Sony VAIO VGN-TZ150N/B Ultraportable Notebook

The Bottom Line
Sony's TZ line of ultraportable notebooks is certainly one of the most stylish notebook computers on the market. The performance is also quite nice with some strong features packed into such a small package. Of course, all this style and features have a really high price that will probably cause many people to consider other less expensive alternatives.

Pros

* Very Compact and Lightweight
* Stylish Design
* Excellent Display

Cons

* Expensive
* Slower PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory

Description

* Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 Ultra Low Voltage Mobile Processor
* 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory
* 100GB 4200rpm 1.8" ATA Hard Drive
* 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
* 11.1" WXGA (1366x768) LED Display With Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics and 1.3MP Webcam
* v.92 56Kpbs Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless and Bluetooth
* Sprint Cellular WAN Modem
* Two USB 2.0, One FireWire, ExpressCard/34, SD/Memory Stick Slot
* 10.9" x 7.8" x 1.2" @ 2.7 lbs.
* Vista Business, MS Works 8.5, Click to DVD

Guide Review - Sony VAIO VGN-TZ150N/B Ultraportable Notebook

Sony's VAIO VGN-TZ150 offers a blend of technological features in a very stylish notebook. Its unique carbon fiber shell provides it with a sturdy yet lightweight frame in which to put some great features. The new Core 2 Duo U7500 provides it with some very strong performance, although it is held back a bit by its slower PC2-4200 DDR2 memory.

Sony offers a variety of different storage options for the TZ line of notebooks, but in the case of this review, it uses both a 1.8” 100GB hard drive along with an internal DVD burner. This provides it with plenty of storage space and the ability to burn or playback CDs and DVDs. Of course the big option is for the 32GB solid state drive in place of a hard drive, but this has limited storage space and adds a lot to an already high price tag.

Sony decided to use a slightly different 11.1” LCD panel with LED backlight for the TZ150. This gives the system slight more room than the smaller 10.6” screens but still keeps it portable. The LED backlightning provides it with extremely strong brightness and color not found in more traditional CCFL designs.

One area where the VAIO TZ shines is in connectivity. The notebook comes equipped with every current version of 802.11 standards including draft-n support. It even has a Sprint enabled cellular WAN modem for those needing additional connectivity when other networks aren't available for use. The small size of the notebook does limit it to only two USB ports though, so you might need a hub for more peripherals.

The big drawback to the TZ150 though is it's price. As configured, this is one of the least expensive of the TZ ultraportable lineup, but it is still one of the most expensive on the market.