Very slick | Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P 4.5-inch Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Hard...

Absolutely awesome as an ultramobile PC | Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P 4.5-inch Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive)

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	• Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P 4.5-inch Laptop (Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive) Sony Sony average customer review:based on 32 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

I call it, "Mighty Tiny."

Since my husband is the computer expert and I'm not, I'm going to give you a completely layman's review, here.

I'm 35, I'm a computer game junkie. My primary use for this computer is, therefore, games. I play on a lot of gaming sites as well as downloading more simple-type games like Zoo Tycoon, Roller Coaster Tycoon, etc. To be honest, some games are simply better on what we affectionatly call "Tiny" with the touch screen and stylus, while other games are just too difficult to deal with on such a small screen (like the afore-mentioned RCT). I have a desk top computer that I wouldn't trade for the world, and "Tiny" wasn't meant in our house to replace that. But since my husband makes his living programming, I hate to tie up any computers or desk space on the days he works at home.

Okay, here we go with what is becoming my "review MO."

The Good =
1. Tiny is portable, which I love. It will be going camping with me, period. (You can't ride the ATV where we go after midnight...too much noise. So I will be playing my games when I can't sleep.)
2. Tiny can share the disk drive with my desk top, so I can still play games that require a disk. (I don't know how my husband set this up to work, but it does without any problems at all.)
3. I LOVE the fact that it's OS is XP Pro. (Vista and I aren't exactly great bedfellows.)
4. I love the handwriting memo program on mine. Very handy.
5. The "monitor." It's crystal clear. I don't have great vision, but I also don't wear glasses, and I can download E books and read them without using the magnify feature. (I feel that I must mention, here, that in another review for this product, someone said that you can't input data while in magnification, but I futzed around with it and found that I could. It ain't great, but can be done.) You can adjust the brightness along quite a substantial range.
6. The two cameras are cool, although more of a toy for me than a practical use. They do work pretty well, however. I was pretty impressed.
7. I do a little competetive gaming - I SMOKE most of my competetion just because I can move a lot faster with the touch screen and stylus. woo hoo lol

The Bad =
1. I have run into a few games that Tiny can't handle because of it's limited screen resolution capabilities. Mr Programmer Hubby says this, however - "There are some programs (pathetically written) that do not handle the resolution Tiny can run. That's not Tiny's fault." He's feeling a little territorial. lol
2. I won't lie to you...typing is difficult enough that I put off answering emails until I can get to my desktop. HOWEVER!!! I have found a small bluetooth keyboard that doesn't just fold...it accordians to very tiny. I will be getting one before we go on vacation.

The Ugly =
1. Battery doesn't last very long.
2. I've had Tiny for nearly 5 months, and there are already some issues with wear on the screen from the stylus. I have invested in screen cleaning wipes, and do my best. I didn't buy the screen protectors because of all the bad reviews I read. Mr. Programmer Hubby is a little surprised at how easily the screen can get a little daily-use damage. It hasn't affected my ability to see anything clearly up to this point, however. But when Tiny is turned off, you can see the points of wear on the black screen.

I'm still giving Tiny (a.k.a. Sony Vaio UX 280) 5 stars because, as I tell my husband, "I really REALLY love him." Tiny was my Christmas present from Mr Programmer, and I've never had a gift I loved more.

P.S. I'm sorry that this review was not as entertaining or as "ramped up" as I can get, but love is a sacred thing. LOL

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Very slick

The unit is very well designed for two-hand, two thumb operation. I like the thumb mouse control button. The docking/charging station and the touchscreen were pleasant surprises. The keyboard isn't as easy to operate as the much smaller Treo - definitely needs to be revisited by Sony. The zoom works nicely, but the translucent zoom setup screen (which pops up on cursor movement if zoom is active) often obscures a portion of the small screen, interfering with cursor placement. Beautiful high res display.

Absolutely awesome as an ultramobile PC

I had been researching on ultramobile PCs for quite a while and even looked at the Asus Eee PC, which is cheap but has a terrible low-res low-quality screen (and weighs a hefty 2 lbs, the same as my Sharp PC-MM20 *real* laptop with more memory and a 40GB hard drive). In the end I decided I'd want something no more than 1.5 lbs. and roughly pocketable.

I had doubts about the VAIO UX line because, frankly, I didn't like the design, and I didn't care for the EDGE WWAN feature (I'd rather have the faster EV-DO). But when I saw one in action a few weeks ago, I decided it was good enough for me, and the price is right, so I bought one.

Man, was that a good buy or what. The PC has pleased me in every way. I can now run Office 2003, Money 2008, the full version of Firefox, IE 7, and I just installed TaxACT 2007 (low-cost tax prep software). The screen is smallish but very sharp and can be very bright (I leave it at a low level to conserve battery), the keyboard quite usable, and the included port replicator makes docking at home a breeze. I hook a 7-port USB 2.0 hub to the port replicator and I now seriously plan to make this my primary PC, replacing a 3-year-old desktop.

One option I'll look into is, per the advice of a poster in the product forum here, replacing the internal drive with a 100GB one. Other than that, I'm extremely, absolutely happy with a road-capable real PC that weighs only 1.2 lbs. (it actually feels lighter) that also turns into a decent desktop PC for general use.

BTW, if you want an ultramobile PC definitely get something like this model which comes with Windows XP instead of Vista.

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Very Good Product!

--Much better than a palm pilot -- it really is a real laptop that fits in your pocket
--It only has 1 USB but I bought a USB expansion port thing that gives me 4 USB ports and plugged it into this thing and it worked great
--I live in Canada and can not use the Cingular wireless built in...but I have a Telus wireless account with a Sierra cellular wireless USB card and can surf the net, get remote access from anywhere :) Great if you want to remotely administer your computers from handheld device -- but you have to remember to carry your wireless modem in another pocket.
--I have full Office 2000, Internet Explorer 7, remote acess software, and everything running on it. Only problem is that Internet Explorer 7 has this 1 update that doesn't want to install.
--It does eveything as advertised!

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The VAIO(R) UX Micro PC is so small and lightweight you won't believe it's a full-functioning PC. Slightly larger than a handheld PDA, the UX280P bridges the gap between a handheld device and a notebook. This remarkably compact dynamo is designed for productivity on the go. With a 4.5? wide SVGA (1024x600) display with XBRITE(TM) LCD technology, Intel Core Solo Ultra Low Voltage CPU for fast processing, and Microsoft XP Pro operating system on board. Because this is a full-functioning PC using the OS you already know, application user interfaces are familiar and easy to use. Advanced Wireless capabilities are built right in, and expansion is a breeze with the included port replicator. The VAIO(R) UX Micro PC is communications-ready, with integrated camera and built-in microphone and speakers, so you're equipped to communicate via VoIP virtually anywhere WLAN or WWAN service is available.

VAIO(R) Touch Launcher and Instant Command enable easy program access, and the biometric fingerprint sensor stores your passwords so you can access applications and secure web sites without having to type them. With control buttons for zooming, scrolling, and a stick pointer, as well as the ability to view in either landscape or portrait orientations, you know you'll be able to view documents, applications, and media in the most appropriate way. Pre-installed Ultra Sync software makes it easy to synchronize the UX Micro PC with your other computers, so you can hit the road with all of your materials up to date. Bluetooth Support Intel Core Solo Processor U1400 Ultra Low Voltage 1.20GHz - Centrino Mobile Technology Memory - Installed - 1GB (PC2-3200) 40GB HD 4200rpm

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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