Slashdot Mirror
Sony's Latest VAIO Looks Like Barf
luigi writes "Sony offers sneek peek at completely new designed Notebooks - VAIO QR. No technical data, prices, release dates available yet." i4u is a sort of a rumor mill: the sony pics are a little bit down, but you can check out links to to sony's japan site. Basically the cool little purple boxes have been replaced with a black and white thing that looks like it was designed by school children. Sorry: Not candy coating this one, it looks dumb.
good point. I could care less what my computer looks like as well. it's what is on the inside that counts anyway :)
I would much rather buy a solid black computer anyway, it's less distracting and saves $. Sony laptops are way overpriced as it is.
it's like carrying around an advertisement. If I pay this much for a laptop, I shouldn't have to look at the big vaio logo everyday. What's next, a VAIO carrying case?
Make what witty one-liners of that as you will.
That was a typo.
God is "inflatable".
It was made by Fisher-Price though....
a) so don't buy one.
b) so don't buy one.
as for not letting your clients carry a laptop without a case, well.... what are you, their mother? Why do you care?
I carry a laptop in a backpack most of the time, and my laptops have hit the ground more times than I care to think about. Even with treating them with approximately the same amount of care I give to rocks or dirt, they usually last about a year.
--
"Don't trolls get tired?"
I thought the color scheme for the new VIAOs looks an awful lot like the Slashdot website. The picture wasn't exactly of the highest resolution, but it looked like it was blue-ish green, black, and white. Did anybody else see the resemblance?
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Free P2P Backup, Windows & Linux
This is majorly redundant, but it looks damned awesome. The design is brilliant. I would love to have one of these to lug around. Why cant you just post a link and what not to the new laptop, and instead of investing the post with your bullshit opinion, let us decide what to think of it. Eh? Dont you think that would be a better idea then making the title say it looks like BARF.
Jeff Knox
Taco, you're a moron. But I digress.
These things look cool, and like someone said earlier, Japanese design aesthetics don't necessarily match our own.
I applaud Sony for breaking the mold on boring black and/or grey slabs of no consequence. I think laptops should look cooler than most do these days.
How is this any different than the Powerbook with it's whack glowing apple logo?
What would be especially trick is if that tube around the LCD was a glowing neon tube that glows a bright, healthy blueberry color!
Time to think OUTSIDE THE BOX Taco.
Investigative Reporter
In what came as a complete surprise and shocked many citizens, some asshole just walked up and decked me. Ow.
Seriously, guys, keep up the funny headlines...it might make people realize that, hey, it's not a serious newssite =)
And yeah, you're right; the new VAIO looks like shit...erm, barf.
Stating on Slashdot that I like cheese since 1997.
Barf was the amusing sidekick in Spaceballs, played by John Candy. That you don't know this is inexcusable ;)
Stating on Slashdot that I like cheese since 1997.
Sorry you had so much trouble with their computers.
If I ever get some money, I was hoping to consider a VIAO of some type, I never buy without proper research though, so I should be able to uncover any issues in whatever model I pick. I've gotten into the habit of checking the user experiences of any particular model before I buy, even if I thought the brand was good or had good experiences with similar models.
I used to be skeptical about the quality of Sony's consumer electronics, but they've won me over a few times. I have dropped one of their MiniDisc players four feet onto concrete and it played just fine, although it did get a cosmetic scratch on the case.
The service mode adjustments on their WEGA (and some other) Sony TVs are a hacker's dream come true. You can fix nearly any dang distortion and bring the TV to just about perfect alignment, unlike.... well, maybe anyone else in the price or size range. A lot more adjustability than 99% of the computer monitors out there, that's for sure. It costs more but it's like a few cents a day cost of operation over the entire expected life, might as well spend a little extra. The flat-flat-flat tube is just gorgeous too.
Clearly Sony is taking advantage of the as-yet untapped goths-who-want-an-iBook-but-hate-the-colors demographic.
I'm not buying a laptop until they make one that looks like a Speak 'N Spell.
Overall, I think it looks interesting, which is a plus, but I'm not the type of person who puts a big Honda sticker on my back winshield, and I sure don't want a huge VAIO logo on my laptop
Other than the fact that it's a little bit shiny on the outside case, I'm not seeing any resemblance to the iBook. The main problem I have with the iBook is the odd shape, and this VAIO looks pretty rectangular.
So why does it look like it's for schoolchildren? The silver piping around the edges? I'm really not seeing that much of an issue with it. Sure, the handle looks a little silly, but hell, what if it's useful? The VAIO logo is expected, it's on the current models too.
As for the purple color... remember in the mid 1980s when purple and pink were "cool" colors? And this wasn't for girls, this was a male thing. This seems to have mysteriously disappeared around the turn of the 1990s. I remember seeing some poor kid being harassed about his "cool" 80s bicycle, while the other kids thought it looked like a girl's bike.
Aesthetics be damned, if it's still small, and works well, good enough.
hmmm... if it was made of Lego you'd like it though?
I like the way it looks in those images.
pronoblem
Maybe I'm an odd one out here, but I think those things look pretty cool. It looks quite rugged, complete with a big thick handle to whip it around with. That looks to me like an improvement to the very flimsy-seeming vaios I have seen before. The only thing that looks bad to me is that it appears to have a shiny coating that would probably scratch and dull very easily. However, I guess that is the price you pay for fashion...
Posted from the wireless couch.
Man. That's just wrong.
Did gideon have Campbells Chunky Beef Stew before that keg-o-milwaukee's best?
Speaking of Casio, did you see the little item on the bottom of the 1st link? A combination Casio mouse and label printer? I'm speechless.
First, why does everyone instantly assume that since it has a handle, it is an Apple nock-off? My 3 year old Panasonic CF-25 has a handle. And yes, you really CAN carry it by the handle. I've carried it and my CF-71 by the handle many times, and I never use a case. They've both been nocked off my desk, out of the car (a Jeep, onto the concrete floor of the parking garage... don't ask :), used in the rain, etc, and both are still in near perfect condition. After using both of these, I would never get a laptop _without_ a handle!
-- "Big Brother is Watching..."
No: Look at how it "fits". As soon as you plug something into the ports in the back you cannot open or close the lid, because the handle will be stopped by the cables. WTFWTT? The iBook handle, on the other hand, is placed in a less problematic spot.
Spaceballs was the last funny Mel Brooks movie. I don't think he made anything funny since then. It's one of those movies that gets funnier every time you watch it.
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Exactly...Glad to see I'm not the only one who thought... "like...barf?" Looks pretty snazzy to me... and hey how about we all save our opinions until we see it in real life. sheesh.
What I want to know is....
How much of the hardware will be supported under:
Linux / FreeBSD / NetBSD / Solaris X86 / BEOS (pick one)
One the whole color scheme, maybe it is so that Sony can market it as an "accessory" to the new AIBO units????
"Fortune, Fame, Mirror Vain, Gone Insane..... But The Memory Remains...
"Fortune, Fame, Mirror Vain, Gone Insane..... But The Memory Remains...
The question is, how much of the hardware will be supported under Linux / FreeBSD / Beos / Etc...?
"Fortune, Fame, Mirror Vain, Gone Insane..... But The Memory Remains...
"Fortune, Fame, Mirror Vain, Gone Insane..... But The Memory Remains...
Looks UUUUgly! it actualy looks like a cross between an ibook and a samsonite suitcase. I'd pay money to see an Ape Jump up and down on it.
My PCG-F580K can do this while driving the 15" active matrix display at full brightness. I admit that I clock down to 500Mhz from 650, but it does it, and it does it well. I love the stares I get on Airplanes when I'm watching movies on it. I do have two batteries, however.
--
Mike Hollinger
Michael C. Hollinger
Those keys, they look like TRS-80 Coco chicklets!
__________________________________________________ ___
rooooar
I have had sony laptops for the past couple of years. My opinion has been that they are usually visually appealing, and have decent specifications. The problem is that they treat service of their devices the same as they would treat a television, or toaster oven. Their response to service calls is basically to run the recovery disk which overwrites the entire machine. Not to say that i'm the most proficient microsoft operating system user, but i can fix most problems when they arrise.
I bet it works like...a laptop computer. Look, the specs on laptops are getting to the point where they're like the specs on toasters. Two slot, or four slot? SVGA or XGA? Oven or slice? DVD or CD?
There's just not enough difference between lines of laptops to have the specs be tremendously interesting. It'll have a pretty fast processor, and a pretty big disk, and a fair chunk of RAM, and it'll probably run whatever OS you want it to.
Aesthetics are important. I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks so. Why SHOULDN'T its looks soothe my soul? I smile every time I look at my Miata. Why shouldn't the same be true of my computer? If YOU want appliances, not art, that's fine. Just don't expect everybody to share your sensibilities or priorities.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
That's crap. Judging PEOPLE based ONLY on their looks is a bad idea. Judging PRODUCTS based PARTLY on their looks is totally valid. I'd rather buy something that pleases my eye than something that does not, assuming functionality is similar.
That's to say, I'd take an Audi TT over a VW Golf, even though the mechanicals are almost the same.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I'll second what some other folks have said about the construction of the Sony laptops, though. I live in mortal fear of dropping the thing, despite the magnesium case. The battery connection in particular is very weak. The only explanation I have is that it was designed after the consumption of way too much sake.
I wonder if duct tape matches the color scheme. That would would make sure the battery stays in place!
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagn'nagl dominos.
You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
-- Colonel Adolphus Busch
Dell Inspiron 3800 laptop. Weird styling, got a shiny metal 1.5" square 'Dell' nameplate recessed into the top... all plastic outside, grey mostly but the inside's this weird blue color.
Anyway... I trip over the power cable, which drops it, open and running, 3 feet onto a concrete floor. Only damage is a broken-off plug on the power cord which to my surprise the warranty covered! =]
BRTB
looking at slashdot, i'm fairly sure that cmdrTaco isn't a qualified design critic. the sony design looks cool as a piece of product design, why such harsh words? legos look like
they were designed by three year olds, too, but that's part of their beauty. simplicity, man -- technology doesn't all have to look like some bad sci-fi painting.
sure they can have their own opinion, but the should post it as a user, not with the article.
so if we don't like what they have to say, we can mod it down.
