I Want A Tiny One In My Lap

wxwax

I made a mistake on Sunday, I freely admit it. I wandered into a local Circuit City electronics store to browse around the HiDef TV sets to remind myself once again why I'm not buying one.

Then I wandered over to the laptops. Uh-oh. :uhoh

I've recently started toting around a laptop for work. It's a Dell, and the sucker's heavy and bulky. Add it to my loaded camera backpack, and we're talking some serious heft. Too serious, really. It's a drag.

At CC they had a tiny Sony Vaio T-series on display. This little baby only weighs three pounds. I thought the keyboard might be too small, but it was fine.

Dang. :bluduh Now I'm really tempted to get one, even though work provides me with a free laptop. But this tiny Vaio is perfect for traveling and toting. Although it only has a 1.2Ghz processor, and a 4500rpm hard drive, it does have an IEEE interface, so I believe I can shoot straight into the laptop and see the results immediately. And its small size and weight make it incredibly convenient for traveling and on-location image reviewing.

OK, so now this darned mite of a laptop has embedded itself in my mind.

Is there a reason I shouldn't get it? Are there similar size laptops out there with better specs? Remember, this sucker's tiny size is its appeal.

Rats.

dragon300zx

There expensive? They are made in asia? Because you don't really need it? Have I came up with a good one yet?

dragon300zx

Oh and it will be obsolete in 48 hours.

wxwax

dragon300zx wrote:

Oh and it will be obsolete in 48 hours.

Yeah, that's very much on my mind. At only 1.2ghz, it already is, frankly.

Cost for the bare bones model is $2,045, which is pretty steep. And that's only for 512mb, it only goes to 1gig, which is what I'd upgrade to if I bought it.

wxwax

dragon300zx wrote:

There expensive? They are made in asia? Because you don't really need it? Have I came up with a good one yet?

Thought of all of those, and the parasitic mite is still in my mind.

Andy

you should buy one, immediately!
i highly recommend this laptop. it's my second sony tr-series laptop, i had the tr1-a for two years, loved it. then i bought this a few months ago... love it, love it, love it!

dragon300zx

Sid let me be the voice of reason here. Remember Andy's recommendations are always a bit jaded. Is it a good laptop yes. However its pricey, you can get faster laptops much much cheaper, its a minimum of ram, and like any addiction, cocain, vodka, electronics, L Glass, smoking, etc, the only way to get the evil thoughts out of your mind is to have the will power to say. "Look self, I don't really need this. I want it, but I don't need it. I can easily live without it." And if all else fails just think of what the wife will say when you walk in the door with it. :tonipissed:argue:deadhorse:boid:smack :beatwax:whip:banned:duel:hang:bash:grim:thwak:gun2:hung:nonowxwax Thhose are just a sampling of the looks you could get.

Andy

dragon300zx wrote:

Sid let me be the voice of reason here. Remember Andy's recommendations are always a bit jaded. Is it a good laptop yes. However its pricey, you can get faster laptops much much cheaper, its a minimum of ram, and like any addiction, cocain, vodka, electronics, L Glass, smoking, etc, the only way to get the evil thoughts out of your mind is to have the will power to say. "Look self, I don't really need this. I want it, but I don't need it. I can easily live without it." And if all else fails just think of what the wife will say when you walk in the door with it. :tonipissed:argue:deadhorse:boid:smack:beatwax:whip:banned:duel:hang:bash:grim:thwak:gun2:hung:nonowxwax Thhose are just a sampling of the looks you could get.

yabbut - i have 1gb ram, and it smokes... what i really like:

* small form factor easily fits in my photo backpack
* outstanding screen quality - really it's very very good
* only 3lbs - super light
* the shape, vs the apple pbook 12" i used and other win laptops, it's super easy and comfortable to open up and use on an airline seat or on my regular commuter train i take into nyc every day
* sony's been really reliable for me - the products (2 desktops and two laptops in past 3 years) have never had a problem

wxwax

dragon-san, I'm not married. No artificial curbs on my impulses.

Thanks Andy, I kinda thought you had one, I remember you have a small laptop at Yosemite. Everything you say is what is driving me. Thanks for the info, I may do this thing. :uhoh

And dang, that print looks good really big. What size is it?

