Customer Reviews
A gem; as long as you don't need a lot of disk space 
2007-09-30
I did a lot of research before buying this computer, after it was recommended to me by our IT vendor. Thus far it has proven to be an extraordinary tool, has great connectivity and a lot of outstanding features. The display is small, but I do not find it unreadable. The keyboard is useless so get a Bluetooth add-on. Ditto the "mouse". Also, although I can use a networked optical drive I found it better to buy the Sony add-on disk drive. This works great and I recommend you buy it as well. Has an awesome amount of junk software installed. After cleaning up the "hard disk" (which isn't a disk) I only have 7GB left. Fortunately most of my storage is on our network. I don't see why they didn't just bite the bullet and put a phone in as well, then you could toss the Palm/Blackberry. Is great at detecting wireless networks. I have not found speed to be a problem, and the unit works as well as my former desktop in most applications (MS Office, etc.) that I use. I wish it had Win XP, but I'm slowly getting used to Vista. Graphics on an LCD external monitor are excellent. Most inventive use I've encountered: A missionary who saves movies to the disk and Memory Stick card and watches them on long flights to SE Asia. Summary: A cool tool; very useful in my working environment.
Try the OQO Model O2 Instead 
2007-09-29
I have tried both and I prefer the OQO Model O2. The OQO has a much better screen, a much better mounting dock, a Wacom Digitized Screen, and it is beautiful. It was designed by the Guy who was Apple's Product Designer for years (he designed the I-Mac). The Sony keyboard is just too small for my fingers.
Know what you want 
2007-09-04
I have read the reviews and talked to others, including my brother in law who got a free one and returned it.
Don't purchase this just because you wnat a small computer! Purchase it only if you need a small computer.
This computer offers everything I could possibly want, but only because Sony made a computer that you can carry on your belt without lowering your needs to carrying around a glorified hand held pocket PC or phone.
It is true that the screen is extremely small and fonts require me to put on my reading glasses. But how else can you put a fully functional computer into a 4.5 inch screen? It truly is as capable as Windows Vista can be on any computer that has a limited source of storage and memory.
I installed Windows 2007 Ultimate, Adobe CS2 and a library of bible software from Libronix. I still have 6 Gb of space available and purchased some Sony Duo memery cards at 4 GB each and have not yet needed them.
The computer does store a full back-up in hidden memory whivh cuts the 32 GB down quite a bit but when I did require restoring the system it came in handy.
This computer is for those who are on the go and can show presentations via Powerpoint by plugging it in at a remote work sight, connecting to meetings remotely or just wanting to read the newspaper while riding the bus to work.
As far as software, I always hate trial versions, but after installing Office 2007 I had no problem uninstalling the trial version and it went fairly quick. Why SQL Server? Well anyone who works in a professional environment knows the limitations of MS Access and will appreciate the SQL Server capability.
If you want a cute computer because it's small, then this is not for you! If you want a computer that is fully functional and able to connect to the Internet anywhere service is available, and if you are willing to work with the 4.5 inch screen as well as the two fingered keyboard, then seriously look into this model as it meets ebery expectation I had in fitting such a large package into such a tiny median.
If it was any larger I would not carry it with me every where. But I must add, even though I work in the IT field, this computer was purchased to meet personal needs, and that it does quite well if you understand the limitations Sony had to work with in making it so small.
It truly is a fully functional Windows Vista computer that will hook to you belt and every one thinks you are carrying some oversized cell phone or camera.
Just make sure you are prepared for the tiny fonts and limited screen capabilities. I had some trouble with CS2 buttons falling into an unviewable area and had to tab and guess at the function I was choosing.
It's really not meant for those who want cute, only those who want what this computer was really designed to provide...
Jack of all trades, master of none. 2007-07-23
Overall I am glad I purchased this device - others in my company are interested in it as well. This is a nice "all-in-one" device - computer/tablet, camera, (small enough to be a) PDA, media player; but it excels at none of these tasks. It IS a very cool device that most people can't believe is a full blown computer.
Some usability thoughts:
- You definitely have to look at the keyboard AND screen when typing.
