Sony - VAIO Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 15.5" Display / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive - Gunmetal Black

I will try to cover everything that one considering buying a laptop would need to know. Before I get into what makes this a great laptop I want to address the problem many have had with their wireless becoming disconnected and having to restart to have it reconnect. I had the same problem. However, if you go to Intel.com, go to Support, click "Automatically Detect and Update My Drivers and Software" the problem is very easily fixed. Follow the simple instructions and this problem is fixed for good in no time. After this wireless is fast and reliable! Its not a bad idea to update drivers when you get a new computer anyway since they can't be updated while in they are in the box. I purchased my Vaio after my previous Sony laptop of 5 years started having screen problems. This was no surprise as I was not exactly as "gentle" with it as I should have been. However, components other than the screen work as well as they did the day I first turned it on which is a reason why I went with another Vaio (I still use it with an external display). They make quality computers that look great. The computer has a very nice keyboard layout with a ten-key which many people find useful for laptops, especially if using it for work. This laptop has a special button at the top of the keyboard that quickly launches the web when the computer is off. This saves you from having to boot your laptop to quickly look up something online. I would probably use this feature all the time if I hadn't just purchased an iPad, but honestly the Vaio is online just as fast if not faster using the "Web" button. Very nice feature. The i3 Intel Processor handles many programs running at the same time exceptionally. iTunes, 10+ browser windows, software installations, and downloads running all at the same time ran as quickly for me as just one program open. For managing/listening/playing music, pictures, and videos this laptop will not disappoint you. If you are a gamer you probably already know this isn't the computer for you (shouldn't you looking for a PC anyway?). I only play World of Warcraft at times and this laptop handles it very well set at a high resolution, even with other programs running in the background. I wouldn't recommend this laptop, or any other for under $1,200, for those trying to run high end games. The battery is very good. If you are just surfing the web or typing a paper it will easily run 2.5 hours. It won't last quite as long streaming/playing videos or running multiple programs that heavily utilize system resources. If you want a laptop with 5+ hours of battery remember you will get a much smaller laptop with a lot less power. One great thing about this laptop that is often overlooked is the length of the power cord, it is very long and comes with a Velcro strap to keep it out of the way. This makes it easy to find an outlet wherever you go. The display is vibrant and crisp and produces a high quality picture. A+ The sound is very good for the size of the computer. In the beginning there was some distortion at high volume before I changed the sounds settings. After doing this the speakers sound great! I haven't used the webcam and don't plan to much. Other reviewers have said it works very well. This goes for the microphone as well. The touchpad is responsive and works very well. With any laptop including this one though I would recommend an external mouse. The hard drive size of 500 GB is nice as long as you aren't storing a very large number of HD movies. In any case you can get a 1TB external drive very cheap if need be. Great accesibility with 3 USB ports, HDMI output, Memory Stick Duo slot, SD Card Slot, LAN port, Monitor port, eSATA/USB port, and ExpressCard Slot. Basically anything you want to connect. Overall, this is a great computer especially at $650. It runs fast and looks very stylish. You may pay a little more than you would for another brand with similar features but in my experience you will not receive the same level of quality. This is a great laptop that I highly recommend for generally everyone. However, if you are big into gaming or are editing and rendering video this is not the laptop for you (those that are should know this). All my hard work paid off when doing my research into what laptop to buy and I know have a great machine!

This is a very good computer if you aren't looking to play games on it. Otherwise the performance is excellent. Lets discuss the hardware within the hardware first (that can be also read as performance). You're rocking a new Core i3 processor which can handle many tasks at once with no hiccups. I personally will run multiple web browsers, Norton, Skype, AIM, streaming from Youtube, Zune, and Media Go all at once and I have no slow down. Intel's Core i3 beast is definitely an excellent processor even if there are two classes above it. For the average computer user, this will do just fine. As I said before though, this is not a gaming laptop. Old games and low detailed games will run pretty smooth on it for sure (Sims 3, World of Warcraft (mid to low settings), Syberia, etc.), but don.t expect any Crysis on this machine. Intel's shared graphics memory while not the best for gaming, handles everything else very well. This includes streaming HD video, playing HD movies, etc. You may have read about the wireless on the machine cutting out randomly on some people. Its true, it has happened to me as well. I believe the problem can be isolated to SmartWi (Sony's included WiFi control software). I have uninstalled it and so far so good. It has only been 2 days though so I would like to give it a week before I feel concrete. Other than that, the wireless capabilities are pretty neat. This computer has the ability to become a hotspot for up to 8 other devices. While one can actually just set up an adhoc connection, its good that there is software on this computer to make the process easier. It is also a/b/g/n compatible so you should be able to connect to just about any router with good connections. As far as ports and what not goes, you get the standard 3 USB ports, VGA and HDMI ports which are pretty common on this class of computer these days. A nice suprise though is the inclusion of an e-sata port (for internal hard drives converted to external) and a Memory Stick Duo card slot along with the standard SD and express card slots. There is also a built-in 1.3MP cam otherwise known as MotionEye for you webcam lovers out there. The battery life is rated 3.5 hours on this site, but I haven't tested it yet so I cannot comment on that. Finally one more thing regarding the hardware/performance. Something paranoid people like myself should be happy about is that this computer STAYS cool. The highest temperature recorded for this computer so far for me has been 50 degrees Celsius. THAT IS AMAZING since normal temperatures should stay between 45 and 65 degrees Celsius. It just goes to show that the interior design must match the exterior design in excellence. Nothing new for Sony though, you always get quality builds from this company. Speaking of design, next is the keyboard and it is just downright excellent. You get the full keyboard experience here, that means full qwerty plus numeric keypad, so that will be a good addition for all you number loving types (also like me). Besides that though, the quality feels top notch. The buttons feel very sturdy and premium, almost like a cross between a Chiclet Island style and normal traditional desktop keyboard. You also get some extra feature buttons too. "Assist" which will open your Vaio Care (more on that later), "Web" which will open your default web browser (and something else exceedingly cool, also later) and "Vaio" which will open your media gallery. I'm going to end this review with some information on some pretty awesome unique features that this computer has. First of all since its a Sony Vaio, you get an awesome suite of Sony software to go with the computer. For example Vaio Care is a pretty hefty diagnostics program that checks and does maintenance on pretty much every important thing on the computer. Thats defragging, registry cleaning, alerts for Windows Updates, etc. and not only that, but most of it is one button click processes. It is extremely easy to use and very effective. Then you have music programs, video and photo editing software, control software, even battery optimization settings, there are just a lot of options here that let you know Sony didn't just throw in some extra programs. I would say there is enough software from Sony alone to consider it as a serious Vaio exclusive feature. Finally, the last fact I will share, is a crazy one. The best surprise on this Vaio was something I only previously seen on one netbook. By pressing the "Web" button while the computer is off. You can boot into a basic web browser for very fast access to the internet. Thats right! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LOAD UP WINDOWS TO GET ONLINE WITH THIS THING! Just hit that button and the internet loads right up! So I can understand if you've read enough already. I have had a ton to say about this Vaio and nothing more really needs to be said. You want a summary? Here it is: This Sony E-Series Vaio is hands down awesome and worth your money, if you are in the market for a new laptop, I think you just found your next one.

