VAIO VPCZ122GX/B I5-520M 2.4G SYST4GB 128GB SSHD DVDRW 13.1IN W7P 1YR

VAIO VPCZ122GX/B I5-520M 2.4G SYST4GB 128GB SSHD DVDRW 13.1IN W7P 1YR

Pros: Business applications load, run, display, and switch really really fast. Responsive technical support.

Cons: Screen glare, port placement, Inconvenient Home and End keys, tinny internal speaker.

The
Bottom Line: Fast application loading, operating, and switching means
you can do more work in less time. The performances offsets the premium
price and minor design flaws.

lroomberg’s Full Review: Sony VAIO(R) VPCZ122GX/B 13.1″ Z Series Notebook P…
Review of the Sony Z Series laptop as of September 15, 2010.

EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESS APPLICATION PERFORMANCE JUSTIFIES THE PREMIUM PRICE

While
not perfect, my new Sony Z series laptop (specifically model
VPCZ12egx,) is fast enough and light enough that I am happy with the
purchase of this premium-priced laptop.

The review was written after using the “Z” (running Windows 7) for ten hours a day, seven days a week for more than a month.

The
laptop replaces my 3-year old Panasonic Toughbook running Windows XP
which served me well, but after three years, was no longer fast enough
for my needs.

User Requirements:

As users go, I can be
categorized as an “intense knowledge worker.” That means it is common
for me to have more than twenty Word documents, MS Project files, Lotus
Notes emails, PowerPoint presentations, Visio diagrams, browser windows,
Excel spreadsheets, and MS Paint images open at any given time. During
the day, I use the laptop as a desktop replacement, plugged into a
thirty inch monitor all day long. At night, I often work on the laptop
sitting on a plastic tray on my lap for hours at a time while my wife
watches television. As I also take the laptop into meetings where I use
it to take notes and for ooVoo video conferencing, it is common for me
to use my laptop between 40 and 60 hours a week.

However, I am not a gamer nor do I commonly watch videos on the laptop other than an occasional […] product review.

When
I was shopping for the laptop, I had very specific requirements. First,
as the laptop travels with me almost everywhere, weight was a real
issue. After three years with the Panasonic, I knew the most I was
willing to carry was three pounds. (There are other things in my
backpack after all.) After some international flights in coach and more
than a hundred hours on tour buses, I knew the laptop screen could not
be larger than thirteen inches so it would actually open on the tray
table in front of me. I also needed the reviews (not just the
manufacturer claims) to confirm that the battery life would last more
than six hours at a time.

After four months of using a Gateway
multi-core machine with separate graphics card at home, I knew whatever
laptop I purchased needed to be at least an Intel i5 and have a separate
video card so I can work as quickly as possible. This was the most
important of all my requirements. If you are only looking for a light
laptop that allows you to work with many compound documents as quickly
as possible, stop reading the review and buy the computer. The problems
described later in this review should not be deal-killers.

THE SEARCH AND PURCHASE:

I
looked at reviews covering EVERY major supplier of laptops including
Toshiba, Dell, Alienware, HP, and Lenovo. The review from PC Magazine
helped me choose the Sony Z series laptop. On paper, the Sony Z met
every one of my requirements.

I purchased the laptop directly
from Sony”s internal site, […]. While the base unit was priced at
$1,919, my model with the Intel i5 2.4 GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, 256 GB
solid state hard disk, shipping, a docking station, and a three-year
top-of-the-line warranty, I paid just over $3,000. While this is $1,200
more than most laptops used by fellow employees, the additional
productivity I will realize over the next three years will be more than
worthwhile for my employer.

THE SCREEN:

The 13 inch
wide-screen display is the high-gloss type so loved by the Apple crowd.
For gamers and people watching videos, the images are beautiful. For a
business user like me, the high gloss screen means avoiding any light
that happens to be over my shoulder and behind me. I wish I had the
option of ordering a “Z” with a matte screen like the one I had on my
Panasonic. When sitting in my easy chair using the laptop on my lap for
hours almost every night, I need to be careful that the overhead lights
behind me are turned off or the glare will be headache inducing.

During
the day, the screen is tolerable in meeting rooms as long as your back
is not to an external window. While at my desk, the PC images render
beautifully on my 28 inch Hanns-G monitor.

