Hello there,
Any chance to find out when/if a Blu-Ray model will be available in the UK, as it is in the US? Thanks!

Great, thanks! I guess the same goes for SSD options (also available in the US, but not with the BR model). Too bad the US models don’t have the right 3G chip (Sprint instead of HSDPA), or I would be ordering there…

Looks like a great laptop. How soon can consumers buy one in the UK?

Hi – there will almost certainly be Blu-ray drives you can add in at some point (I’m basing that on the fact the US version already include Blu-ray).

I can also confirm that the Z-Series will be available from the 4th of August. Apologies, I should have mentioned that in the first look itself! I’ll update this now…

Will the price be lower? Almost certainly, but difficult to say by how much. I can’t see any reason why you won’t be able to buy it in the Midlands somewhere.

First of all thanks Tim for your answer re Blu-ray (although you like me seem certain that there will be blu-ray at some point, the question is when!).

Re Akif question about 3G, the WWAN module in US models is EVDO (Sprint) therefore it won’t work in the UK (and most probably on African networks if they use the same standard as in Europe) as we use here HSDPA, which indeed operates on different frequencies. Changing the Sim Card won’t be enough, the whole WWAN module has to be replaced (not advised unless you really know what you’re doing and don’t mind voiding your warranty)

Thanx Manni i thought there would be a problem as out here we use similar GSM networks as you do in the UK/Europe, basically it is 3 or 3.5G that operates on UMTS.

What of the keyboard???? Tim perhaps you could shed some light on this as i do like the all black look….also i think Shafik has a similar question on Weight…..please let me know.

Thanx

Will the UK be getting a SSD option? If nto soon, is the hd user servicable so that ti could be swapped out for a ssd without voiding the warranty?

I have to say, lack of Blu-ray is disappointing (as if I can afford it anyway, but I can dream..) Something else I would like to confirm – you say “You get a 30-day trial of T-Mobile’s Web’n’Walk in the box, and can either choose to continue with this after the trial or slip in your own choice of SIM” but the T-Mobile page (http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/sonylaptop/?WT.mc_id=sonylaptop) says “Enjoy 30 days free unlimited internet access on your new Sony VAIO when you sign up to any web’n'walk Plus or Max plan” which gives the impression that you only get 30 days free IF you sign up for a contract.

Indeed….. the seeming lack of custom build options in the UK is disappointing. Even though I’d prefer to wait for SSD prices to fall rather than drop $1200 to upgrade to an SSD right now, I’d still like the option of the 7200rpm HD that the US gets, rather than what seems to be 5400rpm drives here….

Ah, and does the UK version include the Windows XP ‘downgrade’ DVD that others seem to ship with?

Laptop hasn’t arrived yet – I’ve been assured that as soon as samples arrive we’ll be getting one…

@S Yes, XP downgrade disc will be in the box.

Hi Tim,

I would like to buy the computer, but I need it to run windows xp. Therefore, I am very much interested in getting to know, if the windows xp downgrade version functions well on the computer. It would be rather disappointing to notice that after switching to windws xp some drivers would not work and I could not use e.g. the camera.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get an answer form sony on that.

Bye

Walter

just noticed these are up on sonystyle.co.uk. Models appear to be exactly as Tim reported, unfortunately. No Blu Ray and no SDD. Gutted. £1749 is incredibly expensive for a laptop with a 5400rpm HDD. I have no need for 320 GB on an ultra portable laptop!
I guess they may release different models over here in the coming weeks – thoughts? I.e. is this something Sony have done in the past with the SZ?

I’ve noticed conflicting information on the RAM type.

Sony Style reports it as DDR2, while the main sony.co.uk advises DDR3.

Anyone know for sure which it is?

It is a shame that such a high spec laptop will only have a 5400rpm drive, but perhaps the fact that it is 320gb will mean it is fairly high density, which may help negate the slower RPM. But then again, why provide high-end components and not a high RPm hard drive/SSD? Hmm… Some of this doesn’t make sense.

I think blu-ray for most shouldn’t be an issue. This is a business laptop primarily. But it shows the two-tier system between US and Europe, particularly with the lack of SSD.

