111 of 113 people found the following review helpful:
Fast, gorgeous and loaded with crapware
This is a very speedy computer and a more than capable desktop replacement system. The Radeon HD3400 video comes with a dedicated 256mb of memory and handles multiple concurrent Adobe apps with aplomb. It comes with wireless-N which is a treat in this price range. It also comes with an HDMI-out port for excellent display (and DVD playback) on an HD monitor/TV. The VGA-out...
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
Speedy machine... some problems though
For the money, the Sony FW-139 has a fast processor and a great videocard. I also love the 16+ inch screen which might be a little smaller than a 17" screen... but the notebook is considerably lighter than 17" models. It allows me to maximize screen real estate without having to lug around a beast.
I have two gripes about this laptop though. The first is...
This is a very speedy computer and a more than capable desktop replacement system. The Radeon HD3400 video comes with a dedicated 256mb of memory and handles multiple concurrent Adobe apps with aplomb. It comes with wireless-N which is a treat in this price range. It also comes with an HDMI-out port for excellent display (and DVD playback) on an HD monitor/TV. The VGA-out renders only average display on a digital LCD monitor; I did not have an analog CRT to judge display on that.
The built in display is a 16:9 aspect ratio. It's a gloss screen and the clarity is stunning...excellent for image editing, etc. Contrast is very good. Lateral (side-to-side) readability is fantastic, but vertical readability is poor; you'll have to adjust the screen tilt just right to get top-quality viewing.
Surprisingly, even though this is a Sony product, this machine includes an SD card slot in addition to their ubiquitous memory stick slot. Also included are the aforementioned HDMI and VGA outputs; 3 USB ports; mini 1394 (firewire) port; modem, and ethernet. There is a built-in webcam and microphone and headphone jacks. There is a thin strip of AV controls above the keyboard, which control Windows Media Center playback and the Dolby sound.
The system is solidly built, like most Sony products, but without the questionable UI/design choices used on so many of their camera and car stereos.
The only thing I can really fault this system for is the plethora of crapware that comes preinstalled. I spent over an hour uninstalling junk software and trialware before I even used this system. An additional power supply is around $80, which is rather pricey. The computer (w/o power supply) is around 6 lbs., so it's not lightweight, which isn't too surprising considering it packs a 16.4" screen.
This computer does not come with any documentation besides the setup "poster." No documentation is available for this PC on the Sony website (as of 8/4/08) other than a marketing spec sheet.
Addendum (03/22/09): After about 4 months of use, the keyboard developed serious problems. It initially manifested as the shift key not working in conjunction w/ certain keys (i.e., no CAPS) and eventually proceeded to some keys not working at all. Sony was perfectly willing to repair it for free, provided I was willing to give up my computer for a few weeks, which was not a realistic option for me. Unable to find any technical specs on this computer (even on the Sony site) or any replacement parts, I opted for just using a cordless keyboard, which worked just fine. Eventually I was able to find a replacement keyboard from a reseller in Hong Kong and repaired the computer myself. The replacement keyboard ribbon cable was much sturdier than the original and it was easy to replace. The $50 I spent on a new keyboard was preferable to being w/o a computer for a prolonged period of time.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I specified the model on the title as the reviews for all Sony FW laptops are shared amongst all models in Amazon.
I consider this model to be a great purchase. Contrary to many modern laptops, it actually looks great, with very modern styling that is suitable for both home and business users. The screen has a different aspect ratio (16:9) than most computers, which is more suitable for watching DVDs or comparing side by side documents than the traditional 4:3. The 2.26 P8400 is the same processor found on most FW computers, even those costing hundreds of $ more, 3GBs of RAM, which is the maximum usable RAM in Vista SP1 32bit, 250GBs of RAM which is enough for most users,etc.
The graphic card on this machine is the ATI HD3470, with 256mb of dedicated memory. This card will handle your graphics a lot better than the integrated Intel cards found on some higher priced FW models here in Amazon and is one of the best features of this particular model. It is not a high end graphic card, but it can handle the necessities of most users, including those who use their laptops for casual gaming.
I found an inconsistency on Amazon's product description for this model. In the "network" section, it specifies that this model comes with Intel 4965 wifi chipset, which is not the case. It comes with Atheros wifi (N capable). This is not really a bad thing, you won't notice a performance difference, but the fact that it has the Atheros wifi chipset instead of the Intel one is the main reason why it can't be labeled as a "Centrino 2" laptop, even though it has all other required Intel technologies. The sticker on the laptop will say "Core 2 Duo" instead of "Centrino 2". Again, this is only a label.
