Sony VAIO Z Series (VPC-Z11Z9E/B) – 13.1in Laptop

Breaking away from the norm of portable computers, VAIO Z series incorporates the features required to offer a reliable and highly competent itinerant computer unit. Weighing 1.43kg, it features 13.1 inch LED backlit TFT Widescreen display. It offers options between regular 1,600 x 900 resolution screen and the 1,920 x 1,080 pixels display.

Sony VAIO VPC-Z11Z9E/B Laptop designed in Black colour also measures 31.4cm in width, 21cm in depth and 3.3cm in height. It is provided with scratch-resistant XBRITE-DuraView LCD technology, thus making it a viable option while travelling.

This Sony laptop also comes fitted with the Intel Core i7 620M / 2.66 GHz processor claiming a maximum turbo speed of 3.33GHz. It offers dual core technology with option for 64 bit computing provided. It uses the Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. With NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M / Intel HD Graphics provided, it has 1 GB GDDR3 SDRAM video memory and Sony Hybrid Graphic System.

The chipset type of the laptop is Mobile Intel HM57 Express with 4MB L2 Cache memory. It has a solid state hard drive offering a storage capacity of 256GB.

The built- in DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM offers a read speed of 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD) and a write speed of 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL). The compatible CD / DVD Rewrite Speed is 10x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM).

Despite providing the regular 8x DVD drive and a six cell 5400mAh Lithium Ion battery, the laptop is ultra portable and very light due to the use of weightless resources like aluminium and carbon fibre. The battery life it supports stays for 7.5 hours long.

However, though easily transferrable it does not compromise on its practicality. It also incorporates features like the somewhat smaller keys in the backlighting touchpad keyboard, with lots of room provided in between keys.

Sony VAIO VPC-Z11Z9E/B 13.1inch Laptop provides audio output and input options via Sound card and microphone. It also supports Dolby Home Theatre audio complaint standards. It offers in- built stereo speakers. The Card reader feature supported is compatible with Flash Memory Cards like SD Memory Card, Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo.

It comes with 0.3 Megapixel integrated notebook camera that can capture 640×480 resolutions. The supported HSDPA Wireless cellular modem with maximum transfer rate 7.2Mbps employs Qualcomm Gobi2000 Technology. It comes with TPM (Trusted Platform Module) for enhanced security.

It is compatible with Wireless LAN and Bluetooth 2.1. Connectivity options are1 x microphone – input – mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x headphones – output – mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,1 x docking / port replicator, 1 x audio / video – HDMI output – 19 pin HDMI Type A,3 x Hi-Speed USB – 4 PIN USB Type A, 1 x display / video – VGA – 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) and 1 x network – Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T – RJ-45.

The OS supplied is Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition. It also comes with selective pre-installed 2007 Microsoft Office suites. Other software include VAIO Update, McAfee AntiVirus (60 days trial), VAIO Care, Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0, VAIO Gate, Norton Online Backup (Trial), VAIO Transfer Support, Microsoft Windows Live Essentials, Google Chrome, VAIO Smart Network, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0, Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0, Sony Picture Motion Browser and Adobe Reader 9.

The cost of this laptop is quite high. The low-end model without the in-built optical drive itself is priced £1,350, while the model reviewed here costs £2,399. The high resolution of 1080p apt for video/photo editing can also be added to the laptop for an additional cost of £50.

General Info
Brand	Sony
Model	Sony VAIO VPC-Z11Z9E/B Laptop
Weight	1.43kg
Processor Type	Intel Core i7 620M / 2.66 GHz processor
Hard disk capacity	256GB
RAM type	GDDR3 SDRAM video memory Hz
Speed	2.66-3.33 GHz
Screen size	13.1 inch
Screen resolution	1,600 x 900 resolution, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
Graphics card	NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M / Intel HD Graphics
USB ports	Yes