------ Curiosity killed the cat. {satisfaction brought it back | it didn't die ignorant | lack of it is killing mankind
My 3 year old Panasonic CF-25 has a handle. ... They've both been nocked off my desk, out of the car (a Jeep, onto the concrete floor of the parking garage... don't ask :), used in the rain, etc, and both are still in near perfect condition
Cheater! If memory serves me, isn't the Panasonic CF-25 a ruggedized laptop? We used to push it off a table during training classes just to see the reaction of the trainees...
--- Where's my X.400 protocol decoder?
Not to flame a site, but autopop-up windows are annoying and I4U seems to think they're a good idea. While I'm at it, I'd just like to say that web pages that suddenly fill your whole screen suck as well.
Are there any filter tools that let you keep all the html crap from making it through? I'd like to get rid of:
o blinking crap
o animated gifs
o popups
o window size/location changes
o anything that reacts to you hitting the close button
Anyone else think of more annoyances to get rid of?
1. 2.
Becareful when you buy a thinkpad. The thinkpad that IBM makes are great... but the whole I-series of thinkpads suck! They outsource them to Acer, and Acer does a very poor job of putting them together. The software on them even has Acer logos all over... now that's bad outsourcing!
:)
:) And it took linux with no problems.
They sure look like thinkpads tho.
For me... Dell is the way to go for laptops... there's very little that is proprietary about the hardware.. and they are VERY solid.. the price is also decent. My dell rocks.
DC
My advisor actually dropped his powerbook g3 (1999 model, slim with USB) down a flight of stairs. WIth it asleep, end over end, the entire flight of stairs it bounced. Opened it up and it worked fine. Sturdy little buggers.
If your machine gets really warm, go to www.coolpad.com raises the machine off the ground a bit for better air circulation and lets the machine rotate also. I use one for this Pismo (2000 powerbook g3) and it runs atleats 10 degrees C cooler.
-Pfhor
Welcome, Tasty Primate
Because CmdrTaco is root@slashdot and you are not. besides, I happen to agree with him, they look like crap. I can't believe that companies are turning away from cool technology and using appearance as a way to sell products. I dont know whether to be more disgusted at the industry for allowing this to happen, or at the conusmers who would rather have some weird colored piece of junk on their desk than something that actually is worth something.
Opportunities multiply as they are seized. --Sun-Tzu
... not a chance for CT to bad-mouth whatever the heck he feels like. I think they look fine. The older designs may have been cooler, but who are you to say that they "look like barf." I was really hoping for a Spaceballs reference.
--Adam
You're right, it does look like shit! Well, at least it beats the hell out of the iBook.
Out of order? Fuck! Even in the future nothing works! - Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) "Spaceballs"
Only problem was, when you hit the brakes it pulled onto the wrong side of the road if you didn't correct a bit with the steering. My mother told me I was going to get myself killed and made me get rid of it.
Be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted.
That's funny--I've had the opposite experience with the Vaio's I've had in a corporate environment. Mine survived a drop onto asphalt, has pretty good (but not stellar) battery life and all in all performs precisely as I'd want one to.
I've never had one die on me at all, and everyone here has been happy with theirs, even the ones who commute with them (ie use them on a desk and on a train)
*shrug*
I don't doubt your experience, just that it may not be entirely representative, is all.
Well, it doesn't look like *barf*. It actually looks decent, except for the garish logo and I-wannabe-an-ibook handle. Oh wait, remove those, and it just looks like a normal laptop.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
There's no way you can open up a notebook computer without leaving little pry-marks around all the clips that hold it together. Even though I wet-sanded the case with 1500 grit afterwards, it still looked like crap.
Dear god, they shouldn't let you within 100 feet of a laptop! You apparently aren't aware that they make a *tool* for opening up laptop cases. Why were you trying to work on a laptop if you didn't know how to do it? If you left pry marks after working on my laptop I would've beat you with it.
--GnrcMan--
My god, that's a brilliant comment, must have taken you ages to think up that one. Told all your friends to look at it have you?@
yup. I grabbed the carrying case by one handle, knowing it was shut, and was rewarded by seeing my laptop do a triple rebound plummet down the stairs.
The impact did dent a corner of the laptop, but also woke up a hitherto sleeping pixel.
Taiwaneese no-name laptops may have crap battery, no power management, and weigh several tonnes, but they do build 'em solid. Ran pretty fast too.
Besides an unfortunate name, I never understood why wankel engines didn't catch on. Few moving parts, simple design... beautiful.
Ideas?
Has anyone considered that these designs may be for the Japanese market only? They do look a bit "Hello Kitty"...
Not all of Sony's stuff is for all markets - they don't sell their desktop VAIO machines in the UK, for example, just the laptops.
The site doesn't give any information regarding specs--just flash movies of the new design.
I happen to like the new design--it's bold, and it will be a huge hit with the female notebook market in Japan. As for me, I like it.
The press release is unusual, in that Sony chose to announce absolutely nothing. Here's my translation of this press release page:
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/QR/info_1.html
The translation is not perfect, but you'll get the jist. They have absolutely nothing else to say.
======
October 3, 2000
About the Announcement of the "Viao QR"
Sony Corporation
Sony Marketing Corporation
Thank you for viewing this site. This page is the advance notice of the "VIAO QR" notebook computer, which Sony is developing. From October 3rd, we will announce details of the development. Now, we are completely focused on the product's development, so please anticipate it's release.
Details of the "VIAO QR"'s specifications, retail price, etc have not yet been announced. Further, at this time a date for the announcement of this information has not yet been set. As soon as we are prepared, we will immediately announce it, so for now, please look forward to it.
The contents of this press release is all the information available from Sony at the current time. Neither Sony nor retails stores can, even if asked, provide any further explanations. So we ask that you please exercise restraint in that matter.
I am currently using a p166 vaio lap top. I
have had it for years and have beat it all to hell. The damn thing still looks and works great.
The new one sucks
Maybe that's suppost to be a tough book version?
The white ring around the screen looks like it
be a soft rubbery type stuff to protect it.
It's sad when my 4 year old laptop looks cooler
than the new model.
AdFuel
Sony's obviously trying to pick up on some of Apple's gigs here, and it's not workin' for 'em, I can tell you that much. Apple is really hard to mimic, thank god. Apple's iBook is a pretty coo' little machine though, yet it doesn't look like a kindergarten play toy like the new Vaios. The handle design on the Vaios alone is a complete rip off, but they did it in a pretty miserable way. What works for Apple does NOT usually work for the average Wintel PC maker, as time has shown with every iMac rip off to date.
:-)
The Vaio shouldn't be trying to pick up iBook sales. The Vaio had it's own market, it's own very kick-ass style and design. The LAST thing that Sony should be trying to do is mimic Apple's designs to pick up there sales. Instead they should be pushing forward with their own innovation in design.
Uggh, bring back those awesome little magnesium alloy cases! They were so distinctive and cool. These new cases are, well, frickin' silly
-Cheesewhiz
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"Cogito Eggo Sum: I think, therefore, waffle."
Those aren't bad at all. I think that they look fairly sleek.
Not only that, but the border-like piece seems to have a functional justification; it will move to prop up the keyboard, support the laptop, or act as a handle. I don't see anything wrong with that.
www.niceFire.com
www.niceFire.com
Funnier than a speeding bullet
I didn't like the purple molded plastic look on the other VIAOs. I really like the handle. I don't know if any other lap top has a built in handle, this is the 1st I've seen. I hate to have to slide my laptop in a case just to carry it securely. If I were in the habit of buying my equipment solely on aesthetics I'd be in line to pick one up when they hit the shelves.
You know, at one point, I would have agreed with you. But when I saw those Vaios, dammit, I had to have one (a PCG-N505VE, the super-thin Celeron 300 one).
I'd love to know what it is about the design of a product that makes it so appealing. Certain shapes and things have to appeal to deeply rooted biological impulses (if I know biology, for food and sex :-)), and we just can't resist them.
--jbLook at that handle. It's an iBook in disguise.
I can see a brand new Sony press release now...
TOKYO, JP:
To expand on r-jae's comment ("Why must we always swallow CmdrTaco's opinion?"), I think ./ should avoid putting too much personal opinion into article headlines. "Sneak Peak of Sony's New VAIO" would be a bit more appropriate than "Sony's Latest VAIO Looks Like Barf". Save the personal comments for the end of the summary, at least.
Ok - So from now on, in addition to the hundreds of kool-case-mod sites we will see kewl-vaio-mod sites
Fur-coated vaio, camouflage vaio, 9-huge-fans vaio, metalic-sprayed-with-q3-logos vaio... you name it.
--
1% APY, No fees, Online Bank https://captl1.co/2uIErYq Don't let your $$$ sit in a no-interest acct.
The original G3 powerbook has a fan, it blows out the small slot at the front bottom.
However, it's useless and normally off.
The 3400c (and the original PowerBook G3, which is just a 3400c with a different processor) is fairly sturdy. The PowerBook 100 series was very sturdy. (My 160 survived a 3 foot fall onto cement with only slight cosmetic damage. Although I think the scratch added to the case, since it was just a gray box.)
Insert wit here.
I recently got an old Toshiba P120 laptop, and before I had it a month I was using it for all my classwork (powerpoint/adobe photoshop, excel), and one day I was setting up for a presentation in a classroom, and I knocked it straight off a 5" cabinet onto a (thinly) carpeted floor. It landed square on the spine of the notebook.
I was sweating bullets (I had to present in like 15 minutes), but my little laptop booted right up and I haven't had a problem...
I think my Toshiba is going to be around for a while...
just need a new hard drive...:-)
>b) It's got a handle! You can't carry a computer >like that by it's handle
The handle isn't for overall carrying around, and isn't meant to replace a computer bag. Do you put your notebook in a bag to carry it down the hall? No, but you might close the screen. Voila. A handle becomes very useful. Trust me, i own an iBook, and if i ever replace it, i'll definitely be looking for the handle, still, even if it's gone.
