The VAIO A-Series includes both consumer and professional models, but all share the highly distinctive design, which underpins the A-Series' unique style. The A-Series' aesthetic advantages are built on solid foundations. All models are performance-boosted by Intel's Pentium M processors, and both consumer and professional ranges will feature machines based on the new Pentium M 735/745 engineered to deliver the best mobile performance yet. What's more, every A-Series notebook bears the Intel Centrino certification. This means the latest mobile-optimized technology, yielding more power and longer battery life. Users can also rely on the fact that the wireless networking built into Centrino systems has been tested for compatibility with wireless networks all over the world. All A-Series notebooks support the new, high-speed wireless standard which operates up to five times faster than the original while remaining fully backwardly compatible with existing networks (802.11g).
1 Great laptop!
I purchased this laptop about 6 months ago and it has been awesome! I have been very happy with the performance and the battery life. Fortunately I have not had any problems with it as some of the other comments mentioned.
2 Very bad
Much like the other people reviewing here I had problems with the harddrive. Well my GF did since I bought this laptop for her. At first it made a lot of clicking sounds. Really annoying. Then it went dead. Bought it from compusa and took it back. They gave me another one. Same crap. The dvd burner did not work in either of them as well. Same problem in both. They should do a recal and give people their money back. Very poor for such a high rated company. I have a Sony FS now, and it gives kind of the same clicking sounds every few min. Never had this problem or noise with any other laptop besides sony. By far the best laptops made in my opinion are HP. Shame on you Sony for putting crappy harddrives in your laptops.
3 Defective Hard Drive
I purchased the model of this computer with a 60G drive July, and on December 5th the hard drive broke. It will not mount and makes grinding and clattering noises. I have lost data. This is not a quality product. I am now returning it to Sony (event#E26545346). I thought Sony made quality products and I paid a premium for their notebook compared to other notebooks and look at what I get. I am very unhappy. I wonder if this is more than just an isolated incident. I will never buy a Sony product again and do everything I can to stop others from buying Sony's products.
So if you like your hard drive unexpectingly crashing and like to lose data then go ahead and roll the dice and buy this computer.
4 A $2000 piece of junk
I purchased this computer in September and have already had numerous problems with it. After owning it for a few weeks, it started acting up. Everytime I turned it own, it would go into a loop and just keep rebooting itself. I called support (the person was very rude) and he told me it sounded like I had a virus - even though I have Norton Anti-virus and Zone Alarm Pro for a firewall. After spending an hour with the rude support person, we managed to get it to start acting right again. He then proceeded to scold me about how I have to be careful about downloading software off the internet (which I never do) and how I need to be better about updated my software.
A couple of weeks later, I try to turn on the computer, and it won't turn on. Well, the indicator lights on the front of the computer would turn on, but the screen wouldn't turn on. Called support again and after another hour or so, he decided that the computer had to be shipped to California for repair. When I complained that I really needed this computer for my business, the support guy said, "Well that's why I have two computers, in case one goes out." So I guess Sony computers are so awful that you have to buy two of them?
Anyway, they sent a fedex box and it was shipped and returned in a couple of days. They apparently had to replace the entire motherboard. I turned it on, and another error popped up on the screen. Called support again, they helped me fix that one.
Another couple of weeks later, turn on the computer and this time I get another error message - basically the computer can't find my hard drive. Called support again, and right now, it's in California being "repaired."
Aside from the one rude support person, the service has been fine. I have not paid for any of the repairs or shipments, but I use this computer for my business and it needs to be just a little bit more reliable.
I've owned this computer for a little over 2 months and have already had all these problems. I'm never buying another Sony again!
5 Good Laptop
Good laptop.... Screen is nice.. Wish it had a SD card slot instead of a sony mediastick. Either way, machine is pretty nice.. Lighter than I thought it would be and battery life which isnt too bad. also -- No infrared on this thing. Either way, compared to what else is out thre, This looks pretty nice... also it doesnt come with a built in MIC. Come on people... that should be the first thing they include... sheesh.
