Sony VAIO PCG-TR1AP Laptop (900-MHz Pentium-M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 30 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)
Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
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(5 out of 5)Best ultra laptop on the market!
This laptop has made me way more effective!
If you're the busy Silicon Valley type needing to VPN into work to check email, etc. this is the laptop for you.
The WiFi works great and the sexy small size makes it really easy to log into work from almost anywhere. The screen is the best on the market - super bright and high res. The battery life is so long I don't mind cranking up the screen brightness to match the level its normally at when plugged in.
If you need to log into corporate domains or use Cisco as your VPN be sure to get the Sony TR1AP (XP Pro) model instead of the TR1A (XP Home). I bought the TR1A and trying running the Win XP Pro upgrade option to no avail (kept crashing at 34%). I ended up having to trade it back in and ordering the TR1AP to get Win XP Pro on it.
The 30 GB hard drive is partitioned into 2 15GB drives. I'm guessing they did this for the video capture option so you wouldn't accidently fill up your boot drive.
The Pentium M 900mhz CPU seems pretty speedy. I'm thinking about getting the memory upgrade to 1 gb since that'll probally make a bigger impact than anything else.
(5 out of 5)After a month of use....
I have to affirm how wonderful this laptop is... It may not be the right choice for someone who wants impressive 3D gaming, or a large screen with large font, but I have had not complaints at all. But then again, I like the small screen, the high resolution, the high contrast, the small keyboard (which some people think is too mushy, but I like b/c there is not much travel). This thing travels well, I don't need to bring the AC adapter along when I have been getting a solid 4 hr battery life. The speed is quite good. I have not upgraded to 1 GB of RAM yet, but so far I have been able to process MRI images and 3D reconstructions without a problem.
(2 out of 5)Great computer, except.....
I just bought this computer last week. The screen is very nice -- bright and crisp, although the text size on such a small screen could be a problem if you don't have great eyes. (This was my biggest worry about such a small screen, but its not a problem for me). The keyboard is small, but very useable for my medium-sized hands. The built-in CD burner works great, and performance is very acceptable in general MS Office applications. Finally, the battery power is just phenomenal (over 7 hours on std. battery) and the overall size of the computer is awesome!
There is one huge flaw though... the 900 mhz processor isn't strong enough to capture mini-DV video from my camcorder. The recordings come out choppy and are totally worthless. Despite working with Sony Customer Service, and changing many advanced settings, the processor just doesn't have enough power. I haven't tried doing a straight copy of a retail DVD, so I'm not sure if it would work, but if it does, I'm sure it would take a LONG time.
Bottom line, if you don't want to make copies of any video material (to the hard drive or an external DVD writer), and your eyes are good, I'd recommend this computer. If you want to do anything with video material, go for something with a much more powerful processor. I guess you still can't have everything (small size, good battery life, fast processor) all in one package.
(4 out of 5)The Little Engine That Can
I purhased a TRIA last week and have een very impressed with it. The TRIAP was not available and were it so, I would have sprung the additional money for one considering the latter has XP Pro. The only complaint I have about this machine is a problem with resolution of the screen. On boot up, desk top is condensed prompting you to activiate the magnification button situated on the monitor panel. Since this has to be done evey time you boot up, it's an annoyance and I'm not sure if it can be adjusted. I've tried going through Control Panel resolution settings to no avail, even with Sony Personnel by phone. Other than that, the machine is quite a wonder and gets comments wherever I go. With WI FI, you never have to worry about picking up the internet in places like Starbucks or the airport or so I have read. I use it from the office to home and it picked up the home wireless immediately after configuring it.
As for the controversial fact that it's only a 900 mgherz model, I haven't noticed any limitations yet. As a subcompact notebook, the TRIA is a great accomplishment of Sony. The long battery life thanks to Centrino technology, the WIFI and built in camera for teleconferencing makes this machine a little wonder.I know you'll enjoy it!
(3 out of 5)Good small laptop, but too expansive!!!
The Fujitsu has a simular product, and it is about $300~$500 less than this SONY TR1AP (of course not as stylish). I really like SONY TR1AP's small and stylish design, but this laptop is way too expansive for it's feature.
I think I will wait for a little while for the price to drop then I will change it to a 5 stars.