CNET Editor's rating: 7.9 out of 10
Reviewed by
Dan Ackerman
Review date: 06/18/07
Release date: 06/01/07
The good: Typically excellent Sony design; handy media control buttons; Blu-ray drive and HDMI output.
The bad: Loaded up with adware and bloatware; no Bluetooth; not configurable.
The bottom line: We can't imagine the market for a 15-inch home theater laptop with Blu-ray is very large, but the Sony VAIO FZ180 certainly fits the bill--even if it's preloaded with unwanted come-ons for other Sony products.
The midsize Media Center laptop is a hard concept to get one's head around. Those interested in playing movies, especially via Blu-ray, are likely to want a 17-inch or larger display, while mainstream users often turn to 15-inch laptops for their mix of portability and pricing--not a surfeit of media features. Still, there's no denying the appeal of a well-designed laptop, and the $1,999 Sony VAIO FZ180 is, like the rest of Sony's line, head and shoulders above the competition in that regard, second only to perhaps Apple. If the design and features appeal, but you don't want the added expense of a Blu-ray drive, the FZ160 knocks $500 off the price by subbing in a plain-Jane DVD burner.
Like much of the Sony VAIO laptop family, the FZ180 has a large VAIO logo embossed on the back of the lid, while the sharp, angular case eschews the recent trend toward soft, rounded edges. At only 1.4 inches thick, it's slimmer than other recent 15-inch media-friendly laptops, such as the HP Pavilion dv6500t and the Dell Inspiron E1505.
Sony's flat-key keyboard is among our favorite laptop keyboards, but we wish the tiny touchpad mouse buttons were a little more substantial. Keeping with the multimedia theme, there's a four-way click-wheel above the keyboard that acts as a media-control hub, offering fast-forward, rewind, play, and volume controls.
The 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,280x800 native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size. Showing off a little corporate synergy, Sony uses the same LCD technology found in its Bravia line of HDTVs, which the company calls Xbrite, promising higher contrast and richer colors. The screen indeed looks excellent, especially when playing back a high-definition Blu-ray movie--although at 1,280x800, it's not really true 1080p resolution. You'll need the HDMI output into your big-screen TV to get the full Blu-ray experience.
But the system's generally excellent design and features are marred by some annoying "extras." At a time when other vendors like Dell and HP are making conscious efforts to declutter their systems, removing desktop come-ons for Internet access and music subscription services, the VAIO FZ180 is one of the most egregious offenders we've seen in recent memory. Not only is the default desktop background image an advertisement for Sony's Spider-Man 3 movie, the system comes thoughtfully preloaded with full-length copies of both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately, you'll have to pony up $8.99 each to unlock the protected film files via an Internet connection, and even then, they'll only play on the original laptop. Together, the two films take up around 2.6GB of hard drive space. Other conspicuous partner applications include GameTap, Napster, and a Travelocity desktop widget.
Clicking the AV Mode button above the keyboard pops up a toolbar with links to a Sony Webcam utility, Intervideo's WinDVD for playing back Blu-ray discs, and Sony's much-maligned SonicStage music application (which pales in comparison to iTunes or Windows Media Player).
Sony VAIO FZ180
Average for mainstream category
Video
VGA-out, S-Video, HDMI
VGA-out, S-Video
Audio
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data
3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, multiformat memory card reader
4 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, multiformat memory card reader
Expansion
ExpressCard/34 slot
PC Card slot
Networking
Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi
Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth
Optical drive
Blu-ray BD-RE
DVD burner
We were pleased to see the inclusion of 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, and the HDMI port is a no-brainer in a system with a Blu-ray drive. The lack of a Bluetooth antenna was disappointing but won't be a deal breaker for most.
As a fixed-configuration system, you're stuck with the default specs of the FZ180, but with a fast Core 2 Duo T7300 CPU running on an 800MHz frontside bus from Intel's new Centrino Duo lineup along with 2GB of RAM, Nvidia's new GeForce 8400M GT graphics card, and a decent-sized hard drive, we have no complaints. The similarly configured VAIO FZ160 costs $500 less and leaves out the Blu-ray drive and HDMI output.
The Sony VAIO FZ180 performed in line with other recent multimedia-friendly 15-inch laptops. The HP Pavilion dv6500t and the Gateway E-475M were marginally faster, on account of their T7500 CPU being one step farther up the Core 2 Duo ladder, but in real-world terms, you're unlikely to see any performance difference, even under heavy multimedia use. We were able to, for example, play a Blu-ray movie, surf the Web, and work on an Excel file at the same time with no slowdown or stuttering.