So, the handle is a good thing. The rest of the design is crap. The old ones were pretty decent-looking, if you like straight lines.
I think Sony has a great design here.
they look a little like an iBook, they are sort of artsy. If they work well internally (hardware), then they will do well.
Fook
The price we pay for immortality... is death. Narnia The Great Fall
Wow. After that intro I was expecting to see a popsicle-stick and poster-paint diorama or halloween project or something. Turns out the thing just looks like a black and white iBook... not my cup of tea, but not reall "barf." Geez.
They look like cheap V-Tech kids toys you see at K-Mart.
Personally, I think they look kinda cool. It's pretty awesome to have a change in the way PC's look. I'm not big on the "jelly bean" look that the Mac's have gone with, but a change is definately nice. Of other note, I thought the Nokia joystick, the phone/mp3 player and the waterproof "sportsman" phone were all pretty cool ideas. The label printer mouse, no that's a little wierd for me.
Sorry, Mr. Ska, but there are very few newspapers that are even close to unbiased. Almost all of them have editorial preferences and philosophies...many times politically based.
Even television is getting to be this way, depending on the station you watch.
CmdrTaco has the right to an opinion, as do you, and if he wants to post some editorial commentary, as long as it's not disguised as fact, he's welcome to do so.
I have a VAIO PCG F430 and I love it. Would have preferred a better video board and there are some other minor things that I'd change, but overall it's a great notebook.
The new one is BUTT UGLY and will not be on my want list at ANY TIME.
Sony just took a left turn. YUCK.
Jim
Remember to take out the trash if you want to send email to me.
rumors are flying about the new G4 powerbook and the long delay - it's not just the chips people are saying. word is that they almost had it ready to go this summer but a serious 'structural' flaw was found and they had to hold off. that says to me that it's going to have a radically different design - if it looked like a standard powerbook or iMac they would have had no problem physically building it.
i've compiled some of the rumors for the new powerbook G4 and commented on their likeliness them based on my own personal thoughts and research:
1) G4 processor running at about 500mhz (for sure)
2) firewire, usb, airport, VGA, ethernet on back (for sure)
3) new enclosure with hints of iBook, but still primarily black (probably)
4) use of clear plastics in case, like new mouse and monitors (probably)
4) letterbox 15.5" cinema display (very possible)
5) elongated, clear trackpad (if the screen is letterbox)
6) full size keyboard (again, if screen is letterbox)
7) some form of handwriting recognition with stylus on trackpad (probably not until OS X)
8) wireless detachable or fold behind keyboard(unlikely, but possible, especially with #7)
9) built in Palm-sync port (unlikely on powerbook - maybe on new G4 desktop?)
overall, there is a good chance that apple will release another show-stopper with the new G4 powerbook. it's styling will be very modern-apple without losing the current Powerbook lines (that are envied everywhere and all over tv). they might go all out with the flip/detach screen thing but i'd say it's unlikely at this point.
one thing's for sure, the powerbook has been the most attractive notebook computer for some time now, and anyone who has sat it next to any other machine (even with better specs) you can see the powerbook's lines are like that of a classic european car next to the camaros from Dell, Sony, etc. i doubt apple would let that lead slip with the new design.
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DJ Raz
raz@wfnk.com
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DJ Raz
raz@wfnk.com
I saw one in PC World just a few weeks ago, they do sell the desktops in the UK.
On the "material" pictures you can see a big grille on the bottom - any ideas what that might be? Surely it can't be a fan port? I mean, I know it has the handle to rake the keyboard but not everyone's going to use that are they?
~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
Clearly Sony doesn't want IBM to pull something like this on their laptops at the next Olympics. There's no taping over that logo! Now the Vaio is as distinct looking as an iBook, albeit one that was designed for the colorblind. Purple was cooler.
How long until the third party vendors start coming out with replacement neon piping? Nothing like a slammin' Vaio to carry around the 'hood.
Was that out loud?
Did Steve Jobs sells the plans to the Japanese for his Lunchbox version of the iMac Powerbook?
Ya know, if marketed properly, anything that looks like barf could sell quite well. Think of all the gag companies making fake barf... now think of a laptop that looked literally like barf - who the hell would steal that? Might be the perfect security solution!
One Can Never Own Enough Musical Instruments...
inflatable, anatomically correct, and yours for only $19.99!
The conclusion of your syllogism, I said lightly, is fallacious, being based on licensed premises
b) It's got a handle! You can't carry a computer like that by it's handle.
I didn't think the pictures (even the flash business) did a very good job of showing what the external surface is made of. Was it listed some place in text that I missed?
I confess, I have an iBook, and scoffed at the handle when I first got it, but now can't imagine getting another laptop without it. I spend a lot of time trundling from one part of the building to another with my iBook, and the handle is a definite plus. No dings or damage, yet, and I haven't been especially careful with it.
That said - this new Vaio is, IMO, butt-ugly. And the handle has not convinced me otherwise. Bleh.
Wind
One thing I really liked about the old Vaios was how thin they were. This thing looks pretty clunky, compared the old ones - do you think they've really given up on skinny Vaios, or are the pictures just an optical illusion?
And, if the Vaios are truly no longer supermodel thin, what's the point of getting one?
Wind
Sony's trackpads can also digitize stylus input. They pioneered offering that. Apple's trackpads while they use the same supplier only respond to finger contact. However now due to the Digital Signatures law in the US more companies will start to ship trackpads you can write on. Although technically a digital signature dosen't require handwriting, it has a romantic appeal.
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blinko - "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down"
What? This new Vaio model looks like they put all the design work into the lid and keyboard to distract attention from the cheap and mediocre rest of the chassis. To me the base of the unit looks crude with obvious seams and large PCMCIA slots/ports that break the potential sleakness of the design.
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blinko - "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down"
The apparent Vaio 505 successor is already on the market. http://www.ita.sel.sony.com/products/pc/notebook/p cgsr5k.html
2.98 pounds, 1" thick, Pentium 3 500 MHz, 10.4" SVGA TFT screen, stereo speakers, V.90 modem (I hope it's a real hardware modem, it ships with Windows 2000 so maybe), NeoMagic 256AV video processor, Yamaha audio chip, USB, 1394, memory stick and jog dial, etc.
And the case is in metalic sliver and their new greenish black shade. There is also a faster Vaio SR-7K model available.
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blinko - "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down"
I'm sorry those Qrium units look like cheap clock radios. Their design actually makes the Intel "Astec" pyramid concept design look good in comparison.
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blinko - "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down"
>Laptops have had handles since before Apple even had a laptop design division - my old Grid machine had a great carrying system.
Yeah, the GRiD machine with the red plasma display was damn cool. However Apple did have a research department that did alot of early stuff with LCDs back in the 80s, and the first luggable Macintosh did have a handle.
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blinko - "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down"
It's sad Sony just decided to change the outside... It's like a cake made of crap, but it at least USED to have an excellent frosting on the outside... Now it doesn't even have that... :/
looks like they took an ugly stick to the ibook and that's what they came out with..
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
And I think saying Sony's Latest VAIO Looks Like Barf isn't very professional, either. :)
Last night I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I'll never know.
So you're trying to say that Sony's new laptop is half man, half dog, and serves as it's own best friend? Or it just looks that way?
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Damn. You are right. They do look like barf! Why change the style? I want very much to buy one of those new Crusoe based units. This is just a really dumb move.
Yeah, but at least they don't have to download a 'Service-Pack'!
You geeks have no taste! Go vote for the retared variation of Cowboy Neal on the stupid poll like the rest of the lame-o's.
You'll always have certain gizmos which are instantly recognized as status symbols based on extra-cool appearance, and I think Vaios qualified as such. I think you're over-generalizing about the functionality bit--most people (myself included) who work in technology have always enjoyed owning something that looked 500p3r-d00p3R 318 w1x3d / Also significant is that I've heard from many free OS users, who especially liked Vaios based on their stability and ease of installation with *BSD/Linux. As compared to, say, Dell. Now if your tool just happens to not look like a dull run-of-the-mill black or gray everyday laptop, all the better...
Frankly, now that you mention it, they look like particularly ugly versions of said iBooks. And who was the genius who compared those to toilet seats, and iMacs to pool toys?
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roomate. Lone Star: What's that makes us? Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing.
i want a laptop that i can put in the dishwasher if i spill coffee on the keyboard.
Amazing magic tricks
Of course they look cool.
Unfortunately they don't look affordable though.
What is wrong with you people? I think these look cool.
One of the many things I hate. thingsihate.org
I say there.. whats that coming out of her nose? The new VIAO....? Oh shit! There goes the planet!
These days it just doesn't pay to make a machine that looks cool. If it does look good Apple will probably sue you for it - hence the reason nobody makes lappys in translucent color combos with hip and catchy names.
Prospecting Stinks. Stop Wasting Time on Cold Calling.
When u setup lighting light that... making sure to get all those cool refections, and spend heaps of time in photoshop pissing around with the images -- Like sony has -- I'm sure u could even get a toilet seat to look sexy...
I personal don't think it's that bad. But I wouldn't be seen with one... Especially with V A I O molded in HUGE letters across the top.
One thing i can't understand -- which has been brought up again -- is this hatetred towards the design of the iMac... Have any of u guys ever looks at the latest macs? What geek can honestly tell me they hate a computer that lets u see all of the insides... with out even having to take the cover off. Sure the 1000's of rip-off designs look like crap, but not the macs.
Caveat: I'm an IT drone and I work in a basement. I'm sure certain things will still be inappropriate for people who predominantly meet with clients or customers.
You know, for once I'm glad to see a raw and unbiased opinion coming out of Taco's wordhole. Opinion...What am I saying? The design of that piece of corporate feedtrash is clearly gay. Any fasion-consious pimply-faced black-cape-wearing difference-between-trance-and-trip-hop-knowing MTV-hating nerd won't waste 2 snorts to even laugh at the foolish concept of aesthetics that BL0NY shares with nobody else on the planet, let alone Commander Shitface.
