Average Rating: 
Rating:  - time will tell
Bought one. Returned it because the floppy drive didn't work and the screen went on the fritz. Exchanged it for another one. Again the floppy drive doesn't work and the DVD-ROM drive won't open. I talked to Sony support and they claim they don't have hardware problems with the computer or its docking station (though they had in the past). Curious to know if others have had this problem too or if I am just spectacularly unlucky this year. I haven't yet decided whether or not to give Sony a third try on this machine. It's a pity since it seems like such a well designed laptop, if only it would work.
Another reviewer mentioned Sony's support. I agree that it is weak, especially relative to Dell and others. My desktop Sony had to go back. It came back (reset so all information was gone). They hadn't fixed the hardware; they had just re-run the setup discs. Gee, thanks Sony!
Rating: - Great machine but ...partitions
Just bought this machine and noticed right away that the Sony specs have this drive partitioned with the C drive being too small for practical purposes if you start loading any third party software on. The systems disks that come with the Vaio don't allow you to set re-set/format to simply have one, unpartitioned drive. SO...Break out your old Windows 98 disks, format the hard drive to one big C drive and then load your own version of XP on it to upgrade. The speed diference is noticeable and makes a good machine even better. Other than that, this is a great machine for the money.
Rating:  - Good for travel, reading docs & taking notes
As was mentioned before, this Sony is very high quality and has a tough magnesium case. Not a single bad pixel on the uniformly bright screen. It is light and thin enough to carry with one hand especially when you disconnect it from the dock.I got this laptop so that I can write my status reports, fill out my timesheet and read eBooks while flying coach. I wanted a laptop that I could bring to meetings and classes to take notes. Sometimes I will use it to drive a projector when I lead training sessions. When I go into a datacenter, I will bring it with me so that I have product documentation at hand. I don't need the docking station drives for any of those activities, thus I take full advantage of the light weight. Also, it is very quiet and small, so it doesn't distract others during meetings or classes.
This is NOT a desktop replacement computer since it is only a third as powerful as high-end desktops. Also, its screen and keyboard are a little too small to be comfortable using 8-10 hours a day. When I work at my desk and write documentation and presentations, I will prefer to have the Sony plugged into my 19" monitor, USB keyboard, USB mouse and Ethernet. When I want to play games, I'm going to use my desktop computer at home. Tips:
Get the Kensington Optical PocketMouse Pro. It is a silver optical mouse with a USB cable that retracts into the mouse body for travel. It is very clever and comfortable and matches the laptop color. I'm not using a wireless mouse since the mouse batteries could die while I'm working. Be sure click the 'lock' switch after you attach the laptop battery to get some peace of mind. I tend to use the battery as the carry handle. Practice for a while with the right Shift key. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of it, but I compensate by using Caps Lock more often. Sony's support website says to not use Nero CD Writer software until they get a bug fix in. It can harm your DVD/CD-RW drive. True, touchpad buttons are hard to hit, but I never use them. I didn't use them on larger laptops either. It's easier to just tap the touchpad to perform button clicks. To drag something, tap twice and don't pick up your finger after the second tap. Also, the Sony has touchpad shortcuts to close windows (tap top-left corner and drag down-right) and scroll windows vertically (slide along right of touchpad) and scroll horizontally (slide along bottom). The LCD is XGA, but contrary to what another reviewer said, VGA and SVGA will look fine and scale to full screen IF you get the latest Intel 830MG chipset graphics driver from Intel's website. There were a lot of bug fixes in Intel's latest driver and Sony's support site didn't have it yet. The new driver even updates the chipset to enable DirectX 8.1 and OpenGL support, if you get desperate for a game. I plan on putting in a 512MB 144-pin 133MHz SoDIMM based on other reviewers' suggestions. That will bring the system up to 640MB. I read Intel's 830MG chipset documentation and it does look like it is supported. I expect at some point I will get a wireless 802.11b PC card, but I don't have a need for it now. My only complaint is that it doesn't include S-Video or TV-Out connectors. I know the 830MG supports it, so it was disappointing that Sony didn't include them. There are bi-directional FireWire to S-Video/NTSC/PAL/Stereo converters out there (tvone, Dazzle or Canopus)..., but I just wanted TV-out for watching a DVD on TV. I'm very glad I purchased this machine.
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