Customer Reviews
Best vs Worst 
2008-06-15
I bought this laptop a year back... it was too good in performance and clarity. No doubt it is sony product...
My CD drive started giving issue... not able to write anything, but working fine if I am trying to watch any movie. I contacted Sony CustomerCare and they are asking me to pay $300 to replace the Drive.
I checked the internet, there are lot of people complaining about the Drive... but sony not accepting the "fault" in the Drive... THINK BEFORE BUY!!!
Worst Laptop I've Ever Used 
2008-05-27
I bought this laptop off-the-shelf when my old laptop's hinges broke. I'm an IT guy - I have used lots of laptops, by lots of manufacturers, and this is hands-down the worst I've encountered.
Contrary to what some reviewers have said, Sony's were not the most expensive laptops; in fact, I talked myself into buying this one based largely on the price. That was a mistake, for the reasons that follow.
Pros:
- Was available off the shelf with reasonable specs
- Uses mostly decent hardware
- Integrated webcam
- Quick setup out-of-the-box
- Reasonably impressive specs (but comes with Vista, which undoes much of that value)
Cons:
- Keyboard is flaky (one of my keys died after a year, others have problems and are dying, and nearly half of them have popped off randomly at least once)
- Mouse pad is flaky (often stops responding for a couple minutes)
- WiFi card crashes a lot (will refuse to turn on; will turn on but not find any networks when I am right next to a router; will find networks with good signals and not connect; will connect but not send anything)
- Hard drive is non-standard (can't replace it with non-Sony drives)
- Hard drive is often very slow
- Battery life is terrible (less than 1.5 hours at full power, less than 2 on power saver mode) - whoever said it got 4 hours was either lucky, wrong, or using an upgraded battery
- CD/DVD drive is *loud*
- Integrated speakers are terrible
- Integrated microphone is terrible, even by laptop standards
- Laptop gets *EXTREMELY* hot, even in standby. I actually worry about it starting a fire (this does happen; a friend's laptop ignited her coffee table in the middle of the night; no defects were ever identified).
- Screen latch is badly placed and frequently flips up while I'm using the computer
- Screen hinges seem weak and flaky; they feel weaker every day, and I fully expect one or both to break in the near future.
- Screen design makes it impossible to hold the laptop in one arm when it's closed; no matter how you grip it or how lightly you hold it, you feel like you're crushing or at least badly bending the screen (because you are).
- Screen suffers random areas of burn-out where the backlight fails or becomes permanently and abnormally bright (this happened almost immediately when I got it, for no apparent reasons).
- Ergonomics? Awful. The wrist area is extremely uncomfortable.
- Windows Vista is wretched. Sure, it's pretty, but it has major speed and stability issues; performance is often lower than XP, which is why many manufacturers are continuing to offer XP, even though Microsoft is trying to phase it out. Simple tasks like moving and copying files take forever. The hardware demands are also tremendous.
- Too much pre-installed random software. Cleaning it up is a real chore.
- Shortcut keys (mute, volume up and down) randomly start and stop working - the mute key will often light up when pressed, but fail to mute the speakers, for example. Sometimes, they reverse their functions, and do the opposite of what they're supposed to do.
- Screen brightness is too narrow a range. I often can't get it bright enough in certain settings, but can't turn it down enough when working in dim light.
Given the chance to do it over again, I would happily pay a few hundred dollars more for a different manufacturer, even if it meant giving up a little on the specs. This laptop is simply not worth the money, and after only 13 months of ownership I'm already contemplating replacing it in the near future.
Sony VGN-FE880E; best buy on the market 
2008-05-15
I have had this notebook for over a year; the thing is bullet-proof. I have dropped it which required replacing the harddrive, which I did myself, but it fired right back up. I couldn't be happier in spite of this mishap. This Sony has an awesome display. Also, I have noticed that the Sony notebooks come with so many outstanding standard Sony-exclusive programs (which I actually use, and that would have cost me $100s extra if I bought them). When the Sony was down I bought a Dell 1425 which is very good also. They beat the heck out of my Toshiba I use for work. Sony and Dell are tools; all others I have used are flimsy toys. Pay the money, and buy Sony. You won't regret it.