Andy

wxwax wrote:

And dang, that print looks good really big. What size is it?

6 feet by 4.5 feet

thanks!

marlof

That's the great thing about Andy: he always puts in the nice touch to his pictures, even when they're only informative: current thread on the screen, his famous Walk To Work In The Rain in view (although a little in the background blur) make a great picture to proof the point that the T-series is great in actual use. And like Andy, I love those Sony notebooks and desktops. Never had a problem in 6 years using one. The one I got 6 years ago is still in function as my mothers daily driver. It still has its original battery too. Battery life sucks by now (30 mins tops), but she has it on continuous life support to the main power. Love that T, and am seriously considering getting one when this iBook dies.

wxwax

marlof wrote:

That's the great thing about Andy: he always puts in the nice touch to his pictures, even when they're only informative: current thread on the screen, his famous Walk To Work In The Rain in view (although a little in the background blur) make a great picture to proof the point that the T-series is great in actual use. And like Andy, I love those Sony notebooks and desktops. Never had a problem in 6 years using one. The one I got 6 years ago is still in function as my mothers daily driver. It still has its original battery too. Battery life sucks by now (30 mins tops), but she has it on continuous life support to the main power. Love that T, and am seriously considering getting one when this iBook dies.

Thanks, Marlof. That's two customers who say the machines are reliable, something that had been nagging at me a bit.

ian408

Waxy,

Watching Andy and Marc roll through some PS work was pretty impressive. It's
fast and the screen is very nice. I would say it's nicer than most laptops though I'm
not sure if it's the same or better than the PB. It's a couple of hundred more than the
PB as well (but that means still comparitive).

The problem I've noticed with smaller laptops is the compressed keyboard. Once
you're used to it though it's OK.

Ian

wxwax

ian408 wrote:

Waxy,

Watching Andy and Marc roll through some PS work was pretty impressive. It's
fast and the screen is very nice. I would say it's nicer than most laptops though I'm
not sure if it's the same or better than the PB. It's a couple of hundred more than the
PB as well (but that means still comparitive).

The problem I've noticed with smaller laptops is the compressed keyboard. Once
you're used to it though it's OK.

Ian

Great feedback, thanks ian. The screen in the shop looked good to me. I notice Sony makes a big deal out of it on their website.

You nailed it with the keyboard. It's the one thing I dread about laptops, as I'm a hunt & pecker and I don't use the Norton bomb sight to aim the two fingers. So I typed out a few sentences in the store and was pleasantly surprised at how accurate I was.

Dear oh dear, if only it weren't so expensive.

herion

VAIO Laptop

wxwax wrote:

I made a mistake on Sunday, I freely admit it. I wandered into a local Circuit City electronics store to browse around the HiDef TV sets to remind myself once again why I'm not buying one.

Then I wandered over to the laptops. Uh-oh. :uhoh

I've recently started toting around a laptop for work. It's a Dell, and the sucker's heavy and bulky. Add it to my loaded camera backpack, and we're talking some serious heft. Too serious, really. It's a drag.

At CC they had a tiny Sony Vaio T-series on display. This little baby only weighs three pounds. I thought the keyboard might be too small, but it was fine.

Dang. :bluduh Now I'm really tempted to get one, even though work provides me with a free laptop. But this tiny Vaio is perfect for traveling and toting. Although it only has a 1.2Ghz processor, and a 4500rpm hard drive, it does have an IEEE interface, so I believe I can shoot straight into the laptop and see the results immediately. And its small size and weight make it incredibly convenient for traveling and on-location image reviewing.

OK, so now this darned mite of a laptop has embedded itself in my mind.

Is there a reason I shouldn't get it? Are there similar size laptops out there with better specs? Remember, this sucker's tiny size is its appeal.

Rats.

One big item to consider -- service. I used to run a big IS shop -- any repairs either have to be shipped to Japan or have to wait for parts from Japan. Get an HP or a Compaq...

dragon300zx

I forgot to mention that but Herion is right about that. I have always hated working on these for clients, and I wouldn't do the work under warranty as it was to much of a pain dealing with them to get paid the little the warranty work pays. When they are reliable they are almost bullet proof but get a bad one and you will regret it forever.

wxwax

OK, good point. But do HP or Compaq make one as small as this? Remember, its size is its unique appeal, I already have a regular size laptop.

