Slashdot Mirror


New VAIOs Made of Carbon Fiber

Shawnzyoo noted that Sony has released their new series of VAIO TX laptops. In order to make them stronger/lighter/thinner, they are now made of carbon fiber. No plans to release it in the US yet, so start learning Korean if you want this one.

153 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. Learn Korean? by Nuclear+Elephant · · Score: 1, Interesting

    No plans to release it in the US yet, so start learning Korean if you want this one.

    Are there people really walking around with the Korean version of Windows running on their laptops simply because they bought it in Korea? What's the Korean word for fdisk?

    1. Re:Learn Korean? by darkitecture · · Score: 1

      Are there people really walking around with the Korean version of Windows running on their laptops simply because they bought it in Korea? What's the Korean word for fdisk?
      I'd imagine it was a reference to the fact that you'd have to speak Korean to successfully order it from a Korean retailer/website, rather than language problems using the OS.

    2. Re:Learn Korean? by Nuclear+Elephant · · Score: 1

      I'd imagine it was a reference to the fact that you'd have to speak Korean to successfully order it from a Korean retailer/website, rather than language problems using the OS.

      Isn't that what Babelfish is for?

    3. Re:Learn Korean? by Nuclear+Elephant · · Score: 5, Funny

      The two biggest mysteries of the world: How morons get modpoints, and how a first post can get marked as redundant.

    4. Re:Learn Korean? by ducleotide · · Score: 5, Informative

      the sony website is taking pre orders, i'm guessing it'll be released in the US soon.

    5. Re:Learn Korean? by darkitecture · · Score: 3, Funny

      Isn't that what Babelfish is for?

      If you want to order a laptop and end up with six low-grade pairs of headphones and a guide to haircare written by Kim Jong-il, sure!

    6. Re:Learn Korean? by kromozone · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Most Koreans can't understand anything babelfish says. It's complete unintelligible gibberish to them. Korean->English can be equally nightmarish. Most Koreans don't follow traditional rules for word separation, so the system can't figure out where the words end. In addition, hangul uses a very limited range of pronunciation whereas as its parent language, Chinese, has a variety of different inflections. As such, each Korean character has up to 50 or 60 different meanings. I can get by with most stuff, even technical documents, but talking to a University age student on the Internet is excruciatingly painful. It's like they all use some hyper-evolved form of leet-speak where you can't use spaces.

    7. Re:Learn Korean? by saigon_from_europe · · Score: 2, Funny

      I agree those thing are unresolved misteries: for instance, I need mod-point now to mod you up, but I have none.

      --
      No sig today.
    8. Re:Learn Korean? by MaestroSartori · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Now straying dangerously offtopic, but if the first post just regurgitates a bit of the summary (or article) then surely it could be redundant? :)

    9. Re:Learn Korean? by Nuclear+Elephant · · Score: 3, Funny

      Most Koreans can't understand anything babelfish says

      So this is an entirely different Slashdot article now. Ask Slashdot: Can you successfully order a laptop from Korea without actually speaking Korean? I would like to see some of the creative solutions people come up with.

    10. Re:Learn Korean? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Good luck to change the keyboard of a laptop...

    11. Re:Learn Korean? by highwind81 · · Score: 2, Informative

      its parent language, Chinese

      errr... what makes you think that Chinese is the parent language of Korean? Chinese is Sino-Tibetan language. Where as Korean is considered to be unclassified, or Altaic language or language isolate.
      I hate ignorant people...

      --
      ------ http://timothylive.net
    12. Re:Learn Korean? by kromozone · · Score: 1

      Point taken, but in order to even read the newspaper you need to understand the basic ~2000-character traditional Chinese set. I suppose my viewpoint is skewed as I spend a lot of time translating Korean legal documents (patents mostly) into English and they are generally a mixture of about 25% traditional Chinese and 75% genuine Korean. The hangul system itself is uniquely Korean, and ingenious at that. The way the characters actually illustrate the tongue's position as used when pronouncing them probably makes Korean among the most ideal language systems, if not the most. I've heard that they don't use hanja in North Korea, which would make North-Korean Korean more unique than South-Korean Korean, as odd as it sounds.

    13. Re:Learn Korean? by derfel · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Hangul is not the language, but the Korean alphabet. When you say "korean characters" maybe you mean "hanmoon", the korean version of Chinese characters. These have only one meaning and are used interchangably with their hangul'ized counterparts in writing. Hanmoon are very, very similar, to chinese characters, and also generally have only one meaning each. The hangul'ized versions are produced phonetically from the pronunciation of the hanmoon, and thus are just as understandable if you're speaking. Since so many characters with the same pronunciation have different meanings, you have to understand from context, just as we do in English with words like "too" and "two".

      Maybe you're trying to chat with Korean students in Chinese over the internet, which would explain your poor understanding of the Korean language...

    14. Re:Learn Korean? by Surt · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Likewise, when slashdot repeats a story, a lot of posters will try to repost the highest ranked posts from the previous story in an attempt to get karma, and moderating such posts redundant is an appropriate way to punish this behavior, even if such a post is the first post, or any early post.

      --
      "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
    15. Re:Learn Korean? by kromozone · · Score: 1

      I didn't want to overload the /. crowd with too much Korean-speaker-only vocabulary, probably shouldn't have even mentioned hangul now that I think of it. I didn't realize hanmoon was different from hanja though, is it? Most of the hanmoon/hanja in the newspapers is exactly the same in Chinese/Korean/Japanese, is it not? The only problem I have with Korean net-speak is the funky verb endings, i.e. yeong/saem instead of yeo/nida, with the lack of spaces, with the slang, and with the pure phonetic spelling, i.e. cho-na-hae instead of choen-hwa-hae. The phonetic stuff is easy to get over if you read it out in your head, you get a feel for the spaces after a while, but some of the slang is pretty hard to keep up with. My 40-something Korean coworker didn't know what hueh-mi meant today, which was a slight triumph in my quest to conquer slang. I hope no one mods this up, as it is straying several AUs from the topic at hand.

    16. Re:Learn Korean? by koweja · · Score: 1

      Can't speak for every laptop selling site out there, but a lot of non-US sites that ship internationally have an English version as well as thier country's language(s).

