Through a glass darkly
However, I didn’t like it at all: despite the texturing, the lack of any obvious visual demarcation or tactile ‘well’ for the touchpad meant that I kept touching and swiping in the wrong place on the matte plastic strip.
Can’t get away from that shiny black stylee thang
You get a decent range of connectivity options on either side and the front edge of the case, including both VGA and HDMI out, and two of the three USB ports support USB 3.0 devices – for the nine of you out there reading this that have any. At the other extreme, for those who collect old kit for a laugh, there’s a legacy i.Link port.
A useful Memory Stick and SD card combo slot is located at the front, although I found it a bit tricky to access because it’s hidden under the upper lip of the wedge-shaped case.
The computer boots up into Windows 7 in under a minute, and the 1920 x 1080-pixel screen is bright and crisp. I liked it very much. Of course, the big attraction with the VPCF21Z1E/BI is its 3D capability. This works for 3D images and videos in a variety of formats, using the alternating left-right full-screen display approach in conjunction with a supplied set of Sony-branded 3D active shutter glasses.
See life through grey-tinted glasses: 3D makes everything darker and duller.
The glasses are bulky, and wearing them feels like you’ve put on snorkelling goggles. I was pleasantly surprised that they fit neatly over my own spectacles. This came as a great relief since all other 3D specs I have worn, whether polarised or shutter, rest precariously at the end of my nose, constricting my breathing and eventually sliding off and swinging into my teeth with a crack.
Next page: Eyes wide shut
COMMENTS
Not really
The main selling point of this laptop is that it supports 3D which means the screen refresh rate will be 120Hz + in order to properly support shuttering. I expect the other hardware specs are on par or superior too.
So I assume by "the good bits" you were referring to the apple logo?
re: Im trying not to rise to this
Well there's no fruit logo on the front.
I must say the macbooks look sexier, but this has a very rugged look, like something out of Aliens.
I have to say, it's a very tempting computer despite the seeming insurmountable issues of not fitting in a laptop bag that's made for smaller computers, not having a cover for the ports and featuring a firewire connector that means it'll connect to lots of kit. Damn! I mean connectivity for more formats than you'd expect? who would DO that?
icon for the review
Im trying not to rise to this....
But cant help myself!!
Ok, so this is faster, has a longer battery life, faster hard drive, more ram, supports 3d, has a higher res display and a Blu-ray burner.... oh and is cheaper...
where are the missing good bits????
3D==Gimmick
Once again, people trying to sell us what they want to make, not make something we want to buy.
Sigh.
Doesn't fit in your bag?
Get a bigger bag. I've got a gigantic lump of 6 year old HP Pavilion zv5000 here that probably won't fit your bag either if that Sony won't. Anyway, while it's slower than pigshit rolling uphill in Winter compared with anything modern, it still has those lovely Harman/Kardon speakers under the two front grills.
Best sounding laptop ever.