Andy

dragon300zx wrote:

When they are reliable they are almost bullet proof but get a bad one and you will regret it forever.

that's the same with most any gear like this. and i disagree with having to be serviced in japan - sony says they'll fix or replace, right here in the usa....

'course, i've never had to use the service or warranty on my sonys ever.

dragon300zx

What sony does for their fix and replace (at least what they used to do) is have you drop it at a local USA service center. This center can take care of software issues, diagnosis stuff like that. If they opt for the center to repair it the parts have to com efrom japan. Or they will have the center send the unit to japan fix it and send it back to the center. Thus technically is it fix or replace based in the USA however they do require most of it go back to japan simply to keep control of spare parts and stuff like that and be able to keep their maintenance prices high on out of warranty products. Oh and getting an out of warranty replacement part shipped to the USA is next to impossible. They are real jerks about that stuff with us Techs.

dragon300zx

these are the small laptops I would buy if I was in the market for a small laptop windows system.


The Toshiba Libretto U100 Notebook with Intel® Centrino(tm) Mobile Technology; Ultra Low Voltage Intel® Pentium® M Processor 753 (1.20GHz); 512MB DDR-333 RAM; 60GB 4,200RPM Hard Drive; Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 Video Chipset; 10/100 Network Adapter; 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter; Bluetooth v2.0 Wireless Adatper with EDR; 7.2" Widescreen XGA TruBrite Display; Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition (SP2)

The Toshiba Portege R100; Ultra Low Voltage Intel® Pentium® M Processor 733 (1.10GHz); 512MB DDR-266 RAM; 40GB 4,200RPM Hard Drive; Integrated 4x AGP Trident XP4 m32 Video Chipset; 10/100 Network Adapter; 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter; 12.1" XGA Active Matrix Display; Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition (SP2)

The Winbook X540; Pentium® M Processor 755 (2.0GHz); Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition; 512MB DDR-333 RAM; 80GB 5,400RPM Hard Drive; 8x DVD±RW Drive; Intel® 855GME Video Chipset; 10/100 Network Adapter; 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter; 12.1" Widescreen XGA Active Matrix Display

Any of the Fujitsu Lifebook UltraPortable series of laptops (P7000, P1000, B6000D)

Or any of the Acer Ultra Portables.

Compaq tc1100 Tablet PC

Intel Pentium M Processor 713, 1.1GHz, with Centrino Technology, 256MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, 10.4-inch XGA TFT Display, Windows XP Tablet PC 2005

Protege R205-S2062 Notebook

Intel Pentium M Processor 753, 1.2GHz, 512MB RAM, 60GB Hard Drive, 12.1-inch XGA TFT Display, Windows XP Professional

TravelMate TM3002WTCi Notebook

Intel Pentium M Processor 740, 1.73GHz, with Centrino Technology, 512MB RAM, 60GB Hard Drive, 12.1-inch WXGA TFT Display, External DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive, Windows XP Pro

wxwax

dragon300zx wrote:

these are the small laptops I would buy if I was in the market for a small laptop windows system.


The Toshiba Libretto U100 Notebook with Intel® Centrino(tm) Mobile Technology; Ultra Low Voltage Intel® Pentium® M Processor 753 (1.20GHz); 512MB DDR-333 RAM; 60GB 4,200RPM Hard Drive; Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 Video Chipset; 10/100 Network Adapter; 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter; Bluetooth v2.0 Wireless Adatper with EDR; 7.2" Widescreen XGA TruBrite Display; Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition (SP2)

The Toshiba Portege R100; Ultra Low Voltage Intel® Pentium® M Processor 733 (1.10GHz); 512MB DDR-266 RAM; 40GB 4,200RPM Hard Drive; Integrated 4x AGP Trident XP4 m32 Video Chipset; 10/100 Network Adapter; 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter; 12.1" XGA Active Matrix Display; Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition (SP2)

The Winbook X540; Pentium® M Processor 755 (2.0GHz); Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition; 512MB DDR-333 RAM; 80GB 5,400RPM Hard Drive; 8x DVD±RW Drive; Intel® 855GME Video Chipset; 10/100 Network Adapter; 802.11b/g Wireless Network Adapter; 12.1" Widescreen XGA Active Matrix Display

Any of the Fujitsu Lifebook UltraPortable series of laptops (P7000, P1000, B6000D)

Or any of the Acer Ultra Portables.

