Sony VAIO Z Review – Ultraportable, Highly Connectable and Powerful

The features of the Sony VAIO Z are hardly what you would expect in such a tiny computer but these should not surprise too much especially when you remember that this is a high-end notebook. Measuring 12.4″x1.0-1.3″x8.3″, this ultraportable notebook weighs a mere 3.04 pounds with a standard capacity battery. Yet it is very powerful and extremely elegant.

Featuring an ultra slim screen and a chiclet style keyboard, the Sony VAIO Z comes close to a fashion statement. The keyboard will especially come in handy to people who type for long periods of time as the keys are nicely spaced and will not tire you if you need to work long hours. If some of these long hours involve working in the dark, you will not be interrupted as, unlike the VIAO Y keyboard, this one comes with a backlight. In summary, the build of VIAO Z is not just sleek but also compact and it is a product you will enjoy using for a long time.

Beauty aside, the real appeal of a computer is its ability to serve and in this area the Sony VAIO Z does not disappoint. With an Intel Core i5-520M 2.40GHz processor (3MB cache) and standard system memory of 6 GB (which you can upgrade up to 8 GB), this laptop promises both powerful performance and massive storage space. Additionally, you get Nvidia GeForce GT 330M GPU with Intel HD graphics and dedicated video RAM of 1 GB.

In addition to three USB 2.0 ports, this laptop gives you the ability to connect a host of devices. Some of the input and output devices you can connect to the laptop include headphones and microphones, VGA, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi among others. The laptop’s operating system is Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit and it comes with the Sony Creative Suite (to help you organize, import and publish via a single program) as well the Adobe Creative bundle which includes Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Elements 8 as well as Acrobat Standard 9. Anti-virus support is provided via Norton Internet Security for a thirty day trial period.

Watching movies on the 13.1″ screen will prove very rewarding as it has a resolution of 1600*900. Moreover, the audio quality of the speakers is high and this can be improved on further by using the HDMI to connect to HDTV or stereos. Alternatively, you could use the headphone jack for greater quality.

By: Nadav Snir

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