Really. It looks like a reject from the 80's.
--
These aren't the droids you're looking for.
You know how some people can where something really loud and it just seems right while on others - they look really stupid?
It's a personality thing. The gear has to fit the character and persona.
What Apple can pull off, not many others can do and come out looking "hip" instead of looking stupid. The Sony Vaio, with it's slim design and durable metal case is the quintasential corporate _and_ stylish notebook. Add rubber and a fold down handle with a loud "VAIO" across the back and you just killed yourself.
Just my take,
--Aaron Greenberg
Yeah, it's not a cube ..it's a rectangle !!!
or does this thing folded up look like one of those seat cushions you would take to a football game?
...but try something different.
I applaud their desire to try something different,
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eEtard.com We Make Fun.®
More of the Tommy Hilfiger effect: pay top bucks so one can be a billboard for a product...no thanks!
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand". -Milton F.
because its his site? just because this place has become a community doesn't mean that the editor can't complain and moan. if you don't like his opinion then fine and give some creative comments and try not to TROLL. or, what I am doing which is a FLAME.
ok now onto the meat of my actual comment
looking at this I think while this might look with a tuxedo or black suit, Sony has more colors to choose from then black and white and where the hell is my chrome laptop anyway? if people want elegant go get a thinkpad, I want crome or something that I can go drip paint without worrying about ruining it. like a kids coloring book I want my multi thousand dollar coloring book.
Oh and by the way, if you can remove the multi and replace it with a sub that would really kick ass Sony... thanks in advance
Unfortunately, in this case, CmdrTaco is right. Sony's VAIO laptops have been very aesthetically pleasing in the past, but this new design is... well, I even pause to call it a "design". It's horrible. Plus, I can imagine the odd pipe-shaped wrap-around "handle" is going to have some separation issues.
Refrag
I have a website. It's about Macs.
I wonder how well these laptops with handle right on the hinge are going to hold up since you'll likely be putting a bit more strain on that joint. My first personal laptop just broke the other night. The plastic that encase the hinge had been cracking for a while and three nights ago it just cracked completely. Some laptops that we had at my previous job exhibit similar signs of wear too - and these are not cheapo laptops either. That's one reason why I am not going to spend any more of my money on laptops - I'd rather let work pay for it :)
Scroll down farther to see Casio's new mouse/label printer... what's next, force-feedback printers? mouse scanners? hard drive UPSes? How about just making a whole damn laptop into a mouse? Or get real creative and make a monitor-toilet... or a 10k SCSI coffee warmer?
First: Taco, barf usually isn't black and white (unless you've been eating some really weird stuff). Second: Doesn't appear that Sony is simply taking the iBook path with out the translucency? Look at it; it's a notebook with a handle, and how much more iBookish can you get?
Think about it. If this laptop was cheep (less than $7-900) then it could be for kids. Imagin an entire 6 grade class with the new sony's? I bet my brother would think this is cool.
hmm... for fun I enjoy launching DDoS attacks against 127.87.42.5
I mean, it's got a lunch-box like handle on top for God's sake - very lame. I hate it.
Please Rate my comment (and help support Fre
The new vaio looks like an computer icon of itself, as if it were designed in MacPaint on a 32x32 grid. Weird. I think it would look good, though, under the arm of this guy.
But fer now I'll just stick with my trusty James-Bond-as-all-hell 505F.
"Luck is the residue of design" --Branch Rickey
I dropped my IBM thinkpad from a height of 3 feet onto concrete.
It powered up without a problem.
I am going to be hardpressed to ever purchase a laptop from anyone else. Given all of my experiences with Sony consumer electronics, I must say I would NEVER buy anything, especially a laptop, from them, regardless of how cool it looked.
Perhaps a barf motif isn't the wave of the future...
Cunningly leading the nefarious orientals to underestimate the good old USA leading to their current dire economic straits.
Old Man Bush hadn't come from the CIA for nothin y'know...
'There is a Light that never goes out.'
VAIO, AIBO or how to play twice in a row with four letter words with only three vowels in the same order.
Nice for a IQ test, what of the following Sony names follow the sequence?
And, who will post it to /.? Hemos o CmdrTaco?
sgis ddo ekil t'nod i
What is the most durable type of paint to use on a laptop.
This thing definitely will require a paint job before it's first use.
However, it would be best to find paint that won't flake off
Would it be better to replace the case? Mahogany would probably look good.
134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
Actually, IBM only outsourced the first generation of i series Thinkpads to Acer.
After the first generation, IBM was so displeased, they brought production back in house, so all new i Series Thinkpads are true blue IBM.
Buy with confidence, do the research first, and don't suffer buyer's regret.
A host is a host from coast to coast, but no one uses a host that's close
You people just can't take new designs can you. I have been looking at the same beige box or slate gray laptop cases for TOO LONG. Come on people, let these companies innovate a little. Don't you remember -- computers were supposed to be cool looking and serve a purpose. All I have ever seen it the later of the too. Which brings me to my next point: This is 2000 right? Where are the flying cars? I was told there would be flying cars.
In the words of the "Comic Store Guy" from the Simpsons:
"Best...slashdot...headline...EVER."
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Let me give you the lowdown
How long is that beautiful shiny black plastic going to stay shiny? About 15 minutes. And how fast will the pearly white keys get covered with ick? I'm sure it will look nice as long as nobody uses or carries it. . .
And what's wrong with Badtz Maru?
Looks like something one of those dsgustingly cute Japanese cartoon characters would be carrying. Like, Hello Kitty, Badtz Maru, Pochacco, etc. Ecch.
I've always admired Sony for their industrial design. But that "VAIO" in big letters is BAD.
... I like my trusty old grey DEC HiNote Ultra 2000.
Almost as thin as a vaio, and less than half the price.
One future, two choices. Oppose them or let them destroy us.
Looks like a mid 90s vintage ThinkPad coated in masking tape. I'm with Taco on this one.
sulli
RTFJ.
It has a good looking design. Whoever posted this is language challenged. I wonder what features here turned the submitter off? Too bad he has such a lousy grasp of our language that he is unable to communicate his feelings about product design. I hope this inablity to speak meaningfully does not carry over into his personal life but I expect it does... Too bad sport.
I am glad they dropped the Barney Purple cases and went for something a little more adult.
They should look like Aibo.
Uh, Taco posted this story, gimp.
Going (aethetically) against the bright candy colors brought out by the iMac is an idea that could sell very well, especially with the breadth of the VAIO line. But it looks like: 1) they rushed to market soon after they got the prototype design, and/or 2) they really don't quite have the "minimalist"/"clean & restrained" look sorted out in their (design dept.'s) head....
shiite! I just took a closer look at the little flash movie they have on that Sony Japan link. The f*cking thing has a volume wheel just like the damn QuickTime interface!
Robin Hood: Men in Tights was made after Spaceballs, if I'm not mistaken. That was pretty damn funny too.
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Yeah! Good Idea!
Why don't we have a category also for Napster, one for Gnutella, one for Toshiba, one for Swiss cheese, and while we'e at it, one for slashdot's redundant stories!
There are too many categories already. Well, maybe the last one mentioned would be ok.
btw..--------
I bet my friend $20 this wouldn't get modded up.
A portion of the proceeds (after I win) will be
donated to Rich Lowtax Kyanka.
Anyone ever been on a fast connection, and had to wait for sonys ass slow website to load?? Its like being on dialup all over again. How can a company be so big, make so much money and not be able to make a website that dosent suck?
I'll agree with you here about Acers - I had a really beautiful silver-coloured magnesium cased ultra-portable last year when I was travelling in Brazil and the States. It survived sand from the beach, extreme humidity and temperatures well over 40 degrees C, and a whoops-I-snagged-the-modem-cable fall from a sofa onto a polished wood floor. It booted without hesitation, was quiet and had excellent battery life - nearly 3 hours, as stated in the specs (so often you never get what they say)! It also looked sweet - it got plently of compliments when I opened it up. I still miss it..
-- Sig Sig Sputnik
Actually, I think they look kind of cool. Purple is for girls. This has a futuristic, simple look to it. Black and white. Slick.
This reminds me of some slick looking E themes, maybe I'll check them out. New! Have a laptop that matches your window manager! Coordinated computing just made a big step forward.
Since I can't coordinate my wardrobe, at least I can impress chicks with my sense of style in computing--"Yeah, my clothes don't match, but my window manager matches my laptop! It also matches the console!" I can see the line of girls forming at my door...
Excuse me, gentlemen, I've got to go woo some honeys.
I do not belong in the spam.redirect.de domain.
Personally it looks good to me, integrated carrying handle and all. Just need to see more specs on the thing, and the price on this thing. If it's cheap enough, I might try to get one...
All I'm saying is that the good Commander might present us with headlines that are a bit more newslike, and less opinionated. A newspaper than ran an article about the presidential debates that entitled it "Bush Blows Spanish Donkeys" would not last long. CmdrTaco could have just as easily entitled this "New Vaio, New Look", which frankly would have been a lot more informative to boot.
Mr. Ska
I wonder if it would be too much trouble to keep the Vaio you have now? It's got the casing that seems so important to you. More than likely, the new Vaio will have a few improvements, but nothing too great.
Hey, I like that!! A lot! In fact, I think I'll go out and buy one as soon as they come out. It reminds me of my old c64. Gotta have it.
Taco, post news from now on. People could care less about your opinion.
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$_='hfflbwfsbhfzp vs';s/(^.{4})(.{7 })(.+$)/$3 $2 $1/
Notice the glossy black plastic case? In my experience that is the WORST possible material - within a week of getting one of these things it will be covered in very-visible fingerprints.
If you think the design looks bad, wait till you see it with hundreds of greasy fingermarks on it. YUCK!
Note that I started off with a one word reply ("moron").
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I agree, it looks like a strip of playdoh's been wrapped around it.
--Giving to trolls for the benefit of us all
It smells a bit (haven't had time to clean off the poop, you see) but it's working fine!
