Buy Used/3rdParty More product information	Sony VAIO VGN-TX650P/B 11.1" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 753, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dbl Layer/DVD+/-RW Drive) List Price: $2,310.00    Our Price: Too Low To Display Manufacturer: Sony CE MPN: VGN-TX650PB Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Features: Intel Pentium M Processor Ultra Low Voltage 753 (1.2GHz) 2MB L2 Cache 400MHz FSB 512MB (Non-removable) of PC-3200 400MHz DDR2-SDRAM (expandable to 1.5GB) Integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi Wireless Network Adapter
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Product Description Take a load off your shoulders when you're racing for your plane with the sleekly designed and ultra-portable Sony Vaio VGN-TX650P/B notebook PC, which weighs just an amazing 2.76 pounds. It also features integrated wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) technology to keep you connected and productive when away from your workstation and a dual-layer, multi-format DVD/CD burner with Click to DVD software, enabling you to create high-quality, customized DVDs for presentations or home movies. It also has an 11.1-inch widescreen LCD with XBRITE technology, 1.2 GHz ultra-low voltage Pentium M processor, 60 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM (1.5 GB maximum), a battery life of between 4 and 7.5 hours, Bluetooth wireless capability (for connecting to peripherals such as PDAs, cell phones, and printers), a multi-format memory card reader, and a wide assortment of pre-loaded software titles. Customer Reviews Sony is nice but overpriced and annoying Note that there is a TX310 for $300 less if you can do with switching a DVDRW for a CDRW/DVD player. I would have purchased the TX310 myself but I was on a tight timeframe and none were in stock. Now to the review ... There is a lot to like about this TX line if you want ultraportable - mainly great screen, weight, and battery life. I bought this for my wife who was very specific about what she wanted, which narrowed it to two choices as of 2/1/2006, Sony TX and Averatec 1000. She preferred the Sony, and I understand why, but I would never pay the premium this one commands - the Averatec is 90% the same laptop at 50% of the price ... you basically loose - battery life (3.5 versus 5.5 hours) - a tiny bit of screen size (10.6 versus 11.1) - screen quality (though the Averatec is very good, but the Sony is excellent) - some weight (2.7 versus 3.4 lbs). - DVD burner (who cares - my desktop has one, and this is a $25-50 feature these days) - Bluetooth and Edge - I can add Bluetooth for $100 and use my phone as the modem, so decide if this is important to you. Since I almost always plug into a wall and the other differences were so small, I felt I was paying $150 per ounce or $200 per 0.1 inches ... I also slightly preferred the Averatec keyboard, though it was not a decision point. I also thought the Averatec seemed a little sturdier, though this is highly subjective. Also, note that I read one review (before buying) that said the Averatec had worse speakers - I listened to both side by side and disagree - they both have very little volume and while the Sony was MAYBE a little clearer, the Averatec was a little louder which I would judge more important, given how weak the volume of both were ... I don't actually care about this since I would typically use headphones if watching a DVD, but if you care then check it out and decide for yourself. As it typical with Sony it is way overpriced. It certainly represents quality, but definitely not quality-value (e.g. it is rolls royce, not mercedes). I calculate that the extra features of the Sony are worth ~$200. The TX line also appears easy to break, sticks you with Cingular for the highly touted EDGE connectivity (I like Cingular, but why no choice in GSM data services - more to the point, if you are going to force Cingular then why not negotiate special pricing for your users). It has the typical crappy Sony graphics (which practically defines Sony Computer in my mind). Why does Sony think no users play games even though half of game players are solid income educated people between 25 and 45 years old ...?! The Averatec was no better on this score, but for >$1000 less I'm more forgiving. The part I REALLY find hard to accept are little issues such as (1) does not ship it with recovery disks, which I expect in the $1150 Averatec but not the similar $2200 Sony, and (2) Sony loads it with a ton of crap software (AOL, Netscape, ...) that I have to go through and remove, which they give you no quick and easy way to do. I spent the first 4 hours cleaning up the machine and making recovery disks ... This is not what the user experience for a premium priced manufactuer should be like! Because it is easy to break, I am trying to buy the Sony extended service plan (my retailer only sold their own plan for twice as much). So far I have not found a way to purchase the plan through Sony after the fact, but I am told