So, Sony's largely delivered on battery life, and if the Vaio TT isn't one of the fastest Centrino 2 machines out there, it's certainly one of the most compact, most portable and well-connected. The problem is, it's also one of the most expensive.
Slick design, expensively priced
The TT we looked at retails for a pound short of two grand, though you can pick up a lesser, HSDPA-less model for around £1399. Either way, that's a lot to pay for a laptop these days. Time was when Sony, Toshiba and others could get away with charging a packet for portability, but in the age of the netbook, it's a lot harder to make a case for demanding a lot more cash than a regular laptop for something smaller.
Asus' Eee PC S101, for instance, isn't as powerful as the TT, but its battery life isn't unworkably poor - as so many netbooks' battery runtimes are - and it's only £449, a third of the price of the entry-level TT. DSGi's Advent 4213 netbook is cheaper still - £350 - and is has built-in HSDPA. Both the S101 and the 4213 run Windows XP, so they'll crunch the same financial spreadsheets as the TT will, call up the same contact details and spell-check the same business proposal PowerPoints.
To be fair to Sony, it knows this, and it knows there are folk who'll turn their nose up at the cheaper machines and go for the expensive one because, first, nothing impresses a boardroom quite as much as a slick, black well-branded notebook and, second, because they can.
Also available in... er.. gold
Judging the TT on those terms, it's another success for Sony, despite the flimsy lid and hinges, the second-rate touchpad, and a screen that's has (just) too high a resolution for its size - we found ourself squinting - and shows too much colour dithering for the price.
Verdict
No question, the Vaio TT is a stunning machine: small, capable, supremely portable and very well connected. But you pay a lot for these benefits at a time when netbooks - even ones with on-board HSDPA - can do much the same job for a fraction of the cost. Yes, with less horsepower; yes, with a lot less battery life. But it's hard to argue with the saving you'd make over the expensive Sony.
Sony Vaio TT slim'n'light laptop
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!
Nice laptop
But... They've got to be joking with that price. You can get that weird Lamborghini laptop for just a bit more money! I'd rather have THAT in the office.
Vaio TT
Sony used to have a good name for reliability and quality, that was a long time ago however. These days I avoid all Sony products as everthing I've bought from them over the years falls apart sooner rather than later.
This looks like another excercise in style over substance, under powered and overpriced.
