Sony Vaio VPCF21Z1E 16in laptop

Imagine my joy when asked to try out a 3D entertainment centre built into a Sony Vaio notebook. Imagine my disappointment, then, when I discover that the notebook in question is actually too big to fit in my notebook bag. Sony Vaio VPCF21Z1E Sony's Vaio VPCF21Z1E: don’t think of it as an overgrown notebook but as a very …

[Anonymous Coward]

Sony 16" 3D laptop

Please make it clear that it is simply not possible to convert 2D images to 3D. The information from the necessary second image is just not there and cannot be created on demand. Any such claims could be pursued under the usual comsumer protection laws.

[M Gale]

A bit like SRS then?

And yet SRS does manage to widen the sound a lot, if not quite being the "two speaker surround sound" that it alleged to be on launch. Was still pretty amazing all those years ago when I bought my little NuReality box.

Not that I know how this pseudo-3D works, but I can guess with a bit of edge detection, shape recognition and other such funkiness then yes you can turn a 2D image into 3D, if not a completely authentic 3D.

[Robert E A Harvey]

3D==Gimmick

Once again, people trying to sell us what they want to make, not make something we want to buy.

Sigh.

[Rebajas]

Title?

By that comment, do you actually mean that you dont want or need this laptop?

I would think that if someone out there wants an overpriced gimmicky laptop, then Sony has that base covered. And while they cover that base, you can get a different laptop.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sony 3D laptop

So what on earth was i-link then ? Anyway, I do think that more reviews should make it clear that it is not possible to convert 2D images to 3D and that any such claims are blatantly false. The information from the second viewpoint was never there and so cannot simply be created on demand. If anyone else can remember this similar claims were made in the early days of stereo-audio systems "listen to all your mono recordings in stereo" but often they did at least admit that it was simulated.

[Anonymous Coward]

i.Link

The rest of the world called it Firewire. Not quite typical Sony; they actually used a standard rather than inventing their own incompatible version, but they had to call it something different.

[M Gale]

Plenty of laptops, not just Sony, call it "i link".

Or alternatively, IEEE1394. Though I think "i link" specifically refers to the mini Firewire ports that a lot of lappies have.

[JDX]

Ugh

Huge, heavy and expensive. It's like a MacBook pro in cost with all the good bits taken out.

[Thomas 18]

Not really

The main selling point of this laptop is that it supports 3D which means the screen refresh rate will be 120Hz + in order to properly support shuttering. I expect the other hardware specs are on par or superior too.

So I assume by "the good bits" you were referring to the apple logo?

[Matt_payne666]

Im trying not to rise to this....

But cant help myself!!

Ok, so this is faster, has a longer battery life, faster hard drive, more ram, supports 3d, has a higher res display and a Blu-ray burner.... oh and is cheaper...

where are the missing good bits????

[Lottie]

re: Im trying not to rise to this

Well there's no fruit logo on the front.

I must say the macbooks look sexier, but this has a very rugged look, like something out of Aliens.

I have to say, it's a very tempting computer despite the seeming insurmountable issues of not fitting in a laptop bag that's made for smaller computers, not having a cover for the ports and featuring a firewire connector that means it'll connect to lots of kit. Damn! I mean connectivity for more formats than you'd expect? who would DO that?

icon for the review

[Stacy]

Glad I didn't read this...

Before I brought one! I'd have missed out on a great laptop! I'm trying to figure out the 75%... How can an Apple (that by your own benchmarks does not perform as well) has less connectivity options, lacks even a blu ray player, and has a crappily low resolution screen and costs as much get an extra 15% I have no idea...

Lighter than an a 15" HP Elite (my other half uses one for work) - so not hat heavy, a superbly crisp 120Hz screen that has almost perfect colour reproduction for photo editing (so much better than the Asus it replaced!) and amazingly fast.

The design sucks a bit I'll admit - but I have seen worse, and it's really not that unportable - providing you have a bag designed for a 16" laptop of course - but then isn't that obvious?

As for it not working - I have to say I have not had that problem. Put a BluRay in, hit the 3D button and 'ping!' I get 3D (not having installed anything extra than the bundled software).

The screen clasp thing isn't an issue - it's not like the lid randomly opens, you have to apply a bit of pressure for it work (and it's better than having to using a spring loaded clasp whilst trying to open it).

Does the reviewer hate Sony by any chance (don't blame them if they do, I don't like them - but this piece if kit has been great in the 6 weeks I have had it)

[Anonymous Coward]

iLink

"At the other extreme, for those who collect old kit for a laugh, there’s a legacy i.Link port"

Actually, some industries still consider the inclusion of IEEE1394 ports very important. I do mobile recording and have state-of-the-art firewire soundcards in my kit list that are a) significantly more expensive and b) more critical to the outcome of the project than the laptop that they're used with. No firewire (or ports using a low-quality chipset) is a total showstopper for people in my situation so making comments like this in an attempt to get a cheap laugh just makes you less credible as a reviewer.

[M Gale]

Doesn't fit in your bag?

Get a bigger bag. I've got a gigantic lump of 6 year old HP Pavilion zv5000 here that probably won't fit your bag either if that Sony won't. Anyway, while it's slower than pigshit rolling uphill in Winter compared with anything modern, it still has those lovely Harman/Kardon speakers under the two front grills.

Best sounding laptop ever.

[Matt_payne666]

Unfair bashing...

Lacks port covers or even a clasp....

Well, the last time I looked the vast majority of laptops are clasp-less....

[Select * From Handle]

let me get this right...

You can play 2D DVD's, anime and whatever you have shot on a cam in 3D yet blueray's you cant?

is this some built in feature to make you buy 3D edition of the blueray?

[Anonymous Coward]

Casual swearing...

Any particular reason for the casual swearing "blasting 3D aliens to sh**". Not really required in a hardware review.

[Fred Flintstone]

Actually, I call it "best sentence of the article"

I rather liked this line:

"I experienced much less ergonomic irritation during a couple of hours blasting 3D aliens to shit than sitting through 10 minutes of James Cameron’s bloody blue monkeys again."

[Alan Firminger]

The darkening

Of course, in 3D your eyes each see black for half the time.

[Anonymous Coward]

VPCF21Z1E

...yeah, that's a snappy name...

Sez a lot about a manufacturer who thought that was easily-rememberable and consumer-friendly.

Why not something simplier, like "Vaio 3D"?

On a more important note...it's a bit chunky innit? Good specs inside tho'.

[Big Bear]

What's up with the title?

Not sure what's so difficult about the name... a cursory search on Altavista would tell you that "VPC" is standard across all Vaios (Vaio PC mebbe?), and the model is part of the F-series of 16 inch laptops, so it is a F21, submodel Z1E.

It's no more complicated than a DV7-4285DX from the HP Pavilion range, or the MC72LL/A, which is more commonly known as the MacBook Pro. Actually, it's a bit easier than the latter, as there small variations between the MBPs available out there which aren't inherently identifiable due to the fruity way of calling all their kit by just the name.

Get a bigger bag. Not the big a deal.

As for the machine itself: 3D fad, meh. Looks alright, innards are decent, though Vaios can have varying build quality, with the really decent stuff in their high spec ultraportables like the current Z-series or the TT/TX/TZ of yesteryear. Screens are normally superb, ZX style scrabble keyboard looks decently spaced out, mousepad looks like a nightmare to use.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a Sony !

Which means crippled stereo mix record and locked down driver updates which Sony can never be arsed to release.

No thanks

PS like the new icons Reg