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Review of Sony Vaio FW

Posted Jul 5, 2008 Daniel Shain

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Full review of Sony Vaio FW

The multimedia powerhouse that is the Sony VAIO FW-270j meets all your entertainment features and more in one attractive package. The 16.4" glossy 16:9 HD display in concert with the HDMI port and Blu-ray player give you all the tools you need for high quality video playback. With an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz CPU, 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD, it can handle most other computing tasks too. It's a little heavy and just fair on battery life, but it makes up for it with style points and multimedia prowess.

Design, Keyboard and Mouse

The FW-270J isn't lacking for grace. With a minimalist design featuring a Macbook-like silver chassis and black chiclet keyboard, you'll love looking at more than just the glossy display. The display rests on what looks like two large hinges, the rightmost of which has a glowing green band which is lit when the computer is on. Everything about the laptop looks very smooth except for the lid, which is strangely black matte. The keyboard itself lacks a number pad despite room for it but the keys are well spaced and are decent for typing. The trackpad is smooth and comfortable.

Multimedia Power

This VAIO comes with a Blu-ray player, HDMI, and a beautiful 16.4" glossy HD display. Although the display claims to be "Full HD 1080p" the resolution is a 720p 1600x900 (Sony explains that it's only 1080p "when connected to a compatible HDTV", which essentially means you can use it as a Blu-ray player for your TV). The backlighting was excellent and helped eliminate the glare, and the viewing angles were good enough that multiple people could easily watch a movie on it sitting side by side. There is also a set of multimedia buttons placed above the keyboard, one of which gives you access to Sony's helpful built in multimedia software.

Connectivity

The FW-270j has a standard slew of ports with a few nice additions. You'll find a card reader, audio in/out, VGA, HDMI and i.Link S400 (ie: mini FireWire) as well as an ExpressCard/34 slot and 3 USB ports. Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n was also included in the unit. The HDMI port is essential to any HTPC, and the list of other ports is enough to get most of your general computing jobs done.

Performance and Conclusion

This computer is a multimedia powerhouse with good internals but it lacked a GPU, which explains the score of 3235 on PCMark Vantage, although we were a little disappointed with the 74 on Worldbench. Battery performance was adequate for this type of laptop, with 101 minutes while watching a Blu-ray (enough time to actually finish it on one charge) and 181 minutes in general use. The downside of this laptop was that it is "just" decent in overall testing and it is a little heavy, but in return you are getting a beautiful laptop which looks as good as the HD video it is capable of easily playing.

Sony Vaio FW Technical Specifications

  • Processor 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile
  • Memory 3 GB
  • Harddrive 250 GB
  • OS Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
  • Weight 6.4 lbs
  • Screen 16.4
  • Screen resolution 1600 x 900
  • Graphic Card Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 MHD
  • Battery Life 5.5 hours

Pros

  • Beautiful and bright HD display
  • Blu-ray & HDMI
  • Runs coolly and quietly
  • Sleek minimalist design

Cons

  • Misleading 1080p sticker on front
  • All the other stickers too – they’re ugly
  • Speakers could be better
  • Matte lid is rough to the touch

Rate this review

Comments

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  • By: david mekano Oct 21, 2009 7:49 AM

    i need the price

  • By: david mekano Oct 21, 2009 7:49 AM

    i need the price

  • By: gcloty Oct 07, 2009 1:54 AM

    hello guys, i bought this laptop about 2 months ago and it is great!!! but i needed a smaller laptop for school so i got a 13inch one and now selling this. it is a vaio fw235...very clean i have installed microsoft office 2007 on it and i am selling it for $750 or better offer...if anyone wants it...feel free to email me at gagancloty@hotmail.com

  • By: Gustavo Sep 24, 2009 10:02 AM

    Hello guys, for all of you asking about this laptop I just bought it and it works great, i fully recommend it. The only issue is I recommend the one that comes with the true full hd display and not this one, since the XBRITE-ECO display sucks in viewing angles and contrast (contrary to what the review says).

    If you want to know the price, i bought it here on a great deal.

    Sony vaio FW sales with discount prices

    im from spain but if you are from other places you can buy it here:

    Sony vaio FW sales with discount prices

    see you!!

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  • By: fawad gul dar Jul 29, 2009 1:07 PM

    dear sir i want to purchase such a laptop which is bet for me in all aspect , gaming movies songs 3d man and other effect professional use and home

  • By: samjam333 Jul 18, 2009 11:06 AM

    i wanna know d price

  • By: arek Jun 20, 2009 5:13 AM

    Great deal for this price !!

    Regards Free Bet

  • By: Frank Skomial Jun 16, 2009 11:21 AM

    For extra $200 get version with full 1080 vertical resolution. For extra $100 get Blue Ray recorder/writer.

  • By: Reju.R.S Jun 16, 2009 11:16 AM

    I want to buy a good laptop of sony vaio.Also I need to know the prices of VAIO VGN-BZ15GN ?

  • By: kenny May 15, 2009 12:40 PM

    its just cool but need to know the price

  • By: rafi mezbah May 12, 2009 1:11 AM

    i need this from austria

  • By: James May 06, 2009 5:26 PM

    I need a laptop to read email, watch movies and surf the web. Can you tell me which labtop is best for me?

  • By: Naweed May 06, 2009 6:28 AM

    i need a laptop for graphic works by 3Ds MAX and After Effect programs, like rendering and spesial effects..... please tell me that wich one is bater for me cuse i dont know

  • By: chinyere May 03, 2009 10:19 AM

    i need a laptop but am confused cos i dont know which one to go for. basically, anything sony would serve. thanks,

  • By: badman Mar 13, 2009 3:41 PM

    nice laptop fits perfect on my lap

  • By: badman Mar 13, 2009 3:40 PM

    that is one bad laptop small enough to fit on top of my lap go shawty

  • By: badman Mar 13, 2009 3:40 PM

    that is one bad ass laptop small enough to fit on top of my lap go shawty

  • By: badman Mar 13, 2009 3:40 PM

    that is one bad ass laptop small enough to fit on top of my lap go shawty

  • By: SOFYA MINKOVA Feb 10, 2009 7:51 PM

    Which laptop is better for home users 1. Sony Vaio FW or 2.Toshiba Satellite L350-ST3702? I am more concern about speed internet. Thank you

  • By: abdul Feb 01, 2009 12:58 PM

    send me your laptpo reports, memory detail;s ram procecr and harddisk memoryy detail; and all models, price and picture

  • By: rasmus k Jan 23, 2009 3:22 PM

    i need the price

  • By: rasmus k Jan 23, 2009 3:22 PM

    i need the price

  • By: rasmus k Jan 23, 2009 3:19 PM

    i need the price

  • By: holly Jan 15, 2009 9:24 PM

    i love my vaio. the only con about it is how fast the battery dies. it says it should last 2-5 hours but it doesnt even last an hour.

  • By: ron Jan 15, 2009 1:18 AM

    I dearly love my vaio fw laptop in the extra large size. The battery doesn't last a long time, but with such a large screen, who would think it would ? No cramped feeling with this baby ! Perfect for those with large hands !

  • By: Thomas Teoh Dec 19, 2008 3:46 PM

    Just bought this unit. FW23g/w. If it's a car , it would be a caddie....power gruzzler and runs on stilts....sorry.... Vista ....

  • By: Thomas Teoh Dec 19, 2008 3:45 PM

    Just bought this unit. FW23g/w. If it's a car , it would be a caddie....power gruzzler and runs on stilts....sorry.... Vista ....

  • By: arjun Dec 17, 2008 8:10 AM

    i really want a laptop please help me

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