Sony Vaio Z and Xbox 360 (with valid .edu addy) $1499 Free Shipping @ Microsoft Store

I bought a Vaio Z 212GX/B last week from Amazon Warehouse for ~$1040. Its going back this week.

Its the same series as this except following specs:
1600x900 screen resolution instead of 1920x1080 (I personally think 1600x900 is perfect for 13")
DVD+/-RW instead of BD
4GB ram, Core I5 CPU, 128GB SSD
No Additional sheet battery

I do like the machine, its fast, compact. But 3 issues:
1) Very Small Touchpad (if you can live with it, its great) - Apple has spoiled me on this
2) Keyboard - key depth when pressed is kind of too shallow for me
3) Speakers - not that good (not a big issue though when headphones are used)

My main issue is the touchpad, if you can live with small touchpad, then its a very nice machine.

PS: Mine is scheduled to be picked up tomorrow. So if anyone in SF Bay area wants today or tomorrow morning, PM me. my cost was $1040 from amazon.

Wow! That's a great bargain. It includes the media dock with blu-ray drive and the sheet battery. Those were both optional when ordering from Sony. This is a fully load Z2.

Personally, I'm waiting for a unit with a touchscreen. I want to take full advantage of the Windows 8 UI.

I'd probably bite on this but tax likely kills it (assuming you have to pay it if you have a MS store in your state).

My roommate owns this. Its got an amazing screen, is ridiculously portable, and is still capable of being a good desktop replacement.

Would be all over this if I wasn't already happy with my m11x. Well, happy enough to not spend another $1.5k

Can anyone comment on the screen compared to an macbook pro screen? (obviously not the new retina display) but in terms of color, quality and viewing angle? my future laptop that I want needs an awesome screen now

would I be better off buying this and connecting it at home to a nice monitor through the dock it comes with, rather than buying a separate ultrabook and then a desktop for home?

Quote from JDea : Can anyone comment on the screen compared to an macbook pro screen? (obviously not the new retina display) but in terms of color, quality and viewing angle? my future laptop that I want needs an awesome screen now

Much better than a standard macbook display. Haven't seen the retina yet to compare but the Sony one is really really good.

Color is more vibrant, with blacks looking much clearer. Display angles are comparable unless you really push it to awkward angles. Quality in general seems higher, especially including the higher pixel density.

Quote from Trueegg : would I be better off buying this and connecting it at home to a nice monitor through the dock it comes with, rather than buying a separate ultrabook and then a desktop for home?

Depends on your needs. This is perfectly capable as a desktop replacement, but will be no match for a full-fledged desktop with a nVidia x60+ or AMD x700+ card.

Don't forget Bank of America Add It Up 5%!!!

Quote from pdinc : Depends on your needs. This is perfectly capable as a desktop replacement, but will be no match for a full-fledged desktop with a nVidia x60+ or AMD x700+ card.

I'll give you my situation. Any advice would be greatly appreciated:

Heading to law school, and I was originally planning on getting an ultrabook for school, mainly for the weight savings, as I plan to carry around my computer around just about everywhere. Main contenders were the Toshiba Z835 or Asus Zenbook 13", and I was hoping to spend between $6-800. Then I was thinking I would get a desktop computer and monitor for home, for somewhere around $600 in total.

The thing is, if I got the Z-series, I could have a super powerful computer both at home and away. All I would need to supplement it at home is a good monitor and keyboard/mouse.

If I got a seperate ultrabook and desktop, I would still have sufficient processing power for my own needs (I don't game or do any memory/processor heavy stuff), and I would have the advantage of having 2 computers.

I know it's kind of a strange comparison, but I figure financially it would end up being the same. Any recommendations?

$124 in tax kills it for me

Quote from pdinc : Much better than a standard macbook display. Haven't seen the retina yet to compare but the Sony one is really really good. Color is more vibrant, with blacks looking much clearer. Display angles are comparable unless you really push it to awkward angles. Quality in general seems higher, especially including the higher pixel density.

You make me want this. but I don't need it yet, so I'll just wait until I do thanks

Quote from artemon87 : And you probably were telling the person who you sold it to that you bought it for $1500. I have a special word for that kind of people ....

Actually no you twat, I gave him my receipt for warranty purposes.


What a gd bitch made comment.

Quote from Trueegg : I'll give you my situation. Any advice would be greatly appreciated: Heading to law school, and I was originally planning on getting an ultrabook for school, mainly for the weight savings, as I plan to carry around my computer around just about everywhere. Main contenders were the Toshiba Z835 or Asus Zenbook 13", and I was hoping to spend between $6-800. Then I was thinking I would get a desktop computer and monitor for home, for somewhere around $600 in total. The thing is, if I got the Z-series, I could have a super powerful computer both at home and away. All I would need to supplement it at home is a good monitor and keyboard/mouse. If I got a seperate ultrabook and desktop, I would still have sufficient processing power for my own needs (I don't game or do any memory/processor heavy stuff), and I would have the advantage of having 2 computers. I know it's kind of a strange comparison, but I figure financially it would end up being the same. Any recommendations?

I do game a bit, so I own a Alienware m11x and a fullpowered desktop (Don't really use use the Alienware for gaming through, just for poratability). I could have splurged on a more expensive laptop but I chose to set it up this way so that I could sync all my laptop documents to my desktop.

If financially it works out the same, it might be worth it just for redundancy (if your laptop stops working/you have to send it in for warranty, or if your laptop hard drive crashes). Of course, there are other options (external hard drive etc.) but it's one way of doing things.

On the other hand, if you're cramped for space (living in a dorm?) or want to minimize the things you own (going to school out of state?) the powerdock might be better.

They're both legitimate options! Also,. if you dont game, keep in mind that you can resell the 360, which would take off some of the cost of the laptop. Not sure if you accounted for that.