Worst notebook of my life 2007-12-27
I don't know if it is the crippling Windows Vista or the Sony Vaio hardware (despite it's high specs), but this is a VERY slow computer and it gets worse as you use it. Sometimes it takes minutes for applications to operate... they run on "not working" mode with that stupid circle.... and I got a bonus... windows vista stopped working and it won't start now. And bingo, Vaio doesn't provide you with any recovery CD... and the recovery software doesn't work at all... really that's just a joke. That's why I bought a mac book and am happy to jump out of Microsoft's tests on us. I refuse to be a lab rat... and Sony... well, also a brand that seems to belong to the past. No service, low quality. Too bad.
Get a Laptop for Christmas - Only $5 2007-11-05
Get a Laptop for Christmas - Only $5
It would be madness to miss this unique opportunity to get a top of the range Macbook or Sony Vaio laptop for just $5 - yes, that's right - five bucks!
All you need to do is visit this website:
exceem.info
(Copy and paste into your browser)
Follow the user friendly instructions and your Macbook or laptop will be at the door before you know it.
Too good to be true? Certainly not...... but the only way to find out is have a look for yourself!
Horrible. Stay Away 2007-08-25
Get powerful entertainment and computing performance that reflects your personal style. The VAIO FE notebook will take you through your workday with power and speed, then dazzle and entertain you at home with impressive multimedia performance, all while keeping you connected. It's slim and lightweight, yet provides an impressive widescreen display. Your movies and photos will come to life with brilliant colors and stunning clarity.
Too many problems to list 2007-06-20
This laptop is a worthless piece of junk! I am so angry right now, that I don't even know where to begin. Disc drive is cheap and flimsy, windows vista is horrendous, keyboard has broken twice and Sony had to send someone to do something to the "motherboard". It took 3 months for them to respond the first time. For some reason, it doesn't seem to be compatible with Apple's Itunes. Everytime you download pictures, they go to several different places, whether you want them to or not, each one more confusing than the next. Mouse pad is touch and go. You can not play any sort of game that requires fast mouse movement. I could go on and on. Please consider a different laptop.
Great! 2007-05-14
I bought this as a present to my son, and here's what he has to say:
Sure I can tell you about my new Sony Vaio VGN FE8800E.
It's a great laptop with all the features you want for work as well as entertainment. The Windows Vista premium that comes with it is amazing and works perfectly fine since I've had it (about 4 weeks now). Especially the speech recognition program which allows you to use your computer without even touching the keyboard but by only by dictating through a microphone (i.e.: "Start Documents" "Open pictures".. or "Start Word" and then just dictate a whole document!!!)
Everything is great about this laptop, the keyboard which is very smooth, the screen wide and so clear it gives you a home cinema experience when watching movies. The battery lasts long, about 4 hours autonomy which is good if you're on the road or traveling. It has a a webcam and a microphone integrated so it is very convenient for video messaging. I really enjoy the whole display and how you can switch from one program or window to the other in a very smooth manner like the Apple Macbooks.
I haven't had any problem whatsoever ever since I own it, so I can say that in general I am extremely satisfied with the Vaio VGN FE8800E.
Good computer. Hate MS Vista 2007-05-12
The computer is very good and very easy to use. It has a built in camera, bluetooth; the all singing and dancing machine. Love it. The only glitch is the scrolling pad is not as smooth as my last Toshiba notebook. One other thing is that Vista is a nightmare. It is not compatible with most software out there including software that was originally compatible with Windows XP. Especially, Vista is not compatible with Apple Bonjour. Therefore one cannot use the Airport Base station to print wirelessly or share a hardisk in a wireless network. Vista is a waste. Hence the 3 stars.
Looks good but not that good ..... 2007-04-13
Built in Camera doesn't work most of the times and I had to restart the system to get it back on again.
Second Vista looks great by this new OS crashed with a blue dump screen just second day after I got this laptop.
