6 Reasons Sony Vaio Z Could Be the Ultimate Travel Notebook

bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
21/10/2011 05:02
6 Reasons Sony Vaio Z Could Be the
Ultimate Travel Notebook
6 Reasons Sony Vaio Z Could Be the
1. Thunderbolt media dock
Ultimate Travel Notebook
The Vaio Z includes the new Thunderbolt (also
For business travellers who want a slim and light
known as Light Peak) port which provides a high-
laptop with desktop-grade power and features, So-
speed link between the laptop and external devices.
ny's Vaio Z could be the dream machine.
The difference between Thunderbolt and the com-
mon USB 2.0 ports is like comparing an autobahn
With a chassis manufactured from carbon fibre
to a suburban street.
rather than plastic or metal, this sleek 13.3 note-
book weighs in at only 1.16 kg. It's only 16.7mm thin
Sony is including an external Vaio Z Power Media
-- less than the height of two iPhone 4s stacked on
Dock 2 which uses Thunderbolt to turn the laptop
top of each other -- yet it runs on a full-speed Intel
into a powerful desktop-grade PC.
Core i7 processor.
The dock includes a high-speed AMD Radeon HD
Here are the six reasons we think this notebook will
graphics card which takes over from the notebook's
be a `category killer' when it's released in Australia
integrated Intel graphics for heavy-duty work such
in late July.
as CAD and multimedia applications (as well as some
serious gaming during your downtime). There's also
your choice of a DVD burner or a Blu-Ray drive plus
extra HDMI and USB ports.



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bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
21/10/2011 05:02
6 Reasons Sony Vaio Z Could Be the Ultimate Travel Notebook

2. Optional second battery for 14
hours battery life
On top of the Vaio's claimed seven hour battery life,
you can buy an optional slim `sheet' battery which
Sony says will double the Vaio's battery life to 14
hours on a single charge - long enough to work
non-stop on a flight from Australia to the US.
Given how much notebook companies typically in-
flate battery-life claims we'd suggest the inbuilt and
second battery are more likely to deliver around
five hours each (especially if you're using wi-fi) so
this will be the first thing Australian Business Tra-
veller tests when we get our hands on a Vaio Z.
Another boon for travellers is that the sheet battery
sits under the laptop rather than being a bolt-on

lump at the back. It can also be charged separately
from the notebook, and fitted without having to

remove the internal battery or turn the machine off.
3. Intel Core i7 processor
Forget about low-voltage processors which trade
high performance for longer battery life. Sony's ra-
tionale was that with battery life already at seven
hours there was no reason not to go for a full-speed
Intel Core i7 processor.
This means performance of the machine will be ex-
tremely snappy -- as good as a full-size 15 notebook.
It's a testament to Sony's engineering prowess, too,
because these chips usually produce too much heat
for a slim notebook to vent effectively. Sony says it
is using two fans to keep the system cool.
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The Core i7 powerplant that comes in the new Vaio Z
is a 2.7GHz model, capable of bursting up to 3.4GHz
on a single core if both processing cores aren't being
used at once.
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bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
21/10/2011 05:02
6 Reasons Sony Vaio Z Could Be the Ultimate Travel Notebook



5. Built-in 3G

Despite the praise heaped on Apple's MacBook Air,
4. SSD storage
it lacks one feature that's exceedingly useful to bu-
siness travellers: inbuilt 3G mobile broadband.
Sony has ditched slow mechanical hard drives,
which are a serious performance bottleneck, for
This is also something which Sony has added to the
lightning-fast solid state disks (SSDs).
Vaio Z options menu, and the 3G modem won't be
locked to any single carrier.
These use a supercharged type of flash memory -- a
cousin of what's in digital camera memory cards
Just slip in a SIM card from the mobile network of
and on USB memory sticks.
your choosing -- which will also be a boon when
travelling overseas, as you can grab the best pre-
In fact, the Vaio Z packs two SSD modules which are
paid data SIM and avoid overpriced hotel Internet
used simultaneously to ensure even faster speed
fees (and extortionately-priced data roaming fees).
than a single drive can provide. The Vaio Z comes
with 256GB of SSD storage.
Unfortunately it's not yet clear whether the 3G op-
tion will be available to Australian buyers. Sony Aus-
tralia's official announcement of the new Z doesn't
mention anything about 3G.
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bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
21/10/2011 05:02
6 Reasons Sony Vaio Z Could Be the Ultimate Travel Notebook
So when are we going to get it?
Sony Australia will be releasing the new Z in late
July. The Australian models come with the Power
Media Dock in the box as part of the price.
Two models will be available, with the same speci-
fications and case colour being the only difference:
* Vaio Z VPCZ217GGX (Black) - $3,999
* Vaio Z VPCZ217GGN (Gold) - $3,999 - exclu-
sive to Sony Centre & Sony Store.


6. Full HD screen, in matte
In Australia, the Vaio Z will ship with full HD
1920x1080 resolution packed into the 13.3 display
panel.
Sony has also listened to feedback from customers
and is eschewing the glitzy but annoying glossy
screens, which are good in a showroom but tend
to reflect ambient and overhead lighting in everyday
use, for a non-reflective matte finish.
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