 I love it, almost a year later |
| Review Date: May 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: C. Alimena, NY |
| I know it's not sold as new anymore, but the VAIO has served me very well since last July and with only very minor problems that I have been able to resolve. Sony sent me the Windows 7 upgrade quickly and as soon as I threw that on, it was absolutely perfect. Really no complaints, things like the battery discharging in hibernate don't bother me at all - it's great at what it does and will still hold it's own compared to laptops at a similar price point today. |
Fully Loaded Laptop
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| Review Date: January 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Joshua Johnson, |
I bought this laptop to replace a 3 year-old Toshiba Satellite U-205. I did a lot of product research before settling on this one, and I must note that I strongly considered buying an apple but found its features lacking.
Great Features Include:
Very good processor(not the fastest for laptops, but not far off)
Excellent graphics card(doesn't get much better in a laptop)
Blu-Ray Player!(full hd movies wherever you want to watch them without taking up massive amounts of hard drive space)
16.4 inch screen and some nice built in speakers do Blu-Ray movies justice.
HDMI out!(it could not be any easier to hook up to your HDTV, dual monitor support makes computing much more fun)
Great battery life(you can actually use it for a few hours before you need to plug-in, seriously.)
Stylish design.(Mat-black top with shiny VAIO symbol, beautiful screen, keyboard, even the power button looks nice)
Good build quality.(might not be an aluminum uni-body, but it's no piece of junk, very sturdy)
The price is right.
Downside:
HDMI out and a Blu-ray drive do not necessarily mean that you'll be able to use it as a blu-ray player for your big screen. Although the HDMI out enables very convenient use of your HDTV as a primary or second monitor, I've experienced issues trying to play blu-ray on the big screen. I'm not sure if it's because of Windows, WinDVD software, or simply the hardware not being powerful enough. This is the one and only let-down I've experienced with an otherwise great computer. |
Never Ever A Sony Anymore
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| Review Date: October 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: GentlemanXP, CA USA |
I bought a Sony VAIO VGN-FW280J/H 16.4-Inch Laptop (2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 7200 RPM 320 GB Hard Drive, BD-RW, Vista Premium) Gray, in May 2009 for the good price of USD 999.99. I didn't open the box for about one month, because I have 2 other Laptops an Apple and a HP.
Then I used this Sony for about 2 months as a desktop, but not that much, so I didn't move or bring this Sony on th go. Then for somehow it builds moisture inside the LCD, I believe due to the hot weather, I contacted Sony Support, they asked me to send the unit to Sony Repair in San Diego which I did and they received the unit on 10.05.2009. Yesterday on 10.20.2009 at 8 pm I got an email saying that the repair estimate is USD 699.99 plus tax, whaaaaaat?...I called right away asked them to send it back, this is crazy...
I just can not believe that this is a SONY, one of the biggest company in electronics/multimedia/movie industry.
I will never ever buy a sony anymore...
Below is the email that I got from Sony Repair:
Dear Valued Sony Customer
We have completed the repair estimate for your unit based on the
information you provided us. The estimated charge for your repair is
$699.99 plus applicable sales tax. Please contact us at your earliest
convenience by phone or email to approve or refuse this estimate. Our
contact information is listed below. To help us expedite your repair
please have your credit card number ready when you call. For your
security we do not suggest including your credit card number in an email
response.
Thank you for choosing Sony and feel free to contact us if you have any
questions regarding your service request.
Customer Information
Notification: 000300006324
Model : VGNFW280J/H
Serial : 28281639-3001748
Sony Service Contact Information
Location: SAN DIEGO, CA
Phone number: (866) 942-9667 9:00AM - 4:00PM PST
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Minor problems, nice computer
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| Review Date: October 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Vinicius C. Carvalho, Belo Horizonte Brazil |
Well, after a week using this computer, I have a few considerations for those wishing to get one:
Bad points
* Screen : Although very nice the 16" screens suffers from reflection, its a pain to get a good view position, bright environments makes it almost impossible
* Battery: The worst I ever had: Lasts less than 90 minutes with bright dimmed
* Keyboard: Really, really bad. the individual keys makes a lot of noise, and its somehow hard to press them, not as good as Macbooks
* Software: Every single software installed from Sony are broken (Vaio update, crashes all the time)
* Temperature: The place you are supposed to rest your right hand, next to the stickers is really hot (maybe HD is beneath it)
Good points:
* Graphic card is really nice
* Sound: Good sound speakers
* Appearance: Its a Vaio no need to go further, very nice, beautiful piece of hardware
* Silent: Really quite, really nice to use
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Horrific Service from Sony -- **LEMON**
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| Review Date: October 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jeff Westover, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| I purchased this on 9/2/09 and received it from Amazon on 9/4/09. I was thrilled with everything about this laptop as it had just what I was looking for. After dealing with and deleting the massive amount of bloatware Sony put on the thing I loaded up Microsoft Office Professional about a week later. The next day, the laptop inexplicably started typing on it's own -- I couldn't even log on to windows. I called Sony, worked for about an hour trying various things before they determined my keyboard was faulty and it would require service. It took five days but I was impressed when the technican came to my office and fixed it right in front of me. Problem was, changing out the keyboard didn't solve the problem. The tech diagnosed the mother board and ordered it in on the spot. It came and after watching him totally disassemble the thing on my desk about a week later it was determined the replacement board Sony sent was bad. By now, I had had my new laptop about three weeks, having used it for only about six days. I waited another couple of days for another board to arrive and a few more days beyond that for the tech to come to my office. He came, we had a nice chat while he did it all again and got it running. Here it is a week later now - and it is doing it again. I called Sony today and told them that I had been patient enough and just wanted a new unit that they could just swap out the hard drive on. They said no, that I have to send it in to their "service" center -- it'll be another month. So, here I am out $1200 and no laptop. There was no talking to Sony. They apologize but do nothing to make this right. I travel extensively and need a reliable machine to conduct business. I have had good luck with Sony in the past but never again will I use them. AVOID AVOID AVOID. I doubt very much they can get this resolved by the time the 12 month warrantee is up. In this economy I cannot see why any company would want to treat a customer in this fashion. I have such a lack of confidence in this machine and in Sony that I plan to sell this lemon as soon as I get it back. I'm in the market for a new machine now -- and it won't be a Sony. |
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October 1st, 2009
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Posted in Sony | 
Tags: 16.4inch, Asin, brown, Laptop, Sony, Sony Vaio, Sony Vaio Vgn, vaio, vgnfw465jt