--Giving to trolls for the benefit of us all
Piping is a deco flamer that died in the 70s. It looks like tripe and whats worse piping in this manner inhibits it's functional use (extra width for no good reason).
--Giving to trolls for the benefit of us all
I'm not sure what you think the purpose of a handle is. Generally speaking, they prevent you from dropping something. You're much more likely to drop a laptop without a handle. See, your fingers sort of curl around the handle from underneath, preventing downward movement of the object to which the handle is attached.
/. readers are familiar with laptops and what happens to them upon impact with carpeted floors. I've dropped my ThinkPad a few times onto the carpet with no ill effects.
And I'm sure most
But seriously, Sony, take your mind out of the gutter, your head out of the past, and your thumb... on second thought, dig deeper on that one, you might just strike gold (or just your coccyx).
"Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
Okay, on a more sane note, I work at the parts counter of my local CompUSA, where the laptops are held. I can safely say that these laptops will be the laughing stock of the laptop selection (previously, the iBook held that prestigious title). The current VAIO user base is pretty respectable (with a number of Linux users out there; the chipset in the VAIO is not too shabby). However, with the new VAIOs looking like some VTech toy ripoff of a laptop, the user base will certainly start resembling the iBook user base: people who like how it looks (yes, strangely enough, there are people who wouldn't mind lugging around a big, bulky Speak 'n' Spell).
All the more reason to resist the Japanizing of America. This infernal turd and the Aibo offend me to the point of boycotting all future Sony products.
"Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
This thing is so ugly, your mother would disown you for carrying it...
It seems like an iBook-like style targeted at someone who's so dull, that he/she wouldn't care what the thing looks like...
Maybe you just gotta be Japanese to understand?
I wouldn't go as far as to say that it looks "like barf", but I personally like the iBook better, for its looks. (Although performance-wise, I'd pick the VAIO) It's nice to see the company refining the looks, but, well... I liked the old VAIO. Granted, shades of purple aren't exactly the most popular, but it did look pretty slick. Now it looks more like a plastic case from Adidas.
Personally, I still like Dell best. 1600x1200 on a 15.4" LCD. And supposed support for Linux soon.
SUWAIN: Slashdot User Without An Interesting Name
SUWAIN: Slashdot User Without An Interesting Name
Sounds right to me, underpowered plant in a nice looking shell. Just like a slant-6 Challenger. ;) Me, I want the computer equivelent of a 426 Hemi... or even an LA series like the 340.
Actually, being an RX-7 nut, I want the computer equivelent of the Bi-turbo Mazda 20b triple rotary... the RISC chip of internal combustion.
"Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi"
You would kill my 89 GTU in a 1/4 mile, no doubt. A third gen would give you your moneys worth though, especialy road racing.
I wasn't particularly slamming the slant-6, it is a good plant (From what I've heard the 318s and 360s are the dogs). Just not a Hemi or LA.
"Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi"
Mazda has been showing it's latest version of the 13b dual rotary lately. The 'Reinesis' plant has 280 HP naturaly aspirated, gets 30+ MPG (stunning for a rotary of that power), can pass low emission standards, and has much improved apex seals. Mazda is supposedly going to put it in the new RX-7, the new MX-6, and possibly an MX-5 (Miata) variant.
As for american wankels, there was also an Astrovette (rear-engined prototype corvette from the early 70s) that sported a quad rotary. Serious power in a quad, Mazda has won the 24 hours of LeMans with quad-rotary cars. An additional note about LeMans is that Mazda has the highest finishing percentage of any manufacturer who has entered more than one race, all with wankels.
My mechanic just got one of those rotary trucks which has survived 25 years with it's weird 1.3 litre. You are right that it sucks with big loads, whatever a wankel is it's not a high torque at low revs engine.
"...the RX-7 sports coupe, was an excellent car mechanically."
Yup, but don't get me started on their electrical system. Damned cold solders...
"Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi"
RWD is the only way to go in a performance car, even Honda's S2000 (say what you want, but 240HP out of a 2.0 4-banger is impressive) is a F/R design. Big engines are great if they can keep the car well balanced (ie 427LT Vettes) and for frames... mmmmmm... monocoque.
Me, I'm a sportscar nut. Unfortunately the only american sportscars are Corvettes and Vipers (well, and early T-birds... dream on), far too expensive for me at the moment. Even late 70s 'Vettes with those pitifully stepped on 350s (speaking of low compression) run at least 10k. I'll consider a pony which is why I've been into MOPARs lately, a buddy of mine's uncle has a '70 Challenger R/T with a built 340 in it... but it needs a bunch of bodywork (and paint! It's that Panther Pink... ewwww) and they are asking too much.
If I'm gonna spend that kind of money, I'll look for an old Sunbeam Tiger. Totally undervalued Carol Shelby designed sportscar. Quick with the original 289, ungodly with a 302.
"Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi"
Although I must say, there is something to be said for that, er, sophisticated-looking keyboard. (Maybe this is it.)
Seriously, one of the major selling points for the VAIO series has been (no, not the easy-to-pronounce name) its very high-tech, executive look. Business users and geeks alike are proud to be carrying these little gems of late-twentieth-century innovation. The iBook is less popular with professional users for these very reasons, but (1) it is still quite popular on account of its design, which is more whimsical but still very sophisticated; and (2) its target demographic has never been professional users.
This design, however, feels very much like the shiny plastic vacuum cleaner sitting in my closet. Sure, it works, but it's flimsy; the plastic handle flexes under applied torque, and the little plastic "accents" are starting to fall off. The iBook may "look like a toy", but I fear the new VAIOs may "look cheap like a toy."
Sony's Latest VAIO Looks Like Barf
and the old ones didnt?
All the new Vaio needs is two big knobs on it and it would look just like an Etch-A-Sketch. I think I am going to write an Etch-A-Sketch emulator for it. Remember to shake it over your head to reboot, kids.
Actually, that's a good point. How long until we have "designer" hardware? People can't buy the Eddie Bauer and Nautica Ford Explorers fast enough. Just imagine how cool you'd be with a Gap Palm Pilot!! You'd be the envy of all the kids on your block and appear to be important!
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end communication
why it looks like sony's designers decided that laptops have been around for generations and so they do the inevitable: creating an oldskool laptop. too bad laptops haven't been around that long -- this one looks like it comes from the 50s (which, nevertheless is a lot better than the osborne 1...
No more of this "clearly you have no taste for thinking the new design is good/bad!" crap...
*&^)
Karma: Chameleon (Mostly affected by the 1980s)
It's strange to walk through a computer store and see all these Compaqs obviously inspired by Apple's success with the iMacs, yet looking hideous. Now the new Sony tries for the iBook handle, and striking color scheme, and it doesn't quite work.
One thing about Apple, by focusing on design from the ground up, they come up with striking looks that work in the marketplace. Everyone else seems to view design as an afterthought. This Sony is better than some, but it doesn't work any more than any of the other wannabes.
________________
________________
Private Essayist
"karaoke is Japanese for 'drunken loser'" -Craig Kilborne
This post was enhanced by BEER technology! 'Karaoke' is Japanese for drunken loser. -Craig Kilborne
It may not look like an iBook, but it sure as hell reminds me of an Apple PowerBook! Comming from a Vaio 505TS owner I do think this is good thing, I am jeolous of my friends PowerBook...
Bah!
Not old, just been done before. Piping was popular on suits in the 70's. Now it's on laptops? Could it be uglier? I personally want silver piping around my TV. It would give it that polyester look I so cherish.
Is that really a tubular frame, I mean it looks kinda like a neon tube. What colors does it come in? I cant wait until all computers combine Blade runner asthetics with high tech, YES!
There is no spork.
Piping was popular on suits in the 70's. Now it's on laptops? Could it be uglier? I personally want silver piping around my TV. It would give it that polyester look I so cherish.
I'm holding out for gold and black piping for my HDTV set. Totally retro, totally now. Then I'll pop a G4 cube on top, with yellow and blue plastic flower decals on the case, and partially immerse it in a bubble flow pipe fish tank.
Did I mention I live in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle?
--- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
"If we double the size, double the weight, and double the temperature, then we can double the price!"
Ooof. I just got a hernia. Must be a Pentium VIII.
-- Anne Marie
Dear SlashDotters,
We here at the Hello Kitty Institute of Industrial Design find your assertion that our trend setting Vaio designs look "Dumb"... offensive, ill-informed, un-refined and niggling. We spent weeks coming up with the inspiration for this design which was finally provided to us through a fortunate tooth paste accident near one of our previous design attempts.
Please stick to the nerdy stuff and leave Industrial Design to artists like us.
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
GeneralEmergency
Chip sales are still rising, though many fear that it may flatten by 2002 (http://news.cnet.com/news//0-1003-200-2951115.htm l). With more and more computers being made every single day, the userbase has grown expotentially in size. As a result, the overall demographic becomes more complex and diverse.
In other words, if you don't like the new design, then you might not fit into the specific demographic that they're marketing department is aiming for.
Peace.
It appears that Darth Vader shagged an iBook.
Apple also invented oxygen, arable land, and perfected the practice of rubbing sticks together to produce "fire".
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* CmdrTaco is an idiot.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
And I believe the name of that font is "money shot".
--
Maybe you missed the new Claudia Schiffer Palm Pilot Vx which includes a metallic blue case and all her favorite add-ons?
The world is neither black nor white nor good nor evil, only many shades of CowboyNeal.
I'm not so sure I'm concerned by the VAIO lettering - personally, I think the design of this laptop will warrant after-market (3rd party) accessories, such as a 'westsuit' like covering - so you can wrap the laptop up in a nice outer protective sleeve, condom-like, and still carry it around - so most likely the VAIO effect will be lessened.