Agree with Jamie, I’m not fussed at all about bluray, I just want SSD. In fact, looking at the US configure to order site, you can’t have SSD and bluray in the same machine anyway.

Hi – I’m chasing Sony on a regular basis! We’ve been promised the first full retail units, but our sister title iGIZMO had a pre-production unit in that I’ve been playing with. Looks excellent too. If you want to take a look, head over to http://www.igizmomag.co.uk and click on the top-right hand corner of the page to see the latest issue.

Chaps….any news on the launch date as i leave the UK end next week and really wanted to get my hands on the VGN-Z11VN/B…..Tim……is this lorry crashing true, or is it just another one of sony’s usual delaying ploys! I have been checking the sony shops and they mentioned that they would only hit the shelves early september ( Please help

Hi Chaps – I ordered mine from Japan through http://www.conics.net – They order it through Sony’s Vaio Owner Made outlet which means you can customise your pc, including english keyboard and Vista os.

Put my order in last week and hope to recieve by the end of the month,
My spec is –
2.8ghz core 2 duo – yes, 2.8ghz!
Nvidia 9300
++WUXGA screen 1600 x 900 (in japan its available in a lower res format too)
4gb ram
blueray recordable drive
Vista home
large battery (yes, this is part of the cutomization)
HSDPA (onlu usable in Japan though)
botanical garden finish – only available in japan (choice of 3 cover patterns)
Ive bought several pcs from conics and they are both ve4ry reliable and good value, charging ony a small commission.
hope that helps you guys – I used to feel like you are feeling before I shopped internationally. Now im ahead of the game. What are sony thinking of marketing the z as business only mahine in the uk – thats what the bx is. Its a tz on steroids.
But maybe thats the real reason – the TZ is a massive seller for sony – plenty of milking in the UK to be done still

Hi Jon (last poster), the info regarding conics.net is a real find if it is legit! I have been trying to decide between the Z series and the new E-series latitude for the last week. If it is possible to order a Z series with both Blu-ray and a 7200rpm drive from this website then I think I will take that route. Did you have to pay much Vat and import duty when having it delivered from Japan?

@Charles – where did you get your VN? I’ve not seen anywhere listing anything other than undated pre-orders at the moment.

alright, lads?

@s how much did u get your VN? where from? sonystyle?

also, anybody found anywhere where we could get any of the models for really cheap online? conics.net is pretty expensive, as the base model is pretty basic. add to that the possibility of paying VAT, i’m not sure about the whole thing – £2000 – crazy!

My Vaio Z90 – Customised from Japan
Sony Vaio Type Z, BluRay Option [3 yr warranty]
- 1st Battery Sony 12-17 hr Large (plus25quid) You can buy the large one as standard in the PC. (Large battery not even listed on the Sony Site!)
Colour Botanical Garden – NOT AVAILABLE TO UK (etched cover design – very stylish- plus25quid)
- CPU Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz)- NOT AVAILABLE TO UK (plus 205quid)
- Hard Drive 320GB 5400RPM
- Keyboard Standard (JP international)
- LCD WXGA (1600×900) 256MB VRAM
- Memory 2x 2GB (4GB total) 3GB under 32bit Vista
- Optical drive Blu-Ray Multi-Burner – NOT AVAILABLE TO UK (plus 255quid)
- Security Fingerprint sensor & TPM
- Warranty 3 year warranty
- Web Camera 310K Pixel Motion Eye Internal
- Windows Version English Vista Home Premium
Cost = 1899pounds + posting about 40quid plus possible vat charge – 332 pounds
Cost of top UK model is1749quid – the Japan model has 325pounds worth of extras on it think for blue ray, large battery, designer look and faster processor, thats pretty good value – which for me has really made the pc worth while – 500pounds more expensive than the UK model if you get charged tax.
BUT, worth noting again that I have been able to include the large battery as standard – not listed as available on the Sony site – a large battery for the UK TZ costs- 248pounds – this is comparable life of 11-18 hours. Thus making it only 252pounds more expensive – and if you manage to avoid customs….well, you are actually quids in.
Expensive, purchase yes, but pretty good value actually – as well a having something a whole lot more special.
Im just waiting for Fedex to deliver it….should be here anytime now ;D

