Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/B 11.1-inch Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dbl Layer Drive)

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 10.7 x 1.2 inches ; 2.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000J43MR0
• Item model number: VGN-TXN15P/B
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 28, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Take a load off your shoulders when you're racing for your plane with the sleekly designed and ultra-portable Sony Vaio VGN-TXN15P/B notebook PC, which weighs just an amazing 2.84 pounds and offers a sleek, durable carbon-fiber case in black and silver. And with 5 to 11 hours of standard battery life, it has the stamina to power you through your most demanding applications. With the integrated wireless WAN, you can access the national Sprint Mobile Broadband service to extend your wireless coverage beyond LAN access networks and hotspots, giving you the freedom to go farther, do more, and stay connected. It also nicely balances form with function, thanks to the stylish, slim, and durable carbon-fiber casing and razor-thin 11.1-inch widescreen LCD panel (with XBRITE technology and a white LED backlight for brilliant colors and added clarity).

Sony takes security serious, and this laptop employs a biometric fingerprint sensor to ensure your data is protected from unauthorized use. Fingerprint biometrics is a convenient and secure way to protect your computer and the information on it with a simple swipe of your finger. It also stores passwords to secure web sites you visit, so authentication and access are quick and easy--you only need your fingerprint.

It's powered by Intel's 1.2 GHz Core Solo processor with ultra-low voltage for extended battery life. Other features include a shock-resistant 80 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (1.5 GB maximum), Bluetooth wireless capability (for connecting to peripherals such as PDAs, cell phones, and printers), a multi-format memory card reader, and Microsoft Windows XP Professional edition operating system. This is a Windows Vista capable PC, and it's also Windows Vista Premium ready.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM) is average in size for notebook PCs--but a bit larger than you'll find in comparable ultra-light notebooks. It offers more than enough capacity for storing documents and productivity software for road warriors. You'll also be able to store a good-sized digital audio library.

  The G-Sensor Shock Protection feature makes your data even less vulnerable to loss or damage. When the built-in 3-D acceleration sensor detects a risky movement like being dropped, the HDD-head will lock up to secure its position and protect the disc from scratching. An intelligent algorithm, unique to VAIO PCs, judges whether or not a movement is risky, activating disk drive protection only when your hardware is at risk.
  

• Processor: The Ultra Low Voltage Intel Core Solo U1400 processor offers a 1.2 GHz speed paired with a fast 533 MHz front-side bus and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) The Core Solo processor delivers enhanced performance for today's demanding applications such as CAD tools, 3-D and 2-D modeling, video editing, digital music, digital photography and gaming. And Intel's Smart Cache technology enables smarter, more efficient cache and bus design for enhanced performance, responsiveness and power savings.
  
• Memory: This laptop has two memory slots and comes loaded with 1 GB of DDR SDRAM (PC4200, 533 MHz DDR RAM; 2 x 512 MB), and it can be expanded to a maximum of 1.5 GB.
  
• CD/DVD Drive: The double-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 2.4x for DVD+R DL, 4x for both single layer DVD+R/-R, 2.4x for single layer DVD+RW, 2x for single layer DVD-RW, and 24x/10x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.
  
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 82-key keyboard (1.7mm stroke and 17mm pitch) and electro-static two-button touchpad as well as a wireless LAN on/off button. It also offers DVD/CD instant-on controls for play/pause/stop/volume/mute as well as a wireless network on/off button.

Screen, Graphics and Sound
The 11.1-inch XBRITE LCD has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels--perfect for watching movies in their intended 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Sony's Smart Display Sensor feature instantly adjusts resolution when you connect to a display or projector. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 128 MB of shared video memory. It also has an integrated audio card with Microsoft Windows sound system compatibility.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
This notebook features Sony's SmartWi technology, which seamlessly integrates wireless Wide Area Network (WAN), 802.11b/g wireless LAN and Bluetooth technologies, enabling you to toggle among your wireless connectivity options depending on your surroundings. With the Bluetooth connectivity, you can communicate and synchronize with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as PDAs and cell phones. You get a good offering of connectivity options, including both USB 2.0 and iLink (FireWire):

• 2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II, 32-bit)
• 1 headphone jack
• 1 microphone jack
• Port replicator connector
• Memory card slot, compatible with Memory Stick and Memory Stick DUO media with MagicGate functionality and Secure Digital Media (SD)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems). The optional Port Replicator unit also includes 3 additional USB 2.0, VGA, RJ-45, and parallel ports.

Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)
If you're the ultimate road warrior, you need to access the Internet and check e-mail without having to plug in your Sony Vaio notebook PC, and without cables to boot. Welcome to the world of WWANs (wireless wide area networks). With a WWAN, you can access critical network resources and home office files from the front seat of your car, the airport, the local coffee shop, or your recliner at home. This Sony TXN PC works with the Sprint Power Vision Network for wireless, broadband-speed connectivity.

The Sprint wireless broadband network covers more than 157 million people in 216 major metropolitan areas, as well as 486 airports across the nation. Later this year, Sprint expects to upgrade its network in select markets with EV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) technology so customers can experience broadband upload speeds as well. In 2007, Sprint will continue its aggressive rollout of faster EV-DO Rev. A technology. With this advanced technology, VAIO TX notebook users should expect to benefit from average download speeds of 450 to 800 kbps and upload speeds of 300 to 400 kbps in the markets where EV-DO Rev. A network improvements will be rolled out.

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Professional Edition (which adds Microsoft's IIS Web server, back-up and recovery utilities, Remote Desktop, and other enhanced business features) with Service Pack 2 featuring Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes loaded with a bevy of Sony multimedia software: Click to DVD (DVD creation) and DVgate Plus (digital video). Other pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works 8.5 (with word processing, spreadsheet, and calendar), Norton Internet Security (with 60-day subscription), and TrendMicro Anti-Spyware (30-day trial).

Dimensions and Weight
Amazingly small and light, this Sony TXN laptop weighs 2.84 pounds with standard battery and measures 10.7 x 1.23 x 7.7 inches (WxHxD).

Power
It's powered by the VGP-BPS5A lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which produces a battery life of between 5 and 11 hours.

What's in the Box
This package contains the VGN-TXN15P/B notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. (Sprint SIM card available separately.) It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty, and Sony offers 1-year of toll-free telephone technical assistance.

Product Description

Sony VAIO TX Series VGN-TXN15P/B Notebook Computer with 1.20GHz Intel Core Solo Processor U1400 CPU, 1GB (2x512MB) RAM, 80GB 4200RPM Hard Drive, Dual Layer DVD Burner, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Graphics, 11.1 in Widescreen Display, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Windows XP Professional SP2, 2.84LB.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Gem, November 22, 2006

By 

P. M. Gross - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/B 11.1-inch Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dbl Layer Drive) (Personal Computers)

The VAIO VGN-TXN15P/B and the VAIO VGN-TXN15P/W are identical except for case color so I am posting this review on both websites.

The Sony is really a little gem. People look at it and say "wow".

But, why would anybody pay more than $2,000. for this computer when a machine (even a laptop) with larger capacity, bigger screen, more USB ports, more memory, larger hard drive, better warranty and less expensive parts can bought for much less?

The answer is: a footprint smaller than a letter sized sheet a paper; full networking; a built in CD/DVD drive; built in fingerprint reader; bright, high resolution screen; a seven hour battery life even when networked; more than adequate memory and hard drive suitable for all but heavy graphics; the ability to play DVD's without starting up Windows and a total weight of less than 3 pounds.

My first concerns were: Can someone with "older" vision and reflexes actually read the screen and use the keyboard?

I found that, although bright and clear, the screen is definitely small. The saving grace is the Fn F10 key that immediately expands the central part of the screen by temporarily reducing the resolution to make viewing easier. The magnification feature on IE7 is also a big help.