    17. Re:Learn Korean? by derfel · · Score: 1
      Yeah, this is off topic, but oh well... Hanmun is the word for "characters" and "hanja" for when you're referring to an individual character. Yes, the hanmoon in the papers is the same as that used in Chinese and Japanese papers. Are you chatting with folks on the internet using romanized phonetic words? I don't think I could do that. I looked at my previous post and it was kind of harsh sounding - sorry...

      derfel

    18. Re:Learn Korean? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
    19. Re:Learn Korean? by /dev/trash · · Score: 1

      How can anyone claim that Korean ( which borders China ) is isolated?

    20. Re:Learn Korean? by highwind81 · · Score: 1

      I agree that lot of Korean words borrow from Chinese words. But that doesn't make chinese a parent language of korean. Just because we say tofu, anime, sushi, karaoke, otaku, manga etc. in English, that doesn't make Japanese a parent language of English. That was my point.

      As for legal documents, yeah, it pisses me off too. Korean gov't tends to use chinese vocab over pure korean when it comes to "official" documents. It's like using latin instead of english to sound sophisticated... eh...

      Oh and lot of younger generation do not know the "basic" chinese and do fine with newspaper in korea.

      --
      ------ http://timothylive.net
  2. Why not japanese? by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 1

    Is korean easier to learn or something?

    --


    He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    1. Re:Why not japanese? by middlemen · · Score: 1

      It's the beautiful Korean chics in the picture man. That is why you need to learn Korean.

    2. Re:Why not japanese? by karvind · · Score: 1
      It's the beautiful Korean chics in the picture man. That is why you need to learn Korean.

      Amen !

    3. Re:Why not japanese? by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 1
      --


      He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    4. Re:Why not japanese? by zephc · · Score: 1

      Hangul/hangeul is much easier to learn to read then Chinese and Japanese.

      --
      "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
    5. Re:Why not japanese? by Kobun · · Score: 1

      Seconded.

    6. Re:Why not japanese? by Bobartig · · Score: 2, Informative

      Having studied both Korean and Japanese for several years, I'd say, yes, Korean is easier to learn. The korean alphabet consists almost entirely of straight lines which are easy to learn and reproduce. Pronunciation is very consistent, and when it varies, it is predictable because character positioning largely dictates pronunciation. Their alphabet is something like 14 consonants and 10 vowels. To make things simpler, they use different vowels for dipthongs and such, so each vowel only has one possible pronunciation (as opposed to our vowel system). So reading their written language is a series of consonant-vowel-consonant structures that are at least easy to read. So if you know 'k-a' and you know 'n', then you can trivially construct 'n-a' as well.

      Japanese is also very systematic, having something like 8 primary consonant sounds, and 5 primary vowel sounds, but each combination of consonant vowel has its own character, for 40+ individual characters that seem entirely independent. Learning the character for 'ka' doesn't teach you anything about the character for 'sa' or for 'ko'. They also have a second alphabet, which is a simplified version of the first reserved for writing foreign words, proper nouns, and some names.

      Both languages make extensive usage of chinese characters in their written language as well. The challege arrives in that in different contexts, chinese characters are substituted for native characters (either japanese or korean), but can have entirely different meanings and pronunciations depending on context. To further mire the situation, a single chinese character can replace different numbers of native characters, making the translation/reading process rather intense. For instance, the chinese character for mouth is used in japanese in the words for mouth, opening, door, gate, etc... but the japanese words were derived from ancient spoken japanese, so its replacing japanese character(s) with a chinese one of rather unsimilar origin.

      --
      This is where I get my recommended daily allowance of "Foot in Mouth."
  3. Who cares about NA, is it available in Japan ??? by gorim · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I am quite surprised the article didn't even touch on this, since Sony is a Japanese company. Would this really be released in S.Korea first ?

  4. One word... by oringo · · Score: 1

    Drooling... I like the AV feature, which makes those laptops true replacement for portable DVD/CD players.

    1. Re:One word... by LikwidFlux · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Except for the price concern. Not all people need the functionality of a laptop and would rather spend a grand less and get a cheap portable DVD player.....

      --
      Just your everyday corporate code monkey.
    2. Re:One word... by PalmKiller · · Score: 1

      The av feature is nothing new of course, my several year old laptop has that feature (minus the movie part, it dont have a dvd player though), the only thing new is the carbon fiber body

    3. Re:One word... by wpiman · · Score: 1

      In addition, Vaio TX series are equipped with AV mode button. This AV mode button makes the instant Mode available in 12secs without any booting process. It enables the user to watch pictures or movies and listen to music without booting Windows.
      Funny- I have a Vaio that is a year old and I watch pictures, movies, and listen to music all without booting windows too.
      Now, if we could get that button to work with Linux- you'd have a product.

    4. Re:One word... by oringo · · Score: 1

      Keep word: without booting Windows
      Hence it's probably an onboard dvd decoder chip with access to the sound system. You don't need an OS, period.

  5. Argh! by bensyverson · · Score: 1

    People mixing up major Asian cultures is a massive pet peeve.

  6. safe? by donour · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Isn't carbon fibre both flammable as well as electrically conductive?

    1. Re:safe? by Nuclear+Elephant · · Score: 1

      Isn't carbon fibre both flammable as well as electrically conductive?

      It was marketed on an upbeat as "planned obsolescence-friendly".

    2. Re:safe? by CausticPuppy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Isn't carbon fibre both flammable as well as electrically conductive?

      If it was flammable, it would certainly be a very poor choice for constructing race cars.

      As for electrical conductivity, it wouldn't be any more of an issue than metal notebook casings which are already widely used.

      --
      -CausticPuppy "Of all the people I know, you're certainly one of them." -Somebody I don't know
    3. Re:safe? by hcob$ · · Score: 1
      Isn't carbon fibre both flammable as well as electrically conductive?


      So is plasitc if you apply a large enough voltage (see OLEDs).
      --
      Cliff Claven
      K.E.G. Party Chairman
      Founding Leader of: Koncerned for Egalitarin Governance
    4. Re:safe? by donour · · Score: 1

      Actually I believe it _is_ flammable and _I_ build race cars out of it. (http://me.unm.edu/~fsae/teams/2005/). However, my mind blanked and I forgot how high the temperature has to be before it will oxidize.

