Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO VGN-FE880E/H 15.4-inch Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66 GHz Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD RW Drive, Vista Premium)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've had this computer for a week, and have overall been very happy with my purchase. I was debating between the Sony and a similarly-spec'ed Toshiba that's also available on Amazon. I paid extra for the Sony because of their reputation for quality. After doing some extensive research, it seemed that Sony had the least amount of consumer complaints out there on their laptops compared to Dell, Toshiba, HP, and Gateway. And Sony's service seems to be highly regarded. I was willing to pay extra for the peace of mind. I was also considering a MacBook from Apple, but the bottom line is that you get much more computer for the money when you go the PC route.

Windows Vista is very slick, and actually imitates all of the things that I liked about the MacBook. It's always scary getting on board with a new OS when it's still in its infant stages, but for the most part, Vista has been solid. It's definitely an upgrade over 2000 or XP. There are times where it doesn't run as fast as I'd like, but any slow-downs in processing are few and far between.

A word of advice if you're shopping for a new computer: if you're going with a Windows Vista machine, I would not suggest getting less than 2GB of RAM. I know Microsoft recommends 1GB, but to me, that doesn't cut it. Out of the box, Windows Vista was already using well over 600K of RAM, and that's with the bare minimum running (Norton, Wireless Internet, sidebar gadgets, etc).

Pros:
-Core 2 Duo processor runs like a dream
-Camera and microphone built in (like a MacBook)
-Best screen of all laptops in this category
-Windows Vista Home Premium is a major upgrade over XP
-Sony has decent consumer ratings on their laptops
-Boots-up quickly, initial setup was very easy

Neutral:
-Battery life is around 2 hours
-Weight is over 6 lbs, so not ideal for frequent travel
-Average speakers

Cons:
-More expensive than other manufacturer's machines
-RAM not expandable past 2GB
-Hard drive capped at 160 GB
-Vista Home Premium CDs not included

I'm giving the product 4 stars because of the cost compared to similar models from other companies. Otherwise, I'm very satisfied with my purchase, and I don't think you can go wrong with the Sony. If I can get over five years out of it with no hardware problems, I'll be a Sony customer for a long time.

Overall the Sony FE880EH is a great value for the futures being offered.
There are a few minor imperfections about this laptop, but I highly
recommend. The features that you get with this laptop is of good value.

PROS:

1. The monitor is excellent and even bright enough when I am in the
office or outside. By far, Sony's screens are the best.

2. Hard drive and RAM are large enoughto run several programs and to run
Windows Vista.

3. The design and look is simple and elegant.

4. Price is great especially with the value you're getting.

NEUTRAL:

1. Sound is not the best, but it works fine.



CONS:

1. There are no bootable CD's and detailed manuals that came with
the notebook. All can be found on the internet.

2. Windows Vista tends to slow down when you click the Start Button >
All Programs. There is a delay when you scroll through all of the
applications. I would notice that the hard drive would be intensively
working minutes after the computer was booted up.

3. Windows Media Player has about 3-4 second delay before playing any
.mp3 music with this notebook.

4. The battery's life is very short. It lasts about 1.5 - 2 hours under normal usage.

5. The power supply is short.

6. The positioning of the USB should be on the back not all on the sides.

UPDATE December 17, 2009***
Well, I would not recommend this nor any Sony laptop. I am sad to say that I have found out that the motherboard is a typical failure for Sony laptops and now I have a giant paperweight. Imagine my surprise to have a computer technician tell me that. Oh well, back to IBM/Lenovo

Strengths: Quality product as expected from Sony; accepts a multitude of discs - DVD-+R; DVD -+RW; DVD -+DL and of course CD versions. Quickly started the very first time (10 minutes); quick boot up daily (less than 2 minutes). The 15.4" screen size is perfect for easy viewing as well as for travel. The touchpad is very easy to use; I don't feel the need to use my Wireless Laser 6000 mouse. Freebies and trials are neatly tucked away until you want to select them.

