Less so is the ALPS-made touchpad, which is as basic as these things get: tap-to-click and that's your lot beyond pointer pushing. There are no scroll zones or two-finger multi-touch scrolling, either of which we'd expect to see on a machine commanding the premium the TT does. You do get a fingerprint sensor, but then that's par for the course these days.
Smaller than standard keyboard - but still very usable
So too is a wireless switch, and you'll find that on the front of the TT alongside separate SDHC and MemoryStick memory card slots. To the right of the curved front panel you'll find mute and volume buttons, plus as user-definable button and a fourth to eject the optical drive tray.
Yes, unlike Apple's Air, the TT has a multi-format DVD writer on board, on the right side next to a VGA port. The left side is home to 3.5mm audio sockets, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a four-pin Firewire connector, ExpressCard 34 slot and - beneath a cover - Ethernet and HDMI ports. Design seems the only reason for tucking these two away under a hatch.
The TT's small, 16V power brick connects to a port on the side of left-hand screen hinge - the power key's located at the opposite end of the laptop. The TT's lid is a scarily thin 4mm that's a bendy as the one on the Toshiba Portégé R500. Push the centre of the lid when closed, and the screen will touch the keys - how long before they start leaving marks? The hinges themselves had a degree of non-rotational movement, while the power connector was quite wobbly too.
The lid's only 4mm thick
All in all, we can't say we feel confident that the TT's display or its mounts will survive much punishment. You might think an executive's pricey laptop might not be likely to take as many knocks as, say, a student's shoved-in-a-backpack machine, but we know company directors - not our own - who've had machines knocked off desks because they were casually placed too close to the edge. So business bods' notebooks have to be no less tough a time that ones aimed at the rest of us.
The main body of the TT, though light, feels solid, so it's really the display that's the danger point. The lid on the Air, since we mentioned it earlier, isn't much thicker than the TT's but its metal shell makes it much more sturdy.
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COMMENTS
Muggins is as Muggins does..
A Laptop is a Laptop IS a Laptop!!!
I should know I trade hardware day in and out and I can assure you all there's no special technology here that couldnt be achieved by many laptops with similar spec
Looks good, but you can buy x3pcs of DELL inspiron or similar with this functionality (better functionality)!!
What a complete rip-off.
If you buy this other than for the need of the battery life...then your middle name is MUGGINS... and you should drop out of school if your in it or go back if your out of it...
"But it looks very pretty" get over it.. it will collect dust and marks in 3 months!!
Move along folks.. theres nothing to see here...
I won't buy a Vaio again
I bought a Vaio a couple of years ago and in two years I had to replace the CD drive twice and the motherboard once. I also bought a PS2 and had to replace it because the disk drive died. My experience with Sony products does not suggest that they are worth any premium at all.
I would far rather have a new MacBook Pro and would not cost two grand.
As one of my friends would say "Two grand? They're 'aving a larff".
It's a keeper!
I've got one of these little puppies and I have to say I'm very impressed with it. I normally change laptops at least once a year as I just like new toys so I've had a few to compare it with and this is far and above the best laptop I've ever owned.
The fact is that yes, whilst its a bit pricey, it's well and truly worth it. When my clients see it, they're impressed with it too. The battery life and general speed is a breath of fresh air, its actually a usable machine for all my mobile tasks. As Mark mentioned, The first thing I did when buying was to format the drive and clear the installed crud and start a fresh, so theres a few hours of my life I can never get back - Sony, you really need to listen to your customers who don't want yours or your friends crapware! (I have the technet direct subs, so the OS purchase is a mute point nowadays)
For the churlish posters who think I'm an idiot for buying, you really need to get a life. My purchase choice was driven by me evaluatiing my needs, finding a machine that met them and then buying it - can't really see how that makes me an idiot. Money isn't always a factor in a purchase descision. I'll certainly get my moneys worth out of this machine though and so that makes it a bargain for me!
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