Wrap one of these up in one of those wetsuit cover things, maybe use some nice rubber/latex design, and I'll make it my next laptop, for sure.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Seriously, it is kind of a weird design choice. The reason it comes off like that is largely the rounded edges (screen edges, logo), high contrast, and the bordering effect of the screen edging/handle. Following the square outline of the laptop only rounding it and adding a crude handle shape essentially makes it look like the laptop's shape is defined by some large child's 3D crayon :) you could define the shape and essence of the design very easily with a large crayon by drawing the shape of that outline/handle, and adding the logo. This is the technical background for why you think it looks like barf :)
It _would_ make a killer design for a child's laptop. Pity they don't have the disposable income for it ;) that'll teach you to fall in love with a corporation's product! ;)
Because almost EVERYTHING here is opinion. The editors have opinions. They're going to post about them. This never promised to be an unbiased news source.
Carpe DM, Seize the Dungeon Master.
Zapman
Then I could plonk all stories about all their keen products I won't be buying, as I don't wish to support them or the MPAA/RIAA (Sony being a key member of both) or their SDMI-enabled/freedom-disabled MemoryStick shite they keep foisting
-Isaac
I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
...Dad used to say, "Opinions are like @$$holes; they all stink." :o)I think it looks pretty cool -- I wouldn't mind pulling something like that out of my ditty bag when I'm at a client site. After the usual impossible-to-distinguish-among anonymous black monoliths, what's wrong with Sony deciding to put on a little style?But then, hey, my four-year-old and I liked Jar Jar Binks, and I'm envious of a friend's iBook. Maybe Mrs. alumshubby is right: My taste is all in my mouth.
"How many light bulbs does it take to change a person?" --BMcC-->
Tell me what you REALLY think, okay Taco?
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
You remember the "I checked my
notebook!" Toshiba commercials?
No, I do not remember. Can you explain?
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
Did anyone happen to catch John C. Dvorak's comments on the iBook and the minicontroversy that followed? The original article is at http://www.zdne t.c om/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2302687,00.html Do a google search on "john c dvorak" and "makeup case" to find some of the responses.
Say what you like about Dvorak, but I like reading him. He's wrong most of the time, and he sometimes pisses me off, but I like reading people that have something to say, know how to say it, and don't pull any punches.
He called the iBook a "girly machine", said that it looked like a "makeup case" and that no self-respecting man would carry one. Personally, I think the iBook looks more like a kid's toy -- where Dvorak thought it needed Barbie stickers, I think it would be better decorated with Big Bird and Cookie Monster.
But what about the new Vaio? The word that comes to mind is not "barf", but "blech." At least barf has texture. These boxes are void of personality. At least the iBooks have personality, albeit juvenile.
I wonder what Dvorak would say about the new Vaio; he'd probably say it looks like barf... but he'd take two pages to say it.
--JimIt's a shame, I was hoping the pickup some sort of Crusoe-based Sony tablet in a year or so, but I doubt this awful design will have fallen out the bottom of the system by then. I now have to hope Casio do something with their tablets...
I can't speak for anyone else, but I think they look snazzy.
I may purchase one; especially if it's got a Transmeta processor.
-
I've heard of Bart, but not Barf.... D.
I'll second this. We've been buying Winbooks now for about two years. They're very low-tech as far as laptops go, but they're also dirt cheap, commodity-component machines that are easy to setup and well supported.
We had a couple of l^Husers that demanded something lighter, smaller and more prestigious looking (focus on the last qualification) and we got a couple of Vaios. I ran into a one of them about two months ago and it looked like it had been through a plane wreck -- all the hinged doors were either missing or about to become missing and the case was cracked. And this was the machine that was given to a 55+ year old woman with a heart condition on "doctors orders" because she couldn't carry a standard laptop (which weighed about the same once you tacked on all the Vaios accessories for equivilent functionality). The machine still worked, but even the oldest Winbooks our help desk checks out overnight don't look like this.
I certainly hope that Sony isn't moving their entire line to the silver cases or black cases. I _like_ the subtle violet in my VAIO. It's a tremendously elegant choice. Not only that, but the machine is quite well engineered. Also, the keyboard colors in the new box are, well, not a good color. I, for one, surf while eating lunch (wireless card). I know for a fact that I build up a bit of grime on the keyquad, but I can't see it b/c of the dark keys. Also, did they mention the size of that thing? I'll be willing to bet that this is going to be some sort of mid-priced (low priced for Sony) iBook Competition. I own an iBook as well, and, well, the handle is useful, but it looks like you're carrying around a large lunchbox, and this one is no different.
Finally, I'll bet that finish scratches and tarnishes easily. Who puts a gloss on a machine that's supposed to travel? I understand doing something like that on the inner casing, but not on the outside!
Sony, please don't let me be right!
P.S. If there is a Sony tech reading this, add 3D to the computers, dammit! What's the use of my $3700 F580K if you can't play OpenGL games, or use OpenGL apps? I love the machine except for that oversight on your part.
--
Mike Hollinger
Michael C. Hollinger
I hate SONY laptops. We bought a few when the CEP fell in love with the tiny vaio. He won't fall in love with this. It does not look slick, or pretty, or corporate. It looks like a toy. That desigh might make a nice case for your sex toy, but that design does not belong in the corporate world.
SONY service bites. Ten day turn around is the minimum. I have had several nasty problems that meant the laptops spending most of their time in the shop. The warranty is 1 year, and is not extendable.
I worked with NEC and now Dell laptops. Those have great service, longer warranties that are extendable for a reasonable price and they don't spend as much time in te shop. I find the people at NEC and Dell are much easier to deal with than those at sony.
--- If you don't want to know the answer, don't ask the question.
What happened to the cool metal casing? This is totally shitty. Guess I'll be buying a toshiba or something else with a magnesium case. Too bad because we've been buying lots of Sony's for our employees because they look great and perform great. I'm sure they still perform OK, but would you want you sales people or representatives of your company walking around with something that looks like a toy? Not me.
Dell's latitude LS's are cool, except they only have an 800x600 screen. I had one before my VAIO and the screen totally sucked. And why can't they make a laptop with the trackpoint in the middle of the keyboard? Touchpads suck. I'm going to start my own company and modify current laptops by putting custom titanium cases on them, adding a trackpoint, and removing replacing windows with Linux. I'll make a fortune.
Need Free Juniper/NetScreen Support? JuniperForum
--Ben
At an airport check-in counter a businessman absent-mindedly allows his bare laptop to be "checked" as luggage... he spends some time in a panic about its fate... and then it turns up unscathed, due to its rugged Toshiba construction.
Fairly entertaining.
In another one, a cab drives away with the businessman's laptop perched percariously on its roof.
As for the design - geez, could that VAIO logo be any bigger?
Why do I need a sig? I never post.
One word: YUCK
I have a real old P233 Sony 505 that I love.. it's doing to be due for replacement in a couple months, and I was really thinking about one of the new vaio's when they have the crusoe chip (battery life in linux stinks). But oh no! These things look aweful!
My current notebook is the only piece of computer gadgetry I've had WOMEN come up to me and say how cool it was. Let alone everyone else. I just hope that they don't make this horrible mistake with the C1 series that I'm interested in.. *cringe*
Sony! No! Say it ain't so.. WHITE keys? Yuck.
..don't panic
Not quite as much fun, but then not trickery from Photoshop either -- I took them at a Man or Astroman show last year... :)
DO NOT LEAVE IT IS NOT REAL
Look at that handle. It's an iBook in disguise.
I can see a brand new Sony press release now...
TOKYO, JP:Our new VAIO, capitalizing on the trends that Apple has set with regards to style in the consumer computing space. We have reviewed the market data, and have determined that America's consumers are sufficiently brand-obsessed that we can get away with our bold display of our 'VAIO' logo on our latest laptop. Along with popular brands Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and copyleft.net, we will cram our brand down the throat of every man, woman, and child.
Disclaimer: I love macs, I love vaios (purple ones), and I own some aapl. so there.
... and the vaio's default bios password is 12345678 ?
--
1% APY, No fees, Online Bank https://captl1.co/2uIErYq Don't let your $$$ sit in a no-interest acct.
Give me whatever works best. I don't feel comfortable buying a computer that looks like it was designed for.. err looks. The reason is probably superficial to quite a few. You see, somewhere at some point part of the cash I'm spending went to fund the looks of that machine. I mean it must have cost a little more to design a system that looks cool. Thats nice for some people I suppose, but I want every last red cent that I spend to go towards one thing; performance.
Sigs are awesome huh?
Design is obviously a matter of taste.
I personally happen to think that Sony has damn near some of the best industrial design in the world. From what little I can see of these things, I do think they look nice (knowing Sony, they will probably also work and feel nice).
On the other hand, slashdot has (IMO) some of the worst web site design (aesthetics-wise) of the most popular sites on the web. WTF kind of news story is this?
Maybe how it works might be, oh I don't know, just a bit important rather than whether its looks soothe your soul...
-- The Hollow Man
-- The Hollow Man
Non illegitimati carborundum
you are a nerd and/or you are a geek.
above all else, you should know not to judge based on looks.
--
Peace,
Lord Omlette
ICQ# 77863057
[o]_O
Okay.. I might just be old fashioned.. BUT..
I'm of the impression that if i pay a large amount of money for an item..
it should look/feel as expensive as it really is..
I assume these will be comparable to other laptop prices..
1500-5000 or so.. If thats how much these cost, then they should :
A. Look like they cost 1500-5000 USD.. Not like fisher price laptops
B. Feel like they cost 1500-5000 USD.. (be it solidity of construction, or whatnot)
The quote that sums this idealogy up is a line from Jurassic park :
"Is it heavy?"
"Yes"
"Well then it must be expensive.. Put it down"
I'm not asking for a heavy laptop, but i at least want a product that looks to be worth the amount of money paid for it.. heh
But it could be worse.. It could end up looking like an iBook.. Aka the toilet seat.
I think barf is a little extreme.....if you look at it while you are drunk, 100 yards away and squinting at an angle, it doesn't really look like barf...then it looks more like dog feces.
I always wanted a viao...but these things are super ugly.
The anti-salmon
Sounds right to me, underpowered plant in a nice looking shell. Just like a slant-6 Challenger.
Woah, dude. The problem was never the Slant-6's performance. The problem was that every car that got a Slant-6 was seen as being an "economy" car, and therefore got a really tall differential gear. As a result, the cars got great gas mileage, but driving them was like trying to start a ten-speed bicycle out in 7th gear.