- Since it is touch screen and not an actual "tablet" screen, the handwriting and other tablet functions are hard to use. But it is intuitive to just "touch" the screen to click on buttons, etc.
- The magnification function is fairly useless, so I remaped the buttons to "back" and "mute". Plus I set the middle mouse button to "stick Scrolling". Now web pages are quite nice to navigate (at only 600px high, you need to scroll web pages quite a bit).
- Battery life is pretty much as advertised when on the optimized setting - frequent sleeping and hibernating will help. I get almost 5 hours of actual useage with the extended battery.
- It fits fine into a cargo type pockets, not so well if you are wearing tight clothes, and a little heavy to hang off a belt unless it is pretty snug.
- It has OK/average speed running Vista, even with the "Aero" interface - similar to my 2 year old laptop. Probably would be zippier running XP.
Pros
- Hardware/special function buttons can be customized fairly well.
- While keyboard has very little tactile feedback, it is very comprehensive. Only needs a Shift key on the right side to be complete.
- Fingerprint reader is VERY helpful for logging in to Windows, web sites, email... no need to use keyboard then! :)
- It is portable enough to have with you "almost" all of the time.
- Solid state disk doesn't seem to slow down when it is "getting full", and no need to defrag (SHOULDN'T defrag, since SSD has limited # writes).
- The overall "feel" is very good - seems quite solid and robust, well built.
- Hi-res screen makes icons/pictures look really sharp.
Cons
- Hi-res screen makes icons/text really small. (I was able to make it pretty useable with Vista's large fonts - and you can disable this on individual programs that don't work well with large fonts!)
- Couldn't get Bluetooth to work with my older PDA.
- I will have to get a firewire DVD drive if I need to change/reinstall the OS.
- The quality of the two cameras is average (and lo res), and you have to remember to check the "focus switch" (near or far), as well as allow about 5 seconds between pictures, or 5-10 seconds for video capture to start (and about 30 seconds for camera application to actually load and be ready).
- As a PDA, it takes a long time to start up (basically same as a laptop). From hibernate it is about 30 seconds to logon. From sleep it is only about 3-5 seconds.
- And yes, lots of extra junk installed, although some appear to be utilities and tools for various functions of the device - I am unclear how much (apart from the obvious apps) I can uninstall. I was able to clear off enough that I could install Office 2007 Enterprise and a few other utilities, and still have 7 GB free (+1 GB for hibernate file).
It would probably be perfect if it had a 64GB SSD HD, 2 GB RAM, a discrete graphics chip, Core Duo CPU, higher res camera (with optical zoom), and some faster way to boot up. But I suppose it would be $4000+ then (of course that is close to what I paid for my first PC back in the day...). Something to look forward to in a few years, if this type of device can stick around. For today, I think this is pretty good, if a little expensve.
The Appeal Dims With Use 2007-06-28
I always wanted the smallest possible computer. I owned an HP95LX and similar models, then graduated to the Toshiba Libretto that I absolutely loved, but in recent years there was nothing on the market small enough to attract me. I bought the Sony UX380 because it looked like the answer to my dreams. The unit I bought was mounted in a display that did not permit you to type on it or to do much more than just touch it. That was not an accident.
When I got this baby home, I was horrified to see all the unnecessary software that filled the harddrive. It took a long time to get that stuff off and then to install Office and One Note from Microsoft. I then took the UX380 on a business trip as my only computer. After the trip, I sold it.
I am an old guy. The screen resolution is fabulous, but it was just too darned small to work with. The zoom view is not helpful. If you zoom, you frequently can't enter data, so you have to keep going back and forth. Very irritating. The tiny keyboard is very hard to use. It is no where near as good as a Blackberry. You have no tactile response, so sometimes the letter does not appear, other times you get two or three. Two finger typing is the best you can hope for.
I love the idea of this machine, but I need a bigger screen. If you haven't looked at the Samsung Q1 tablet PC, you should. The screen is lower resolution but much easier for aging eyes to read. There is only a virtual keyboard, so you'll need to pick up an external one. It makes a definitely bigger package, but still quite friendly for travel. The Stowaway blue tooth or Samsung USB keyboards are both great.