Compaq tc1100 Tablet PC

Intel Pentium M Processor 713, 1.1GHz, with Centrino Technology, 256MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, 10.4-inch XGA TFT Display, Windows XP Tablet PC 2005

Protege R205-S2062 Notebook

Intel Pentium M Processor 753, 1.2GHz, 512MB RAM, 60GB Hard Drive, 12.1-inch XGA TFT Display, Windows XP Professional

TravelMate TM3002WTCi Notebook

Intel Pentium M Processor 740, 1.73GHz, with Centrino Technology, 512MB RAM, 60GB Hard Drive, 12.1-inch WXGA TFT Display, External DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive, Windows XP Pro

Wow, you went to a lot of work there, man! I appreciate it. Now I'm gonna tuck-in and do my homework. Thanks!

luckyrwe

I had a Sony U-1. The U-1 and U-101 are very small and less than 2 lbs.

dragon300zx

No Prob. Laptops have always been one of my Niche's in the IT field. I even had a gig for awhile doing nothing but Sony Ultra Portable Laptop upgrades for a DJ association that were using the laptop's as their mixing machines. Which is how I know they are good laptops, however they are expensive and tech support for sony is horrid. All the other techs round me refused to work on them.

Andy

marlof wrote:

That's the great thing about Andy: he always puts in the nice touch to his pictures, even when they're only informative: current thread on the screen, his famous Walk To Work In The Rain in view (although a little in the background blur) make a great picture to proof the point that the T-series is great in actual use. And like Andy, I love those Sony notebooks and desktops. Never had a problem in 6 years using one. The one I got 6 years ago is still in function as my mothers daily driver. It still has its original battery too. Battery life sucks by now (30 mins tops), but she has it on continuous life support to the main power. Love that T, and am seriously considering getting one when this iBook dies.

thank you, marlof

gus

Mate as much as i want an 'Andy Machine'...i would not trust myself to do PS editing on one. Just go to a computer shop with diff laptops (i dont know what they are called) online & call up you smugmug account & see if the shots look the same. I found that my shots had banding.

Gus ...whom knows nothing about computers & is pretty happy with that.

dragon300zx

SO I had this site pulled up and one of my co-workers (of the non-threatening do what ya feel like kind) who doesn't know what this site is looked at the screen and the first thing she saw was the title of this thread. Sid ya might wanna change it cause she has came up with a whole series of jokes based on it.

herion

Thread name change

dragon300zx wrote:

SO I had this site pulled up and one of my co-workers (of the non-threatening do what ya feel like kind) who doesn't know what this site is looked at the screen and the first thing she saw was the title of this thread. Sid ya might wanna change it cause she has came up with a whole series of jokes based on it.

Ah. At least I could get my mind out of the gutter and answer the posts!
thumbthumb

wxwax

dragon300zx wrote:

SO I had this site pulled up and one of my co-workers (of the non-threatening do what ya feel like kind) who doesn't know what this site is looked at the screen and the first thing she saw was the title of this thread. Sid ya might wanna change it cause she has came up with a whole series of jokes based on it.

Let's just say I gave the thread title a bit of thought.

wxwax

Humungus wrote:

Mate as much as i want an 'Andy Machine'...i would not trust myself to do PS editing on one. Just go to a computer shop with diff laptops (i dont know what they are called) online & call up you smugmug account & see if the shots look the same. I found that my shots had banding.

Gus ...whom knows nothing about computers & is pretty happy with that.

On Andy's machine? As they say, the one thing about the wee Sony is that the screen is pretty good. The machine I looked at did not have an internet connection.

Andy

wxwax wrote:

Let's just say I gave the thread title a bit of thought.

you attention whore you