Out of the box, a Slant-6 with a good rear gear can easily move an E-body (Challenger/'Cuda) down the quarter mile in the 16.5 second range. Not bad at all, especially when you consider that's done with a 3.7L engine that gets 25MPG with the pedal down and is renouned for lasting 300,000 miles without any major attention.
Sure, it's not as fast as a Hemi or even a 340. It has lots of other cool things going for it. But, it's still far from underpowered. Underpowered is a 4-cylinder 1.5L Japanese mushbox like a Honda Civic - buzzy, noisy and whiny, giving the illusion of speed but still scoring no more than about 18-19 seconds on the 1/4 mile.
Actually, being an RX-7 nut, I want the computer equivelent of the Bi-turbo Mazda 20b triple rotary... the RISC chip of internal combustion.Your RX-7 is a fly caught in my 400's air cleaner.
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
Besides an unfortunate name, I never understood why wankel engines didn't catch on. Few moving parts, simple design... beautiful. Ideas?
Completely off-topic, but yeah.
The Wankel is a beautiful engine, I agree. It's a great idea. But, like communism, it's a great idea that cannot possibly work.
In its early adoption with the NSU Rotaries and some of the early Mazdas (and, while I really don't like Japanese cars, I really respect Mazda for pressing on with the rotary engine), they were frought with low compression and sealing problems. Like a piston engine, they need to create compression before firing the fuel/air mixture.
Unlike a piston engine, where the sealing is fairly easy (iron piston rings), Wankels had huge wear problems of the early seals. This reduced compression, and eventually caused many of the same problems as a worn-out conventional engine.
Early owners of Mazda rotaries (especially the ?1969? ?1970? Mazda RX-1 sedan) were having to rebuild their motors at less than 10,000 mile intervals. Mazda's ill-fated line of rotary-powered pickup trucks was even worse; the stress of a highly-loaded pickup truck was more than they could handle. Many of these vehicles in collector hands now have survived only because someone figured out a way of bolting a conventional engine into them.
By the late 1970s, Mazda had pressed on and worked hard, and their sole-surviving rotary, the RX-7 sports coupe, was an excellent car mechanically. This got to survive for a while, but ever-increasing emissions standards (tough to pass with a rotary) eventually killed it in 1993 or thereabouts.
It's sad, because when technology and corner-seals had finally caught up with the overall concept of the engine, it was no longer practical; refinement of the piston engine made it pass emissions laws that a rotary simply can't do.
Rotaries have a hard time getting as much power out of a drop of fuel as a conventional engine does. The reason is that it's pretty easy to increase the compression ratio of a piston engine - interference valves, domed pistons, less piston-to-head clearance. Increasing the compression of a rotary is tougher - dome the rotor outwards a little bit, but too much and it will hit the outer chamber as it revolves. You can't get a compression ratio of more than about 8.5:1 out of them for that reason, without having to resort to complex and expensive turbos and superchargers (which defeat the purpose of the lightweight rotary). Even if the seals work, low compression = low combustion efficiency = nasty crap in the air and poor fuel bills.
Like communism, a good idea, but that never was (and seemingly never will be) practical.
ABC News, of all people, has a really cool story on this, which touches on a few of the points, but has several *wrong* things in it. For one thing, the Pacer was American Motors' (AMC, now part of DaimlerChrysler) car. The AMC Pacer was supposed to have a rotary, according to lore. The GM "Pacer" was an early proposed name for the new 1976 Chevette. Then, it turned out that AMC brought out a car with the name, and the Chevette name was chosen for GM's new "world-car". The Chevette was *never* to have a rotary; instead, it has an excellent German-designed and American-built 4-cylinder conventional engine.
So many great ideas, so many shattered dreams. Automotive engineering is fraught with as many failed design ideas as the road to the information superhighway has been with TRS-80s and TI-99/4As and Amigas. A good idea and good engineering doesn't necessarily mean that something won't screw you over and ruin your great idea. <sigh>
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
Jesus, it's guys like you that shouldn't even get close to a notebook. Using 1500 sand paper to mask your incompetence in dealing with a laptop? You've got to be kidding me. If that would have been my notebook I would have kicked your ass all over the friggin store.
<grin> My boss told me to do it. I was working at a shitty little computer store with no tools. I was the only one on staff who knew that you don't carry a bare motherboard across a carpeted repair shop on a dry winter's day. And the boss was screaming at me that I couldn't spend more than an hour to do it. (Hell, the little plastic tangs that hold it together can take at least 1/2 hour on some models, and that's when you can see where the tangs are!)
I did what I could do. And, man, I got it looking good again but even so, you should've seen how happy the owner was just to see the computer boot up again.
On the other hand, I'm also *extremely* glad that I don't work in computer retail anymore. Ugh.
BTW, wet 1500 grit sandpaper is great for smoothing a plastic case back down if you've pursed it at all. I find it hard to believe that you're so competent and co-ordinated that you've never had to resort to that.
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
Fairly correct. Mazda has actually never stopped producing rotaries. The RX-7 was phased out in America in '96 but was still produced until last year for the asian market, and the Cosmo (sedan available with a triple rotary 20b) is also extant.
Oh, that's cool. But it's sad that they're no longer a part of the biggest automotive market in the world. The engine is innovative, even though it was originally imperfect and has now suffered the scourge of emissions controls.
Mazda has been showing it's latest version of the 13b dual rotary lately. The 'Reinesis' plant has 280 HP naturaly aspirated, gets 30+ MPG (stunning for a rotary of that power), can pass low emission standards, and has much improved apex seals.The seals haven't been an issue since the early 1980s. But I'm really curious as to how they'd have coped with the inherently limited compression ratio of a rotary, as well as a combustion chamber with way too much surface area and a shape that is completely counter-productive from a flame-front (and therefore a volumetric efficiency) standpoint.
I mean, let's face it, even a 1986 Hyundai Excel has a better (hemispherical) combustion chamber, capable of better flame travel and with less cold quench area to drive up emissions.
Don't misunderstand me; I love the rotary, and I've enjoyed driving them, and while I've never worked on one, I think it would be fascinating. But I'm amazed at your news that they can be made more conformant with today's tough emissions laws.
Mazda is supposedly going to put it in the new RX-7, the new MX-6, and possibly an MX-5 (Miata) variant.That would be very cool. I'm not a fan of Japanese cars on the whole - I'm more a fan of the traditional American car philosophy of big engine, full-frame, rear-wheel-drive design. There's no question that it makes a car easier to service and last longer. But, again, I applaud and even *like* Mazda for their rotaries. Unlike most Japanese manufacturers (ie. Honda, Toyota), they're actually highly innovative. (And don't get onto me about Honda's CVCC or V-TEC; they're not as innovative as Honda fans like to think they are.)
As for american wankels, there was also an Astrovette (rear-engined prototype corvette from the early 70s) that sported a quad rotary. Serious power in a quad, Mazda has won the 24 hours of LeMans with quad-rotary cars. An additional note about LeMans is that Mazda has the highest finishing percentage of any manufacturer who has entered more than one race, all with wankels.Yeah, Mazda really did have the kinks worked out of the motor.
Along the lines of the Astrovette, the original Valiant concept car back in the late 1950s was to be rear-engined (like a Corvair, which Chrysler found out about before the Corvair hit the showrooms) and was to use a gas turbine engine, like the later semi-prototype Chrysler Turbine cars used. While that would have been cool, it too would have been impractical.
My mechanic just got one of those rotary trucks which has survived 25 years with it's weird 1.3 litre. You are right that it sucks with big loads, whatever a wankel is it's not a high torque at low revs engine.No, it's not. <grin> But with suitable gearing, that wouldn't be a problem. The issue with those early rotaries, especially in a truck, is that people tend to tow heavy loads and stuff. A surprising number of people lug the engine (drive in too high a gear for a given speed). In a piston engine, the detonation as a result makes a loud knocking sound, eventually hurting valves, connecting rod bearings and cylinder head gaskets. It takes a *lot* of abuse to put a hole through a piston. However, in the same situation with a rotary, especially an early one, it doesn't take much lugging to lose all your compression by blowing out an (early and fragile) apex or side seal.
"...the RX-7 sports coupe, was an excellent car mechanically." Yup, but don't get me started on their electrical system. Damned cold solders...<grin> Never been there. Around here, as is typical with any Japanese car, the lightweight and irresponsibly thin body sheetmetal is rotted off by winter driving before anything else really starts to fail.
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
So, how 'bout it Taco? Care to leave the opinions to the posters instead? I personally *like* the new look... it's dramatic. Cheesy? Sure - but *I* for one like it.
NOW - how's about we get a Beowul**BLAM!** thud
Mr. Ska
(so i haven't seen the pictures yet)
but it's not surprising...
when most of us (geeks) buy sytems, we look for power and stability. However, most of the rest of society wants a computer, and has no clue about specifications...so if they have to decide on a choice of various computers, they buy the one that LOOKS cool...which is why iMacs went big (all the dumb people of society who want a *CUTE* 'puter)
there's another company doing the same thing (Qrium - check out the link) they're also making computers that *LOOK COOL* in order to grab the market from the majority of society (chances are that these'll sell better because the run Windoze)...Sony is probably trying to get the amrket from the businesspeople who need laptops but don't really know what kind (buy something *CUTE*)
anyway, it's not really a surprise: once something hits mainstream, you sell it for its visible qualities, not specs (ie: most people would buy a car that looks nice over a car that looked worse but ran a little better)
--------------
like it should say "My First Sony" on the case.
"pr0n": An anagram of "porn," possibly indicating the use of pornography. - www.microsoft.com
"...looks like it was designed by school children."
No, the iMac looks like it was designed by school children. The Vaio looks like it was designed for school children. Print out the picture and take it to the "My First Laptop" section of Toys R Us and you'll see what I mean.
--
An abstained vote is a vote for Bush and Gore.
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
(Hey Ryan! Here's your proof!)
--
* CmdrTaco is an idiot.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
Take a look at the "material" closeup shots on the Sony site, and I think you'll find it looks really nice.