    5. Re:safe? by terrabit · · Score: 1

      Its well over 2000 degrees F.

    6. Re:safe? by Sketch · · Score: 1

      > Actually I believe it _is_ flammable and _I_ build race cars out of it. However, my mind blanked and I forgot how high the temperature has to be before it will oxidize.

      I'm not sure you are correct. We attempted to burn a CF piece a friend of mine made that came out flawed. The resin caught on fire, and burned away leaving the carbon fiber weave intact. The heat from the resin burning away around it was not enough to ignite the CF, so if it is flammible, that temperature must be pretty damn high.

      Obviously, if you are talking about the completed piece including resin, that may burn. There are different types of resin though, it's possible there are non-flammible types that won't burn.

      --
      -- OpenVerse Visual Chat: http://openverse.com
    7. Re:safe? by JesseL · · Score: 1

      Yeah but laptops have been made out of magnesium for nearly fifteen years now. Hasn't really been a problem.

      --
      "Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
    8. Re:safe? by CausticPuppy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually I believe it _is_ flammable and _I_ build race cars out of it. (http://me.unm.edu/~fsae/teams/2005/). However, my mind blanked and I forgot how high the temperature has to be before it will oxidize.

      It'll oxidize at a very high temperature, but I think the oxidation stops as soon as the heat source is removed so you won't get a sustainable burn (but I Am Not a Materials Scientist). This may be another reason why it's useful in race cars along with strength and weight. Carbon brake pads don't readily ignite either, right?

      At any rate, if anything in a laptop shell gets hot enough to oxidize carbon fiber, you probably have other things to worry about!

      Nice cars by the way, those things must have a scary power to weight ratio. And I'm drooling over that Ford GT.

      --
      -CausticPuppy "Of all the people I know, you're certainly one of them." -Somebody I don't know
    9. Re:safe? by SunPin · · Score: 1

      No and no.

      --
      Laws are for people with no friends.
    10. Re:safe? by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      I guess that means no trying to run Halflife 2 on this thing, huh?

  7. Re:korean? by gunpowda · · Score: 2, Informative

    First line of TFA:
    Sony Korea announced two new VAIO TX series notebooks...

  8. I'll Let Them Try It First by Comatose51 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Carbon fiber is used fairly extensively in cycling and we've learned a few things about it. They have lower heat tolerance and abrasion resistance than metal. I'm not sure if those are qualities you want in a laptop which tend to get hot and rub against the table.

    --
    EvilCON - Made Famous by /.
    1. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Early Thinkpads, starting with the Thinkpad 700c and including most 7-series models until the 770z, had carbon fibre cases as well as lids. It's strong and light, but metal inserts (like screw anchors) in carbon fibre tend to pop out easily with very little force. Overall, a well-designed ABS case is probably just as good at a fraction of the cost.

    2. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by blair1q · · Score: 4, Funny

      All my PCs are coated in plastic.

      I for one welcome our carbon-fiber overshells.

    3. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by jgc7 · · Score: 2, Informative
      CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) is better thought of as a very strong plastic rather than a substitue for metal. Because plastic works fine as a laptop case, there should be no worries about carbon fiber.

      IMO, metal is the preferred material for laptop cases versus any plastic (carbon fiber reinforced or otherwise). While CFRPs have a higher tensile strength to weight ratio, they tend to be brittle. I would rather have a dent in the case than a crack.

      --
      70% of statistics are made up.
    4. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by Sketch · · Score: 1

      > I'm not sure if those are qualities you want in a laptop which tend to get hot and rub against the table.

      I suspect Sony knows what they are doing. This is not their first carbon fiber laptop. They've sold one in the US for over a year, and even longer in Japan. In fact, I'm not even sure why this is news...

      http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/sony_vai o_X505.htm

      --
      -- OpenVerse Visual Chat: http://openverse.com
    5. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by ifwm · · Score: 1

      "They have lower heat tolerance"

      What exactly does this mean? As far as I can tell, the heat tolerance is fine for race cars, so why would you be concerned about a laptop?

    6. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't be so sure, while carbon fiber it great for things like racecars, and road bikes, it isn't the necessarily an improvement for laptops. To me it sounds like a marketing gimmick, because carbon fiber is cool and futuristic. I wouldn't count on extensive R&D going into this decision.

    7. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by eepok · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'm not sure if those are qualities you want in a laptop which tend to get hot and rub against the table.

      NOR a terrier... believe you me.

    8. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by khallow · · Score: 1

      Of course, it's a gimmick. But recall that laptops have a strong need for weight reduction which is a key reason for using carbon fiber. I think there are practical advantages to using carbon fiber.

    9. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by F_Scentura · · Score: 1

      "recall that laptops have a strong need for weight reduction which is a key reason for using carbon fiber."

      The majority of notebook weight isn't in the areas of the system the Carbon Fiber is used for.

    10. Re:I'll Let Them Try It First by khallow · · Score: 1
      The majority of notebook weight isn't in the areas of the system the Carbon Fiber is used for.

      But it helps. The weight of the case isn't a trivial part of the system, IMHO. OTOH, making a big deal out of shaving what must be a small fraction of a kilogram off a system definitely is hype.

  9. How is this different than the CF TX for NA? by cullman · · Score: 5, Informative
    1. Re:How is this different than the CF TX for NA? by MaceyHW · · Score: 1

      Here'sThe product page which discusses the use of "carbon fiber and composites".

    2. Re:How is this different than the CF TX for NA? by CommanderData · · Score: 1

      I looked at these about a month ago. Do you have any source for your info stating they will be available next week? All I get when I try to buy one is a "Preorder" offer that tells me "Shipping date not available. We will notify you by email when this product has shipped."

      Would love to get one, small lightweight laptops are the road warrior's best friend!

      --
      Urge to post... fading... fading... RISING!... fading... fading... gone.
    3. Re:How is this different than the CF TX for NA? by cullman · · Score: 1

      Put it in your shopping cart, it will say its going to ship on our around 10/25.

