A Product Review of the 14.1" Sony VAIO VGN-CR420E/N Laptop

Sony is one of the more popular notebook manufactures with their Vaio brand notebooks. If you want a killer display and power to match then Sony has everything you'll ever want, of course you'll be paying a premium and some notebooks may not be quite up to snuff. I've gotten my hands on one of these wildly popular Sonys, the VAIO VGN-CR420E/N. In this review I'm going to tell you what kind of consumer is going to get the most for their money and if it is worth that steep Sony price tag.

Hardware:

Processor: 2.10 GHz "Penryn" Intel Core 2 Duo T8100

Storage Space: 250 GB hard drive

RAM: 3 GB RAM (upgradable to a 4 GB maximum)

Optical Drive: CD R/RW with integrated dual-layer DVD +/- burner

Video Accelerator: Intel X3100 video card (operating with 358 MB of shared video RAM)

You'll certainly want to get a good look at one of these notebooks in person before you make the purchase. Mine is champagne in color which I think is gorgeous and professional enough, but I doubt it will match everyone's tastes. On the other side of the Bezel though is what make's Sony's so popular at that is the 14.1" 1280 x 800 XBRITE display. It is clean crisp and very bright.

I like the Penryn in this notebook, I think that often it is misused in larger application but in this mobile 14 incher it offers just the right amount of power with the battery saving capabilities. Mine is getting great battery life and performing like a champ. While you're not going to play too many graphically intensive games - you will be able to do just about everything else without suffering through any system lag.

Connectivity:

Integrated Bluetooth

Integrated WiFi

3 2.0 USB ports (these are the gold standard of peripheral connectivity, use them for MP3 players, cameras and printers)

1 FireWire port (for high speed data transfer between other PC's or even a digital camcorder)

1 VGA output (a standard monitor output)

1 S video output (to connect to projectors or some compatible televisions)

1 ExpressCard slot (to add peripherals like a cellular modem)

Memory Stick/ SD slot (to insert your Sony digital camera's memory directly into your laptop)

1 audio out / 1 mic in

1 Ethernet port (so you can connect to wired LANs)

1 56K modem port (so you can dial up)

This notebook is that standard run of the mill notebook, only you're on the cutting edge. It is perfect for traveling, it has great battery life, and it is perfect for entertainment (minus a few high end games). It will do what you want it to do and it will do it quick. There is nothing really negative to say about this notebook. Even the price at around $1150 is reasonable especially for a Sony. I also don't foresee any drastic price drops in the foreseeable future so if you need a notebook right now then don't hesitate to pick up this little fella.