Sony VAIO VGN-Z610Y/B 13.1-Inch Widescreen (Black)

For the casual user who needs to browse the web, run basic multimedia, and edit documents, this is a very nice laptop. The fingerprint security system was easy to set up but can occasionally take many tries afterwards to recognize the main user. The screen is wide and offers excellent clarity.

There is no keypad section, which would be a big plus if you are someone who needs to enter numbers and calculations often.

It is weak on processing power and can take forever to boot up, a notoriety with Sony's Vaio bloatware. If you can manage to whittle down on the unnecessary software, this unit can run quite steadily.

First let me say I have always been very pleased with Amazon.com. Several years back I had a bad experience with E-Bay and stayed away from internet purchases altogether. I eased back into internet purchases with Amazon and have been thoroughly pleased ever since. As a matter of fact, Amazon out did themselves this time. I placed my order for this laptop on Thursday May 28 with standard shipping through Advancity. It arrived the VERY NEXT DAY! I love Amazon!

Anyway, now that I got that out of the way, I am very happy with my purchase. After many days of research I decided what features were most important to me. 2.4 Ghz speed was sufficient. 4GB DDR3 SDRAM was hard to find in a laptop, but this one had it. 320 GB SATA hard drive (7200 RPM) was also hard to find but this one had it too. I also wanted Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit. If I feel like it, I can always replace it with Windows Microsoft 7 when it becomes available. The 13 inch wide screen is just right. It's weight is only an incredible 3.2 pounds. Battery life seems to be O.K. although I frequently keep my laptop plugged in. It looks and feels great. I really don't have any major complaints. This Sony product is another in a long list of Sony products I own including a 40 inch Bravia LCD TV, digital camera and Bluray player. There are some complaints about the price of Sony products, but I think you pretty much get what you pay for.

When evaluating products for purchase, I feel it's really important to first decide which features are most important to you and are they practical. Price of course fits in there somewhere.

UPDATE: It's been over two weeks since my new Sony laptop arrived. I am still very pleased, especially since I paid Advancity $1,729.00 and today's price is $2.199.00 from Techno Intelligence. Over a $400.00 price increase. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned here. I usually like to see a lot of positive reviews to comfort me in my purchase. Maybe it's not always bad to be the first to buy and review.

UPDATE: Now the computer is no longer for sale. What does this all mean?

UPDATE: Now the computer is $1,999.00. It is a great computer. Pick your price.

UPDATE: March 25, 2009. My Sony Laptop is still going strong. I have no major complaints. The fingerprint identification works well except it takes some getting used to. You have to run your finger over the sensor precisely the same way each time in order to get it to recognize you. I bought a Windows 7 upgrade but haven't installed it yet. I've had absolutely no problems with Vista.

In case anyone is interested, I signed up with an internet company called IYOGI to solve and fix computer problems. On a few occasions where I got over my head they came to the rescue. They are in India (yes, I know) but they have never let me down. They've done an excellent job. On one occasion where they were stumped, they actually sent someone to my home to fix the problem. Incredible! Look into it. Oh yeh, a refurbished model is now $1850.00 Over $100.00 more than I paid new.

Buy Sony VAIO VGN-Z610Y/B 13.1-Inch Widescreen (Black) Now