Sony VAIO VGN TXN27N/T 11.1" Laptop Intel Core Solo Processor U1500, 2 GB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD¿RW Drive, Vista Business Sienna

Customer Reviews

a sad commentary on Sony's design standards and warranty

2007-05-22
This product is not designed or built to the usually high Sony standards. The LCD screen WILL break under normal use and Sony will not honor the warranty if the screen fails. My screen failed after six months and I returned the computer to Sony for repairs. Sony charged me over $700 and refused to return the 'physically damaged screen' as I requested so that the 'intentional damage' that I 'caused' could be verified. To confirm that this is a design flaw Sony included with the repaired computer NEW instructions as to how to prevent damaging the screen noting that 'the LCD screen may be sensitive to pressure or added stress'. This product is a sad commentary on Sony's design standards and on its unwillingness to stand behind its warranty.

Excellent laptop

2007-05-06
Great size for travel, lightweight and fast.

I upgraded from a previous portable Sony Vaio and it is worth the change.

DON'T BUY THIS - ESPECIALLY FROM BEST BUY!

2007-04-21
I recently bought this laptop from Best Buy. It took hours on end to update itself online. It comes prepackaged with tons of trial software and sony software that slows the computer down - some of which you can't uninstall. The screen flickers upon start up and shut down. The computer freezes with more than one application open at t time. It is a piece of junk. Within two days I tried to return it at Best Buy and they charged me a $345 dollar restocking fee because apparently this isn't "defective." It was a horrible, expensive experience. Don't make this mistake. AND DON'T BUY FROM BEST BUY!!! Horrible company with horrible customer service.

Sleek compact design for business travelers on the go.

2007-03-18
I waited to get this notebook loaded with Vista. I have mixed feelings. The notebook hardware design is quite sleek and handsome. I am not so impressed with Vista running on this machine though. It just feels that Vista is a resource hog and is constantly running the CPU at 100% which causes the fan to run endlessly. I think the issue is that Sony used the same hardware specs as the previous TX series just to get a Vista version out quickly, but it really is not equipped to handle the new Vista OS as well. So I was disappointed when I upgraded to this notebook thinking that it would run faster, but actually it runs slower than my previous Vaio running Win XP. Though there are some improvements with Vista over XP, Vista probably runs better on a Duo Intel chipset than the Solo that is used in this notebook. The poor notebook is contantly working overtime just to do very simple normal every day applications and it takes forever to start up or reboot. If you just base it on looks alone, then it gets a 4 start rating.

The first week has been excellent

2007-03-13
I completely agree with the review above, with the exception that my startup time doesn't seem that slow. A couple of minor issues... the placement of the touchpad buttons has taken a little getting used to... they're right on the edge, so they're easy to miss, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. The fingerprint feature has functioned erratically for me at the start, working sometimes and then not working. I assume I'll get used to using it, or just ignore it if I can't get it to work reliably. It's supposed to function to fill out forms on password protected webpages to fill out all the info. All, I can say is... not yet for me. Many of the Vista features are really intended for much larger screens. So, for example, the icon for a pdf file is actually a picture of the first page of the pdf. That would be great if you could see it, but on a screen this size there's no way to make anything out.

BAD LCD SCREEN - BAD WARRANTY

2008-06-26
WARNING -THIS TYPE OF COMPUTER FROM SONY HAS BAD LCD SCREENS AND THEY WILL NOT HONOR THEIR WARRANTY FOR SUCH PROBLEMS. I bought a new Sony VGN-TXN29N ultralight laptop and only had it for a few weeks when a crack appeared at the edge of the LCD screen. It was never taken out of the house and there were no kids or pets that could have messed with it. One evening it was fine and the next morning a crack was there when I turned it on. When I returned it to Sony for repair they refused to honor the warranty and said somebody had misused/abused the screen so the warranty didn't apply. This was not true. They wanted $699.99 to replace the screen, but sent it back to me unrepaired when I was away for a few days of travel, after they called me once on my cell phone and promised to check things out again and call me back. I did some research and found their own web site says this is a common problem and will not be repaired unless you bought some extra insurance when you purchased the product. Of course, none of this was mentioned when I bought the computer over the internet direct from Sony. Also, this appears to be a problem with the vendor who supplies the LCD screens. A UK web site mentions this is a common problem with ACER displays. I understand the State of Pennsylvania is considering passing a computer lemon law to cover this kind of problem when companies won't honor their warranties. I'm going to check that out and see if my local congressman will sponsor such a law in my state. Such is the end of a long relationship with me and Sony products that goes back over 25 years.

poor design for mobility

2008-06-12
I bought this because I needed to be highly mobile -- it was small, lightweight, and durable. However, the cute little antenna that sticks up on the side -- doesn't snap in, screw in, or stuff in. It just sort of sits there and if bumped, will fall out. Mobile? Hardly. Replacement cost? Forty bucks.

So, great computer if you don't need to connect to the internet. Or, great computer if you never move the computer and connect to the internet. Otherwise, what a friggin' rip off by Sony... and when I talked to the guy at the shop, he just shrugged his shoulders about the design flaw and said, "yeah, whatever, you probably don't need it anyway." Well, it's needed for weak signals. Not downtwon NYC maybe, but anywhere else.

Don't get this computer ifyou are going to be mobile; it won't work.

Nightmare Warranty Protection

2008-01-02
Do not purchase this product - you too could be out $800 for a defective unit! I purchased this back in May spending a small fortune for a small, compact, low profile computer to use at home. I use my laptop solely on the weekends for checking my email and surfing the net and store it on a table at home with its top down. Last week I opened the laptop and turned it on, only to discover a small crack in the side of my lcd screen. I immediately contacted Amazon customer service who directed me to contact Sony directly because Amazon did not protect against this type of situation. Sony had me overnight the laptop to them and today I received an estimate for $800 to replace the lcd screen. Turns out the lcd is NOT COVERED by the one year warranty...for any reason. I explained that nothing had happened to the laptop - it was not dropped, nothing was put on top of it, nothing was spilled on it - and that I had simply opened and closed the top as I do every time I use the laptop. In addition, I asked that the representative please inspect my computer and confirm that there was NO EXTERIOR damage to prove that it had not been dropped, spilled on, etc. Sony responded that while there was no sign of damage, ANY CRACK in the lcd screen constituted "misuse" and the screen was therefore not covered. So I am out $800 if I want to be able to read my screen..and if you read other reviews, turns out I'm not the only one who had this problem.

Worst computer

2007-08-07
This the worst and most expensive computer I ever had. Yes it is slick and that is the reason I bought it. But it is slow. It takes 5 minutes (300 seconds not 90) to boot. Everything (Photoshop, Streets and Trips, etc.) is slow and Vista is cumbersome. Get another brand with XP pre-installed, or install XP on the Vaio : http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=117070

Shotty workmanship

2007-07-10
The LCD had over 20% pixel death right out of the box. When I took it back to the Sony Style store they refused to honor the warranty. I have sent the notebook back to Sony, and they say it will be $699.99 to replace the screen plus another $99.99 diagnostic fee.
Not long ago Sony was the standard that all manufacturing aspired to. It is sad to see how far they have fallen.