6 Great Laptop for the price
Although I didn't purchase my Sony VGN-A150 through Amazon (Circuit City), I feel a sense of obligation to review on this site because whenever I get ready to purchase electronics, I come to Amazon first to see what "real consumers" are saying about products; I like to return the favor. I also own a Toshiba P25 2.8Ghz computer and my college daughter has a first generation Toshiba centrino. I was hooked on Toshiba until I saw this computer. I'll explain as I go along.
The first thing you'll notice when you use one of these computers is the 15.4" screen--images are are clear, crisp and bright. In fact, I have the brightness control fixed at halfway point and it's still the brightest screen I've ever seen. (Max resolution is 1280X800 and text and images are very crisp and clear--no more tired eyes from extended computer use. Screen width is adequate for just about productivity program you'd want to use (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) and games as well. I would have preferred a higher resolution, but that's a personal preference, not a complaint about the screen. A word to the wise: I used what I believe to be a very screen-friendly screen cleaner on the Sony (I've used for the past 5 years to clean CRT and LCD monitors and laptop screens. My screen developed a very pesky film that I couldn't get rid of. Finally purchased a special microfiber screen cleaning cloth that luckily took care of the problem. I read through the owner's manual Sony provides with the computer and nowhere did it indicate that the owner shouldn't use an approved cleaner so I thought I was safe. A search on Sony's website yielded no warnings either. I had to go into the knowledge base (after the fact) and type in "cleaning the Xbrite screen" to get the warning not to use anything on the screen. I called Sony and suggested that if they strongly urge unsuspecting customers not use a cleaner on the screen that they might consider including that in the written documentation.)
I am very pleased with the speed of the system--seems to operate fairly closely to the Toshiba P25 2.8Ghz I have. As a Centrino, it also stays relatively cool while it's on your lap (unlike the Toshiba P25 which gets very hot because of the desktop components used in its construction). It is also very quiet--you don't hear fan noise like you might on other laptops. Overall, solid construction. The keyboard is also solidly constructed and the keys are not too soft. I find this a joy as the Toshiba's keyboard is a bit soft and mushy and if you're not careful as you're typing, will place your cursor somewhere in the document you hadn't intended--very frustrating to have to re-do all your work. The touch pads and keys are solidly built and comfortable to use.
The wireless capability is very handy and works flawlessly--very quick set-up and connection. It took about 30 seconds to connect right out of the box w/o reading directions. It linked to our wireless home network and no problems connecting anywhere in the house.
Multimedia is not the top of the line but very nice and more than adequate for what most users might use it for. Speakers play with reasonable clarity, DVD and CD writer are nice. And movies are a joy to watch on this screen.
The weight, at about 7 lbs with the battery, isn't the lightest laptop around, but when compared to the near 10 lbs of the Toshiba, is quite easy to get used to. I can lift and carry with one hand, something I dare not try with the Toshiba. Doesn't get too heavy after being in your lap for a couple of hours either.
Now for a couple of "aw shucks" points. First, the battery. I had hoped for greater battery length; right now it tops out at about 2.5-3 hours. I'm still playing with screen settings and brightness to see how much more life I can get out of the battery. Second, the lack of infared capability, secure digital slot or a parallel port is disappointing. If Sony included these, this computer would be nearly unbeatable. Three USB 2.0 slots are nice (two in the back and one on the left side); one more on the right would be nice. The door that covers the back USB ports is a bit flimsy and likely won't last the life of the computer. The hard drive is partitioned into two drives, the smaller of which is your default drive. I'd prefer not to have a drive partitioned, but if it is to have the larger of the two as my default drive. Lots of "junk" software--trial, AOL, limited use Quicken. Not a big deal, but most users, I suspect, wind up removing most of that stuff.
One final point: I am reviewing #2 Vaio; the first Vaio I had to rush back to Circuit City because the screen would at times inexplicably render itself unuseable by filling up with 16K colors and draw lines all over the screen--you couldn't read a thing on the screen. Another word to the wise: get an extended service warranty.
Knowing what I know now about the Sony, I'd gladly make this purchase again.
