Sony VAIO VPC-YB15KX/S 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silver)

Bought this for my wife and she loves it. The keys have a good spacing between them, much better than cheaper flat style keys found on most laptops in this category. It is quick for most tasks, even playing HD video content, doesn't run hot and is quiet. I think specs are good for the price. Battery lasts 5 hour on average. It did cost a little more when it came out first, but now it's in the same ballpark as other Fusion-based laptops. Overall a very nice product from Sony.

So I bought this for traveling and I was expecting a decent Netbook from Sony. Unfortunately Sony only partly came through with that goal. I think it is a very good Netbook but not a good ultra portable. The positives first. The key spacing makes typing better but the with keys themselves are too small. Bigger keys closer together would have worked better. The screen is very sharp and bright. The features are nice with HDMI, VGA video outs. 3 USB ports and very good speed from the AMD Fusion APU which is Advanced Processor Unit. A CPU/GPU combination. It provides good graphics and Video playback.

OK here is the bad. The sound is awful! Get a pair of headphones because anywhere but a quiet room and you won't hear it.

Battery life is not great for a Netbook. Sony really skimped on the battery. Touchpad is too small, and even though it offers multi gestures you won't use them because its too small. The camera is very poor quality, the WiFi only connects up too 65Mbps in G and N mixed mode. Also experiences WiFi connection drops. The "Value Added" software from Sony is primarily redundent with Windows 7 already having tools to do the same functions better. They really slow the computer and cause the fan to run more. When I uninstalled most of the Sony software the computer ran much better. Why companies really handicap their own computers with this crap is beyond me? So in closing I think for the money Sony could have done better, but the saving grace of this computer is the very responsive AMD APU. Some have mentioned the HP model similar to the Sony's. I agree it does have a bit better battery specs. Although I found HP to have a much worse defect record so I passed on HP. You may find its worth the risk for the better specs.

Buy Sony VAIO VPC-YB15KX/S 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Now

Admittedly, I was looking for an 11 inch alternative to the Macbook Air. While I love the Air and Mac OS, the price is just ridiculous. Enter the Vaio. I love this little PC. Its the perfect size for travel in every aspect. The keyboard is generally full sized (aside from the shift button on the right) and the screen is wonderfully vibrant. But I'll go over the pros and cons.

PROS:

Portable & Slim : It has an 11 inch screen that plays HD movies wonderfully. Its body is slim and compact and fits in most netbook cases.

Smooth: The specs of this computer make it less like a netbook and more like a small laptop. Its smooth playing back HD video and is wonderfully snappy online.

Battery: This one is relative. The most I've gotten on medium brightness is 4 hours. That's pretty good all things considered. Its a pc after all, so battery life has never been all that great.

CONS:

Speakers: They're pretty bad. They don't go very loud at all and even then, they sound tinny. Not that big a deal for me personally, but it should be noted.

FAN: For the love of all that is good and mighty, I wish the fan was a bit quieter. If a room is completely quiet, its pretty annoying.

Body: While I love the design of the PC a lot, I noticed that the lid already has some light scratches. It scratches pretty easily.

Games: While on paper it looks like it could play games, it's actually a little too basic to play heavier games

I would but NO CD DRIVE under cons but for this size, an omission is acceptable. I wish the keyboard had a backlight but that's no big deal either. All in all, I recommend this PC. Its a great cheap alternative to a Macbook Air.

SOME TIPS:

1) When you get it, optimize the Windows 7 settings to "netbook style" so that it can work way faster.

2) Uninstall half the crap that Sony installed.

3) Buy it in black. If it scratches you won't notice.

Read Best Reviews of Sony VAIO VPC-YB15KX/S 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Here

I bought this small notebook to replace a Toshiba netbook that I used when riding the bus to and from work. I already have a top of the line Vaio notebook, and this little machine cannot compare to it. But I knew it couldn't, just as I know I don't want to lug my big Vaio on the bus. And this little notebook is so much more potent than my Toshiba netbook while only being about an inch wider and perhaps a half pound heavier. If you want a powerful notebook, I recommend a top of the line Vaio, not this little one. But if you are looking for a netbook, consider this ultra small notebook instead. The slightly heavier weight and size are well worth the extra power and speed over a true netbook.

Want Sony VAIO VPC-YB15KX/S 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Discount?

I recently purchased a Sony Vaio Y series 11.6" laptop, and I am almost fully satisfied. Great display (1366x768 LED), comfortable keyboard, acceptable webcam, 4GB RAM and 500GB Hard Disk. SD and MS card reader, HDMI socket for HD connection, Bluetooth and WiFi connections are desired features. Major drawback is video capability... Video RAM is shared within the system RAM. I wish it could have better display card built in. Last thing is about the battery, unfortunately battery life is not so long as it was advertised (6 hours...), but only 3.5 hours, or 4.0 hours max. As the conclusion; this laptop is the best one to be purchased on this price...