  10. Written by a monkey? by dj245 · · Score: 1
    Was it written by a monkey?

    Comparing with other existing T series notebooks, these VAIOs become twice as strong in endurance and the weight, only in 1.24-1.26kg, 30%lighter than before. The display panel thickness is only 4.5mm. Their design and color is are also very special

    And that is half the article...

    --
    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    1. Re:Written by a monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      They set up us the carbon!

  11. Keyboard is Korean by Dj-Zer0 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Guys

    Maybe you need to fdisk and replace the keyboard.. or stick some stickers along to make the keys english. Not that you need to but makes it easier at times

    --
    http://iesucks.org
    1. Re:Keyboard is Korean by Barnoid · · Score: 2, Informative

      Dude, have you ever seen a Korean keyboard? Probably not.
      It looks exactly as an English one, except that the Korean keys are printed in the lower right corner of the keys and it features an additional 'Korean/English' input mode key between Space and Alt Gr.

    2. Re:Keyboard is Korean by Anarkhia · · Score: 1

      And the backslash key has the "won" symbol on it. It's a pet peeve of mine, because the Korean version of Windows also replaces backslash with won in the character set, so your paths look like:

      CWWindowsWProgam FilesWetc

      But if you were to install the English version of Windows, it should act the same as the backslash key.

    3. Re:Keyboard is Korean by Bellum+Aeternus · · Score: 1
      I bought a tiny Viao when I was in Japan. When I got home (Taiwan at the time, but I'm American) I wiped the Japanese version of Windows out and tried to install an English version of WinXP Pro on it, and none (I do mean NONE) of the Viao drivers would install. What a waste of $1600 that was.

      Fortunatly, one of the Japanaese executives working in my company also wanted the notebook and bought it off of me. Nothing lost, but I learned that not all PCs will accept an English OS.

      --
      - I voted for Nintendo and against Bush
  12. Re:Who cares about NA, is it available in Japan ?? by siufish · · Score: 1, Informative

    RTFA: This new VAIO TX series will be introduced to the market in Korea this year. We only dream to see these in North America sometime soon. I suppose it's not in North Korea...

  13. "AV mode"? by hotspotbloc · · Score: 1
    Besides the very cool carbon fiber case the TX also has an "AV mode" that allows users to play music without booting to MS Windows. Does anyone know what OS they're using for the AV mode and could it be replaced with a really thin version of GNU/Linux?

    It seems that other than Apple and IBM, Sony is one of the few companies that turn out real innovations in their laptops while others are happy with "paint on performance".

    --
    "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST
    1. Re:"AV mode"? by jandrese · · Score: 2, Informative

      If it's anything like the latest Asus motherboards, the whole media player thing is handled in the BIOS. All it does is turn on the sound card, set the mixer settings to something reasonable, and send a "play start" command to the CD-ROM. It doesn't need an OS because it's not doing anything sophisticated. The whole thing is probably 200 bytes or so, and most of that is the interface.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    2. Re:"AV mode"? by Shanep · · Score: 1

      Does anyone know what OS they're using for the AV mode and could it be replaced with a really thin version of GNU/Linux?

      It may already be. I've seen other notebooks with this feature and I remember one was noted as being Linux (Samsung?).

      It seems that other than Apple and IBM, Sony is one of the few companies that turn out real innovations in their laptops while others are happy with "paint on performance".

      Sony certainly did not innovate that idea. It's been around for a while now and my only 2 month old VAIO comes with integrated media software which is kinda dodgy and far from intuitive even with the supplied remote (VGN-A49GP). Thankfully it runs FreeBSD very nicely with the awesome display.

      --
      War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
  14. Re:korean? by CoderBob · · Score: 1

    Components... American components, Russian Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!

  15. Electrical properties by asadodetira · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'd like to point out that using carbon fibers or nanotubes in consumer electronics has electrical advantages. Using a conductive filler you can achieve electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection or electrostatic dissipation (ESD). Other conductive fillers such as carbon black or metallic powders would work but due to the small aspect ratio of the particles they require large amounts, and this degrades the mechanical properties of the polymer. Some more infomration here http://www.patagon.8m.com/equations/cnt.html

    1. Re:Electrical properties by ficken · · Score: 1

      Yes, but when was the last time someone considered EMI when purchasing a laptop? And couldn't the conductive fillers be added to polymer shells as well?

      That is some good information though...

      --
      Victory shall be mine!
    2. Re:Electrical properties by asadodetira · · Score: 1

      That's true. But more interference protection could be a good idea, for example some devices might be certified to use in an airplane. Electrostatic dissipation might also help prevent static discharges frying sensitive chips.

    3. Re:Electrical properties by PhotoBoy · · Score: 1

      Does having a carbon fibre casing mean I don't have to wrap my laptop up in tinfoil anymore to keep the black helicopter brigade from snooping around it?

      If it does maybe I could be like Wolverine and get a carbon fibre skeleton so I don't have to wear tinfoil round my head.

    4. Re:Electrical properties by dj245 · · Score: 1

      Normally plastic electronic casings are painted for this very reason, and not filled. Sometimes this is an external paint, but very often the paint is applied to the inside of the case. The paint protects against electromagnetic interference so they can make the plastic out of the cheapest low-density stuff they can find.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    5. Re:Electrical properties by Moofie · · Score: 1

      You know how itchy fiberglass is? Carbon fiber is WAY worse.

      So you'd be itchy all the time, on your bones. Guess that's one way to get your crazy on...

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    6. Re:Electrical properties by khallow · · Score: 1

      Dealing with EMI is the sort of consideration the manufacturers need to make.

  16. Oh man... by Shanep · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I just dropped $5k AU on a VAIO VGN-A49GP about 2 months ago. I bought it for the spectacular display (17" 1920x1200), but I am a little disappointed with it feeling a little flimsy after not much use. Even the silver paint on the palm rests is already wearing off and showing the black plastic underneath.

    Metal or carbon fiber would have been nice, especially at this price point and size.

    --
    War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
    1. Re:Oh man... by frank378 · · Score: 1

      I bought a Sony Vaio because I was impressed with thier video and audio equipment I already owned. I had several problems with it and in each case the (automated?) reply from the "support" group was "please reinstall WinME". Needless to say I will not be buying any more Sony computers in my lifetime.

