Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 10:16:09 +0100 From: Nik Clayton <nclayton@lehman.com> To: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> Cc: mobile@freebsd.org Subject: Re: VAIO laptops Message-ID: <19990720101609.F2353@lehman.com> In-Reply-To: <37938101.2319FD30@softweyr.com>; from Wes Peters on Mon, Jul 19, 1999 at 01:48:17PM -0600 References: <37938101.2319FD30@softweyr.com>
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Wes,
Thanks for responding.
On Mon, Jul 19, 1999 at 01:48:17PM -0600, Wes Peters wrote:
> The internal 56K modem doesn't work, but that doesn't bother me (much). I
> rarely need a modem, and when I do, I still have a 33.6 kicking around
> somewhere.
Is it actually a built in modem? The F160 has been discontinued, and
stores are trying to sell me the F270 instead. This comes bundled with
a modem, but it's a PCMCIA card, rather than built in.
> I bought a D-Link DE550 PCMCIA ethernet card, which is working
> well but I hate the giant 10Base-T/10Base-2 dongle, and a no-name AmbiCom
> ethernet card with a 6' cord with an RJ-45 connector on the end that works
> beautifully unless I plug it into a Xylan switch. ;^)
Ah. I'll be doing the same, largely because the D-Link is on the supported
PAO list. Still, it probably won't bother me too much.
> The screen is incredible, the keyboard much better than I expected, and the
> trackpad works so well I haven't even bought a mouse for this machine yet.
> I planned on buying a Logitech USB mouse for it when I bought it and haven't
> really felt the need.
That's excellent news. The reason I decided on a Sony rather than a
Toshiba is because of the keyboard and the quality of the trackpad. I
intend to do most of the writing for "Teach Yourself FreeBSD In 21 Days"[1]
on this laptop, and the keyboard does need to be top notch.
> I've been using this machine for email (about 600 messages/day), writing
> columns for Daemon News, and writing software for FreeBSD (well, not much,
> but some, OK?) as well as a few clients. I'm really bowled over by how
> good these portables have gotten. I download a bunch of email and take it
> to lunch with me a couple times a week, and wrote both of my last two
> Daemons Advocate columns at Souper! Salad! across the street from my office.
Great :-)
> But: (here's the catch). Sony cancelled the F100 series, and has just
> introduced the F200 series. I guess they really want to push the DVD drive,
> because the F160 has been replaced by the F270, which seems identical in
> specs except for the DVD drive replacing the CD-ROM. Oh, and it costs more.
> I'm told the F100 line was dumped because the price of the LCD screens was
> going up and Sony didn't want to hike the prices, so they made a couple of
> minor changes and renamed the line.
Yes, that's the impression I've got as well. The other (big) difference
seems to be battery life. Most of the people I've spoken to suggest that
the F160 gets 3.5/7 hours of use (depending on whether you have one or two
battery packs installed). The F270 gets 2/4. That should still be about
enough, but it's pushing it a bit.
Thanks for the response,
N
[1] OK, the contract isn't signed yet, but it should be in the next month
or so. Myself, Sue Blake, and Chris Coleman -- but keep it under your
hat until it's properly announced. . .
--
--+==[ Systems Administrator, Year 2000 Test Lab, Lehman Brothers, Inc. ]==+--
--+==[ 1 Broadgate, London, EC2M 7HA 0171-601-0011 x5514 ]==+--
--+==[ Year 2000 Testing: It's about time. . . ]==+--
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