Sony VAIO AR Notebook Overview (pics, specs)

Tonight, Sony VAIO introduced a new flagship series of notebooks to promote its Blu-ray next-generation video format, the VAIO AR, which replaces Sony's AX series in the 17" desktop replacement class. The AR's design was conceived from scratch, with black and silver colors chosen to match other devices in today's digital living room. The laptops in this series are merely 1.32" thin and extremely lightweight (8.4 lbs) for the class, although what they lose in thickness, they make up for in width and depth -- 16.4" x 11.8" -- resulting in a noticeably thick bezel around the screen.

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The XBRITE screen, however, overshadows everything else with no difficulty. The standard models in the AR series, AR130G and AR150G, match the existingAX's WXGA+ (1440x900) resolution, while the AR190G, which is the premium, Blu-ray-enabled model improves on that with WUXGA (1920x1200) capable of 1080p resolution. The premium model comes bundled with one of the first Blu-ray Disc (BD) movies, House of Flying Daggers, which Sony showed side-by-side tonight, along with the DVD version. Contrary to what some have said, the difference in quality is instantly noticeable, and according to Sony, it is even more apparent on movies shot in HD (which HoFD apparently wasn't). AR190G comes bundled with an HDMI cable and an HDMI-to-DVI-D adapter so you can take full advantage of BD movies on your HDTV.

The US price for theAR190G is $3,499, which is slightly lower than the Canadian (4000 CAD = 3590 USD) and UK (2000 GBP = 3760 USD) prices that we saw appear on Sony websites in the last two days. The AR150G will be available for $2,299 and the AR130G $1799, with the main difference between the two standard models being a TV tuner. All models will become available by the end of June, although one Sony rep (who was not a speaker at the event) mentioned "a couple of weeks", so there is a slight chance that it will be available sooner.

The specs are, for the most part, what we saw on SonyStyle.ca two days ago, with the differences between the models as the following:

	VAIO VGN-AR190G	VAIO VGN-AR150G	VAIO VGN-AR130G
Processor	Core Duo T2500, 2 GHz, 667 MHz FSB	Core Duo T2400, 1.86 GHz, 667 MHz FSB	Core Duo T2300, 1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB
Graphics	nVidia GeForce Go 7600GT, 256 MB VRAM	nVidia GeForce Go 7600, 128 MB VRAM	nVidia GeForce Go 7400, 64 MB VRAM
Battery Life	1.5-2 hrs	1.5-2.5 hrs	2-3.5 hrs
TV Tuner	TV Tuner (NTSC) + Remote Control/IR Receiver	<<	-
	RF Connector Input + Cable	<<	-
	S-Video Input	<<	-
	A/V Input	<<	-
	Remote Control/IR Receiver	<<	-
Bluetooth	Bluetooth	<<	-
HDD	100 GB x2 in RAID 0, 5400 RPM	160 GB, 4200 RPM	<<
Resolution	WUXGA 1920x1200	WXGA+ 1440x900	<<
Optical Drive	Blu-ray R/W, CD/DVD+-R/RW/R DL	CD/DVD+-R/RW/R DL	<<
	HDMI Cable + HDMI to DVI-D Adapter	-	-
	InterVideo WinDVD BD player + Ulead BD Disc Recorder	-	-
	House of Flying Daggers BD Movie	-	-
Price	$3,499	$2,299	$1,799

The specs common to all models are:

• Built-in MOTION EYE camera and microphone
• 1GB RAM (512x2) PC2-4200, maximum 2GB
• 1 year warranty
• Expansion slots:
• Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo & SD card reader
• PCMCIA Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support
• ExpressCard 54 slot
• Ports:
• FireWire
• USB
• VGA out
• HDMI out
• S-Video out
• S-PDIF out
• Microphone in
• Port Replicator
• Networking
• Intel PRO/Wireless 3915 ABG (802.11a/b/g)
• 10/100 Mbit Ethernet
• Dial-up modem
• Software
• Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 w/ Update Rollup 2
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0
• Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0
• InterVideo WinDVD 5
• Roxio Digital Media SE
• Microsoft Works 8.5
• Sony Click to DVD; SonicStage; DVgate Plus
• Underworld "pre-installed movie" -- disk image, perhaps?
• Lots of exciting trials, some a whole 60 minutes long
• Your Start menu will not fit in one column even at WUXGA

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Unfortunately, as you can see from the keyboard view pictures above, the AR line still lacks a number pad. According to one Sony rep, this is because VAIO's designers feel that it would be too confusing to have the touchpad off-center, and they prefer a clean, symmetrical, uncluttered look. However, the media controls are positioned in two sets -- one along the top right edge of the keyboard (FF, RWD, etc), and another along the left side (eject, volume, channel +/- on TV tuner models, and S1/S2 buttons which can be programmed to do "anything" and appear to exist mostly for symmetry). The power button is located on the right side of the keyboard, but is not well aligned with anything, which throws off the symmetry even further.

Power button (view large image)

The right and left click buttons are separated from the touchpad quite a bit, probably also to achieve the clean look, but if anything, this setup will take getting used to. The buttons are located where the lid lock usually is, and the lid is secured in what seems a bizzare manner -- a latch on only the right side of the lid. When down, it is imperceptible (at least, not in the dark event room), so it will not harm aesthetics, but it certainly doesn't look very trustworthy. However, since this laptop is not meant to be carried around outside very often, it may be more convenient to leave the lid unlatched while not in use.

