I needed to make a few adjustments to become happy, though. Out of the box, it was VERY slow for an i5, mostly due to the Sony bloatware. Even after I removed the majority of the Sony bloatware, it still didn't seem as quick as it should be. I decided to upgrade the HDD to a solid state drive. I put in an Intel 520 series 180 GB, which although is smaller, it's more than I need for a part time portable laptop (I did check with Sony and they indicated swapping out the HDD would void the warranty, but if I had issues I could easily put the old one back in for service). I also added in another 8 GB memory chip (12 GB total now). The SSD and more RAM difference was huge. The laptop is now MUCH quicker and boots up and shuts down in less than 15-20 seconds.
Overall, it's hard to call it an ultrabook at 3.8 pounds, but it is very light and portal for a laptop that has an optical drive. I agree with others that most of the time, you don't really use an optical drive on a laptop, but it sure is better to have a built-in one than external on the few times you usually need it.
The display is a matte finish and more than adequete. I've seen clearer displays with a gloss screen, but it's clear enough, plus you don't get and glare or reflections with the matte finish. I like the white finish more than I originally thought I would. I also like the back-lit keyboard, but if I did have a complaint about it, it would be using it during the day. The keyboard keys are gray and the light is white. If it is not substantially dark, it is hard to read the keys. There are settings so you can set to only turn on the back-lit light when it detects darkness.
The mouse pad is a little sensitive, but after using it for a little while. It's not the best I've ever used (MacBook), but it's not the worst I've ever used.
I picked up the laptop during Amazon's lightning deals during Thanksgiving, and I'm happy with the purchase for $629. For me it was between this laptop and a ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH52. The ASUS lost out due to being $300 more, having Windows 8, had so-so reviews (a lot of complaints about touchpad), and there seemed to be some concern that HDD's were harder to upgrade due to proprietary connectors.
Buy Sony VAIO S Series SVS1311BFXW 13.3-Inch Laptop (White) Now
Get rid of the bloatware and you're good. Be warned though, these Sony power supplies will die on you. Not sure why but everyone I know who has a Vaio has had to buy another one.Read Best Reviews of Sony VAIO S Series SVS1311BFXW 13.3-Inch Laptop (White) Here
i bought this computer from Amazon warehouse in used-very good condition. i am extremely happy with the physical condition of the laptop. it looks brand new and the laptop itself is beautiful. i absolutely love the white, and it's the perfect size. now to the frustrating part... windows had been reinstalled so it isn't factory. none of the Sony drivers were included... this sucks, because there are quite a few features that won't work without them. for instance, the track pad was awful, painfully slow, and wouldn't do any of the things described (pinch to zoom etc) until i installed the proper driver from Sony support. missing battery drivers keep forcing hibernation. i couldn't even follow the steps in the start up guide because none of the top buttons will work without drivers. there are numerous other drivers that need to be downloaded as well, and some of them just won't install without the factory version of windows. I've had the laptop for 3 days now and I've spent those days chatting, emailing, and phoning Sony support trying to resolve issues without much luck. i really do love it, but i think i might have to return it if i can't get it running properly... also, if you are expecting any of the software mentioned in the description, it's not there either... I'd love to just do a clean factory reset, but you have to buy the disks from Sony, and i wasn't really expecting to have to put this much time and money into something i was planning on enjoying right out of the box.Want Sony VAIO S Series SVS1311BFXW 13.3-Inch Laptop (White) Discount?
Nice laptop. Color is simply awesome. Everything is great except the starting sound which freak out at times. that scratching sound is annoying.
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