Hi Greg,
I got mine yesterday, and have to say that I am really impressed with the build quality – the keys have some weight to them compared to the TZ and feels more robust. The botanical garden pattern looks really cool too. Performance wise it scores a Vista 4.4 – surprisingly aero is the lowest score, but graphics are 5.1. Ram with the new ddr3 is a whopping 5.9, my processor is 2.8ghz – with a 5.6 vista score, and the HD is 5.5. I went to the Nvidia site and did a compatability check with the game called Crysis which is regarded as a top end intensive graphics game and it passed with a reccomended rating.
The screen is great, it feels so wide – tested it out and its nice and sharp too. The unit is both smaller and lighter than I thought it would be – and I used to own a TZ. Battery life on speed with full bluetooth / wireless is just over 5 hours (with the big battery) I switched wireless off and set the screen to 75% and it went up to 7 hours. I havent tested it on stamina yet – it is suposed to be 11-17 hours which I would equate to 9hours real usage (comparing to TZ) .
I bought mne in its original Japanese state – Im ok with using Jap os and do travel to Japan.
Keyboard wise – there isnt much difference as it is a JP INTERNATIONAL keyboard – the space bar is smaller to make way for 2 buttons to the right, and one button to the left – you wont use these buttons. There are also hiragana characters on the keys underneath each letter of the qwerty keyboard which again, you wont use as Brett will map the keytboard for ENglish. So if you prefer a larger spacebar, thats all you are really paying for! Other than that, its just like any other keyboard. Oh, the @ mark is in a different position – next to the letter “P” – I actually prefer this, but it is what you are used to that matters
THis is without doubt the nicest looking vaio Ive seen (and Ive owned a few!) – oh, almost forgot to mention, Vaio media now lookslike the PS3 / PSP media bar which is nice.

Quick question does the Japanese versions 3G work in Europe?

@Jon

Hey Jon, about the Blu-Ray drive in your custom Vaio Z – I’m assuming this means that your Blu-Ray drive is region A (Japan and America) and therefore cannot play Region B Blu-Ray Discs (UK)? Can you check this out? Cheers!

@ Jon,

Thanks for that – out of interest which Blu-Ray drive (manufacturer and model number) is Sony using in the Z-Series?

This can be found out by going Device Manager then expanding the CD/DVD drives section (Right click on my computer, Select properties, Select ‘Device Manager’ Double click on ‘CD/DVD Rom Drives’)

I’d be interested to know – many thanks for your help!

Oh cool is that the UJ232AS (extra ‘2′ in there?) – yea I read about Panasonic developing that – but didn’t realise that any manufacturers had access too it yet! It’s pretty slick!

Is the drive height 9mm or 12.7mm?

Thanks for answereing all my q’s – you’ve been really helpfull!

Hi Everybody,

Has anyone tried to install Ubuntu to Z11? I guess it should work perfectly, but the odd sized ++wide screen makes me a bit uneasy. Planning to buy one, but I want to use Linux.

If you get one for the test, maybe you could boot it up once with the Live-Ubuntu?

Cheers, Jukka

Hi DIJ,
can you change from stamina to speed-mode on ubuntu?
have you tested all the Hardware (wifi, lan, fn-functions)?
Thanks
-,hello,-

Great news – just unlocked the3G WWAN in my Z..so it is possible after all!

@Griff – Sony UK dont do ssd or blue ray. Conics order from Sony Japan – but you can only have either blueray or ssd – not both – blueray requires space to buffer loadings. which would not work well with only 128gb ssd.

Ref service, Conics have 3 options in the drop don box but given they are in japan and its a japanese vaio you are buying, what you are asking is pretty unlikely.

Your choice of Dell or Z puzzles me – so very different – up to 2.8ghzC2Duo vs 1.6ghz diamondville processor, up to 128gb flash raid ssd vs 16gb ssd (16gb going to be tough to work with remembering that the OS will take a chunk of it) etc..