    2. Re:Oh man... by thrillseeker · · Score: 1
      I just dropped $5k AU on a VAIO VGN-A49GP about 2 months ago. I bought it for the spectacular display (17" 1920x1200), but I am a little disappointed with it feeling a little flimsy after not much use.

      I looked at that machine, and disliked the speaker quality (and no, using headphones is not the answer) - and the touchpad, of course. I've looked at Sony eveytime they have a new notebook come out, but have always decided to take a pass. My minimal criteria seems to have become that (at least one of the) feature(s) that a Thinkpad has - the "nipple" pointing device (What can I say?). Additionally, the Thinklight is damn useful, when it's needed. And FWIW, I despise touchpads. Thinkpads with nipples and touchpads can at least have the pads turned off, but its mere existence occupies critical palm rest space, and if enabled, results in pointer movement when you least want it, or slight, but eventually tiring, contortion in how one's hands are held.

      In short, what is needed is (the old) Thinkpad features and quailty, but with Sony style and widescreen and weight reduction efforts. I'd buy four today.

    3. Re:Oh man... by Surt · · Score: 1

      I bought a dell 9300 for the same reason (the 1920x1200 17" display). The display is gorgeous, and I'm happy to say I'm not having any problems with wear after roughly 7 months. It's heavy, though, and not due to the display. I wish somebody would sell a lightweight, large screen notebook. I don't need performance since I do all my computing on another machine, I just need the display. Would be nice if they offered a better keyboard, too. Mine wastes close to 3 inches side to side, but that's not as big an issue as the weight.

      --
      "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
    4. Re:Oh man... by Shanep · · Score: 1

      I looked at that machine, and disliked the speaker quality (and no, using headphones is not the answer)

      Are you refering to the speakers which come with the included docking station? I think they sound fantastic for speakers you get with a notebook. I've been listening to some classical music via Internet radio stations and could not wait to have my GF hear it. It fills my room with such amazing (and loud) quality sound. I prefer headphones over speakers when I want really loud, good quality and excellent stereo separation. For me headphones are the answer when speakers are not.

      - and the touchpad, of course. I've looked at Sony eveytime they have a new notebook come out, but have always decided to take a pass. My minimal criteria seems to have become that (at least one of the) feature(s) that a Thinkpad has - the "nipple" pointing device (What can I say?).

      I prefer the nipple to the pad too, but then I prefer a real mouse to both of those and if I am willing to sit at the machine for more than 10 minutes then I take the seconds it requires to plug in my mouse.

      Additionally, the Thinklight is damn useful, when it's needed.

      Yes the Thinklight is a nice feature.

      And FWIW, I despise touchpads. Thinkpads with nipples and touchpads can at least have the pads turned off, but its mere existence occupies critical palm rest space, and if enabled, results in pointer movement when you least want it, or slight, but eventually tiring, contortion in how one's hands are held.

      The driver which comes with my VAIO touchpad, has a configurable delay which causes it to be inactive after a certain period of time since the last keyboard press. This prevents accidental cursor movement while typing. I have not had an issue with this. I only ever noticed my thumbs occasionally touch the pad after I was whittling down the running services, etc, which caused me to quickly see the value of leaving that feature ON. I get cramps if I use any trackpad for long periods of time, but the same happens when I use nipples, so I prefer a real mouse.

      In short, what is needed is (the old) Thinkpad features and quailty, but with Sony style and widescreen and weight reduction efforts. I'd buy four today.

      The 1920x1200 133dpi display on this thing is incredible. Turning up the font sizes on this display is absolutely gorgeous. Now when I use other LCD's they look so chunky and hard to read. I can't wait for the day when flat panels break 300dpi and OS' and apps actually cater for it. Apple are CRAZY to take this garbage "optimum dpi" line. I see such a big difference with this 133 dpi display, that I think once we get to the point where a realtime display looks as good as printed paper we will not know how we coped without them. Apple will still be defiantly stuck at 96 dpi or whatever the "optimum" is though, I imagine.

      PS, Fanboys note, I am also a happy Apple user. iBook, Mac mini and hopefully Powerbook one day once the dust settles (That $5k was on standby for a Powerbook with FAST memory for a long time. I got tired of waiting).

      --
      War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
    5. Re:Oh man... by Shanep · · Score: 1

      I bought a dell 9300 for the same reason (the 1920x1200 17" display).

      I wish I could find an external LCD with the same resolution, size and aspect ratio, so that I could have dual screen which fit well side-by-side.

      --
      War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
    6. Re:Oh man... by Surt · · Score: 1

      I am absolutely with you on that. Having to go for a 24" external LCD to get 1920 is just too big.

      --
      "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
    7. Re:Oh man... by Shanep · · Score: 1

      Haha. I wish I could have turned that Au into Ti or at least Al. But Apple memory system performance was so terrible at the time, compared with this DDR2-400 machine, that it was not worth it.

      Next time I'll write "Aussie" and hopefully Apple will be shipping some fast machines soon.

      --
      War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
  17. This is old news.. by Simon80 · · Score: 1
    1. Re:This is old news.. by zrk · · Score: 1

      I've been drooling over that one ofr a while now. It's pretty well decked out for a $2K or so laptop, but I am surprised they didn't put a faster CPU than the last model.

    2. Re:This is old news.. by Simon80 · · Score: 1

      Well, it does have a Turion 64 4000+ in it, no? Plus, I believe it weighs less than the not widescreen Ferrari 3400.. very nice model indeed

    3. Re:This is old news.. by Simon80 · · Score: 1

      Nevermind, that's still just the model number of the laptop. Either way, I like the CPU.

  18. Re:Carbon Fiber? by hsmith · · Score: 5, Funny

    it makes it faster by 1ghz, just from the carbon fiber alone

  19. What's made of carbon fiber? by xenotrout · · Score: 1

    Uh...what part is made of carbon fiber? Obviously the previously plastic shell, obviously not the circuitry. I expect this information hard to come by, but is there any other part made of carbon fiber? Fan blades? Possible, but unlikely. internal structural elements usually made of metal or plastic? Seems like something that might be overlooked (or not make much difference). Interesting that the images in the article don't have that usual carbon fiber look. I thought they would use this as a marketing thing as much as anything else...