The FZ180 ran for 2 hours and 2 minutes on our DVD battery drain test, using the included lithium ion battery. Two hours from a 15-inch laptop isn't especially impressive but falls within acceptable parameters and was better than the HP dv6500t. Our DVD battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.
Sony includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system, which included on-site service. Upgrading to a three-year plan will cost an extra $199. Support is accessible through a 24-7 toll-free phone line and an online support Web site, which helpfully gives you a custom page of links to manuals and drivers for your specific model.
Multimedia multitasking test (in minutes) (Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Sony VAIO FZ180
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT; 160GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
HP Pavilion dv6500t
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition; 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500; 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB Nvidia 8400M GS; 200GB Toshiba 4,200rpm
Dell Inspiron E1505
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon x1400; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm
Gateway E-475M
Windows Vista Business Edition; 2.2GHz Intel Core Duo T7500; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD2300; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm
(Originally posted on CNET Reviews)
Intro:
The Sony VAIO FZ180E/B is a 5.7-pound, thin-and-light notebook computer.Compared to other thin-and-light notebooks on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $1,380.Has Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) built-in.
Noteworthy Features:
Has a BD-RE removable disc drive, which is considerably more favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.Also, this notebook comes with Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows Vista Home premium OS, which is somewhat more favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.
Weaker Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
A thin-and-light notebook, suited for business computing.Includes advanced word processing software -- capable of producing all the complex documents you may need to publish.Make your home movies zing by using the bundled video software to edit material uploaded from a digital videocam.If you have a wireless network at home, wirelessly browse the Web from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled laptop.
Value:
In view of its relatively inexpensive price, this notebook has great features for the money.
Suggestions:
(1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a wireless access point for your home, so that you can browse the Web more conveniently from any room.(2) Using this PC's Firewire (1394) port, you can connect to many digital video camcorders and other equipment to rapidly upload data to the laptop hard drive.
6 out of 10 - Good Compters great but beware of sony
The good news is, this computer is awesome. I bought the FZ190 (2.0Ghz processor, 2 gigs of ram, hi-color ...
The good news is, this computer is awesome. I bought the FZ190 (2.0Ghz processor, 2 gigs of ram, hi-color screen, nvidia Geforce 8400m GT, 80 gig hard drive, white keyboard) hoping that it will last me 4 years in college, and serve as an entertainment PC, allowing me to watch movies and play a few games. Well so far its doing what I want it to flawlessly. Counter Strike Source runs excelently, multitasts very well, and it stays very quiet. It does tend to get a little hot on the bottom but heats expected.
Now for the bad. Sony in general has really disapointed me. For starters i cutomized this product at a nearby sony style store, and was told it would be at my house within 5-7 business days. When i called sony, i found out the estimated ship date was on the 19th. After that i was told all kinds of stories, from, the computer was done being built on the 13th and just waiting for a carrier to, they are waiting to approve my credit to, they didn't even start building the computer until the 24th. They told me the delay was because of the engraving, because of bad parts and every other story in the book. Fact was, nobody in customer care knew where my computer was, what was going on with it, and they kept repeating the same line, "I can't help you sir."
When i finally got my computer on the 3rd of July, it was packed with bloatware. After installing AIM, Steam, Counter Strike, and 2 gigs of music, my 80 gig hard drive was down to 35 gigs! ive tried turning system restore off and back on which brings me up to 38, and after deleting a few programs im still only up to 39. I know there is plenty more to delete I'm just afraid of unistalling the wrong things.
I tried creating a recovery disk and unfortunately I can't. Sony never informed me that Vista does not allow you to creat erecovery disks on CDs like XP could, and I chose not to get a DVD burner seeing that I never used my old one. A simple "please note that you must have a DVD burner..." would have prompt me to pay the extra 30 bucks.
Finally my last issue is that since my Hard Drive capacity is already heading south, I thought maybe I will just upgrade. Well if I want to send it off, I have to send it off to california, the same place that took over a month to get my computer to me in the first place. Not to mention I live in florida. And, if i upgrade my hard drive, I would want to go all out and get a 7200rpm, which is not offered by sony. I WOULD just go out and by a seperate HD and install it myself, but then there goes my pretty 3 year waranty.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Unbelievable Value
OK, I bought the FZ160, not the FZ180. But they are the same, except the FZ160 has no Blu-ray HD, ...