Other notebooks you might want to look at are the Panasonic R7, Sony Vaio G or if you go smaller, the Fujitsu FMV-LUB5N (U2010/U820) – this has tablet functionality with a clam shell swivel screen – up to 64gb ssd.

My advice is to think about is what you will use it for and what you will need. 16gb of ssd is a no for me, having used it with the Sony UX – just not workable with so little memory – I reccomend you have at least 32gb ssd and that is still tight. Think about those usb devices – the Z has sd, MS slots, express port, firewire and 2 usbs for storage as well as internal memory. There is also a docking station available. Also think about the ssd – yes its quick, but there is an option for 320gb 5400rpm and 200gb 7200rpm hd against a larger processor. If the processor is small then ssd helps out alot, but with a large processor the difference is minimal – Vista scores – my 2.8ghz processor has 5.6 and the hdd (320gb 5400rpm) has 5.5. I know the ssd has a score of 5.9.

In crystal mark ーmy pc configuration is 107000 vs my same config with ssd =127000 –

This score is driiven by the raw ssd vs hd subscores. In practise with , Vista using prefetch and the fact that ssd does not alter the graphics scores (4.4 aero / 5.1 gaming) the difference is not really going to be noticeable. The reason is the high 2.8ghz processor and 4gb ddr3 ram (vista 5.9).

I love flash, but 128gb is pretty small and losing blue ray with such a fantastic screen seems wrong. I wrestled with this alot, but nowcomfortable in the fact that I have a powerful and fast notebook compared to everything in its class which in this case ssd would only be an icing on an already impressive cake. Price wise you will pay through the nose on the ssd too – 320gb 5400rpm hd and blue ray is much cheaper, but makes the pc more rounded.
Check this review – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6LS8bhoUF0&NR=1

Hi Greg, Yes that certainly makes more sense
My source was a Japan site who are very close with Sony, infact, participating in sessions with the Sony development team – (lIve linked to the right page – its a massive, and perhaps the most indepth review Ive ever seen – comment on ssd / blue ray reason is 3/4 way down)
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://kunkoku.livedoor.biz/archives/51479836.html&usg=ALkJrhjlfWzksZU-XVXyHPDX1fohCT97tg
“There are constraints,
SSD 64GB, or SSD RAID 128GB select only
Blu-Ray disk drive it is not.
This is the largest long to 50 GB Blu-Ray disk KOMOU Even when you write,
Side and temporary storage as a buffer area
64GB will be out of the question, 128 GB too harsh even for the simultaneous selection that regard”

i understand what you say, but surely if that was the case sony would have made the chassis slightly bigger or offered single ssd like they offer different speed HD’S. One for much debate! I would be cautious at least – but you are right, it is very expensive. With the bigger processor and fast ddr3 ram, I dont think a standard ssd would offer any noticeable speed benefits.

Hi Greg,
I think that the blue ray must load and buffer on read as well as write. It cant take up huge amounts of space – but interestingly the translation reads as being “harsh” on the ssd – maybe meaning lots of writing and rewriting which could wear out the ssd alot quicker than an hd due to the limited rewrites ssd has. ie, it thrapes the ssd.

Ok, the WWAN – I used a site called http://www.dc-unlocker.com – simply downloaded the software, ran the program and it detected the module which is an Option Globetrotter GTM378 – then downloaded the Globetrotter software (also provided by them. Bought credits for 15 euros and then went to unlock – it didnt work at first – I went on msn and the chaps there talked me through running a datalog – sent it to them and 10 mins later they sent me some more software and it unlocked.

I bought a prepaid 3g phone sim card (Im in Australia at the moment) – simply put the card in the slot, then open globetrotter – it looks for 3g or Edge/GPRS and has options for enabling pin, entering username, password and apn.

I left the pin as disabled, selected 3g, didnt need to enter username or password and apn was internet – then wow, Im connected – can surf the internet and send sms messages.

I will post it on the forum!

