Looking around for a new laptop to replace the aging Vaio C1MT (mainly because although VirtualPC works okay on the PowerBook it's just too s-l-o-w to use as a primary development machine (and there's no 30 day trial on VPC7 unlike the rest of Mac Office 2004, so we'll never know).
Anyway, back to the wonderful world of Vaio and the strange mindset that is Sony (at least in Australia)
First up... they make some of the best built and designed laptops. No argument. However... they're also priced at a premium so you'd expect that, and I don't mind paying a little extra for quality (that said, the Powerbook was very good value).
What I don't get is the lack of Bluetooth support in any of the current model line up (or for that matter any historical models sold here in Aus). I find this a little strange seeing as it's standard in the UK or US and, of course, Japan.
So does this mean Bluetooth is dead, Australia is not ready for personal area networks or just Sony doesn't get it ? Sadly I suspect it may be the latter.
Bluetooth is now a mature standard (heck, with WinXP SP2 Microsoft have even included a native stack)
Almost every other PC company selling equipment in Australia includes Bluetooth - either as an option, or antenna included and mini-PCI option or as standard. Add that to the number of PDAs and cellphones (even those from Sony Ericsson) so it's not like it's a new cutting edge technology.
Which leaves us the third option. Hmmm, shame really as it's got me looking at alternatives such as Toshiba M200 tablet (impossible to find one to demo though), or a BenQ Joybook (shame it's only 802.11b) rather than just popping into my friends at AVCentral and picking up a shiny new Vaio !
Whatever happens, I just know I'm going to end up with yet another redundant power-brick (and have to get another powertip for my Targus adaptor).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
It would be nice if bluetooth were in all models. At this point in the product cycle it comes down to saving money during the build process and what their current customers are demanding. Ask them to make a note about your request, and maybe they'll consider it for the next version.
My one suggestion is that if you want internal bluetooth, get it when you purchase the machine. Trying to get the parts after purchase is difficult and external usb or sd parts are usually more expensive.
Post a Comment