Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO VGN-FJ170/B 14.1" Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 740, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dobule Layer/DVD+/-RW Drive)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was hesitant to order this notebook from amazon after hearing all the stories about how this notebook seems to come in an "open box". I mustered up the courage (figuring that 8 or nine people wrote reviews, but amazon has certainly sold more than 8 of these).

Anyways, when the UPS man came, I was keeping my fingers crossed. I opened the shipping box and what did I see...the sony box with the sticker broken...I opened the box, but everything inside seems to have been unopened...making me think that this sony sticker probably broke because of rough handling. That thing is so delicate, If you try to move the lid of the box, it will break.

In any case, looks like the notebook and everything that comes with it new (battery, charger, etc.), so I am OK.

The notebook seems to work fine. I have used it mostly for e-mail, internet, and some work. Just today, I created a recovery DVD....just in case. I hope this notebook will last. My previous vaio purchase was a desktop 3.5 years ago, its running solid until now.

The battery life seems OK. It has lasted me upwards of 2 hours on a single charge, a few times.

Oh, I was pleasantly surprised to find an AV/out jack, which works well. So when there is some streaming videos to watch, I will hook it up to the telly. This AV/out jack is not at all publicized in any marketing materials. I know for sure that this is missing on the bigger 15.4" vaio FS series models.

Overall, I am happy so far. The form factor and weight are perfect for me. not too small and not too heavy. Again, I hope this notebook will not have any reliablity problems over time.

I purchased this machiene from a large chain store about a week ago. I was thoughly impressed and completely satisfied with the FJ170 Black. But about 3 days after I purchased it I noticed a white streak across the screen, that hadn't been there before. I couldn't make it go away so I ended up taking it back to the store. We decided that it must have been some sort of weird screen burn in, that was rare becuase LCD's are not suppose to burn in. You could only see it on lighter backgrounds, like grey or light blue. Anyways, I ended up getting another one and taking that home.

I really wasn't expeting it to do it again, Sony is quality in my book (I have had a V505 for over 2 years, it is the only laptop that I have found that can stand up to my use!) So I went along normally using the FJ170 when I noticed another streak durring start up. I really didn't want to believe it as I really loved the laptop, but again, when I changed out the VAIO wallpaper on my desktop you could see the burning in of the white parts of the image. You could see the VAIO logo that was burned in!

I ended up taking this last on back and did not get another one, as I didn't want to go through it again. The only thing I can think that is casuing the problem is this new XBRITE-ECO screen (the S series seems to be just XBRITE), since I, nor anyone else I talk to has ever heard of a laptop LCD burning in. Just be aware that this could happen to you.

I bought this notebook from a brick store as an emergency replacment after my brand new FS742 was stolen a week before I had to leave for South Africa. I have used this extensively for the last 2 months and am generally satisfied with it, except for one incident. A week into my trip, the DVD drive hung up and there was no way for me to re-boot the notebook. So I ended up holding the power button for a short while after which the notebook started asking for a bios level password (which I had never set) and stopped loading Windows. Extended web searches did not yield any help and I ended up taking this to Sony Support, South Africa which fortunately was close to where I was living.

I was told that the FJ and BX series notebooks can not have their bios level passwords removed by any of the usual methods suggested over the web (dummy passwords, re-setting the CMOS battery etc.) Apparently both these notebooks have some sort of new extended security feature. Each time I would reboot the notebook, it would generate a temporary bios security number. This number was needed to generate a bios password from some servers in China (I am not kidding). If I'd reboot the notebook after 3 failed attempts, it would generate a new security number. Apparently this was to make sure stolen Notebooks with bios paswords can only be re-activated with proper identification.

I had to leave the notebook with the Sony folks who managed to get it un-locked for me but only after making copies of my id, passport etc. Fortunately I was not charged for the service and they could not figure out why this happened in the first place. Other than that, it's worked quite fine for me. I've bought a regular sized Logitech wireless media mouse to go with it which has worked out quite well (the volume control buttons on the mosue are very handy) and use a Kensington case that fits this notebook very well. It's a good sized notebook, not too big and not too small with quite a few features (and though the camera is cool, I have hardly ever used it and should not really influence one's buying decision).

Generally, I like this laptop. Everything is perfect such as display, weight, and heat release. But don't buy it here. Why? because I got an openbox laptop. Need to ship it back and exchange for a unopen one.

I recieved an unopen box from sony, but on use, the note book would turn hot within 30 mins of use, sometimes even lesser than that. I dont know if that is the case with the FJ series or just the piece I recieved. I think the fan wasnt working properly. Or whatever else the reason was the notebook would turn too hot for use.

I ordered this laptop from Amazon despite reading the warning in the review below and indeed received an OPEN BOX!!

I am sending it back too and am not sure if I will receive an NEW unopened laptop if I was to reorder.

I wonder if any one in customer service can assure me this?

First view is great design/color; light weight, functional built in camera! After using you discover; plastic casing parting in front seam,keyboard loose on left side, and fan inefficient at cooling system.

I definiteley disagree with the ratings below! The fact that Amazon sent it with an open box does not mean that anyone should rate this item lower than what it deserves. Yes, I bought the notebook from an offline store, not online. So I didn't have the problem of an open box.

Other than the box issue, this laptop is definiteley fantastic. I had two other laptops before this. They made bad noises, and made me very angry since the noise was too much. This one is totally silent! Also, it is very light, thin and has nice appearance. Moreover, it has had no problems at all since I bought it. (I bought it just when it was released. At that time, my Compaq had just broken.)

There is no need for me to enumerate all the good features of the notebook here. What I can say, however, is that all the stated good features work perfectly. As a result, I would definiteley buy this laptop again.

I met the same problems as the other did. The seal of SONY on the box was broken. Obviously, some people returned it to Amazon. After checking all the items in box, nothing wrong. I decided to keep it and not return to Armazon. After running it fot two days, the machine works fine. I like it. Of course, the Amazon price is still very competitive and attractive. But if you would not like to take the risk, just try other shops.

Iam writing this review not because the laptop didnt function properly etc but because THE SEAL ON THE SONY BOX WAS ****BROKEN**** and yes, I did read other reviewers comments but I guess I was overoptimistic. The computer looks, feels new but how does it matter?? I know for a fact that it was opened before it got to me so who knows how long this is going to run??

I bought this peice as a gift for someone and I dont have time to do the returns and exchanges. But I would feel very frustrated if there is a defect with the laptop and it stops working for that reason. What would be pathetic would be if amazon knew that these laptops are returns and may have a problem but are still selling them. That sucks..