    1. Re:What's made of carbon fiber? by F_Scentura · · Score: 1

      "I expect this information hard to come by, but is there any other part made of carbon fiber?"

      I sincerely doubt that anything but the case is made of carbon fiber.

  20. Re:korean? by darkitecture · · Score: 1

    Why learn Korean? I thought Sony was Japanese !! Or do they now make everything in Taiwan ?

    Read TFA man. It's Sony Korea who have released it, hence Korean. Not to mention that last time I was in Taiwan (read: Republic of China), they spoke Mandarin Chinese, not Korean or Japanese.

  21. Re:TMM FP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I'm assuming you are referring to this post.

    Just confirms my suspicions that the TMM phenomenon was really just a cabal of mods. Good riddence!

  22. Re:100% Marketing by Shanep · · Score: 1

    Stonger, lighter, smaller my ass - it's all about execs who want to say 'I have that new Carbon Fiber laptop!'

    The new Acer Ferrari 4000?

    --
    War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
  23. This is already in Japan - it's the Type T VAIO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    This was out in Japan first - it's the Type T VAIO.

    http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Style-a/Product/T/inde x.html

    Depending on how good your Japanese is, they do say it is made of multi-layered carbon fibre.

  24. Yet another reason not to put it on your lap... by lividdr · · Score: 1

    Carbon fiber is used a lot in cycling parts exactly because it is very strong and light. However, as soon as the fiber weave is compromised... *SPROING*! I was behind a guy when his fiber seatpost blew. It looked quite painful.

    --
    Give a man a beer and he wastes an hour. Teach a man to brew and he wastes a lifetime.
    1. Re:Yet another reason not to put it on your lap... by CottonEyedJoe · · Score: 5, Informative

      When carbon composites fail, they do so spectacularly, as opposed to Al, steel or Ti which usually just crumple a bit. They are also prone to directional issues. A teammate of mine slammed on the brakes hard in a race to avoid a crash and the lateral forces on his fishtailing rear wheel snapped his Zipp 303 (a carbon rimmed bicycle wheel) in half. The wheel was stronger than an aluminum rim in one direction, but weak under minor lateral forces that an Al rim would easily have weathered. As for laptops on your lap.... Carbon isnt known for spontaneous failure under no load at all... Unless you're sitting on it I wouldnt worry. BTW, what is it with cyclists and good beer? Nothing like a bomber of Dreadnaught to recover after an 80 mi race.

    2. Re:Yet another reason not to put it on your lap... by instarx · · Score: 1

      They are also prone to directional issues. A teammate of mine slammed on the brakes hard in a race to avoid a crash and the lateral forces on his fishtailing rear wheel snapped his Zipp 303 (a carbon rimmed bicycle wheel) in half. The wheel was stronger than an aluminum rim in one direction, but weak under minor lateral forces that an Al rim would easily have weathered

      You are making an error. Composite materials do not have inherent problems with directional forces. The wheel your friend used may have had lateral strength problems, but the composite itself was not at fault. The composite wheel was DESIGNED to be weak laterally to save weight. The weave of the composite material was purposefully adjusted to give strength only in the rotational direction. That's a design problem, not a materials problem. If your friend ordered an aluminum wheel that was slotted to save weight but was weak laterally as a result would you blame "aluminum" if it failed? No, you would rightfully blame the design(er).

  25. Re:Carbon Fiber? by F_Scentura · · Score: 1

    I hear the Vaios come with stickers and nawwwws.

    I live my life a quarter-terabyte at a time, nothing else matters.

  26. Re:In Korea... by Shanep · · Score: 2, Funny

    In Korea, carbon fiber is for old people.

    Do I detect a new /. inspired cliché or am I late to this one?

    --
    War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
  27. Laptop's aren't all South Korea has going for them by deathcloset · · Score: 1

    With the perterbations in American science as of late, learning Korean, French, German, Spanish, Japanese or Austrailian all seem like good ideas for United Statians anyhow!

    ...ok, in order to appease the pro-American science folks (of whom I am one), and lower the flamable temperature of my post, the United States continues to create breakthroughs - it's just the barriers through which to break seem less and less scientific as of late.

  28. "Instant" mode by gantos · · Score: 4, Funny

    This AV mode button makes the instant Mode available in 12secs without any booting process.

    Is 12secs the new definition for "instant"?

    --

    "How do you expect me to see the forest with all these damn trees in the way?!"
    1. Re:"Instant" mode by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      Got me. Back in the Canon Cat days, instant was defined as 7 seconds, and I would've expected this number to decrease, not increase.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    2. Re:"Instant" mode by Xyde · · Score: 1

      Not to mention, how is waking your computer from sleep, shutting down windows and booting into this 12 second "instant" mode faster than just opening the lid and using iTunes or VLC or WMP or what have you? What a stupid concept, what next "Oh we at AMI BIOS have integrated a convenient calculator and word processor, located under the Detect ATA Devices submenu." 5 seconds!

  29. Actually... by BJH · · Score: 1

    ...it's already been released in Japan.

  30. apple by CDPatten · · Score: 1

    Stuff like this is really a shot across the bow of apple.

  31. Re:korean? by FidelCatsro · · Score: 1

    I heard that those little "Made in America " stickers were also made in Taiwan* .

    *The above statement was made up on the spot

    --
    The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
  32. Maybe the article says that... by BJH · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...but it was presumably written by someone only familiar with Sony Korea, as Sony (the Japanese parent company) has already released the same model in Japan.

  33. Does it leave smudges then? by Ulrich+Hobelmann · · Score: 1

    Imagine wearing white pants and having a notebook made of pencil on your lap...

  34. Fast and Furious by NLG · · Score: 1

    Finally, a place to put my left-over "Type R" stickers.
    Where do you hook up the NOS? Does it come with cold-cathode lighting?

    Can't wait to show it off to my friend with the "Ferrari" laptop!

    --
    Flash is the Herpes of the Internet.
    your.opinion > /dev/null
  35. Thinkpads by karmaflux · · Score: 1

    Thinkpads have been made of titanium and carbon fiber for years.