Neutral: The battery is just standard, I get 2 hours max off the charge. The disc drive is on the left side of the computer. All 3 USB ports are on the right side (could cause a problem for a left-handed person wanting to use a wireless mouse). The Intel Centrino T5500 Duo processor seems to perform effectively. I would have preferred to go with a higher processor speed (T7200) but then you get less hard drive space. I suppose this is to offset paying higher prices. I have not used the built-in camera & microphone yet.

Weaknesses: The 15.4" model only has 160G hard drive; speakers are not very powerful; no Lightscribe technology available; Only LE version of Roxio is included (HP provided a Basic version which includes more dvd burning features for free) Of course, every manufacturer bundles advertisements on their product to boost sales.

You can buy another series of Vaio and get Blu Ray disc capability for more $$. Lightscribe uses special discs that allow you to create a cd/dvd label and burn it directly on the disc. Very nice - but, HP's Notebooks are having trouble with Vista. The Sony FE880E/H has operated flawlessly for me the 3 days I have owned it.

Overall: Every Sony product I have purchased has been of high quality. I love the compatibility to my digital camera, digital music player, HDD Camcorder; and my DVDirect to the Vaio Notebook.

I have experienced the HP dv9233cl (I actually purchased twice and returned it twice) with Windows Vista Home Premium since its release January 30th. That is why I went with Sony Vaio. I applaud Sony for not bundling unstable hardware on their products (like Lightscribe). There are a multitude of conflicts with MS Vista and HP, none found so far with MS Vista and Sony.

If you are shopping around, check the MS Vista computer rating for the Notebook you intend to purchase. It is an indicator of how you can expect your computer to perform in the future. It gives you a score for your computer based on how it would work with different software. The FE 880E/H is rated 3.1; the HP 9233cl I had is rated 4.5 on a 5.0 scale. If Sony and HP got together ... boy oh boy.

If you are into gadgets like I am, this is definitely worth the money. I would suggest that you invest in the Lojack for computers. What a great invention (I should have thought of it!)

UPDATE March 1, 2007
Sad to say but, I found an incompatibility with my Vaio. My SE W710i can not be synchronized with the Vaio because of Windows Vista. I can synch with my IBM T41 via Bluetooth and USB.

I don't know if it is the crippling Windows Vista or the Sony Vaio hardware (despite it's high specs), but this is a VERY slow computer and it gets worse as you use it. Sometimes it takes minutes for applications to operate... they run on "not working" mode with that stupid circle.... and I got a bonus... windows vista stopped working and it won't start now. And bingo, Vaio doesn't provide you with any recovery CD... and the recovery software doesn't work at all... really that's just a joke. That's why I bought a mac book and am happy to jump out of Microsoft's tests on us. I refuse to be a lab rat... and Sony... well, also a brand that seems to belong to the past. No service, low quality. Too bad.

I bought this laptop off-the-shelf when my old laptop's hinges broke. I'm an IT guy - I have used lots of laptops, by lots of manufacturers, and this is hands-down the worst I've encountered.

Contrary to what some reviewers have said, Sony's were not the most expensive laptops; in fact, I talked myself into buying this one based largely on the price. That was a mistake, for the reasons that follow.

Pros:
- Was available off the shelf with reasonable specs
- Uses mostly decent hardware
- Integrated webcam
- Quick setup out-of-the-box
- Reasonably impressive specs (but comes with Vista, which undoes much of that value)