In preperation for my family trip to Minnesota I wanted to buy a laptop that I could use to stay connected to family back home and my interest online as it is football season... After a week of debating it I finally settled on the Sony Vaio and brought it home and started working on adding my software and such... The first couple of days were perfect but ever so often I would lose my internet connection and it would say "Wireless Adapter not found" and the only two ways to solve this were to restart the computer or go into the network settings and disable my connection which still appeared active and wait around 30 seconds then enable it and it would be fine... I was not worried about this problem as it did not happen enough for me to complain but then I went out and bought a slingbox which worked perfectly but caused this problem to occur roughly 10 to 12 times a day which was not cool... I looked up the problem online only to find out it was a problem with the Windows live updates and I would have to do a load of things just to fix it so I was ready to return the laptop. The night before I was going to return it I turned it on and realized that the problem was no longer occuring and figured it might have something to do with the strength of my router. So I went out and bought a better router and problem was solved... Since then I have enjoyed my laptop greatly and recommend that you buy it but be warned that if you have a weak/cheap wireless router you could have the same issue I had but overall a small price to pay for a great Sony Product...

Just brought home this VAIO tonight and it works exceptionally well compared to the other TWO I have had to return in the past few weeks to Best Buy. First a Toshiba (TOTAL LEMON with a bad hard drive) then an HP due to wireless connection problems (very slow also). This VAIO is fast (like should be expected for a brand new i3 computer) and no wireless connectivity problems! Webcam and sound are not good but other than that I feel like "FINALLY, a laptop that actually works!" I also like that it's not as heavy as the others. Super fast, but watching a movie can look almost cartoonish as the graphics could be better, but overall I can say this has been my best choice out of 3.

I am very happy overall. I had done extensive research and determined I wanted a particular Toshiba model available at Best Buy. Unfortunately, they could not locate the remaining unit that was showing as in stock. So, I turned to look at Sony. My research told me they are #2 in reliability (behind Toshiba by a small margin). My father has had a Sony for several years now that he uses for business and it has been problem free. This, by my opinion, is a solid performing and feature rich laptop. The i3 Intel processor has had no issue with performing multiple tasks simultaneously. I am quite demanding in regard to what I expect in terms of speed and am pleased with how this Sony performs. The Windows 7 OS is great. I cannot make any comment on its gaming abilities. It was a bit of a stretch for my budget to drop the $649 I paid, but in retrospect it is a wise choice. Don't cheat yourself by buying a budget model or more prone to repair brand and don't spend unnecessary money on upper level models. Battery life is only average. The sound from the little speakers does lack depth but the volume is plenty adequate. The display shows sharp, rich colors and decent brightness. Bottom line: good brand, good value, and a very good choice for home recreational computing. Do get yourself a mouse (they perform better than any trackpad I know of and will speed up operations).

This laptop is great the Core i3 its a great processor for the things I do on this and I'm really happy with it, the design is just great it looks sweet! and it really fast. Yes, the WiFi problem is one thing all the laptops have as I see but I checked one dudes review about the WiFi problem which I HAD and it worked, just search on WikiDrivers for the Intel Centrino AGN 6200 Driver version 13.2.1.5 and download it, do not search it on Intel or Sony's website because they have the 13.1.1.1 which is really strange. Anyway if you have the Wifi problem just check it on WikiDrivers and it's the solution to this problem that I think it's the only disadvantage of this

I just bought this laptop and i think its worth every dollar i spent on it. The new processor seems to be very fast along with high resolution graphics and sound. The glitter on the palm rest may annoy a few people but because the laptop is very efficient and powerful, you wont be distracted.

I've been using this laptop for 3 days. + Processor and memory performance are quite good for me, who likes running a number of applications simultaneously + Display is good, but when it comes to playing games which are challenging for graphic cards, I'm not sure how it would perform + The design is as what I would expect from Vaio. Screen, keyboard and touchpad are very convenient. Moreover, it looks much better than the way it looks on the website + Battery life is satisfaying; it lasts over 2 hours even if I run multiple applications + Unlike some people having problems with wireless, it works great for me. I've encountered no problem with wireless + Webcam and Mic quality are not so great, but they do the job well In conclusion, as a master student, it has everything I'm looking for, and I'm enjoying Vaio quality