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This picture aboveshows what happens when one tries to lift the left side of the lid while the latch is holding the lid down. The blue light in the picture is coming from the screen. The angle at which the lid pivots, which can be determined from the blue light, is quite small, and actually is quite impressive. The lid is sturdy, and pressing on its back produces no ripples or other signs of weakness on the screen. The lid has "piano black finish", and the bottom of the case is "some kind of magnesium alloy". Overall, the laptop feels sturdy and reliable.

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There are several items to note around the screen. First, the speakers have been repositioned from the sides of the screen to the bottom because the former speaker placement caused sound distortion issues. Second, between the speakers is the VAIO logo which is usually lit up when the computer is on, but it automatically turns off when watching a movie so as not to distract the movie watcher. It is possible to turn off the lighting when not watching a movie as well, but unfortunately, this is done via software rather than hardware. Finally, above the screen is the MOTION EYE camera. It would be very difficult to discern if not for the logotype next to the actual camera -- and even then, it is not bothersome. It is completely under the lid bezel's finish and therefore should be difficult to damage.

Finally, before wrapping up, let's take a look at all the connections...

Left-hand side: A/V inputs, optical drive, hole for the lock. (view large image)

Front right-hand side (nothing is on the left): lid latch, memory card slot, WLAN/Bluetooth on/off switch. (view large image)

Right-hand side: 2 USB ports, PC Card and ExpressCard slots (one above the other), and audio/video in/outputs that are normally hidden behind a sleek silver panel. Another small panel further to the right hides the Ethernet and modem jacks. (view large image)

Right-hand side with all the silver panels closed.(view large image)

Back: TV tuner, fan holes, another USB port on the right, and the power plug.(view large image)

Front view of VAIO AR190G (view large image)

Conclusion:

Sony VAIO's new AR series provides a noteworthy offering to the small but quickly growing market for desktop replacements, which is currently about 8% of the total market. It looks better and is as much as two pounds lighter than the competition, the latter of which may attract individuals who would otherwise be interested in 15.4" models. However, it is lacking in multiple areas.

The line reads only two card types. The number lock is conspicuously absent from the setup, and the buttons around the keyboard are scattered in a strange arrangement. The standard models, which are already expensive, come with only 4200 RPM HDDs, and even the premium $3,500 model comes only with 5400 RPM dual HDDs, when 7200 RPM HDDs are no longer scarce. Even the flagship model, AR190G, comes with only 1GB RAM. In short, it leaves much to be desired.

The key feature of AR190G, Blu-ray, undoubtedly looks great. However, at over $1,000 for the drive alone, and given the prices and availability of BD movies, it is hardly worth the price to most consumers. The two standard models are not bad, but in the end, they still have average contents in a pretty case at an above-average price.

 

The AR190G will appeal to those that just have to be on the cutting edge in terms of multimedia. The new Toshiba Qosmio G35 HD-DVD notebook is about $3,000 so it's $500 cheaper, not quite as full featured though I don't think.

Thanks for reporting on this notebook and providing these initial thoughts Malia, heck, it's better than some Cnet full reviews I've seen

 

space is wasted around keyboard

I think they rushed a bit with this model.

 

And that latch - is it protruding from BASE??? I don't think it's very comfortable when typing.

 

No, the latch is not protruding from the base. There's a switch to put it down, and it's completely flush with the case.

I don't see how a cutting-edge livingroom person can justify buying this, considering the shortcomings. They have a gigantic HDTV that they'll be watching it on with a surround sound system, so the only BD part that they'd be interested in is the optical drive & player. However, why not just get a standalone player that doesn't have to be hooked up to the setup every time it's used, or perhaps even wait for PS3? Of course, with the scarce initial selection of BD movies, perhaps that wouldn't be that much of a problem. A standalone solution, however, is certainly cheaper than the $1000 markup for the drive.

The only exception I can think of is the cutting-edge person who has a 1080i camcorder and wants to burn home movies in HD. I really don't see there being so many of them though, and I'm sure they'll need more RAM to process those videos. I wonder if they didn't have a demo of that for a reason.

Malia

 

Wow, first thing I thought was the ASUS W2 series, looks really similiar!

 

Judging from the pic, did any of you realize that the movie playing (House of Flying Daggers) is from a burned DVD disc, not a blu-ray disc?

 

holy crack. $3,500
I don't see them selling too many of those.

 

the screen has noticeable light leakage!!! and there are also light leakage issue along the bottom which is quite bright. The Qosmio speaker is at least 10X LOUDER (no i'm not joking!!! seriously!) nice laptop though, but the overall design doesn't feel as polished as the last VAIO A-series... it complicated and messy when u look at it in detail, from far away it looks stunning though... on par with the qosmio, but thats just like comparing apple and oranges

 

Light leakage? I didn't notice. Are you talking about this picture, or from seeing it in store:



The screen gets lighter and darker because that's what the wallpaper looks like, at least for the most part. I don't remember how it actually looked so I'm not absolutely sure whether there was light leakage or not - but even if there was, it would not mean much since these were pre-production models which still had some bugs.

Agreed, the layout is quite bad. It's actually funny considering that the reason there's no number pad is because the designers wanted a "clean" look.

Malia

 

Has anyone tried playing a DVD-disc on it? I did this in the store, and the picture was really fuzzy. BluRay disc looked great though.

How is the WXGA+ (1440x900) version screen?