year warranty on my monitor even though it the monitor died a few days after the 1-year.

I won't go as far as to ordering through Europe though. If I can't get the 9700, I'll probably just settle for the 9200 because I won't be doing any hardcore gaming on it. I just don't want an obsolete card. THe most I'll do is maybe some roms and an online football league software program, but that's about it. All I want is a sweet a$$ portable machine. If this doesn't work out, I'm intrigued by the W1N from Asus ... yes, I know it's 7lbs and 15.4", but it's impressive. I just prefer the Sony Xbrite screen.

I saw the S series at circuit city today. I did not think the build quality was any less than all the other notebooks out there. I did not notice any keyboard flex, anymore than normal that is. I have been fortunate enough to have used laptops from almost every major manufacturer(my job) and this one neither stands out as outstanding build nor crappy build.
The screen was awesome. XBRITE is the sh*t! Perfect size for me. Case flex was not bad either. If you go to look at it, compare it to the other notebooks there, you will find that it is not more or less than any others. I actually had the guy undo the lock so I could hold it get a feel for the weight. Again, perfect for me. Its like holding a thick magazine. It also looks to me that the whole bottom comes off with like six or seven screws. That will mean easy upgradability but not at Sony prices. I compared it the 505 right next to it, there is noticebly more flex and fragility in the 505 than the s. There was no lcd latch though, just some sort of spring/inertia hinge, close the cover to within 2-3 inches of full closure and it would suck down closed on its own. Not sure if this would present problems after extended use. The machine had 9200 grphx. 80gb harddrive. 1.5 Intel 715. I surfed on it, created a few office files, listened to the awful Win Media Player default song, the speakers suck, but very few laptop speakers don't.
Judged by use for me, this laptop is almost perfect. Size, weight , power, batt life (real unknown), and options(potential). Once the configurable models are on the website, I'm in. I talked with sony cs, they said anything not to your satisfaction within 30 days ....return it. Good enough for me. I buy it on my credit card and doubles the manufacturers warranty. SOLD!!!!!!!

By the way, I would not listen to any of the schmucks at any of the BIG stores. The tend to dish out misinformation to get the sale, and if they don't work on commission they just not knowledgable. Forums like this are great for beginners and advanced users alike. Do yourselves a favor and research the products yourselves, go to the stores and force them to let you use the product as would outside the store, then make an informed decision. Knowledge is the key to getting exactly what you want.

No offense, but it's not the best idea to be forceful (at least from my experience). Unless you have some sort of advantage in the conflict (i.e. a towering stature, a deep wallet, etc.), it's not always worth it to bother, and besides, if they interpret "real world use" as "holy sh*t, they're gonna f*ck up the f*cking computer just like they would in the real world" (which they often do) you're kinda screwed there as well. Then again, I'm only 13, so it figures why this bullsh!t always happens to me. seriously, you should be able to get them to let you mess around with the computer to some extent (not bestbuy, because they always have their little information program thing running and you can't get out of it too easily), and if not, "may i speak with your supervisor?" might have a chance.

I agree. When I said force I did not mean bully...you definitely get more bees with honey.

I think you know what I meant by real world use. Your pretty well written for thirteen. I think you might find if you put forth enough effort you might be surprised at the results.

I do know what you mean by real world use, i'm just saying that the salesppl may interpret that differently than word, excel, internet, etc. and could be thinking of that dell commercial where the guy kidnaps the tech from the electronics store and takes him home to fix his computer just cause it bluescreened or something. and, out of curiosity, what do you mean by:
?
are you talking about this situation in particular or life in general? i'm confused...

Well, you mentioned you liked cusa because the seemed more knowledgable....what I meant was if one of the guys starts giving guff about allowance or other bull, use your excellent conversational skills to turn it around. If you ask to have a computer unlocked (as I did today), and have the salesman give you look like you asked for his first born, schmooz him. Tell him that your parents had promised you a laptop of choice for getting all a's on the old report card or some crap like that. I just got the feeling from your previous posts that you might be giving off an attitude(through body language or other) when a salesman would question(in a manner of speaking) your ability(knowledge or bank account). At CC today, I also wanted to try some of the included sony software I have never used, I got the guy to grab a cybershot I was looking at..I took a few pics...downloaded to the S and edit in the software...all because he thought I was a sale.By the way this is kinda off post subject. Lets take it elsewhere.

Don't Sony have their own showroom type stores in America? They're fairly common in upmarket-ish shopping areas in England......hopefully I'll see if they're any use this week as the 9700 based S looks excellent. I would be very surprised if you won't get the same laptop, or comparable, or better in the US soon enough as the gfx is clearly something to set the S series apart in the ultraportable market.

No. At least I don't think so. They may have some boutiques in the largest markets, ie New York, but not like apple. There is no reason to believe we won't get the 9700 version, I think it will just be a matter of time.

Unfortunately, the electronics (which both products above are covered under) and computing service areas are entirely separate. Have dealt with both, which is why I prefaced the comments above with "on other electronics-related product lines, their service seems to be at the very least acceptable".