Product Description

The VGN-FZ240N/B VAIO(R) FZ Series Notebook PC is slim, lightweight and packed with entertainment features. Intel Centrino Duo processor technology and Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7250 2.0GHz powers Windows Vista Business to deliver new security and entertainment features. An incredible 15.4" widescreen display and xBrite-Eco LCD technology delivers razor-sharp details and bold colors. An integrated 1.3-Megapixel Motion Eye(TM) camera and microphone provides for video messaging with family, friends and coworkers. 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz Speed DDR2 SDRAM, Max 4GB 250GB 4200rpm Serial ATA(TM) Hard Drive QWERTY Keyboard, 82 keys with 2mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch Built-in 1.3-Megapixel Motion Eye(TM) camera and microphone Fast Ethernet RJ-45 10Base-T/100Base-TX Integrated V.92/V.90 Modem (RJ-11) Intel PRO 4965AGN 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Inputs and Outputs - Ethernet Port, Headphone Jack, Memory Stick(R) Media Slot, Modem Jack, SD Memory Card Slot, Microphone Input, S-Video Output, 3x USB Ports, VGA Output and DC-In Standard Lithium-ion Battery (VGP-BPS8), Up to 5.5 Hours Battery Life Operating System - Windows Vista Business Dimensions - Width 14 x Depth 10.02 x Height 0.98-1.4 Weight - 5.9 pounds

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #740 in Personal Computers
• Color: Black
• Brand: Sony
• Model: VGN-FZ240N/B
• Released on: 2007-09-16
• Dimensions: 1.36" h x 14.01" w x 10.02" l, 9.00 pounds
• CPU: Intel Core Duo 2 GHz
• Memory: 2000MB DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Disk: 250GB
• Processors: 2
• Native resolution: 15.4
• Display size: 15.4

Features

• 5.75-pound laptop with magnesium alloy body, dedicated multimedia controls above keyboard, and 15.4-inch LCD
• 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor, 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive, 2 GB RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD burner
• Connectivity: 3 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, ExpressCard 34, Memory Stick/SD card slots
• Intel 4965 AGN wireless LAN connects to draft 802.11n routers (as well as 802.11a/b/g), 10/100 Ethernet
• Pre-installed with Windows Vista Business; integrated 1.3-megapixel WebCam

Amazon.com Product Description
With subtle sophistication and undeniable elegance, the lightweight Sony VAIO VGN-FZ240N/B notebook PC is crafted with an aesthetic touch and careful attention to detail. Offering a brilliantly colorful 15.4-inch XBRITE-ECO display, this 5.75-pound laptop maximizes LCD space with advanced space-saving engineering techniques, including a reconfigured battery and motherboard design. It's packed with entertainment features, including embedded A/V controls for one-touch access to your music, movies and pictures. A built-in 1.3-megapixel Webcam and microphone are seamlessly integrated into the durable silver magnesium chassis so you can video chat with friends, family and co-workers.

This notebook is powered by the 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor, which offers a top-of-the-line 800 MHz front-side bus speed and 2 MB L2 cache. The Core 2 Duo processor provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance, as well as excellent battery management. It includes Intel's 4965 AGN wireless LAN, which will connect to draft 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks as well. Other features include a 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum capacity), multi-format/dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive (which also burns CDs), ExpressCard slot, and Intel GMA X3100 graphics card.

This laptop also comes pre-installed with Microsoft Windows Vista Business, which has a new user interface, named Windows Aero, that makes it easy to navigate through the operating system and from application to application. For instance, Windows Aero helps you juggle multiple tasks at once by providing a three-dimensional, real-time, animated view of all your open applications and documents. Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

Entertainment Features
Imagine having the ability to enjoy your entertainment on your notebook without ever booting up. The VAIO FZ notebook with A/V Instant Mode lets you kick off your entertainment with a single push of a button. Go straight to watching a movie, playing music, or viewing photos without ever booting-up the operating system, thereby conserving a significant amount of battery life. The VAIO FZ notebook also includes a full set of dedicated multimedia controls just above the keyboard. A round A/V interface jumps out of the clean design of the VAIO FZ, adding a unique and practical touch to its sophisticated appearance. These intuitive music and video controls are user-friendly, so you can easily control your CDs, DVDs, pictures and home movies with the push of a button.

The Basics

• Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor has a 2.0 GHz processor speed, super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and a large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

  The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:

  • Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
  • Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
  • Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
  • Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.

• Hard Drive: The 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive is more than double the average size for notebook PCs, however its 4200 RPM speed is a bit slower than current standard hard drives. It provides more than enough capacity for storing documents, digital media files, and video editing software. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.

• Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (2 x 1 GB DDR2, PC5300) is an excellent start, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a large 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.

• DVD/CD Drive: The dual-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 4x for DVD+R DL, 4x for DVD-R DL, 8x for both single layer DVD+R/-R, 8x for single layer DVD+RW, 6x for single layer DVD-RW, and 24x/16x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.

• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 82-key keyboard (2mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch) and electro-static two-button touchpad. Playback controls include play/pause, stop, forward, rewind, AV mode, mute, volume +/-, capture, and display off.

Screen, Video & Audio
The 15.4-inch WXGA LCD offers Sony's XBRITE-ECO display technology and has a widescreen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The XBRITE-ECO technology delivers brilliant colors and stunning clarity with efficient power usage, and it features an anti-reflective coating to minimize reflection and ensure a beautifully clear image from any viewing angle.

Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, which uses shared video memory (up to 358 MB allocated from the system memory) and provides Windows Vista Aero interface support and enhanced 3-D graphics performance--delivering over 2x scores on 3-DMark 06. Intel Clear Video Technology provides outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, and customizable color controls. It also enables enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays. The audio card includes Sony Sound Reality technology with DSD (Direct Stream Digital) support.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with the integrated Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965 AGN LAN chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments).

This notebook also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 34 card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Here's the full list of connectivity options:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 S-Video and 1 VGA out
• 1 ExpressCard 34
• 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
• Memory Stick slot (supports optional Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and Memory Stick DUO media)
• Secure Digital memory card slot (also compatible with MMC cards)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Fast Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Operating System
The Windows Vista Business operating system is designed to meet the needs of business organizations of all sizes. For small businesses, Windows Vista Business will help keep PCs running smoothly and more securely so you will be less reliant on dedicated IT support. For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business provides dramatic new infrastructure improvements, enabling your IT staff to spend less time focused on the day-to-day maintenance of PCs. An array of sophisticated new backup technologies helps protect your information even in the event of a catastrophic hardware failure. And Windows Vista Business has a new user interface, named Windows Aero, which is designed to deliver new levels of efficiency for any business user. This new interface makes it easy to navigate through the operating system and from application to application. For instance, Windows Aero helps you juggle multiple tasks at once by providing a three-dimensional, real-time, animated view of all your open applications and documents.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Preloaded Software
Includes Sony Click to DVD (for easy DVD creation), Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 (60-day trial), Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 14 x 10.02 x 1.4 inches (WxHxD) and weighs 5.75 pounds.

Power
It's powered by the VGP-BPS8 rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of between 2 and 4 hours (depending on usage).

What's in the Box
This package contains the VGN-FZ240N/B notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty, and Sony offers 1-year of toll-free telephone technical assistance.

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Customer Reviews

Unreliable
I purchased this laptop in January 2008. Everything worked well in the beginning and the all of a sudden everything would freeze after the laptop was idle for 20-30 minutes. It was happening 2 - 3 times a month and then it started happening more frequently (5 - 6 times a day). Every time it would freeze I would have to press the power button 6 seconds so the laptop would restart. The Sony technical support advise me to perform a Recovery. During the recovery process an error came up and after contacting the Sony Technical support I was told to send the laptop to one of their service centers because the hard drive had bad sectors and had to be replaced. I had the laptop serviced and the hard drive was replaced. Everything was working well for about one week when it started freezing again and crashing 4 - 5 times a day. I took it back to the service center and found out today that the motherboard has to be replaced. I tried to get a refund or a replacement but I was unable to do so. I only gave it one star because it's an expensive laptop and I find it unreliable.

Truly excellent once you get rid of all the bloatware
This notebook is just outstanding, truly one of the best out there, but with just one caveat: you absolutely have to get rid of all the useless software and do a bit of optimization of the preloaded software first for you to see the true potential of this machine. Be aware that this does require some knowledge of PCs and some familiarity with adding and removing programs, however, so make sure you know what you're doing before you start deleting things.

Out of the box, I was impressed with the form factor: it's very thin, the case is metal (magnesium), and has a sort of understated elegance to how it looks. The screen is amazing -- easily the best or one of the best notebook screens I've ever seen, including Macbook Pros -- crystal clear, as bright as a desktop display, and with extraordinary color reproduction (essentially uses the same technology as their stellar Bravia TVs).

But when I booted it up for the first time, I was dismayed to see the sheer amount of advertisements, trial offers, and other "bloatware" it came with. Everything from Spiderman 3 movie downloads and wallpaper, to Sony's "toobars," it was unbelieveable, and it slowed down the machine unnecessarily. I spent probably about 30 minutes to an hour uninstalling all this; for the most part all you really need to do is use "add/remove" programs to clean up 95% of it. But once you get all this off the machine, you'll realize that it was worth the aggravation -- there is one seriously fast notebook underneath all this after all!

If you are a serious gamer, you will most likely want to pass (but you wouldn't be looking at Sony to begin, right?), but if you are a casual to moderate gamer, this machine actually does have some serious graphics chops to let you enjoy games when you feel like it. My machine was configured with the NVidia 8400 GT card, and with that and just 2 GB RAM I was actually able to run any game I had on hand with more than adequate frame rates. For example, I am a flight simulator fanatic and I'm actually able to play Flight Simulator X on high settings with 40 fps! Probably the most surprising was that I can actually run Crysis quite well (but only using DX9). This is amazing performance for a machine that's not dedicated necessarily to gaming.

But this model is not without its weaknesses and for this machine it is definitely the battery. On maximum energy saving mode, I am still only able to get approximately 1 hour, 40 minutes from a full charge -- not quite enough to get through a DVD movie on the plane, for example. This may or may not be a drawback for you, depending on what you'll use this notebook for, but for me it wasn't an issue as I don't travel with my PC that much. There is an extended battery pack available which will increase the battery life considerably, but it adds a lot of weight and bulk so I opted not to get it.

All said, I am very pleased with my purchase and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a sleek mulimedia notebook. With all this performance in a thin, elegant package and with one of the best screens you can get, it has given me true pride of ownership. Just remember that you do have to spend some effort up front getting rid of the horrendous bloatware, but once you do, you'll have a truly excellent machine to take around with you.

Stereo-out disabled. DON'T BUY!
While overall, this is a good machine, Sony disabled the option to record audio signal, which makes recording streaming web audio impossible, as well as taking advantage of features of audio and DJ software. Apparently, the reason behind disabling the feature, which has been available until Vista, is concerns about piracy, but no other computer manufacturers has done it! So, go with a different computer.