    --

    REM Old programmers don't die. They just GOSUB without RETURN.

  36. Re:Acer Ferrari is better(64 bit Turion) by Shoeler · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately it weighs 3.7 pounds, it is too heavy.

    Are you honestly trying to say that a difference of a pound makes that big of a damn difference? Have you ever put in 100,000+ air miles in one year, lugging a laptop? One damned pound hardly matters. The laptop cases most morons with lightweight laptops (read: executives, sales dorks) carry around weigh 10x more then the laptop, thus negating any benefit of weight savings.

  37. ASUS has CF notebooks already by poity · · Score: 3, Informative

    ASUS, one of Sony's main notebook manufacturers (Sony doesn't make their own laptops), already make use of carbon fiber chassis in some of their own ultraportable/thin-and-light models, which have been available in North America for a few years.

    One particular model I have is from their M6 series, which has since been replaced by their updated Z70 series, both with CF chassis.

    What's even better is that since ASUS notebooks aren't sold retail, they come at nearly half the price for similar functionality, performance, and aesthetic quality as a comparable Sony.

    Check out www.asus.com for online reseller links

    --
    your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
  38. CF has made the laptop tough... by cciRRus · · Score: 1

    But the operating system that came along with the laptop is still as fragile as can be.

    --
    w00t
  39. Thinkpads have had this for years... by yani · · Score: 2, Informative
    Ever since the T20 most thinkpads have had carbon fiber re-inforced lids and the T43/X41s have completely carbon re-inforced bodies.

    Drop a Thinkpad and a VAIO and I know which one my money is on...

    This is yet another story in the past year that makes me wonder if Slashdot really has just become an advertising venue, willingly, or through negligence.

  40. These will be released in the US in the next week. by f3ign · · Score: 1

    I called Sony two days ago and was told by their coporate sales that they expect delivery of these in the US Oct. 25th or 26th. You can also preorder them now in the US at http://www.sonystyle.com/

  41. Dual Functionality by Toxicgonzo · · Score: 2, Funny

    they are now made of carbon fiber

    Is this my dream come true? Can I finally use my laptop as a tennis racket?

  42. Re:In Korea... by focitrixilous+P · · Score: 2, Informative

    It was inspired by a story how young people prefer Instant Messaging to email, and old people still used email. Link: In Korea, Email Is Only For Old People

    --
    SAILING MISHAP
  43. Re:Carbon Fiber? by orasio · · Score: 1

    How much cooler is a carbon fiber-anything that a regular plastic anything?? a lot!!
    And cheaper?? it doesn't get cheaper than plastic!

  44. Re:Carbon Fiber? by AndersOSU · · Score: 3, Funny

    No, the carbon fiber only adds 500Mhz, you need the aftermarket wing crudely bolted through the LCD to get the 1GHz boost.

  45. Re:Acer Ferrari is better(64 bit Turion) by TheGuano · · Score: 1
    Actually, one pound is a HUGE difference. I have both the ~6.5lb 15" thinkpad, and the ~5.5lb 14". The weight difference (and size) between the two are enormous, and the percentage difference is obviously much smaller between 5-6lb than 3-4lb.

    I didn't think it would matter at first, but lug something around all day, day in and day out, and you can really feel the ounces add up.

  46. Korean? by kiisaka · · Score: 1

    Since when is SONY a Korean company?

  47. Agreed but by hotspotbloc · · Score: 1
    A version of Linux wouldn't work as well/easy as the mfgr shipped one.

    Agreed. For support reasons go with the simplest but for some of us it'd be nice to be able to flip open the lid and in less than 30 seconds be on the net to check email, etc.

    --
    "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST
  48. Vaio X505/CP by lewiz · · Score: 2, Informative

    Not only are carbon fibre laptops not knew, neither are carbon fibre Vaios.

    Certain Vaio X505 models have carbon fibre models, including the X505/CP, which I am typing on right now. I think it's as much a gimmick as anything else, but it does look good.

    You can find out all sorts of 505 info at http://www.siliconpopculture.com/sonytr/viewtopic. php?t=3889&sid=6456be6419d0fc2b769d268570aaeae1 which is an interview with a lot of the designers. The X505 is sort of like what Yamaha did with the NS-1000M monitors way back when -- threw money to make the best/smallest monitors/laptop. I still have no idea how many got shipped but I've not seen more than one or two in use in England.

    Some good photos are available at http://www.dynamism.com/x505/index.shtml

  49. Screw the notebook... by alien_tracking_devic · · Score: 1

    ...i'll take the Korean carbon fiber pixie.

  50. Re:Laptop's aren't all South Korea has going for t by deathcloset · · Score: 1

    Don't worry, I hear it's easier than English!

  51. Re:Carbon Fiber? by Pope · · Score: 1

    Awesome! I hope to see Apple's new PowerBooks use this technology to make up for their current lacklustre G4s!

    --
    It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
  52. Re:Carbon Fiber? by MADCOWbeserk · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm ordering mine with a wing and a Type-R sicker.

  53. a new intel mac feature? by hexsprite · · Score: 1

    hopefully with Apple's hiring of former VAIO Engineers http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000537052498/ this might be a future feature we'll see in the Macs?

  54. Re:Carbon Fiber? by Luuvitonen · · Score: 1

    fiber makes your bowels work faster too so it's kinda rule of the nature

  55. I'm waiting for the mexican one! by Lohrno · · Score: 1

    Made from cabron fiber. :)

  56. Re:Korean? by qcubed · · Score: 1

    RTFA.
    Sony is Japanese.
    Sony Korea, which is releasing the laptops, is the Korean subsidiary.

  57. Re:Acer Ferrari is better(64 bit Turion) by queazocotal · · Score: 1

    Me too.
    I have a 'better' laptop.
    But the one that gets used a lot is a 1.1Kg PII300. (CT3300)
    It's just handy.
    I can comfortably lie down with it on my chest, or hold it in one hand at a comfortable angle to read.
    Not to mention that it, 3 batteries, charger, 12V adaptor, headphones, mp3 player, .... all fit in a
    28*23*9 aluminium case, which full weighs about the same as some heavy laptops.

