Acer Review, Asus Review – Netbook 10

The entire tech blogosphere is buzzing about Sony’s final submission into the netbook market with the 10″ Vaio W that will be hitting stores next month! Some are happy that Sony is finally admitting that the netbook market is worth joining (after all, the Vaio P isn’t a netbook but a ‘lifestyle PC’), others are mad that the Vaio costs $500 (an average $100 more than other netbooks with the same specs), and yet others are gaga over the gorgeous artistic pink touch pad (okay, that may just be me).

But this post is different. This post will help YOU decide whether or not you NEED the Vaio W. Does the Sony aesthetic mark make it completely worth it? Do the sleek streamlined accompanying bags in matching color justify the bloated price? Or do the ordinariness of the specs make it just another netbook?

Let’s start with the reasons you SHOULD consider the Vaio W.

High Resolution – 1,366 x 768 pixels

This is Sony’s main selling point, the fact that the Vaio W’s resolution is higher than the standard 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. Hmm… the 11″ Asus 1101HA and  Aspire AO751 will have the 1366 x 768 resolution, as do the 10″ HP Mini 5101, Gigabyte M1022 and the Gigabyte T1028M.

*Note: the HP Mini 5101 will cost $450.

Sony Style – Top notch quality and looks

It’s a fact, Sony = great quality and great looks. (Like you’ve never bought anything based on looks. Right.) A concern usually associated with low price netbooks is that they are made of poor quality materials and won’t last long. With Sony you don’t have to worry about that. (Look at the extra $100 as an investment, perhaps?)

Beside, it comes in white, pink and brown! (Forget about pink being awesome, that’s a given.) But the brown. That’s just so beautiful and so different. Also, the touch pad is stunning. Also, it has a chiclet keyboard. Also, according the Japanese Sony website, the plastic chasis of the netbook is soft to touch. Also, it comes with great looking streamlined sleeves that match the color of the netbooks perfectly. That’s quite a lot.

Faster Intel Atom N280 processor.

Of all the Intel processors, the N280 has the fastest bus speed at 667 MHz – even faster than some of the Z series. (The Z series are more power efficient). Read more about Intel processors.

Great marketing video that shows how sleek the it is.

And the reasons you should NOT buy the netbook.

It costs $500 for standard specs

That’s a 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Windows XP (no free Windows 7 option eh Sony? Lame), Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, webcam, 2 USB ports, VGA port (Sony always gets this part right), SD card readers. The standard going rate for this stuff is between $330 and $400. You can get the Asus 1000HE for $375, and it comes with the N280 processor too.

With the Vaio W, you’re really paying for the brand name, and the high quality and great looks you’re guaranteed from Sony.

*By the way, it weighs 2.6 pounds. Not too shabby… not too impressive either.

Ships with a 3 cell battery, means you have to pay more for the 6 cell.
Even I have to admit that Sony missed the mark with batteries (even with the Vaio P – 4 hours of battery only?!). And the Vaio W is sporting a sign that says 2 hours. ONLY TWO HOURS?!? You have no choice but to buy the 6 cell option – made available in September for around $130. (Or you can get a spare 3 cell only 2hour battery for $90.) I just convinced myself (self-assigned Sony Vaio cheerleader) that this netbook is actually too expensive. Aya. :(

Bottomline

The Vaio W costs $500 + $100 for the better battery + $25 for the sleeve, that’s about $625. Compare that to the $900 Vaio P with which you get a lot more value, and to the $375 Asus 1000HE with which you get the exact same functionality (+ 9.5 hours of battery life).

I can’t believe I’m going to say this… I do not recommend you buy the Vaio W. Too expensive, not enough bang for your buck.

(If in fact, you choose to ignore my awesome well reasoned advice, you can pre-order the Vaio W at Sony’s online shop. The different colors are available at different dates – all in August.)

Related posts:

1. Review: Sony Vaio P the lightest and best looking Netbook
2. Sony USA offers Limited Edition Vaio P with 256GB SSD!
3. Sony Vaio P accessories
4. Hurry! Get $200 off your Vaio P with Verizon Wireless
5. Computex 2009: ECS T800 is the (cheaper) Android Version of Vaio P!!

Filed under: Uncategorized