Sony has been rediscovering a sense of identity with each of its Vaio upgrades, and that confidence in its brand identity is perceptible with this newly released model. The FW31ZJ tops the FW range in specifications, and while its looks may not be to everyone's taste, its screen and performance are certainly appealing.
That screen is as excellent as you would expect from Sony, with the highest resolution and best viewing angle I have encountered on any laptop. The aspect is perfect for viewing, but also makes multitasking easy to manage; if you have been using any other aspect for work and play, you'll never want to go back.
The keyboard is the now familiar Vaio style with seperated floating keys familiar to mac users, although actually pioneered by Sony. Some may be put off by this at first, but the experience of using the keyboard is that it is responsive and a relatively relaxing experience. Going back to an older-style keyboard after adjusting to this makes you notice how cramped they feel.
The touchpad is one of the better of the type, although not up to a macbook's standards.
Sony have pitched this as a multimedia and creative pc. Unusually for a laptop, the software bundle is less of a mixed bag and will require less selective deleting. Bundling full verions of Photoshop and Elements, rather than trials, shows that the line-up is more well-thought through than most.
A good selection of ports, including an HDMI out (which is a criminal omission from the CS range) and the expected wireless and bluetooth also mean this laptop is well positioned for a variety of home networking uses.
The performance is excellent, too. It's not unusual to be streaming to a ps3/xbox360, downloading, surfing and running a number of applications at the same time without the machine breaking a sweat. I haven't used it for gaming, but the graphics card should handle new releases without the kind of compromise often experienced on laptops outside a dedicated gamer range.
It's also the case that it runs quietly and without becoming particularly warm; it's the overall package and performance that makes everyday use such a joy.
Drawbacks? Unless you opt for the smaller solid state drive, you may find the battery life somewhat shorter than you might like at a little over 2 hours. The speakers, while adequate, aren't up to the quality of the screen. There is also the common issue of graphics processors and laptops, where you should be careful about how and when you update drivers given reported instability with ATI's control centre.
Also while this comes with the ability to both read and write blu-ray discs, you may feel that, for all Sony's attempt to push the format it is still an expensive and unproven luxury extra, rather than a useful or necessary addition.
Finally, if you're considering spending this much money on a multimedia machine, the main competitor will probably be a mac. The choice really comes down to style preferences and specs. A comparably specced macbook will cost considerably more, although apple's customer care is unparalelled.
Overall, this is a fantastic machine, offering powerful, flexible functionality, and a great user experience. I couldn't find a competitor in the price range that offered the power, display, and style of this laptop. The jury may still be out on its looks, but the machine itself sets a great benchmark
