Sony Vaio VGN-AW21Z/B Reviews: Windows Vista Home Premium 18.4" Screen Laptop computer

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Product Features

Screen Size in Inches	18.4
Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner.
Operating System	Windows Vista Home Premium
Software on which the device runs
RAM in GB	4
Number of Cores	Dual
Computer processors are made up of 1 or more cores. Having multiple cores allows the computer to process more information at once making it faster.
Hard Disk Capacity in GB	564
Hard Disk capacity is measured in GBs which stands for Gigabytes. A gigabyte is 1000 MB or megabytes. The more GB you have the more info like photos and music you can store.
Screen Resolution (pixels)	1920x1080 (Full HD)
The number of pixels the screen has. The more you have, the more detail the screen can display, given a high quality source. A breakdown of resolutions can be found on Wikipedia here
Processor Brand	Intel
There are 2 main manufacturers of computer processors. They are Intel and AMD.
Processor	Core 2 Duo
This is the processor model range. Different types of processor have different types of functionality. For example Centrino processors are specifically designed to increase battery life in laptops.
Processor Number	T9550
This is the specific processor number in the processor range.
Processor Speed in MHz	2660
The processor is the driving force of your personal computer. The higher the number in Megahertz or Mhz the faster your computer will run. Don’t forget that other factors such as the number of cores will have an effect on speed.
USB Port	3
Socket for connecting devices such as a computers and other components
Integrated Webcam	Yes
A webcam is a small, in-built camera that allows you to record video to upload to popular sites like Youtube or have video chats with friends on Instant Messaging services.
WiFi	Yes
Wifi allows you to connect your device to wireless routers or modems which allows you to connect to broadband internet.
Bluetooth	Yes
Bluetooth is a technology for the wireless transfer of data such as contacts, photos and music between mobile phones, computers and a host of other Bluetooth enabled devices. Read more about Bluetooth on Wikipedia
Fingerprint Access	Yes
Fingerprint access offers you an extra layer of security on your computer and is essential for any budding secret agent.
Remote Control	No
DVD Writer	Yes
DVD Writers can be used to copy data, music, documents or films from your laptop, netbook or desktop computer, onto a blank DVD. DVD writers can also copy info onto blank CDs but CDs have a lower storage capacity. Normal DVD discs can store up to 4.7GB of info. DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc.
DVD Drive	Yes
CD Rom	Yes
Blu-ray Drive	Yes
VGA Port	Yes
VGA stands for Video Graphics Array. The VGA socket is used for connecting a monitor or TV to your computer. If you want to use an external monitor, TV or projector on your laptop make sure it has a VGA or DVI socket. VGA is also sometimes referred to as D-sub.
DVI Port	No
DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface. Like VGA, DVI is used to connect laptops, desktops and other devices to HD TVs or monitors. You can buy a small adaptor to convert your digital DVI socket to an analogue VGA socket for use with older monitors if needed.
Card Reader	Yes
A memory card reader allows you to connect various types of card such as SD Cards, MMC Cards or Compact Flash Cards to your laptop or desktop computer. Memory Card Readers are extremely useful for photographers as it allows you to quickly transfer your snaps from camera to machine meaning you can have them uploaded to your favourite website or printed out in a matter of minutes.
Battery Life in Hours	1.66
Battery life is important if you travel a lot. Long train journeys can be a pain if you don’t get more than 3 hours of life out of your laptop. It’s worth remembering that a lot of trains offer power sockets now so don’t be put off by a low battery life unless your lifestyle demands ultra portability.
Dimensions (mm)	437.2x39.7x288.9
The size of the device in millimetres, in width x height x depth.
Weight (kg)	3.9
Brand of Graphic Chip	nVidia
Graphics cards in desktop computers and graphics chips in laptops are manufactured by 3 main companies: Intel, ATI and nVidia. If you want to play modern games aim for an ATI or nVidia card or chip. Intel cards and chips work perfectly for general laptop use, video playback and older computer games.
Graphic Card or Chip	GeForce 9600M GT
This is the range and model number of the graphics card or chip in your desktop or laptop computer
Colour	Black
The main colour of the product.

Also known as: SONY VAIO AW21Z/B, SONY VGNAW21ZB, Sony VAIO AW21ZB, Sony AW21Z/B

High Definition Entertainment

With a Blu-ray Disc™ Drive or Blu-ray Disc™ Combo Drive on all models, AW-Series is designed to take full advantage of a new era in High Definition entertainment. Most models feature an integrated Blu-ray Disc™ Drive with read and write capability. This allows high bandwidth playback of latest HD movies plus creation and editing of your own productions filmed on an HD camcorder.