OK, I bought the FZ160, not the FZ180. But they are the same, except the FZ160 has no Blu-ray HD, and costs $600 less. Who needs Blu-ray HD for $600 on a PC that can't display HD anyway? I don't get it.
Now, about the FZ160 computer: It rocks! And for $1,350, it's flat-out unbelievable.
First, and most importantly, the screen is magnificent. The resolution, at 1280 seems low, but looks perfect on a 15.4 inch screen. The picture is bright, clear, and pleasing to the eye. And the ratio of screen size to overall case size is very high, meaning the case is VERY small for such a large screen.
Among many other things, I love the feature that allows you to turn on selected applications like the DVD without booting up Windows. This is especially useful, since the boot time is long, due to the huge (200GB), but slow (4,200rpm) SATA drive.
The weight, at less than 6lbs is also amazing. Make no mistake: There's not another laptop on the market around $1,350 with this combination of performance, drive capacity, low weight, and beautiful screen.
The only problems are the battery and the Touchpad buttons. The battery goes about 2 hours during normal use, and an extra regular battery will set you back $200, while a high-capacity battery (which doesn't completely fit in the bay) costs $300. I guess that's where Sony makes its money. In addition, the click buttons under the touchpad are so small and lacking in tactile feedback that they are easy to miss.
Carry an extra battery with you if you travel a lot and a notebook mouse if the Touchpad buttons bother you. Believe me, these are two very small sacrifices for such a powerful, but reasonably priced laptop.
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by Bob Eicholz (see profile) -
July 12, 2007
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great Blu-ray PC1 for School!!
This is my second Vaio notebook, my first was a Sony SZ, Sony makes great laptops. Having had the SZ ...
This is my second Vaio notebook, my first was a Sony SZ, Sony makes great laptops. Having had the SZ for a while, this one feels a bit heavy, yet the screen size is worth it. I got this PC for school, and it has everything I might ever need, if not more. It has the right processor and screen size to run multiple programs, 200GB to store everything, a slot for a Verizon Wireless card to get work done, ability to read memory cards from any camera a friend might throw at you, a Blu-ray drive to back stuff up at the end of the quarter on a 50GB disk rather than using multiple DVDs or CDs, a VGA and S-Video output to plug it into the classroom projector, an HDMI output to plug it into an HD TV for Blu-ray viewing ...plus a lot more, what else could a college student want?? It also does a great job handling games since it has a DX10 8400 video card, just in case I get bored in class (or I could watch Blu-rays or listen to music with out turning on the PC too). This great PC does have a few downs though. To begin with, Sony does pack it with tons of useless programs that slow it down, so make sure you get rid of these soon. The other downsides, at least for me, i the weight and size, cause I got used to my 3 pound SZ notebook. None of the local stores had the VGN-FZ180U in stock, and i did not want to order it, the difference is that on the 180U you get Vista Ultimate. With thiss laptop you do get the option to upgrade to Ultimate for an extra $150, which is worth it. I upgraded to Ultimate and had a minor problem I'll discuss later. I also ordered a 2GB Patriot stick of RAM from newegg.com, so now will run at 3GB, which will make a huge difference. I really recommend getting RAM from newegg.com, as it costs less than Sony or other stores; 4GB (2 2GB sticks)will not run you over $400, Sony wants an extra $850 for 4GB on this laptop. The problem I had when upgrading to Ultimate was the the Blu-ray drive would not play newer Blu-ray movies and would not play sounds. I usually figure these type of problems out, but couldn't this time. I did get the in-store warranty from MicroCenter, but I figured I rather call Sony than take it in. Sony tech support was amazing, they were very nice, did not treat me as if I had never used a PC, and knew what they were doing. I called in on a Sunday morning, and only had to hold for less than a minute to get someone. This was my second time calling Sony (I had to call them for my SZ a while ago), and both times tech support has been amazing (unlike Dell, I had to deal with them twice a while ago, they are the worst). I would recommend buying an in-store warranty, specially for students or those on the go plus getting accidental, but if you don't it is ok, Sony is great. ...This PC is simply amazing!!
Updated One other negative is the hard drive, Sony put in a 4200RPM rather than a 5400RPM or 7200RPM, there are times when you will notice programs saying (not Responding) on top, it takes a while to load stuff. It is not so bad though, just a few seconds slower than others. It works great with games, music and downloads though.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Overall Good Machine
I've had this machine since Sept 2007 and have enjoyed it. I mainly use this machine to watch Blue ...