  58. Awesome! by vmspionage · · Score: 1

    This will look great in my carbon fiber attaché paid for out of my carbon fiber wallet!

  59. Korean? Where's the sense in learning that? by br0pbr0p · · Score: 1

    Sony is a Japanese company, they release everything in Japan before anywhere else. The Sony showroom in Tokyo has all the newest things Sony comes up with and I am 100% sure this will be released in Japan first. If you want the newest Sony creation, get it in Japan and learn Japanese.

  60. how about linux? by Brandon+Dowell · · Score: 1

    I'm quite sure that this so-called 'instant' mode could be easily emulated using linux...

    There's a live distro called 'geexbox' which accomplishes this very task. the image is around 8MiB, and it boots into a dvd player-like interface. It would be trivial to write it to a small disk partition and boot from something like GRUB.

    --
    cd shower ; make clean ; cd ../bed ; make install
  61. I already have one. Here's what I think. by Scoria · · Score: 1

    I already received a Japanese model (VGN-TX90S) through an importer, although they are no longer in stock.

    This machine is extremely fast once you consider its form factor, and has excellent heat dissipation properties. It's a true "laptop" computer.

    Being what it is, you won't use it to play many newer games, but the video card actually isn't bad at all.

    The integrated wireless capabilities are reasonably strong and never lose synchronization, as one would expect from a higher end Sony product.

    You're all probably wondering about the battery life. Mine shipped with the standard battery, although I'm expecting to receive my supplemental extended battery today. I was able to run productivity applications all afternoon at a Starbucks with a fully charged standard battery, and I left with a 50% charge. Several people were quick to inquire about the computer itself, which is something I don't often experience. The design seems to have universal appeal. I should add that disabling the integrated Bluetooth adapter certainly did extend battery life.

    The display is also excellent, and the 16 x 9 (1366 x 768) size really is perfect for watching a movie. I used Lost in Translation as a slightly ironic cinematic benchmark. Har, har. For this kind of machine, it renders color beautifully.

    --
    Do you like German cars?
    1. Re:I already have one. Here's what I think. by Scoria · · Score: 1

      I pressed Submit instead of Preview, apparently.

      I was going to add a little about the weight (or lack thereof) of this computer. If it isn't sitting on a solid surface (i.e., a table), it will actually sway from side to side as you type. It really is very light.

      The chassis itself feels adequately sturdy, and none of the materials used seem like cop-outs. There aren't any doors sticking out that could break in the future. I was surprised that Sony didn't use a door with either the MemoryStick or SD(!) card readers, which sit very low. That seems as though it could prove to be a minor oversight.

      The keyboard is extremely responsive, and makes speed typing very easy. It certainly doesn't feel as small as it is.

      The machine doesn't have an integrated camera or microphone. I use neither; therefore, those weren't selling points for me. It does feature a dual layer DVD±RW, however, which I've been using to record projects from the network drive and mix CDs. It's definitely quick for a notebook, and the Japanese software is actually very intuitive. Your mileage may vary with the American model.

      For the record, I was considering other laptops such as an Apple PowerBook 17", but ultimately decided to import this Sony. I'm very happy to say that the experience has been an exceptionally pleasant one, and that I'd completely recommend both the importer (Dynamism.com, if you're curious) and this particular model.

      If any of you are considering one and would like me to answer a question about it, ask away. :-)

      --
      Do you like German cars?
  62. Natalie Portman? by Jeremi · · Score: 1

    Am I wrong, or did they get Ms. Portman to pose with the new laptop?

    --


    I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
  63. parent: +1, OMG That's Gotta Hurt by Corf · · Score: 1

    ...posting from my office where I wholesale bike parts to shops. ;)

    --
    The pain was excruciating and the scarring is likely permanent, but that just means it's working.
  64. Re:Carbon Fiber? by PhraudulentOne · · Score: 1

    No no, you need the VAIO Type-S, or the more expensive VAIO GT-R to get those faster speeds. The carbon is just for looks. Stickers give the performance!

    --
    You create your own reality - Leave mine to me.
  65. Re:Carbon Fiber? by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

    They have the technology. It will be better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster.

    The cost: $6 million.

  66. Re:In Korea... by CapnGrunge · · Score: 1

    Nanda Korea?

    --
    I see 57005 people
  67. Sorry, but the words "carbon" and "fibers" here? by osgeek · · Score: 1

    Can you build a space elevator out of them?

  68. Carbon Fiber? by e.loser · · Score: 1

    Who needs that when you have a quantum computer? /loser

  69. carbon fiber compared to magnesium composite? by krunk4ever · · Score: 1

    IBM Laptops, the most renowned in the industry, have already been using carbon fiber, but not for their entire cover. The top portion of the X41 Tablet is cased in a magnesium composite, while the bottom is cased in titanium reinforced carbon fiber.

    I actually had friend do investigation work at a company to find out which laptops can sustain a drop of 'x' feet, and the top 2 laptops were IBMs (i think a T-series and an X-series). Other contestants included Panasonic's Toughbook, Sony, Dell, Apple, etc.

    However, it seems that Sony's laptops are completely made with carbon fiber, and I was curious if anyone knows the differences between magnesium composite and carbon fiber. What's the pros/cons of using either.

  70. Re:Carbon Fiber? by mranchovy · · Score: 1

    I hope to see Apple's new PowerBooks use this technology to make up for their current lacklustre G4s!

    Actually, I think the PowerBooks are going to use speed holes instead.

    --
    I am so smart!
    I am so smart!
    S-M-R-T!
    I mean S-M-A-R-T!
  71. Japan? Korea? by odibil · · Score: 1

    When I see the original post saying "Learn Korean" at first I thought "What the fu**?"; but it may make sense because of the tricky keyboard layout of the Japanese release version of VAIO (several SONY manias told me this thing; personally I've never used SONY laptops), whereas the Korean version of VAIO shall have similar keyboard layout and therefore much more reasonable choice for American buyers.

  72. Re:TMM FP by stoborrobots · · Score: 1

    Happened to him? He's still posting, as far as I can tell... Most recent comment, 2005.10.21 4:20, your post 2005.10.20 0:04...