Cons:
- Keyboard is flaky (one of my keys died after a year, others have problems and are dying, and nearly half of them have popped off randomly at least once)
- Mouse pad is flaky (often stops responding for a couple minutes)
- WiFi card crashes a lot (will refuse to turn on; will turn on but not find any networks when I am right next to a router; will find networks with good signals and not connect; will connect but not send anything)
- Hard drive is non-standard (can't replace it with non-Sony drives)
- Hard drive is often very slow
- Battery life is terrible (less than 1.5 hours at full power, less than 2 on power saver mode) - whoever said it got 4 hours was either lucky, wrong, or using an upgraded battery
- CD/DVD drive is *loud*
- Integrated speakers are terrible
- Integrated microphone is terrible, even by laptop standards
- Laptop gets *EXTREMELY* hot, even in standby. I actually worry about it starting a fire (this does happen; a friend's laptop ignited her coffee table in the middle of the night; no defects were ever identified).
- Screen latch is badly placed and frequently flips up while I'm using the computer
- Screen hinges seem weak and flaky; they feel weaker every day, and I fully expect one or both to break in the near future.
- Screen design makes it impossible to hold the laptop in one arm when it's closed; no matter how you grip it or how lightly you hold it, you feel like you're crushing or at least badly bending the screen (because you are).
- Screen suffers random areas of burn-out where the backlight fails or becomes permanently and abnormally bright (this happened almost immediately when I got it, for no apparent reasons).
- Ergonomics? Awful. The wrist area is extremely uncomfortable.
- Windows Vista is wretched. Sure, it's pretty, but it has major speed and stability issues; performance is often lower than XP, which is why many manufacturers are continuing to offer XP, even though Microsoft is trying to phase it out. Simple tasks like moving and copying files take forever. The hardware demands are also tremendous.
- Too much pre-installed random software. Cleaning it up is a real chore.
- Shortcut keys (mute, volume up and down) randomly start and stop working - the mute key will often light up when pressed, but fail to mute the speakers, for example. Sometimes, they reverse their functions, and do the opposite of what they're supposed to do.
- Screen brightness is too narrow a range. I often can't get it bright enough in certain settings, but can't turn it down enough when working in dim light.

Given the chance to do it over again, I would happily pay a few hundred dollars more for a different manufacturer, even if it meant giving up a little on the specs. This laptop is simply not worth the money, and after only 13 months of ownership I'm already contemplating replacing it in the near future.

This laptop is a worthless piece of junk! I am so angry right now, that I don't even know where to begin. Disc drive is cheap and flimsy, windows vista is horrendous, keyboard has broken twice and Sony had to send someone to do something to the "motherboard". It took 3 months for them to respond the first time. For some reason, it doesn't seem to be compatible with Apple's Itunes. Everytime you download pictures, they go to several different places, whether you want them to or not, each one more confusing than the next. Mouse pad is touch and go. You can not play any sort of game that requires fast mouse movement. I could go on and on. Please consider a different laptop.

I bought this as a present to my son, and here's what he has to say:


Sure I can tell you about my new Sony Vaio VGN FE8800E.

It's a great laptop with all the features you want for work as well as entertainment. The Windows Vista premium that comes with it is amazing and works perfectly fine since I've had it (about 4 weeks now). Especially the speech recognition program which allows you to use your computer without even touching the keyboard but by only by dictating through a microphone (i.e.: "Start Documents" "Open pictures".. or "Start Word" and then just dictate a whole document!!!)

Everything is great about this laptop, the keyboard which is very smooth, the screen wide and so clear it gives you a home cinema experience when watching movies. The battery lasts long, about 4 hours autonomy which is good if you're on the road or traveling. It has a a webcam and a microphone integrated so it is very convenient for video messaging. I really enjoy the whole display and how you can switch from one program or window to the other in a very smooth manner like the Apple Macbooks.

I haven't had any problem whatsoever ever since I own it, so I can say that in general I am extremely satisfied with the Vaio VGN FE8800E.

I bought this laptop a year back... it was too good in performance and clarity. No doubt it is sony product...

My CD drive started giving issue... not able to write anything, but working fine if I am trying to watch any movie. I contacted Sony CustomerCare and they are asking me to pay $300 to replace the Drive.

I checked the internet, there are lot of people complaining about the Drive... but sony not accepting the "fault" in the Drive... THINK BEFORE BUY!!!

I am very satisfied with the performance of the computer. I am not very satisfied with the documentation that came with it. No advice was given on the possible problems that Vista might cause with incompatible software, and I had big trouble: upon installing Photo Impression 5, the DVD drive stopped working, and System Restore did not help, or work at all. Had to call Sony support to finally (10 days later) resolve the problem. Solution consisted in reconfiguring the computer from the start, which led to loss of data and the consecuent aggravation.

I have had nothing but problems with this laptop. The DVD cannot read half the discs that I put in it. The audio doesn't work. There are all kinds of preinstalled programs on here that i can't uninstall. To boot, the customer service is terrible. I never had these problem by IBM.