Sony Vaio EB

Introduction
So far this is what I like to see in a college notebook, two different kinds of black color options and an affordable blue ray drive. On more serious note, Sony may have stepped up to produce a notebook that is geared towards the college student with a very customizable inside (I would say stylish outside, but I’m tired of saying it, every Sony laptop ever made looks awesome) and very easy access to internet. That statement may have sounded very dated, one may have said it about the first 56k modem for you would not have to have a modem hardwired to your workplace to use it; you’ll just have to read on to see what I mean.

Specs:
Intel i3 350M Processor
500 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive
4 GB RAM
Integrated graphics standard
CD/DVD player
Outside
I like the slight tint in my what I believe is gunmetal black. This is a more conservative looking Sony on the outside, at least in comparison to the Y class with its slick curves and power switch on the side. The inside is a different story but I’ll get into that later. This is not a small machine with its 15.5 inch screen and 5.95 pound weight. It has the usual VAIO logo and comes in 6 different colors, including two different shades of black. The front has the usual memory card slots, SDHC and Memory Stick, and the auio in/out ports. Personally I prefer my headphone port to be on the side, but that is just personal preference and what I am used to. The right side has 3 USB ports lined up and an optical drive. Having USB ports next to each other is very useful for certain devices such as certain portable hard drives that has two usb cords for increased performance; because the USB ports are on opposite sides of my Mac, I cant use these drives to their full potential. For just $80 extra, a blue ray drive is available, buy it, if not the blue ray burner for $180.
The back just has the battery, which is thankfully flush against the machine. An extra capacity battery is an upgradeable option for $100 more. The left side hosts the majority of the ports: AC in, DVI, HDMI, eSata, and express card slot. There is a fairly large vent heat for air circulation on the left side, so try and keep the left side of the computer facing an open area. This will not noticeably improve performance, but leaving room to make sure the inside is aired out will help keep this Sony cool on the inside. I wish the screen was more flush against the main body when closed. Very few computers are flush (All Mac laptops are); keeping things flush helps keeping dust and other particles from getting on the screen and keyboard when you’re carrying it around.
Inside
Another claspless case by Sony, I’m not exactly sure when clasps went out of style, maybe two years ago? Somehow these cases stay closed nonetheless. Anyway, this is a fairly large computer, and the screen looks huge. It says it is only a tenth of an inch longer than my Macbook Pro, but somehow it just looks a lot bigger. HD content looks great, as long as there is no lighting behind you (glossy screen), I’m sure blue ray would look spectacular too. Upgrading to a Blue-Ray drive is sooo cheap, only $80, I would not hesitate to upgrade to that. What I think it is the biggest deal about the EB compared to other machines in its class, is Sony’s integration of the full keyboard including the number pad. These days, it seems as though everything is getting smaller with less buttons, but in the end, that usually mean less efficiency for maybe something that is a little more fashionable. Having not used a full desktop keyboard in years, even my wireless Mac keyboard has no number pad, it definitely took some getting used to, have the full keyboard. But within a day, I realized how much more comfortable and faster it was to input numbers using the number pad. This is actually a feature that could for many people be a much more worthwhile purchase than any other laptop in this price range.
I’m serious. Certain features such as i5 processors and discrete graphics cards are great and important to have for many applications, but they are available and easily upgradable to in any normal sized laptop. I have yet to see another laptop offer something as unique and great as this. Other than the normal keyboard, full number pad, power butto there are three extra buttons. One of them is labeled “Web”, and is my favorite button on the entire laptop. As ridiculous as that sounds, considering the “ESC” key is so useful, the web button is awesome. While this machine is off, pushing the “web” key opens up what Sony calls “Instant Web Access”. Windows does not open up, just a web browser. It is very quick to open, maybe five seconds. Sony was able to accomplish this by what I think is a separate flash memory drive, which is why it is so fast. I think it is a different drive because none of your favorites or known networks are saved from when using the internet on Windows 7. This is another cool and very unique feature, and perfect for quickly checking email, or directions somewhere while your computer is off.
The trackpad gets the job done, nothing too special. It is on the left side of the computer which seems weird at first, but it is centered on the spacebar, so it would be centered if there was no trackpad. This makes it a little easier to go back and forth between another computer that does not have the number pad to throw off your feel.
Performance
This is a great computer that works very well. The standard features are nothing special: i3 processor, cd/dvd drive, integrated graphics, standard hard drive, 4 GB RAM. This is why the starting price is so low, and online it is very easy to upgrade pretty much every feature. Processor, optical drive, RAM, graphics, and the hard drive all have options to upgrade to make this a very powerful multimedia powerhouse. Even the standard battery life is well below average, but that is also upgradable to a respectable 5 hour battery life.
Recommendation

Sony built a winner. It works great, have unique features that makes this laptop a great machine. The keyboard is wonderful, and the web button is pretty awesome. The interal specs are like I said nothing special, but who cares about standard specs when everything is upgradeable. For my personal use, I would upgrade every internal feature Sony offers on their site. Always upgrade the RAM first, that will make the biggest difference. The Sony Vaio EB is a great multimedia computer that I definitely recommend for any college student or anyone for that matter looking for a highly customizable laptop built for Blue Rays.

Posted in: Sony