By Craig Simms, CNET.com.au on 12 October 2007 01:21 PM
Tags: vaio, sony, tz, notebook, laptop, ultraportable, hinge, black
Those looking for a mostly full-featured notebook with an ultra-light, super slim form factor will appreciate this machine. Excellent for programmers who like to code anywhere anytime. Battery lasts 9 hours with wireless turned off and screen running at 80% brightness.
The good: Long battery life Super lightweight Looks great in black Comfortable keyboard(takes a little getting used to) Included Optical Drive Super strong casing(carbon fibre in many parts) Screen is NOT flimsy(carbon fibre backed) Super slim screen High-resolution screen(1360 X 768)
The bad: Horrible 3D performance Optical drive seem a little slow Hard drive is sluggish(4200 rpm) Not fully compatible with Linux(SD/Memory Stick, Webcam works with most models, brightness and other "soft" keys need tweaking with spictrl)
I run Ubuntu 9.04 on this machine and in general very I'm very happy with it. There is one point that people should be aware of - the screen contacts the keyboard when closed and packed into a tight bag.
When the laptop is closed normally, you can see light between the screen and the keyboard but in a carry bag that may have books and other items, the laptop is squeezed and this causes the screen to come in contact with the keyboard. This in turn causes scratching to the screen and, if the laptop is not suspended, it may cause keys to be pressed accidentally causing all sorts of mishaps (e.g. lots of windows opening or text documents with thousands of characters in it.
The good: Performance good Great display Great form factor
The bad: Lacks full Linux support Could have been better designed
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The adapters and external battery for the VAIO VGN-TZ17GN/N are available here.
http://www.global-batteries.com.au/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=VAIO VGN-TZ17GN/N