I'll be using the Samsung until Sony or Toshiba come up with a tiny machine that I can really use.
beautiful but slow 2008-06-22
(+) very nice design
(+) touchscreen functions work well
(+) decent screen size. very nice screen with high resolution.
(+) provided accessories
(-) slow. needs cpu upgrade & faster disk. more RAM would be nice.
(-) weak antennas. needs "n" upgrade.
(-) have to carry peripheral devices, so defeat the small size.
(-) small & crampy keyboard. typing is hindered by the raised edge.
(-) feel thick in your hands. should be slimmer like the OQO-2
(-) I HATE SONY BLOAT WARES. had to format hard drive and reinstall everything (make sure you have all drivers when do so).
(-) short battery life. need extended battery.
(-) sliding screen scratches keyboard.
*** unless you absolutely are a technophile who love Sony products, i would not advise purchasing this UMPC. i had both this and the OQO-2. personally, i like the OQO-2 more. BUT i barely used these due to the slowness, the small screen size, and syncing data. having an EDVO-enabled WM cell phone takes away the ultramobility functionality of these UMPC.
Nice performance but Flash Drive too small 
2008-01-09
UX390N have a better performance compress old model, but 32GB Flash Drive too small. Sony did not support creating the recover CD, even you use Sony iLink CD/DVD burner. Hate this.
VGN UX390N 2007-12-24
Pretty good computer but not easy to configure. too complicated, has a lot of hardware and adapters on it.
runs a bit slow on Vista therefore might want to invest on extra copy of Win XP Pro, or Tablet PC to run satisfactorily. Also, invest in external USB DVD drive, keyboard, mouse and of course external monitor.
It needs experienced computer user, not kid.
The drivers alone for this machine for Win XP are about 140MBytes. over 30 individual drivers. gotta scavenge the internet as far as Australia to find all drivers. sony does not list XP drivers.
it needs touchpad drivers or the stylus pen won' t work very well.
Small harddrive though. Invest in external drives, sony memory stick, etc, etc
expensive product overall.
I really wanted to like this... 2007-12-17
The screen is very hard to read, especially if you have the presbyopia problem that people usually get after they are 40 years old (this is difficulty in seeing small things up close).
There is a Zoom in/out, but it is useless because one cannot enter data when it is in use.
A scroll wheel would have been nice to view things when not using a mouse (the thumbpad mouse that comes with it, is kind of awkward to use (controlling the mouse pointer is hard).
Cnet review said to lower the resolution to read it easier, but many apps do not work with a lower resolution. In addition, even at high resolution, some apps have popup screens that are off the edge of the screen & you can't scroll to it (ie: lets say you are adjusting preferences in Internet Explorer - or any program - the little popup window that comes up, you can't click the OK button because its off the screen. So your pref changes don't get saved).
The keyboard keys should have been raised, not recessed. Its very hard to type on it.
A solution I've found to browse the Internet is to use the free Opera internet browser. It will adjust webpages to fit the screen, yet using a larger type.
I do use this with an external monitor & a wireless mouse & a Think Outside keyboard which works very well. However, there goes your portability.
Just really really bummed about not being able to read the screen...
Great machine after tweaks 2007-12-02
I've had a 380n (identical twin to the 390 but with a conventional hard disk) for about 2 months now, and am more impressed with it every week. Sony has made some major blunders with this machine, but they're fixable:
(1) The machine runs "okay" on Vista, beautifully on XP. If you're technical, rip out Vista and upgrade to XP. Sony won't help at all with the drivers, but you'll find them in a neat little package (along with a lot of friendly support) at micropctalk.com.
(2) Sony loads up the system with loads of Crapware. Uninstall it.
(3) Sony loads up the hard drive with a hidden recovery partition. If you're technical, create a backup disk (Sony says how, or buy it from Sony), then erase the hard drive and start over without the extra partition.
(4) Increase the display DPI setting to 150%. Makes everything bigger and more legible on the screen.
(5) Install "RitePen," a free and amazingly accurate stylus-to-text interpreter. Now you have a perfectly functional touchpad.
(6) Get an Igo bluetooth keyboard ($50). Now you have a fully-functional keyboard when you need to write that 20-page document.
Once again, a remarkable machine, with great potential. Go for it.
