Sony Vaio TZ series (VGN-TZ11XN) review

Average user rating

6.8

good

Average user rating from 5 users

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Sony Vaio TZ user reviews

October 15, 2008

Posted by: ScottF

"Almost, but not quite"

What I like:

Weight, battery life, SD card slot, screen, optical drive

What I don't like:

keyboard, USB ports, thin lid, mouse pad, price

Review:

This is my second vaio lightweight, the 1st was the TR1MP. Improvements over the generations include processor power, memory, HD size. The increase to an 11" screen is useful and amazingly it's lighter. In terms of performance I have had no problems (although I have changed the OS to XP).

Problems?
1. Yes, it's really thin but I can't see why anyone would get excited about that. The lid is especially thin and somewhat flexible. I do worry about it getting too much pressure on the lid when in a day sack. I have nowhere near the confidence in that aspect of the machine as I had in my previous one. I would rather sacrifice a few more grammes for a thicker lid to protect the screen.
2. The keyboard, as already mentioned has poor contrast esp in lower light, which makes it hard to see the keys. The previous one was black letters on white(ish) keys. This is the other way round - not helpful. Also the keys need a more determined press, agan not as good as my last.
3. There are only 2 USB ports which is poor in this day and age. They are too close together so a mobile internet dongle obstructs the free port.
4. Finally, the mouse pad drives me nuts, sometimes being unresponsive whilst on other occasions it is overresponsive.

I was looking at the Toshiba Portege range but was put off by reviewer comments on screen bleed and keyboard.

All in all, I think this is a slightly overpriced machine with adequate performance (for an ultraportable). It is worth buying if you want a very light machine with a built in optical drive, a good battery life and a good screen. If you don't mind sneeking up to an outrageous 1.5kgs there is a good range of cheaper alternatives, although not all have an optical drive.