I've had this machine since Sept 2007 and have enjoyed it. I mainly use this machine to watch Blue Ray movies thru HDMI. I do enjoy the clarity of the 15.4" screen but the Blue Ray, HDMI, and 200gb HD were my big deciding factor. Being that this laptop also has a Duo Core processor I thought it was going to be extremely fast but much to my surprise it is at times hesitant. I was going to use this laptop as for multitasking but couldn't due to it's slow response time. My desktop (Compaq sr1630sr) is more responsive than the laptop. This is my first taste of Duo Core and I am not liking it. Don't get me wrong this machine will surf the internet with no problem. It's wireless intenet feature is awesome. I for sure don't like all the bloatware, I've already started uninstalling some of it. I also wish it had Bluetooth but that's not a big deal. Bottom line this is a good machine, and I still recommend it if you are interested in Blue Ray.
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by rudekat (see profile) -
November 4, 2007
9 out of 10 - Spectacular I am rather surprised.
Over all I am quite pleased with the fz. Personally I enjoy having a Blu-Ray player, not only is the ...
Over all I am quite pleased with the fz. Personally I enjoy having a Blu-Ray player, not only is the image quality better than DVDs, you can back huge files(i.e. 50GB on a single disk). As well it is one of the few computers that fully supports 1080 high def. I have been doing video editing with Adobe Primere and the fact that the whole process can be burned in high def really helps. That is the main reason I did not opt for the more expensive Mac Book Pro.
I will say, though, the screen should be higher resolution. It's only 1280/800! and unfortunately, while Blu-Ray still looks better it is not in full 1080. Full 1080 is 1920/1200. Luckily the fz has HDMI out and can support your big screen plasma.
As far a support, I haven't had a problem. As long as you have an extended warranty, which you should on a 2000+ dollar laptop, you will be fine.
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by n4656bravo (see profile) -
July 16, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular An excellent computer. Fast, quiet, light and thin and a fantastic screen.
I boughta Dell Inspiron 1405 and returned it. The screen was hard to look at and computer was big and ...
I boughta Dell Inspiron 1405 and returned it. The screen was hard to look at and computer was big and bulky. At about the same time the new Sony line came out. This computer is just what I wanted. The 15 inch screen in beautiful and the computer is thin and well designed. The new Intel chip is fast and this is a very well built computer. I am very "picky" but this computer has met all of my expectations.
Updated After about a week the touch pad started to act up. I would end up going backward to a past Web Page or it would jump ahead, just by touching the pad. Also, I started to notice a high pitched sound from the computer, it was not real loud, but enough to be bothersome. In addition, the fan would go on way too often. I have read a number of reviews that have indicated the same problems. I think SONY has some design problems. Because I bought it at Costom, I just the computer back. Never buy anything at Best Buy as I would have had to pay a 15% re-stocking charge.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Well Built Stylist and Elegant Computer
I have one week with this computer and so far I have no regrets. I update from a VAIO FE ...
I have one week with this computer and so far I have no regrets. I update from a VAIO FE to this VAIO FZ and it was totally worth it. I like both of the designs, I think that the elegance was surrounding the FE but I think that functionality and efficiency were put in to this one. For example this computer packs the same screen as the FE however it takes up less space and looks much more smaller. In the arms it feels light and thin just as it was meant to be and it is the center of attention wherever its withing sight. The contrast between the Black and Grey finish that SONY gave it make it irresistible and very hard to miss. The camera in this one (Motion Eye) as sony likes to call it looks very nice and has a better resolution than its former version located in the FE. The key board feels very comfortable and I have no preferred over one another, they booth get the job done. The placement of the outputs and the card readers are very well placed so that it is easy to access them. When it comes to hardware the story is pretty much alike, but no between them. This FZ came equipped for heavy duty with a Core 2 Duo T7300 running at 2GHZ with 2GBs or RAM. It doesn't matter how many programs I open, it doesnt slow down for any breaks. The battery is very good depending how hard you are with the computer but its ight, you are not going to be carrying it around that much anyways not that you can't but probably wont. The software that comes with it is pretty nice and it helps make the computer more versatile. The crapware that Cnet and people be referring to is there but it isn't that O'D as they make it look. You have 200 Gigs in this computer and they take about lets say 4-5 gigs is not like you are going to miss it, you are not going to use it all so just forget about it. After I passed all of my stuff to this computer which is a very good 50GS I still have over 110. I love the way vista runs in this computer is much smoother than my Desktop and definitevely better than a Boot Camp. I will highly recommend this computer to anyone that likes to see videos and play games with his computer but that also likes to take it with them, I was going to buy the SZ but it was too small for me. Anyways we all have different needs thats why there are so many companies, but for me this one does it. Make your best choice and feel free to talk back.
