Sony VAIO T Series 3rd Gen Core i5 SSD 13.3" Ultrabook $600 at Newegg

Quote from caveman017 : Google it. Check the notebookreview forums. It's a BIOS issue that they haven't fixed since the release this summer. Fan comes on and stays on even in a cold room(55 deg) when just turning on. Check out the Dell Vostro 3360. Thats what I replaced my sony T13 with. Same CPU, MUCH better keyboard and trackpad and the fan rarely comes on

not sure whats wrong with yours, but the one i purchased for my GF does not have this issue. yes the fan does come on, but it doesnt come on and stay on as you say. it will rev to a high speed once in a while, but it doesnt bother us at all. its hardly noticeable to be honest...unless you're sitting in a dead quiet room that is

Quote from zeth006 : Laziness on the part of companies. We have phones with AMOLED and IPS panels and higher resolutions and yet, notebook companies insist on cutting corners. You can also blame it on the uninformed consumer who doesn't bother to properly research what he buys.

cost is the major factor. a phone screen is much smaller compared to a laptop screen. usually a 1600x900 display would be at least $100+ compared to the similar feature laptop with a smaller resolution. It's not like the computer manufacturers don't want to build laptops with higher resolutions, the main problem is that most consumers don't want to shell out the extra $100+ premium on a higher resolution screen. If people keep buying the cheaper laptops, then the manufacturers will keep making them, simple as that.

Quote from bestco : cost is the major factor. a phone screen is much smaller compared to a laptop screen. usually a 1600x900 display would be at least $100+ compared to the similar feature laptop with a smaller resolution. It's not like the computer manufacturers don't want to build laptops with higher resolutions, the main problem is that most consumers don't want to shell out the extra $100+ premium on a higher resolution screen. If people keep buying the cheaper laptops, then the manufacturers will keep making them, simple as that.

Given how sophisticated phone screens have become, I'm skeptical that the price differential really is even that high. The touchscreen sensors and especially Samsung's AMOLED tech really narrows the difference.

And yes, my second sentence addresses the cost issue. Again, people don't bother to figure out what they're buying. They just see the small price tag and buy it within 5 minutes. I've had random people at Bestbuy approaching me and asking me whether to buy this notebook or that. They don't seem to realize that a lot of info is obtainable on the web. They should be researching instead of turning to some stranger for help just because he's Asian.



It's really telling when I lend my notebook to a regular joe for 5 minutes and I wind up getting compliments on the screen's sharpness and the colors. I'm going to guess if these people actually bothered to research their options, we wouldn't be having these low-res notebooks shoved down our throats.

Quote from encg : Can anybody else vouch for the fan?

I have had 2 vaios and fan does run a lot, in general. Also battery drains out quick. I also have a cheap Lenovo which it does not. I have no idea why vaios do that. I have to be plugged in to outlet constant.

Quote from zeth006 : Laziness on the part of companies. We have phones with AMOLED and IPS panels and higher resolutions and yet, notebook companies insist on cutting corners. You can also blame it on the uninformed consumer who doesn't bother to properly research what he buys.

your analysis is so off it aint even funny.

Its because they HAVE to cut corners to make profit on notebooks.

youve no idea the difference between the profit margin for them subsidized cellphones vs laptops. good example: any unlocked phone costing pretty much more than all these mainstream laptops.

Quote from yarnim : your analysis is so off it aint even funny. Its because they HAVE to cut corners to make profit on notebooks. youve no idea the difference between the profit margin for them subsidized cellphones vs laptops. good example: any unlocked phone costing pretty much more than all these mainstream laptops.

I didn't bother to direct touch on the issue of cost and profit margins because it was obvious enough to most. Even so, your "analysis" is "off" the mark. Apple doesn't need to cut corners to reach profitability. If anything, they command the highest margins on their Macs. If anything, a good argument can be made that marketing higher-res notebooks could increase profitability.



In other words, I chose to concentrate on other reasons why the incentive to go for higher-res screens in the mainstream notebook market aren't so pronounced.

Quote from stubbornboy : I paid $499 from Microsoft Store for the S400CA laptop and it drops WiFi even if I move a little bit away from the router. It fails to maintain connection at places where my phone, tablet and other laptops are able to do so.. So sad

Send it back or get it fixed under warranty. My wireless hasn't dropped once.

Quote from ndolson : Send it back or get it fixed under warranty. My wireless hasn't dropped once.

Mine too. Works perfect.

- sent by iPhone App Deals & Steals 3.5.8 -

Quote from ndolson : Send it back or get it fixed under warranty. My wireless hasn't dropped once.

Quote from raju_77 : Mine too. Works perfect. - sent by iPhone App Deals & Steals 3.5.8 -

Did both of you try moving away from the router?
I mean when I sit on my couch and browse , I wouldn't know a thing because it maintains connection just fine. The minute I move further to the kitchen area, it drops.


I could blame it on my router. But this shouldn't be dropping connection when my other laptop, phone and tablet work just fine.

What is even sadder is that Microsoft Store online is offering refund instead of replacement. Usually it is the other way around that causes us problems. But in this case I would really like to keep this unit at $499 price if they could give me a replacement that doesn't have this issue

How does this Sony Vaio compare toHP ENVY Ultrabook™ 4-1130us 14" Laptop. I already bought the HP for around $600. Wondering if i should return the HP for vaio, considering they have almost the same specs.

