Sony VAIO PCG-Z1RSP Review

The Sony VAIO PCG-Z1RSP is one of the most stylish laptops to join the Centrino notebook parade. This slick thin-and-light carries the three Intel parts that make it an official Centrino: a Pentium M processor, an 802.11b Pro/wireless (Wi-Fi) mini-PCI card, and an 855PM chipset. The VAIO PCG-Z1RSP includes additional cool components, such as a DVD/CD-RW combo drive, a Memory Stick slot, and two USB 2.0 ports. Sony stuffs these parts inside a unique case that allows ports to be recessed from the edges. When all is said and done, the VAIO PCG-Z1RSP is a bit pricier than the competition; nevertheless, it's a fast, versatile, and great-looking notebook. Buy it if you care about style and wireless networking and you can live with the trade-offs.
The VAIO PCG-Z1RSP' case design is classic Sony, with cutting-edge good looks. The system measures 31.5cm wide, 24.6cm deep, just 2.29cm thick in front, and 3.81cm thick at the back where the battery props it up. It weighs 2.2kg by itself and 2.45kg with the AC adapter, placing it in the same weight range as other top thin-and-lights, including the IBM ThinkPad T40 battery and Dell Latitude D600 battery. Instead of a swappable media bay, which you'll find on most thin-and-lights, the VAIO PCG-Z1RSP includes an integrated (and not swappable) DVD/CD-RW combo drive. That's too bad, because you can't swap in a cheaper drive, such as a DVD-ROM drive, or a second battery. Of course, there's no built-in floppy drive on a system this small. You can buy an external floppy drive at Sony's Web site for AU$179.
Sony has done everything in its power to make the modest-sized VAIO Z1 appear even slimmer. The front and side edges slant backward at approximately 45-degree angles, giving the system a streamlined look. Halfway down each side, the edges have an S-shape, opening up a rectangular hole where Sony VAIO PCG-Z1RSP battery hides many of the laptop's ports. In addition to two USB 2.0 ports, headphone/microphone jacks, and one Type II PC Card slot, the left edge sports two Sony staples: an iLink (a.k.a. FireWire) port and a Memory Stick slot for storing music, images, and other files on Sony Memory Stick media. On the right edge sit the power button, a 56Kbps modem jack, and two system-status lights.
Unfortunately, the VAIO PCG-Z1RSP' keyboard and touchpad setup are less impressive than its angular case. The reasonably wide keyboard contains comfortable, if not extremely solid, keys. The plain-Jane touchpad is smooth and easy to use, although the two matchstick-size mouse buttons underneath the pad could be larger. A strip of average-sounding speakers is centered above the board. Two programmable buttons for launching applications also live above the keyboard, but they're barely bigger than the head of a pin.
Rather than offering wireless Wi-Fi (802.11b) networking as an option, Sony makes this a standard feature in the VAIO PCG-Z1RSP battery. All configurations offer Intel's 802.11b Pro/wireless 2100 mini-PCI card. Coupled with the Pentium M processor and the Intel 855PM chipset that come in every system, the Intel Wi-Fi card makes every Z1 a Centrino.
Sony preloads Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional onto the VAIO PCG-Z1RSP. The company also includes Microsoft Works, Money 2003, and Encarta Online. But the big software bonus comes in the form of Sony's useful multimedia-app bundle, which includes DVGate, SonicStage, and PictureGear Studio for working with DVDs, music, and photos, respectively.
The VAIO Z1 model that we tested, the VAIO VAIO PCG-Z1RSP, achieved impressive performance, especially for a notebook with the 1.3GHz Pentium M processor. The Pentium M processor was made from the ground up to keep its performance high even when unplugged, and the VAIO Z1 reaps the fruit of that labour. The processor plus the system's 512MB of DDR RAM allowed it to beat the 1.4GHz Pentium M-based IBM ThinkPad X31 which has a faster CPU but only 256MB of RAM.
In ZDNet Labs' tests, the sony VAIO PCG-Z1RSP battery for well over three hours, thanks to its 11.1V, 4,400mAh battery. But we expected more. With a lower-speed processor than those of the comparison systems, we expected the battery life to reach four hours. For instance, the IBM ThinkPad X31--even with a less powerful, 10.8V, 4,400mAh battery and a higher speed 1.4GHz Pentium M processor--achieved well over four hours of battery life.