THE KEYBOARD:

My
concerns about the Apple-style flat keys proved to be unfounded. I type
quickly and easily. The keys light up in a dark room which means my
wife can enjoy her TV shows with little or no ambient light while I work
away. However, the “Home,” “PgUp,” “PgDn,” and “End” keys are under the
directional arrows and require the “Fn” key to be used. Any intense
editing using Microsoft Word has been frustrating. (Ctrl Fn Home or Ctrl
Shift Fn Home anyone?) I guess my solution will be remap the F9 through
F12 function keys and then memorize which key I mapped to do what. Not a
deal-killer, but an annoyance just the same.

The touch-pad and
pad-buttons are tolerable. While at my desk, use of my external Logitech
Marble Mouse trackball makes screen navigation a pleasure despite my
fingers with bad joints.

PERFORMANCE:

The combination of
faster processor, memory, hard disk, and separate graphics card means
everything loads faster, runs faster, and pauses less when switching
between programs. How much faster? My old Panasonic booted in 1 minute
and 48 seconds. The Sony in 41 seconds flat. Documents “pop” open and
business graphics do not slow the machine down. If you do a lot with a
mid-priced computer, you can do a lot more with a Sony Z series laptop.

VIDEO, INTERNAL MICROPHONE & INTERNAL AUDIO

While
nothing special, the video camera and internal mike are ok for ooVoo
and Skype video conferencing. If you need more professional image or use
a better microphone, you can always buy a Logitech 9000 combination
microphone and camera. (Under $100 at Best Buy.)

Sony should have
either left out the internal PC speaker or issued an apology for
unusable one included. Whether for listening to music or participating
in video conferencing the internal speaker produces a “tinny” sound that
is barely audible even with the volume turned up. If you need your
computer to make sound and earphones are not acceptable, consider either
a single ultra-compact speaker like the “X-Mini II Capsule Speaker by
XMI” for about $22 or a pair of Altec Lansing BXR1221 2.1 Speaker” for
about $30 (both at Amazon.com). I own both. Both are small and won’t
take up more than a tiny amount of space or add weight to your backpack.

SOFTWARE ISSUES

Sony
does not load up the laptop with “crapware.” (Extra commercial software
other vendors often install and which requires extensive time to remove
upon laptop purchase.) They should be commended for this.

SOFTWARE CONFLICTS LOCKING UP WINDOWS EXPLORER

What
is annoying is the once or twice a day lockups of Windows Explorer.
(Yup, hover over the bottom left hand screen-button to bring up the
start menu for an eternal pause that eventually causes an error message
requiring Explorer to be closed and re-launched.) In three years of
operation, my Panasonic almost never locked up. The only software
differences between my old Panasonic and the new Sony are the change
from Windows XP to Windows 7 and also any other software Sony installed.
I expect this will turn out to be a fixable problem of Windows and not
Sony”s fault. In the months ahead, using autoruns software and driver
replacements may resolve the problem. But for now, I”m just TOO BUSY
WORKING and 41 seconds to reboot may be annoying, but not intolerable.
[Clarification: Most of the time, one only needs to reboot the explorer
program, not the PC. When this happens, other programs such as MS office
do not close and open documents do not crash.]

SCANNER & PRINTER DRIVERS

Network
printing to our Savin Copiers, and HP and Dell printers works just
fine. However, our company standard desktop multi-function device is the
HP LaserJet 3050 which is a printer, copier, and scanner. Printing is
fine but the scanning driver locks up during the first few moments of
every scan. As we have no intention to buy a new printer/scanner with
every laptop, we need to fix this. While updating and reinstalling
drivers has not worked, my tech staff will keep trying to resolve this
problem in the weeks to come. Meanwhile desktop scanning is just not
happening.

ANNOYING PORT LOCATIONS

Oddly placed USB ports positioned only at the bottom edge of the keyboard close to the user mean wires get in the way.

The
docking station does have rear USB ports and so the issue of cumbersome
wires only happens when using the laptop away from the desk.

The
only microphone and speaker jacks are on the front. Using either means
wires may get in the way while typing or video conferencing.

EXCELLENT TELEPHONE AND ONSITE SUPPORT

As
shipped, the laptop came with a defective speaker jack that enabled the
tinny internal speakers to continue emitting noise even when a
headphone or external speakers were plugged in. Sony”s telephone support
was courteous and competent. A technician was dispatched with a
replacement part and the ten minute repair made within a week at no
charge.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This is not a perfect machine for
all users. However, the combination of speed and light weight make this
an excellent value for a business computer that will be intensively used
for productivity applications. The other issues may or may not be deal
breakers for others. My current expectations are that each of the
outstanding issues will be resolved. To show how impressed I am with the
device, I have already purchased an exact replica of this unit for one
of my corporate executives who requires top performance from
business-class device.

Leon Roomberg
[…]
9/15/2010
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