URL: http://www.staples.com/HP-ENVY-Ul...uct_985046

Quote from stubbornboy : Did both of you try moving away from the router? I mean when I sit on my couch and browse , I wouldn't know a thing because it maintains connection just fine. The minute I move further to the kitchen area, it drops. I could blame it on my router. But this shouldn't be dropping connection when my other laptop, phone and tablet work just fine. What is even sadder is that Microsoft Store online is offering refund instead of replacement. Usually it is the other way around that causes us problems. But in this case I would really like to keep this unit at $499 price if they could give me a replacement that doesn't have this issue

Yep, my router is an old "G" router, and I get a great signal on the opposite end of my house, one floor above. It does better than my desktop's wireless.

You probably just got a bad one...it sucks, but I've had great luck with all the Asus products I've owned so try not to let it tarnish you on their stuff too much.

I just returned this last week, the open box item that was on sale at newegg for this particular model was probably the one I returned.
These are the reasons I returned it, it might help someone come to a decision of whether to pull the plug or not. (By the way, Newegg's return policy sucks, i had to jump through hoops to get a refund)

The Good:
Nice specs for the price. It is a solid machine, fast boot up, nice looks, highly portable. I placed it in my lap while watching tv and was able to type without problem.I am not sure what people are complaining about the keyboard, to me it was fine. And YES the fan noise is there, you are able to hear it in a quiet room, but the upside to that is that the computer stays COOL even when watching videos. I will take noise over a HOT computer any day. No complaints about the wifi, worked fine for me.


The Annoying:
The mouse pad gestures are limited and annoying. For example, the gesture that flips from window to window would get activated everytime I just wanted to move the curser from side to side. I personally think the window 8 apps menu is not user friendly and unnecessary for a laptop that has NO touch screen. The apps have limited options so there is really no benefit to using them without using the touch screen feature. I just kept using the windows 7 option the whole time.

The Deal Breakers for me:
THE CAMERA. This is a terrible camera, a five year old phone basic phone will have a better camera than this. Extremely grainy, very dark, and limited options.
THE BATTERY. This battery would probably last 4 hours at the most of just web surfing/ watching youtube videos. I dont see the point of a portable machine with low battery life.
THE SCREEN. I have always been annoyed by glossy screens because I always believed that it made the computer look cheap. Now I know a VALID reason for not liking them. The glare is just so unbearable and the viewing angles are just AWFUL. If you watch tv shows online while multitasking away from the viewing angle, this is not for you. YES, the colors are very vivid but what is the point of beautiful colors if you can only see the screen from a limited viewpoint and you can see the glare of any light source you are near. It was giving me headaches with in a few minutes of using it because it strained my eyes.

This computer is great for the price point and portability, teens and college students will find it appealing. BUT if you know better, if you have had better, AND can afford better, DO spend the extra money for a better screen. I am buying one with an IPS screen with matte finish and higher resolution. It is worth it for me.
It is such a shame that my last computer (dell inspiron, 4 years old) which I bought at this same price point has a better screen resolution and better viewing angles than this newer computer.

I almost pulled the trigger on this untl I shopped around on ebay and found out that you can set a Zenbook or a samsung series 9 for only about $100 more.

Quote from zeth006 : Given how sophisticated phone screens have become, I'm skeptical that the price differential really is even that high. The touchscreen sensors and especially Samsung's AMOLED tech really narrows the difference. And yes, my second sentence addresses the cost issue. Again, people don't bother to figure out what they're buying. They just see the small price tag and buy it within 5 minutes. I've had random people at Bestbuy approaching me and asking me whether to buy this notebook or that. They don't seem to realize that a lot of info is obtainable on the web. They should be researching instead of turning to some stranger for help just because he's Asian. It's really telling when I lend my notebook to a regular joe for 5 minutes and I wind up getting compliments on the screen's sharpness and the colors. I'm going to guess if these people actually bothered to research their options, we wouldn't be having these low-res notebooks shoved down our throats.

Quote from zeth006 : I didn't bother to direct touch on the issue of cost and profit margins because it was obvious enough to most. Even so, your "analysis" is "off" the mark. Apple doesn't need to cut corners to reach profitability. If anything, they command the highest margins on their Macs. If anything, a good argument can be made that marketing higher-res notebooks could increase profitability. In other words, I chose to concentrate on other reasons why the incentive to go for higher-res screens in the mainstream notebook market aren't so pronounced.

Very well stated and I agree 100%. It's disgusting that these manufacturers have all succumbed to the stupid "cheaper is better for profit margins" crap. Apple is the antithesis to this, and look where they are. Look at Dell's XPS 13 - the machine is great on many fronts - enough so that it's been very successful even with the crappy screen. Now, they should release the next model with two options - the same crappy screen, and an upgrade (at a reasonable cost). I guarantee people will pay more for the upgrade. The next thing you know, they've got a machine made with great hardware, that's highly profitable because consumers know the quality is there. Hell, you don't even have rape people with the Apple tax, people would pay more just for solid hardware. Is it really possible that no one has access to the components Apple uses? If they can, why would they not, and simply take less profit, and make up for it in volume? It just doesn't make sense.