Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P 4.5-inch Laptop Review
Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P 4.5-inch Laptop Review from drum_r. Nice Notebook PC but High Price, I have had my UX280 for about two weeks now and I’ve had no major disappointments with it. Being a previous owner of numerous palmtops and PDA, I have to keep reminding myself this is a REAL computer, in spite of its small size. It comes preloaded with tons of demo/trial software (Norton Internet Suit, Roxio, Microsoft Contact Manager, Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006, a few generic titles…) I elected to remove most of it and I used my own personal registration info for the Office 2003 which comes preloaded on the unit.
With the least amount of software loaded I’m using about 10GB of hard drive space. About 7GB of the 40 GB HDD is used as a diagnostic partition and for reloading software. There is another 7GB which is just there and inaccessible by me via Windows XP. There is no guidance from Sony regarding why the drive is set up this way.
I elected to purchase the Sony 4GB Memory Stick, the 2-yr warranty and the Sony external FireWire DVD/CD drive as additional storage. The unit works fine with typical USB devices and I configured a TCP/IP network printer, which works well with my in-house Wi-fi router. So far all of the advertised gadgets, cameras, HDD protection, biometrics, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work as expected. I have had a few challenges getting the ($349) FireWire drive to work property with Norton’s Ghost 2006.
I do most of my serious typing with the UX280 while it’s in the port replicator and connected to an external display, keyboard and mouse. This provides the flexibility to use my portable computer to perform the same functions as my desktop PC, which is great; however, it sometimes “forgets” about the external FireWire drive.
I think Sony could have done a better job with the design of the small keyboard. It’s not very easy to press just one key when you’re typing quickly with regular man hands. Still, it’s manageable if you take your time.
It has a “portrait” mode you can switch to on the fly but it’s almost impossible to use because of the screen width size (or lack thereof). The Tablet PC interface is sort of cheesy too.
I wish the unit came with a printed manual but most things don’t these days. The documentation is on the unit itself and, if you have not noticed already, the screen is very small. I tried using the “Zoom” feature but it requires much effort to read a book using it. Nevertheless, the documentation is very well written and explains the full operation of the UX280 if you’re willing to read it. Sony’s support site has a fairly decent Q&A section and along with all of the current drivers for the UX280.
Overall, this unit performs just like any other $2000 portable computer. It’s a nice gadget if you have the cash to spend. It comes with everything you need right out of the box, including an inexpensive but useful carrying case.
The UX280 is a good product and I would give it a higher rating if it didn’t cost so much.
To check price or purchase Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P 4.5-inch Laptop.