You can also store up to 50GB of multimedia data on one disc using the Blu-ray Disc™ Drive, as well as play and record all CD and DVD formats.

Home Theater Sound Quality

Enjoy superb 2.1 channel sound performance with the VAIO AW-Series. These VAIOs feature an integrated subwoofer for impressive bass, specially designed PC speakers for natural mid to high frequency sound and an on board Sound Reality Chip.

Also featured is Dolby® Home Theatre for powerful virtual surround. Dolby Home Theater® includes advanced audio technologies to place you right at the heart of the action for a true cinema-at-home experience. Optical out sockets allow easy connection to Home Cinema systems.

Watch & record TV

Enjoying all your favourite TV programmes is effortless with the VGN-AW11XU (RXU). This model features an integrated hybrid digital and analogue TV tuner with remote control for convenient television viewing on your laptop. Watch, record and store analogue or high quality digital terrestrial TV programmes.

Search available stations for favourite shows and record them while you’re out. If you come back before the show has finished, you can start watching while your AW-Series continues recording. Using multimedia features in Windows Vista®, organise and manage all your recorded TV shows and enjoy them at your leisure.

Ultimate widescreen viewing

VAIO AW-Series offers the ultimate in big screen multimedia entertainment with a revolutionary 18.4” real wide display. With its large size, Full HD 1920×1080 (WUXGA) or 1680×945 (WXGA++) high resolution and true 16:9 aspect ratio, this new display offers the best possible digital media experience. Enjoy blockbuster movies with no or reduced black bars top and bottom. Pictures are perfectly true-to-life with up to 100% colour fidelity. The big LCD is also great for working on, allowing you to accommodate Windows Vista® gadget bars and two full size Explorer windows side-by-side.

The flagship VGN-AW11XU (RXU) provides the ultimate screen experience with Full HD1080 high resolution for watching HD movies at their true native resolution of 1080p and a Triluminous LED Screen with Full Adobe colour scan. Perfect for photo editing using advanced Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® software supplied.

Sharp and bright pictures

X-black technology ensures pictures are sharp, bright and natural looking with vibrant colour and depth. Most models feature a double lamp to give even deeper blacks, brighter whites and intense contrast for amazing realism. An anti-reflective coating minimizes glare and allows you to watch your entertainment outside cafes or in the garden.

Advanced editing with Adobe® software

World famous Adobe® software is included to help you edit photos and create multimedia slideshows. The suite includes renowned Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom software, a professional still picture editing package that allows you to truly take your photos to the next level.

Cutting edge NVIDIA® graphics

As you would expect from a full entertainment laptop, VAIO AW-Series includes cutting edge NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics. The VGN-AW11XU and VGN-AW11Z feature the extreme performance 9600M GT graphics card with 512MB dedicated VRAM for serious 3D decoding. All other models feature the 9300M GS graphics card with 256MB dedicated VRAM. Ideal for watching movies, playing games and creating powerful multimedia presentations.

Both cards include PureVideo HD, essential for enjoying high definition entertainment, as well as hardware acceleration of MPEG2 HD movie formats, HDMI support and Direct X 10.

One of the big advantages of NVIDIA® GeForce® 9000 Series graphics cards is that they take over the decoding process from the processor for best possible 3D performance.

Faster boot-up and file access

The VGN-AW11XU (RXU) includes an integrated 128GB SSD. This solid state flash drive features no moving parts, allowing for faster system boot up and file access. It’s also a lot quieter than conventional drives and significantly enhances productivity on the move.

Ultimate connectivity

Connect up with a wide range of peripheral products and equipment. AW-series features a variety of essential ports including S-Video output for playing photo slideshows or PAL resolution video through televisions, HDMI output for watching full 1080p HD movies on HD Ready TVs and i.LINK™ for connecting to digital camcorders, PCs and external hard drives. There’s also VGA output for easy link up with projectors and external screens, an ExpressCard 34 slot and three USB 2.0 ports.

Advanced wireless communications

Up-to-the-minute 802.11a/b/g/n (Draft-n) Wireless WAN offers fastest possible connection speeds and wide reception range. Easily communicate cable-free with a range of devices via Bluetooth®.

Fully equipped with VAIO entertainment software

Enjoy and create your own multimedia content with VAIO entertainment software:

• VAIO® Movie Story: Create amazing home videos with three easy steps.
• Click to Disc: Burn and edit your own discs.
• VAIO® Media Plus: Connect to your home network and enjoy digital content stored inside your VAIO.
• VAIO® Music Box: Play your favourite music according to your mood using the 12 tone analyser engine.

• More info at Sony's website
• User manual