September 2007
Sony Vaio VGN-TZ191N/XC: First Look
We take our first look at a slim, light laptop with a flash-based hard drive
Solid-state drives are on the cutting edge of storage technology, allowing your computer to access data without the moving
parts required by a traditional hard drive. So-called flash drives don't have the spinning disk of a conventional hard drive,
so they use less power, work more quietly, and should be more resistant to damage from rugged use. And because there are no
moving parts, they promise to access data more quickly.
We tested the first consumer laptop to include one of those drives, the new Sony VAIO VGN-TZ191N/XC ($3,200). It's a slim and light 11-inch, 2.6-pound model that also features an LED-backlighted display, another energy-saving technology, as well as a lightweight carbon-fiber casing. We found that battery life was indeed longer, but we had mixed results with speed and usability. Here's a look at the benefits and trade-offs of this new model.
HIGHS
Battery life is longer. Our tests found that the TZ191N/XC could run for 7.5 hours. That's 3.75 hours longer than the best Windows laptops in the Ratings (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers). It's also slightly longer-lasting than Apple MacBooks, which ran between 4 and 5 hours in our battery tests.
It's noticeably lighter. The Sony's 2.6-pound weight makes it the lightest by far of any systems we've recently tested. But its design has drawbacks: The touchpad, buttons, and keyboard are squeezed into a tight space, making them uncomfortable to use over time. Placing the power and utility buttons on the laptop's side makes them more prone to being accidentally pushed. It's also hard to insert and remove the battery, and indicator lights are not always easy to see because they face sideways or downward. But despite the small footprint, there are a good number of features built in, such as a webcam, microphone, and fingerprint reader.
The display is better. The TZ191N/XC's LED-backlighted display is brighter than traditional LCDs. Although the 11.1-inch screen is small, it's also wide, and its high resolution provides crisp detail, even when viewed from above or the side. Photos have very good contrast and color tone. But the screen's size makes smaller text difficult to read.
LOWS
Performance is a mixed bag. One of the touted benefits of flash drives is quicker boot-up. When we compared boot-up time for the TZ191N/XC with another slim-and-light, the Sony VAIO SZ440, we found there was little difference between the two. That's probably because boot-up requires processes that use the drive and the processor, and the processor slowed things down. On the other hand, for drive-intensive tasks such as scanning for viruses, the TZ191N/XC was as much as 40 percent faster than its hard-drive sibling.
Capacity is limited. At least for now, flash drives have limited storage capacity. The TZ191N/XC we tested came with a 32GB drive. With the operating system and all essentials installed, there was only a paltry 8GB of free space. For additional space, you can add an external drive or configure a similar model with a conventional, heavier, and slower 100GB hard drive. But both measures defeat the purpose of having a flash drive.
BOTTOM LINE
The TZ191N/XC is an early adopter of several new technologies that will most likely improve over time. So far, flash drives have not proved to be the cure-all for complaints about sluggish boot-up. If you travel frequently and need the lightest possible laptop, the TZ191N/XC's design limitations might be worth tolerating. For most people, its benefits aren't worth the high price and inconvenience.
We tested the first consumer laptop to include one of those drives, the new Sony VAIO VGN-TZ191N/XC ($3,200). It's a slim and light 11-inch, 2.6-pound model that also features an LED-backlighted display, another energy-saving technology, as well as a lightweight carbon-fiber casing. We found that battery life was indeed longer, but we had mixed results with speed and usability. Here's a look at the benefits and trade-offs of this new model.
HIGHS
Battery life is longer. Our tests found that the TZ191N/XC could run for 7.5 hours. That's 3.75 hours longer than the best Windows laptops in the Ratings (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers). It's also slightly longer-lasting than Apple MacBooks, which ran between 4 and 5 hours in our battery tests.
It's noticeably lighter. The Sony's 2.6-pound weight makes it the lightest by far of any systems we've recently tested. But its design has drawbacks: The touchpad, buttons, and keyboard are squeezed into a tight space, making them uncomfortable to use over time. Placing the power and utility buttons on the laptop's side makes them more prone to being accidentally pushed. It's also hard to insert and remove the battery, and indicator lights are not always easy to see because they face sideways or downward. But despite the small footprint, there are a good number of features built in, such as a webcam, microphone, and fingerprint reader.
The display is better. The TZ191N/XC's LED-backlighted display is brighter than traditional LCDs. Although the 11.1-inch screen is small, it's also wide, and its high resolution provides crisp detail, even when viewed from above or the side. Photos have very good contrast and color tone. But the screen's size makes smaller text difficult to read.
LOWS
Performance is a mixed bag. One of the touted benefits of flash drives is quicker boot-up. When we compared boot-up time for the TZ191N/XC with another slim-and-light, the Sony VAIO SZ440, we found there was little difference between the two. That's probably because boot-up requires processes that use the drive and the processor, and the processor slowed things down. On the other hand, for drive-intensive tasks such as scanning for viruses, the TZ191N/XC was as much as 40 percent faster than its hard-drive sibling.
Capacity is limited. At least for now, flash drives have limited storage capacity. The TZ191N/XC we tested came with a 32GB drive. With the operating system and all essentials installed, there was only a paltry 8GB of free space. For additional space, you can add an external drive or configure a similar model with a conventional, heavier, and slower 100GB hard drive. But both measures defeat the purpose of having a flash drive.
BOTTOM LINE
The TZ191N/XC is an early adopter of several new technologies that will most likely improve over time. So far, flash drives have not proved to be the cure-all for complaints about sluggish boot-up. If you travel frequently and need the lightest possible laptop, the TZ191N/XC's design limitations might be worth tolerating. For most people, its benefits aren't worth the high price and inconvenience.