(Note that the Fn F10 and resolution settings did not work when the computer arrived. The Sony customer service knee jerk reaction was to ask me to reformat the hard drive and reload the operating system. However, some digging on my part showed an undocumented advanced graphic media setting some six menus down in desktop - properties that needed to be changed.)

Also, regarding initial set up: I found I could not separate the Bluetooth, wireless lan and wwan settings and needed to talk with customer service again, but they were used to this call and quickly walked me through the network setup (incidentally, the wait time to talk to a techie was about 1 minute).

As with most laptops, the keyboard is flat, not tiered. It is full sized but unforgiving and a special effort to hit the keys dead center is required.

The Sony comes with a one year warranty. For the first two months of ownership, Sony will sell you their own extended warranty (with telephone service) but there is a catch. The extended warranty starts the day you bought your computer so that you lose the "free" one year. (If you buy the Sony two year extension, you get two years, not three).

Extra batteries, AC adapters, etc. are available through Sony at very high list prices (currently a 20% discount if buy when you register the computer on line). These parts are also available for less on web auction sites but be aware of the difference between a genuine Sony part and a generic part "made to fit" that might affect your warranty.

Sony's web site has extensive information on the computer (including the operating manual), warranties, parts, etc. and can be read by potential buyers.

In summary, based on many years of computer experience, I would NOT recommend the Sony as one's only computer. It is not meant to be a substitute for a good, large screen desktop or even a large portable model. Under any circumstances, with only two USB ports, either a port replicator or, at a minimum, a USB hub would be needed. Heavy users would also need extra memory and an external hard drive as well as better speakers. Indeed, for desktop use, I would probably give it 2 or 3 stars.

I also question whether, given its complexity, small size, extra effort needed to read and use, and, of course, high cost, it should be one's first computer.

However, as an experienced user, I find this Sony to be an outstanding travel computer. It has more than enough capacity to handle email, web browsing, Word, Excel, bill paying, and similar software. It is light, requires little space, does not need an external DVD, will simultaneously take a mouse and one additional USB device and, with the settings noted earlier, can be viewed easily enough.

Comments or questions welcome.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great portable laptop, January 15, 2007

By 

G. Berger (Bellerose, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/B 11.1-inch Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dbl Layer Drive) (Personal Computers)

This is our third laptop - second ulta-portable. Sony really did a nice job with this one. They've managed to package everything into a very small unit, including the DVD drive. The display is amazingly sharp and clear. Physically it's beautiful, the materials and construction are first class. More importantly, the battery life is phenomenal.
The keyboard is a little on the small side for me, but perfect for my wife, who is the main user. With laptops, and especially ultra-portables, it's very important to try the keyboard before you buy (if possible). My wife tried it out at the Sony store, but they couldn't match the Amazon price.
I didn't notice any issues with the DVD software, I was able to watch a movie in full screen.
Also, as another reviewer noted, this computer ships with a lot of garbage on the drive - applications you'll never use, links to free offers, movie trailers, etc., etc. Many of these start up at boot and really slow things down. I spent a considerable amount of time uninstalling all that stuff, which speeded up the boot time considerably and also freed up a lot of HD space. Very annoying. However, all that is behind us and I have nothing bad to say about this PC, other than the sticker shock. It is expensive, especially in these days of falling laptop prices. But if portability is your goal, you owe it to yourself to at least consider this one.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A failure in Sony design standards and warranty support, April 30, 2007

By 

Peter Carpenter (Atherton, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/B 11.1-inch Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dbl Layer Drive) (Personal Computers)

As noted in other reviews, this product is not designed or built to the usually high Sony standards. The LCD screen WILL break under normal use and Sony will not honor the warranty if the screen fails. My screen failed after six months and I returned the computer to Sony for repairs. Sony charged me over $700 and refused to return the 'physically damaged screen' as I requested so that the 'intentional damage' that I 'caused' could be verified. To confirm that this is a design flaw Sony included with the repaired computer NEW instructions as to how to prevent damaging the screen noting that 'the LCD screen may be sensitive to pressure or added stress'. This product is a sad commentary on Sony's design standards and on its unwillingness to stand behind its warranty.