Hi Jon – if you can bear with me, I should have news on this early next week. Sorry for the delay – as has been documented elsewhere in these comments, there have been a number of problems with shipments with this laptop. We were originally told we’d have a review unit several weeks ago, but due to factors out of our control it hasn’t yet arrived.

I’ve installed Ubuntu 8.0.4 on my Z11
As said by Chupan, the resolution is well managed, but wireless and NVidia graphic card are not detected/managed. They are too recent and, at this time, linux specifics drivers don’t exist for these cards
An other issue: the F5/F6 keys (Screen Brightness) don’t work => The brightness is ever set to the maximum (and the Z11 screen brighness is amazing, maybe a litle bit excessive for indoors use when set to maximum)

hi there; (especially Jon)

So much valuable info here. I just wonder if I travel to Japan, instead of ordering from conics, what are the odds I would find the computer of my choice on a store there. I think that way I’d also get a Tax Free reduction. I’m planning to buy a Z90 with 128GB SSD option.

thanks

Sorry Arun – yes you can change the sata for ssd – but beware of the blueray.

Usame – the downside is that blueray will considerably shorten the life of your ssd – this is why Sony dont offer them as an option. yes it is possible to do the mod, because the drive sizes and connectors are the same – but unless you are ok with the above, my advice is dont.
My new setup with the 7200rpm drive and 2.8ghz processor is faster than ssd in say my old TZ – it feels fast and smooth, even with HD video editing. You could of course wait for some 10,000rpm drives to come along

Hi Usame – gosh yes you are right….havent seen this model and looks like its just come out as its on preorder. Maybe its a typo – they may well be referring to configuration options.
it certainly makes it interesting though – that raid ssd is fast. If its not a typo then it needs some more understanding for sure.

I went for the 2.8ghz processor – when you want grunt, you got it, also future proofing somewhat. You are right in what you say, but the processor draw is only one facet of impacts on battery life. The sreen being of course the highest impact of all. Of course you can limit the cpu in the power meter settings which are pretty comprehensive. I think unless you go for a much lower processor the differences arent going to be that big. I have the big battery too.

My Z is more for desk use, with some mobility use. I just got the new Fujitsu LooxU for ultra mobility which will go for 8 hours or so with wifi and bluetooth on.

HD – I checked things out pretty carefully before making the change. The Western digital uses about the same power as the toshiba 5400rpm hd. I havent noticed ny difference in battery (which makes sense) and its about the same noise wise. Weight is the same. Performance is improved It behaves like ssd did in my hybrid TZ (HD and SSD). Popping it open is straightforward, but not something Id like to make a habit of.

10k rpm – they are not even available or notebooks yet, but yes I am sure they would require more power.

Sorry, forgot to ask, are there better SSD alternatives than those sony put in? Which SSD would you recommend, what’s the deal with raid 0 and having a single SSD?

hi Jon;

You’re right, TT seems like an excellent alternative; tho there are 3 downsides which are quite much important to me..

-Smaller resouliton and screen (why would watch bluray on it?)
-Sloooooooower CPU (I dont quite understant the deal with those ultralow voltage cpu s).
-No color options like those in sony japan z series (man i love Gothic Arabesque option )

Anyone found a supplier for the BluRay drive in the UK ?

toshiba laptop docking station…

The term is used colloquially for any kind of Linkback.. Many blogs have stopped using trackbacks because dealing with spam became too…

Hey guys
where is the z series available in the uk? is it only at the sony stores?

Guys, I’m probably going to sound really stupid.

I am in desperate need of a tiny laptop I can stick in my handbag. I am self employed and need something I can use at home and in court. I live in central London, and need to source something fairly fast at a good price.

I have always had Vaios before, but larger laptops. I am certainly no tecchy. I got really interested in the Vaio TZ series earlier in the year but didn’t buy one, and am now quite excited about the Z series. I’ve been reading your reviews and I’m now totally confused. . . . All I want is something that runs Vista and all the usual standard stuff, is portable, light, fun(I like the carbon and fingerprint ID – sad!) . I don;t know where to start. Can anyone shed some light?