Performance-wise, it's plenty fast. It comes with some trial software that some users will prefer to uninstall (like me), but this is the case for almost all notebook manufacturers and it shouldn't take too long to do so.
Overall, highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I bought this directly from Sony, with slightly different configurations (no Blue-ray), since I really don't need that, and I saved several hundred dollars by doing so.
I was hesitant when I first thought about buying this laptop. My biggest problem was the screen-size. 16.4 inches widescreen just seemed odd, and I looked at an Acer with those dimensions at the store and wasn't sure I could adjust to the "funny" 16:9 dimension.
I did though. very quickly. In fact, that is one of my favorite things about this computer! I can have a bigger window open and a smaller one next to it, easily go back and forth between windows, etc.
I got the eco-brite screen, and it looks amazing. There is MUCH less glare with this Sony than with any other laptop with a glossy screen that I looked at (and I looked at dozens). I can see the screen clearly from the sides (which is great for watching movies with more than one person sitting directly in front of the screen). I actually can't find a side-angle that there IS a glare at. I turned it so far that I couldn't see what was on the screen, but not because of the glare, but because of the distorted angle.
I also like that USB ports on the right front. Having something plugged into them does not interfere with your hand/arm, since the computer is wide enough to accomodate your arm resting on it, and not nest to it while typing.
The power button is recessed in the right side "hinge", which means it's fairly impossible to accidentaly press the power button. Headphone/mic jacks are in the front, and those do interfere a little bit with your right hand while typing, but I prefer them in the front, as I only use those for Skype-ing, and don't leave anything plugged in, in which case the front-location makes it much easier to plug in/unplug.
I've had this computer on my lap for 4-5 hours straight and it has not gotten very warm at all! My old computer (a 4 year old Acer), but not this one.
My computer accidentally shipped with an extended battery pack (I ordered and paid for a regular one), and it sticks out about an inch at the back. This actually turned out to be a good thing. It gives the bottom part a little lift, which makes typing on a desk more comfortable. Also, the computer is a little elevated from the desk, which, I think, keeps it cooler. Oh, and there's the 4 hours or so batter life, which is nice.
This computer is not ultra-portable. It does weight quite a bit, and if you're looking for something to throw in your bag on the way out, get a smaller computer!! I hardly ever bring my computer anywhere, so it works great for me.
Another possible problem is finding a neoprene sleeve for this computer. The format is odd, so I've been hesitant to order a sleeve online. I will take it to the store someday and just try putting it into some sleeves.
Biggest pitfall on this computer is all the junk software. There is about 30 Sony-specific programs on it, and I actually had to have a friend of mine help me in deleting them. Some I'm a little hesitant to take off, because I can't tell if they are necessary for some functions.
One odd thing did happen to this computer. I installed OneNote by accident (in a software packet), and could NOT get it off again. I tried. My computer friend tried. No chance. Somehow OneNote's presence eliminated the "create new folder" function, which was a pain. So after having had the computer for one week, I had to do a factory reset. Took a couple of hours, but fixed the problem, and it's been fine ever since.
BestBuy sells this computer (with slightly different configurations), so if you want to look at it in person before you buy it, check out BestBuy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
For the money, the Sony FW-139 has a fast processor and a great videocard. I also love the 16+ inch screen which might be a little smaller than a 17" screen... but the notebook is considerably lighter than 17" models. It allows me to maximize screen real estate without having to lug around a beast.
I have two gripes about this laptop though. The first is the placement of USB ports. The Sony comes with three and all of them are on the right hand side towards the very front. If you are right handed and use an external mouse, this becomes a very clumsy situation as your mouse cannot be that close to your laptop since all the usb devices plugged into the right side get in the way. I liked the design of my old HP laptop which had at least one USB port on the left handside so there was the option of plugging a usb hub into that area so that I wouldn't have hubs and flash drives all protruding from the right hand side. The HP also have the DVD drive towards the front and the USB hubs towards the back even on the right hand side, which makes way more design sense since you will only be forced to move the mouse aside briefly to get the DVD in or out... not perptually having peripherals sticking out the USB ports.
