Sony VAIO VGN-Z11WN/B in Laptops

The rest of the VGN-Z11WN/B's specification is suitably powerful, and the Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor and 4GB of DDR3 memory turned in a speedy 1.21 in our benchmarks. That's almost double the 0.62 of the VGN-TZ31MN and again rather speedy for a 1.47kg ultraportable.

Elsewhere, the VGN-Z11WN has a convincing array of talents. Its business credentials are boosted by a fingerprint reader and TPM 1.2 chip. Networking options are comprehensive, and Gigabit Ethernet finds itself complemented by Bluetooth, 802.11abg + draft-N as well as an HSDPA adapter capable of speeds up to 7.2mbps, network permitting.

And while Sony's trademark Scrabble-tile keyboard makes the VGN-Z11WN look more than a little like an ultraportable Spectrum 48K, it's surprisingly comfortable to type on. The wide gap between each key takes a little getting used to, sure, but it doesn't take long to get up to speed.

Not all is entirely satisfactory, however. At around £1,361 exc VAT, the VGN-Z11WN/B sits in the middle of a three-strong range, and while the 4GB of DDR3 memory and Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor are a welcome sight, there's little else to excite.

There's no Blu-ray configuration as yet; that's not coming until sometime towards the end of October according to one of our contacts. And the provision of a bog-standard 5,400rpm 250GB hard drive on our review unit is downright stingy. For this money we'd expect an SSD or a higher performance 7,200rpm hard drive at the very least.

It's doubly galling, then, to look over at Sony's Japanese site and find the Z-Series available in a range of user-customisable specifications, including gorgeous looking imprint designs, Blu-ray writers, high-capacity batteries, dual 64GB SSDs in RAID and other such luxuries.

Why Sony hasn't extended the UK and European markets such options is difficult to understand, and particularly so when the Z-series' exorbitant cost places it firmly in the upper reaches of the luxury laptop market.

Without the option of a high-capacity battery, the VGN-Z11WN/B's battery life lags behind that of the, admittedly much slower, VGN-TZ31MN and A-Listed Lenovo ThinkPad X300.

So there's no disputing at all that we can pick holes in the Z-Series. But it's testament to its fine design and sheer speed that, despite its faults, the Z-Series is an alluring prospect for the frequent and deep-pocketed traveller.

Author: Sasha Muller