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by lil-yankee (see profile) -
June 22, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
6 out of 10 - Good Computer's great but beware of sony
The good news is, this computer is awesome. I bought the FZ190 (2.0Ghz processor, 2 gigs of ram, hi-color ...
The good news is, this computer is awesome. I bought the FZ190 (2.0Ghz processor, 2 gigs of ram, hi-color screen, nvidia Geforce 8400m GT, 80 gig hard drive, white keyboard) hoping that it will last me 4 years in college, and serve as an entertainment PC, allowing me to watch movies and play a few games. Well so far it?s doing what I want it to flawlessly. Counter Strike Source runs excellently, multitasks very well, and it stays very quiet. It does tend to get a little hot on the bottom but heats expected.
Now for the bad. Sony in general has really disappointed me. For starters I customized this product at a nearby Sony style store, and was told it would be at my house within 5-7 business days. When i called Sony, I found out the estimated ship date was on the 19th. After that I was told all kinds of stories, from, the computer was done being built on the 13th and just waiting for a carrier to, they are waiting to approve my credit to, they didn't even start building the computer until the 24th. They told me the delay was because of the engraving, because of bad parts and every other story in the book. Fact was, nobody in customer care knew where my computer was, what was going on with it, and they kept repeating the same line, "I can't help you sir."
When i finally got my computer on the 3rd of July, it was packed with bloatware. After installing AIM, Steam, Counter Strike, and 2 gigs of music, my 80 gig hard drive was down to 35 gigs! I?ve tried turning system restore off and back on which brings me up to 38, and after deleting a few programs I?m still only up to 39. I know there is plenty more to delete I'm just afraid of uninstalling the wrong things.
I tried creating a recovery disk and unfortunately I can't. Sony never informed me that Vista does not allow you to create recovery disks on CDs like XP could, and I chose not to get a DVD burner seeing that I never used my old one. A simple "please note that you must have a DVD burner..." would have prompt me to pay the extra 30 bucks.
Finally my last issue is that since my Hard Drive capacity is already heading south, I thought maybe I will just upgrade. Well if I want to send it off, I have to send it off to California, the same place that took over a month to get my computer to me in the first place. Not to mention I live in Florida. And, if i upgrade my hard drive, I would want to go all out and get a 7200rpm, which is not offered by Sony. I WOULD just go out and by a separate HD and install it myself, but then there goes my pretty 3 year warranty.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Can't ask for more
This laptop would have got 10/10 had it not been for the discrete graphics card. Included Geforce 8400m GT ...
This laptop would have got 10/10 had it not been for the discrete graphics card. Included Geforce 8400m GT is a poor show for what you pay for this laptop. I expected at least a Geforce 8600m GS, which would have made a laptop perfect for gaming. However, everything else is great.
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by aapl (see profile) -
December 5, 2007
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular A beautiful laptop... very thin and stylish
Used a Dell Latidude D510 for the last few years and needed to upgrade. Let me tell you, this computer ...
Used a Dell Latidude D510 for the last few years and needed to upgrade. Let me tell you, this computer rocks. Sure, there are drawbacks but for the money, you could't do much better.
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by lphil2222 (see profile) -
July 3, 2007
1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11,
3 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A,
1 x Video - HDMI,
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 4 pin FireWire,
1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm,
1 x Video - S-video output - 4 pin mini-DIN,
1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15),
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45,
1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,
1 x Docking / port replicator
Power
Power device form factor
External
Battery
Technology
Lithium ion
Installed Qty
1
Mfr estimated battery life
4 hour(s)
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support
1 year warranty
Service & Support Details
Technical support - Phone consulting - 1 year,
Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year
Operating System / Software
OS Provided
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium,
Microsoft Windows Vista
Software
Sony Click to DVD,
Microsoft Works 8.5,
Microsoft Office 2007 (Trial),
Norton Internet Security 2007 (60 days subscription),
AOL Online (90 days trial)
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