they will mail me an invite to do so ... I stopped buying Sony about 12 years ago because I thought their marketing people had screwed up a great company with overhyped overpriced products - this laptop exactly meets my expectations for Sony. Good luck! nice, but not as impressive an upgrade as past models This is the fourth Sony mini laptop I have owned. The prior two were more impressive upgrades to their predecessors in my opinion. I have had a VGN-TR3, and two different models from the T (not TX) series. While I am still happy with the unit and find it to be definitely ultra-portable, I am less in awe of this upgrade than the others. Few annoyances: -the antenna for the Cingular access is annoying if you don't have the service (it is useless in my area, so the antenna is simply in the way). Since this one pivots unlike the fixed to the monitor T series antenna, it is more apt to be caught on things. Would love to be able to remove it until such time as service is available here -the button on the DVD drive is insanely small and under the lip of the drive. Useless without picking up the side of the laptop to see it and then pressing it with a pen or other small object. There is another button to serve this purpose next to the DVD controls near the screen hinge which works fine, however, it is hard to re-train yourself not to look for the button on the drive -for some reason one of the USB connections has now been put behind a cheap rubbery plastic door, which simply makes it harder to get to. My experience with these doors is they eventually don't close properly and just hang. Some questionable things: -the screen is definitely much thinner on this model than those prior. While I have never had an issue with any model having screen problems and don't expect to with this one, the hinges on it are looser and it pivots much more easily. Not sure it would stay in place in a bumpy ride in a car or airplane -while this current machine has more memory (1.5 versus 1.0Gb) than my most recent T series, and the memory is supposed to be faster, this machine is noticably slower than that model and probably the prior T series as well. I actually compared the two side by side in an informal test to confirm this. I have no explanation for this as everything but the memory is the same. An annoyance with all the Sonys I have owned is the fact that they come pre-loaded with tons of software which I then have to remove. Should you need to do a system recovery, you go right back to square one with all that software. The system comes with no disks - everything is stored on a portion of the hard drive that is allocated for this purpose. If you are in need of a protective case for this unit, the booq XXS Viper fits nicely. I have found them to work well for these units - I regularly toss mine in a tote bag inside the case and have never had a problem with the protection provided. Sony has very little for accessories available at this time - a battery and power cords last I knew. Overall, this unit is a nice machine, as well all the predecessors, but I am not convinced I should have traded in my T series due to the speed issues. If you want a small ultraportable machine with an exceptional clear screeen that is fairly powerful, however, this will do the job nicely. I actually have SQL server running on this machine as I did with prior models with no noticable speed issues other than the fact this one is slower. If you can find a better priced T series and don't mind a slightly smaller but thicker screen, however, that might be a better deal. The 4 stars are a result of the annoyances in the new model. I would give the T series 5, and would have give the TX a 5 if I hadn't owned the T. You LOVE it or you HATE it! This is Sony's new version of the T series. Unlike the T models, the TX models have a thinner screen, revamped keyboard and a cooler look. I really don't like widescreen LCD's on a laptop. Everything just makes it look squished and sometimes hard to read things. The screen is large enough to accomplish tasks that are internet and word based but not for like video editing or any kind of Photoshop stuff. This is however a perfect travel laptop with a 7.5 hr battery on HD, 4.5 running on a CD. The thinness on the screen makes it feel like its going to break if squished too tightly. The old T models had a thicker LCD which made it more carry accessible. The keyboard is great to type on (not for someone with big hands) and it has all the features you would expect in a laptop. Yes it does have a duel layer DVD burner but the button to open the tray is the smallest button I've have ever seen. You can also play DVD's without booting up windows. Over all the laptop is great but not for everyone unless you really love small portable devices. This is great to have around if you want to draw attention to yourself. Weighing on 2.8 pounds (most of it being the battery) this laptop is great for car trips, school, plane flights and just a fast way to connect to the internet and check those normal items on the go.