Sony Vaio TT Ultralight Notebook - Software and performance
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The TT comes pre-installed with Windows Vista Business Edition as standard, although other versions are available as options, and with some hardware configurations Sony will include an XP Pro disk without you having to ask. This is very thoughtful, but the reality is that none of these operating systems is really capable of showing off the notebook’s capabilities to best advantage. XP is looking a little tired at this stage, while Vista’s issues are well known. Sony is doubtless waiting for the arrival of Windows 7 as impatiently as the rest of us, and we can’t wait to see how the TT performs under the new OS.
As you would expect from a Core 2 notebook, the TT is no slouch. That said, if there’s one area where it lets itself down at all, then performance is it. The machine has no problem with regular tasks such as playing movies, running office applications, or multi-tasking these things. But its mobile-enhanced ULV processor won’t appeal to hardcore gamers or video professionals, and neither will the integrated graphics.
Not that this is such a big deal. Those users are quite simply not the target market for this kind of ultralight, highly portable machine. Sony has made sensible compromises in order to keep both the size and weight as low as possible, and both of these will be of far greater importance to its mobile user base than lightning fast performance. In truth, most users will never even notice, as the TT is more than capable of carrying out everyday tasks without a glitch, and its performance could be improved still further by the eventual arrival of Windows 7.
Along with Vista, the TT arrives pre-loaded with a variety of software packages, although thankfully somewhat fewer than Sony sometimes includes with its notebooks. This assortment – a slightly eclectic one given the TT’s business credentials – includes the MusicBox media organizer, the Media Plus multimedia streamer, the Movie Story video editor and Click to Disc for optical disc creation.
This once again left us slightly confused about exactly how Sony is attempting to market this notebook. The price and configuration suggest it is hand-built for the high end business market, but at the same time Sony seems reluctant to lessen its traditional emphasis on creativity.
Our guess is that the company itself is suffering from a certain anxiety, as it waits to discover whether any significant market remains for a laptop this expensive when it’s possible to pick up a free basic netbook with a broadband account. This might be a genuine concern, but we would like to think that even in these troubled times there should be plenty of people eager to buy a machine this good. Which only leaves one question: will they be able to afford it?
Sources:
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/sony-vaio-vgn-tt190ubx/4505-3121_7-33303187-1.html
http://www.slashgear.com/sony-vaio-tt-review-0621710/
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