Posted on July 16th, 2008 by Tim Danton

First look: Sony VAIO BZ-Series

Aimed at mainstream and, dare we say it, slightly conservative business users, the BZ-Series – which replaces the BX-Series - doesn’t come with some of the features boasted by the rest of the new VAIO range.

For instance, the keyboard isn’t an “isolation” unit, but a more conventional affair. Sony claims it’s improved the typing performance, but it still – on first impressions – falls short of ThinkPads. We do appreciate the spill-proof feature, though: spill coffee or water on the keyboard and you’ll have plenty of time to switch the VAIO off and let the fluid drain away.

A nice accessory is a privacy filter, cutting viewing angles to 60 degrees for anyone wary of the straying eyes of fellow travellers, and IT managers will appreciate the ability to easily prevent users from plugging in external drives. There’s no need to delve into BIOS settings, just head to the VAIO Control Center.

The screen on the BZ sample we saw was superb: a 15.4in unit with a 1,440 x 900 resolution. There’s no Blu-ray drive, just a standard dual-layer DVD writer, but DVD movies will look great if you fancy watching a film on the move.

Don’t expect to see the BZ-Series in your local PC World: Sony intends to mainly distribute the BZ-Series through business resellers (such as Misco), with prices starting from £649 exc VAT for the base model to £849 exc VAT for the top.

We saw the BZ at the Berlin launch of the new ranges of VAIO laptops, and should soon have a sample for a full review. Keep an eye on the main PC Pro reviews section for more.

The specs:

Sony VAIO VGN-BZ11VN: £849 exc VAT