A Review of the 15.4" Laptop Sony VAIO VGN-NR110E/T

The Sony VAIO VGN-NR110E/T is a laptop with a 15.4" screen and I've had the opportunity to spend some time with one. It is currently one of Sony's top selling models and has a low price compared to many of Sony's other offerings. I'm going to let you know what it's capable of doing right out of the box and where it may need a little help. Without further ado let me introduce you to the Sony VAIO VGN-NR110E/T.

Under the hood:

Laptop Screen Size: 15.4" screen

Processor: A dual-core 1.46 GHz Intel Pentium T2310 processor

RAM: 1 GB of RAM (DRAM) (expandable to 2GB)

Hard Drive: 120 GB Hard drive (serial ATA)

Girth: 10.6" long 14.2" wide and 1.5" tall

Weight: A hefty 6.2 lbs

Video: Running on an integrated Intel X3100 video card

Running on: Windows Vista home premium.

First of all the most striking feature about this model is that it is brown. It's not too often you see a brown laptop and there are certain very few brown Sony Vaios, however the VAIO VGN-NR110E/T is an exception. While that is fairly novel looks only go so far with me, so on with the rest of its story. Just like with most Sony laptops this Vaio has a wonderfully bright and vibrant screen that utilizes the proprietary XBRITE-ECO technology. These screens are amazing and I might argue some of the best on the market today. Just go to your local retailer and compare the Sony's with the other models. However I don't know that pure screen clarity can win me over.

This is a low priced Sony and I'm sure we'll be paying for it elsewhere, right? Well that elsewhere is noticeable in just about every other facet of this Vaio. First is the RAM. With only 1 GB I've noticed some serious problems with its responsiveness straight out of the box. While it is expandable to 2 GB which is not tremendous in itself, no one wants to buy a new laptop and immediately drop in an upgrade. Next is the fact that Sony markets the VAIO VGN-NR110E/T as a multimedia center being capable of replacing your digital video recorder. This won't be the case with the slim 120 GB hard drive. While with preloaded Windows Vista Home Premium is fully capable, it's just not feasible especially when you consider the paltry connections and integrated graphics card (with gasp shared memory!). The resolution it is capable of achieving is a standard 1280 x 800, so don't expect True HD.

Lastly the pure girth of the thing is a little surprising. This thing isn't light for a 15.4" laptop. I would consider it a middleweight compared to the other offerings at this 500-700 price range. Also the battery life isn't winning me over. I'm getting around 3 hours on average.

Connectivity:

Wireless : Integrated 802.11b/g

4 USB 2.0 ports (for connecting things like digital cameras or printers)

1 Firewire port (for high speed video transfer from a digital video camera)

1 Memory stick /pro/ duo reader (for Sony brand digital cameras and equipment)

1 Expresscard 34 slot

1 SD slot (for your other equipment / digital cameras / phones / PDA's that happen to use SD cards)

The connectivity is fairly standard. The 4 USB ports are nice, I would say from my experience 3 are standard on most laptops and anything more a bonus. So score one for Sony there. The lack of integrated Bluetooth on the VAIO VGN-NR110E/T is a bit of a letdown especially for a Sony. Bluetooth integration is becoming more and more common even on the "budget" laptops. The firewire connection is a bit baffling considering the integrated graphics card and the small hard drive, you won't doing to movie making on this machine, so why include it?

At around $600 I don't understand why the Sony VAIO VGN-NR110E/T is selling so well. The comparables have more to offer. Maybe it's the lovely brown exterior or people become mesmorized by the XBRITE screen in the store. Sony does generally have a good quality product with nice technical support so maybe it's the name that people are buying. Either way I don't think it's worth it right now. I would hold off on purchasing this one for a few months down the road when Sony rolls out a few new Vaio laptops and the VAIO VGN-NR110E/T goes on sale, but right now I'd stay away.

If you do happen to pick one up I recommend clearing out all the trialware Sony is notorious for including on their laptops and PC's. Many of it is proprietary stuff that offers little more than features already included in your Window's Home Vista Premium edition. Especially considering the lack of RAM this will help performance immediately.