Build Quality and Usability – It's the little Things

Build quality for the most part is what you would expect both from a Sony and from a laptop from this price bracket. The lid doesn’t creak when it opens or closes, its hinges are smooth, and it stays firmly closed, despite the fact that it doesn’t have a latch. Working with the display should be possible even in very relaxed positions, as the lid opens up to about 135°.

The keyboard is easy to type with, gives you good tactile feedback and has short travel. Still, the action could feel just a tad crisper, more refined. The palm rest is large enough to make typing comfortable. We found the trackpad took a little getting used to. Overall, it felt a little less responsive than other units and even a bit “slow”, for want of a better word. At other times it would be over sensitive, and an unwitting brush of the wrist would send the mouse pointer across the screen. The trackpad buttons were fine, though, and very responsive.

Underlining the media centre theme of the VAIO, there are several control elements to the top right of the keyboard. These are the standard play/pause, stop, forward/reverse, and volume up/down buttons found on any media player, plus the configurable S1 button and the AV Mode button that lets you choose from a selection of tasks at the top of the screen. In the end, it’s up to you whether you prefer using these buttons or the user interface of the playback software.

You can only adjust the volume using these control elements - there is no other volume dial or slider. Since the buttons only work when the unit is on, don’t forget to turn down the volume before going to the library, or you’ll be getting some dirty looks when you boot up and treat your surroundings to Vista’s startup sound.

A few things seemed out of place on a model from this price bracket. For example, the area surrounding the Blu-ray combo drive felt especially flimsy to the point of there being so much bending that we actually worried the plastic would snap. The “not-quite-solid” feeling continues where the battery compartment is concerned. The battery snaps into place on the underside of the VAIO, which isn’t such a bad idea, saving you the hassle of opening compartments and fiddling with release levers. However, the battery was a loose fit for the compartment, causing it to rattle. This isn’t much of a problem on the desk, but when you’re balancing the laptop on your knees, it’s a bit strange to hear and feel the battery bumping up and down.

Finally, the placement of the power connector is simply a question of bad design. If you plug the power brick in so that the cable runs along the right side of the case, you won’t be able to open the optical drive. This would be short sighted for any device that uses an optical drive, but for a laptop that makes a point of offering HD video through its Blu-ray drive, it’s just bewildering. Speaking of the power cable, another thing we noticed is that it seems shorter than most. This limits your choice of working location when using it as a mobile office or entertainment centre.

Moving on to ergonomics, we found the unit and its connectors clearly marked. Still, there is room for improvement. Sony chose to simply emboss the names or symbols for the connectors on the plastic casing. While what works well enough, legibility could be improved by using a contrasting colour for the script. Nonetheless, you’re unlikely to mix up connectors for the most part, for reasons of mechanical incompatibility alone. You’d really have to want to plug in a USB connector to the HDMI port, for example.