The other problem I have with this model is the VGA port. Every monitor I have tried plugging into there (I have tried a DELL, Sony, and Cintiq) comes up with a slightly blurry image. These same monitors plugged into my old desktop or HP laptop have perfectly clear images. I thought this might just be a problem with my computer, so I went to two Best Buy stores and had them plug monitors into two different FW139 models... same problem. I posted this on the notebookreview forum and a couple other people tested this but did not have the same problem. Maybe I am just unlucky in seeing this problem in the only three different Sony laptops I have tried this on.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
The Sony Vaio VGN-FW170J/W is overall a very nice laptop with a great screen (720p HD and not 1080p as advertised), blu ray player, plenty of system memory, new penryn class intel cpu and a nice sized HDD. However, I have owned this laptop for about a month now and I have had numerous problems with its factory installed Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit edition. As most of us know, there are inherent compatibility issues with 64bit OS.....but when SONY ships a laptop it should work out of the box with all of the bundleware it shipped with. First, There are numerous problems with the Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 LJ software....CD writing speed maxs out at 8x instead of 16x as indicated in specs....with most of the burns ending in errors.
Secondly, The WindDVD BD for Vaio software from InterVideo has some limitations with regards to advanced settings. Blu rays seem to play perfectly but you have no ability to access and tweak some of the sound/video settings to enhance your viewing. I first thought this was an Intel Video driver issue but after upgrading the drivers for that, there was no change. Again I attributed this the 64bit edition.
Third, If you own a Sony Digital Reader Book (a really cool gadget) you will be UNABLE to use it with this laptop. Sony Reader software will not support Vista 64 and Sony will not update it to support it either. I found this particularly annoying since Sony wasn't willing to support their own products. Initially there was a work around to force the installation of non vista 64 signed drivers to make it work but recent Windows updates have secretly closed that loop hole.
I have recenlty found that there is a link on Sony's website under this models home page that points you to their parts department for a recovery disk that will SUPPOSEDLY load all of the drivers and software back to factory condition but with the 32bit Vista Home Prem instead. I am trying to hunt that down now and I am willing to give up the memory loss with 32bit systems so that I can use all of my peripherals and have less problems.
Overall, the machine is really nice, not very heavy and has a nice powder coated magnesium alloy sreen assembly. The SD card slot does handle SDHC very nicely. Battery Life is decent. When buying a case, be aware that this will not fit in most cases designed for 15.4 inch laptops. Stick with those suited for 17" laptops. I am currently using a Targus Grove Edition Sling bag that has been modified a little to fit it and I also have a Targus Messenger bag for 17" laptops that fits perfectly.
I also recommend the SONY Slipcase and power supply pouch that you can purchase here at amazon for added protection. It fits perfectly with the 16.4" screen and also tucks away the powersupply beautifully. Well worth the 25.00 bucks or so.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This is a smooth and fast computer, but watch out for the touch pad on these Vaios, they are relaibly faulty, recommend a mouse... Otherwise, a good strong machine for the price.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I have no problems with the laptop. The laptop is extremely fast and I'm satisfied with it. but the only thing bad about this laptop is that the HDMI does not output audio. which means that if you were like me and hoped to be able to watch blu ray on an hdtv by hooking up the laptop to the tv via hdmi, will not get the sound to play on the tv. The laptop image gets sent to the tv, but the sound only comes out of the laptop speaker and will not come out of the tv speaker.
I called Sony support and after 2 hours dealing with their technicians they admited that there is a problem with their products and hdmi, and that their engineers were "working" on a solution, maybe a future patch. but researching this problem online i found that another vaio user had the same problem around Jan 2008 and he was told that they were working on fixing this issue then and it's nearly been a year!
like i said, i'm 100% satisfied with every other aspect of the laptop, especially for the deal i got at the time, but i'm dissapointed with the hdmi issue since one of the reasons i bought the laptop is so that i could use it as a blu ray player and not have to spend $200+ on one.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
These 16.4" Sony laptops are good as many reviews had mentioned.But here are my troubles:I broke the LCD screen within my first week of having it by letting it felt from the first step of my stair.This was only 6 inch fall and the laptop was in a padded carrying case.Not a bad fall but bad enough to damage the laptop.The seller would not take it back and Sony said it was my fault ! I'd say be gentle with it if you owned one since it is quite fragile . And It is also pretty tough to deal with Sony warranty Department when you really needed it!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Pros:
- Processor, memory, blu-ray recorder
- The 16.4 screen makes it a real widescreen, without the black stripes above and below the movie.
- HDMI out: connected a HDTV LCD TV and the image is great.
Cons:
- Vaio's software that came pre-installed in the computer constantly crash.
- Computer comes without any documentation, just a very simple (1 page) quick start guide.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Recent discussions in the Sony VAIO VGN-FW139E/H 16.4-inch Laptop (2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Grey forum