Having been a loyal Sony user for a few years (my current machine is an XG9) I'm quite intrigued by this new design. I wonder if it's a bit more rugged - that "PVC"ish outline seems to imply a bit more strength to me, which is a good thing. I've dropped my XG9 twice, and it's suffered minor damage as a result - if that rollbar on the new Sony will prevent that sort of damage, I'm all for it.
I like the inclusion of the handle, that's pretty slick - dunno why people say "its an iBook ripoff" just because of the handle. Laptops have had handles since before Apple even had a laptop design division - my old Grid machine had a great carrying system.
Generally, I think this new design is refreshing. The clean lines of the keys are really sexy - implies "Go"-style imagery, those keys, something I'd be happy to own. If the machine itself is fast, affordable, and available in the US, I may just upgrade.
Though, I have to say, I hope Sony fix their damned DVD drive manufacturing problems... this one on my XG9 just failed again.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
--
I hope I wasn't the only one who got the Spaceballs reference. Then again, maybe there was no Spaceballs reference, and I'm reading too much into the "Barf" part. And, if it was intended, the "candy-coating" pun was disgraceful... respect the memory of poor ol' John, will ya?
Ah, Spaceballs... what a great movie.
To the editors: your English is as bad as your Perl. Please go back to grade school.
Keep in mind this product is designed for the Japanese market. Their aesthetic values often don't coincide with European or North American aesthetics (for example, authentic 70's office furniture is all the rage over there now).
Sure we can call it ugly and whatnot, but I wouldn't be so quick to judge that they're going in a wrong direction, given the traget market...
Kevin Fox
Kevin Fox
Remember when the iMacs came out and all the /. users complained about how people should chose computers based on their use -- looks were only secondary? Notice how the industry has changed so that even the hardware-loving geeks have put appearance really high on the list of "important things" for electronic equipment. Yeah, sleek stereos have always been the rage, but every thread I've read so far related to this story isn't "What kind of processor will it have?" or "Do you think it'll come with dvd and a twelve hour battery life?" but more like "these things look like Dark Jedi iBooks!" or "It reminds me of something Get Smart would use! They're horrid!"
Is this a Good Thing, a Bad Thing, or just an Interesting Thing?
-Chris
And this certainly isn't it.
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
Isn't it obvious? These are chew toys for the new AIBO. The handle is just so you don't get slobber on you when you pick it up.
My boss once got pissed when his powerbook froze. He immediately picked up the PowerBook, closed the top, and threw the powerbook across the room like a frisbee into the wall. The wall had a huge hole in it, and for a time, the computer wouldn't boot. I asked him if I could have it since it didn't work... 2 days later I had it up and running just fine.
:)
Only wrong with it was that it has a little problem with the power intake... the ac adapter doesn't always connect well, part of the case is loose in the back, and I'm not sure if this is a g3 powerbook problem, but the bottom gets EXTREMELY hot... maybe he killed a fan or something.
Anyway, the machine was a G3 Powerbook, but not one of the new slim ones...
Thrown across the room frisbee style into a wall, and it still works just fine.
Could it be true? Sony mass marketing the evil step-brother of Apple's iBook? This could mean the end of it all...
-gerbik
I dropped my IBM thinkpad from a height of 3 feet onto concrete. It powered up without a problem.
That's really cool!
When I worked for Dominion Business Machines (Toronto, now defunct), I wrote off dozens of notebooks that had had their motherboards cracked with less abuse. (Ever tried to repair a mult-layer PC board? Don't bother.)
I am going to be hardpressed to ever purchase a laptop from anyone else.Believe it or not, I've found Compaq, Toshiba and Acer (!) notebooks to be very durable, too. Though the Toshiba that the guy checked was a goner. The baggage carrousel at the airport is about the most gentle thing it would have experienced; now I do IT at a big airport, and it's scary what happens to your bags during the sorting.
Given all of my experiences with Sony consumer electronics, I must say I would NEVER buy anything, especially a laptop, from them, regardless of how cool it looked.Sony's quality control has definately gone downhill. It used to be that their TV sets could be guaranteed to go 20+ years. I used to work in a TV station as a bench tech (fixing stuff). We used to *try* to kill the old (1970s) Sony KV-1710 TV sets all over the station, but we couldn't. But the newer stuff is starting to die already. Granted, a TV station is a pretty extreme place to put a TV set - it's on at least 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and being beaten around in mobile trucks and stuff. But if it survives there, it should last almost forever in the home.
Okay, maybe it's not quality control. The solder on the boards is still excellent (unlike Taiwanese/Korean crap, Daytek/Daewoo comes to mind first); but the boards aren't secured as well within the chassis and things tend to break free of their solder (flybacks especially). Cheap design; not enough reinforcement. I hate stuff like that. I'd pay $0.50 more for a couple of screws and buttresses to hold the board in place a little better.
Sony's cheap consumer stuff has been just reprehensible lately. But their professional line Betacam and other high-end stuff still seemed to be good, last time I touched a soldering iron to one of them (1996).
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
b) It's got a handle! You can't carry a computer like that by it's handle. It will get scratched, it is not protected, and if you drop it, it is lost! I do not let anyone of my clients carry a computer more than two feet with out putting it in a case. Believe me, you do not want to see what a laptop looks like after a two foot drop to a floor. Yes, even a carpeted floor! A handle is cute, but without a case, it is asking for trouble!
Heheheh... I used to work for a little computer store, and we once had a guy come in with a notebook computer. You remember the "I checked my notebook!" Toshiba commercials? Well, he did that.
I was the lucky guy who got to replace the display in that thing. Fun, wow. There's no way you can open up a notebook computer without leaving little pry-marks around all the clips that hold it together. Even though I wet-sanded the case with 1500 grit afterwards, it still looked like crap.
The broken display, recently back-lit with some white LEDs, hangs on the wall in my office, looking like a glow-in-the-dark piece of fractal art.
I like things that are built tough, forgiving of owner stupidity and indifference. That Toshiba wasn't it, though it was a rather extreme test.
Remember the AST pen notebook computers? They were really cool, with a magnesium case and a handwriting recognition system. They were about as close to the computer equivalent to the Chrysler Slant-6 as anything I've ever seen. Too bad that they only had 386SX processors.
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
Guess you're just turning old.
Next thing you know you'll be complaining about the music those young people like to listen to.
Not as cool as the fingerphone, but the new VAIO is up there. I wouldn't buy one, but it's as good a design as the prior one.
--- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
I don't understand why so many people think these
things are all that "ugly."
Is it the white keyboard? Or the tubular frame
around the monitor? Or the trademark? Sounds to
me like Taco said it's ugly and people seem to
agree. The handle looks interesting, doubly so
if it happens to be where the aux battery is.
The keyboard may take some getting used to, and it
may be wonderful, who knows? Also, the keyboard in the unit for the US market could very well be
different from the Japanese prototype you're seeing in the photos.
I don't understand why people are saying these things are "ugly" as compared to the average thinkpad or powerbook. If the spec's and compatability are like they should be for a vaio,
and if it's really lightweight, then fabulous.
I want to know two things about it:
1. Can it, on the standard battery charge, play
240 minutes of DVD with the volume turned up to say, 70%. Haven't seen a notebook yet that can
do pull that off.
2. What is the median S/N ratio for the analog audio input of the soundchip? (SP/DIF I/O would be nice too). I'd like to record live music, with minimal noise, thank you.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
They could be purple and yellow.
--
I just can't wait to see some really detailed specs.
--
Daniel Zeaiter
daniel@academytiles.com.au
http://www.academytiles.com.au
ICQ: 16889511
Dear Hello Kitty Institute of Industrial Design,
.Net initiative.
Please ignore the rude American post by Commander Taco. Our military people have a bad habit of offending people, and he seems to have forgotten that Sony is a Japanese company bent on world domination.
Please also give my thanks to Pinky for his wondrous insight which caused him to contribute his artistic talent to the tooth paste accident which resulted in this cutting edge design.
Also, enclosed please find my drawings for the new brain to put in George W. Bush - I'm afraid the last model we ordered, while it is very good at acting, sadly has major malfunctions in the computation department. Feel free to give it to Bill Gates for use in designing his next add-on product for the
--- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
Looks swell to me. Very 1982.
As for losing their corporate market, I'm shocked to hear Sony ever had one. No real docking stations, crappy port replicators, structurally weak cases, little plastic doors that break off if you breathe on them, and hardware so fussy that the things lock up more than a Packard Bell.
We bought a few a year ago. One by one, they've died, broken, or become nearly unbootable. They look slick. The light ones are certainly light and seemingly inexpensive. VAIOs have some nifty features (FireWire, f'rinstance), but they don't belong on an IT department's equipment list in my experience.
If IBM made Thinkpads that looked like these new VAIOs, I'd be thrilled. Seen the new Thinkpads? There's design. Rigid construction and reinforced, rubberized hinges throughout, pass-through everything to the port replicator/dock, bright screens, and they're about as stable as a good desktop. Sure, they're black rectangles that look like every other Thinkpad of the last 5 years, but they paid attention to quality. They're also not cheap, but even if they cost twice as much as a VAIO, they're worth every penny.
If you're in charge of your company/organization's purchasing and someone wants a VAIO, either tell them to buy it for themselves, or buy two so you can have a loaner on hand when the first one breaks.
It looks like a black and white iBook! It's got a handle! What were they thinking?
a) The Vaio's were and are really slick looking magnesium-encased computers. This black and white thing looks like the Panasonic Tough-book - a really blocky, non-slick looking box.
b) It's got a handle! You can't carry a computer like that by it's handle. It will get scratched, it is not protected, and if you drop it, it is lost! I do not let anyone of my clients carry a computer more than two feet with out putting it in a case. Believe me, you do not want to see what a laptop looks like after a two foot drop to a floor. Yes, even a carpeted floor! A handle is cute, but without a case, it is asking for trouble!
Sony, if you are listening, you are making a huge mistake!
~Patrick
"Lazyness is the first step towards efficiency." -Patrick Bennett