FINAL THOUGHTS
I love the look of this notebook. I have done since I first saw them in January 2009 and I wasn’t disappointed when I finally got my hands on one 14 months later.
The screen quality is amazing, I found it to be very sharp and very clear. As I mentioned earlier, it does take a little getting used to because of the different size, but eventually you do get used to it. Sometimes it can be a little hard reading a document but you can always increase the font size or zoom in on what you are reading.
At times I found the processor to be a little slow – some of the problem was probably down the amount of “additional” software this machine seems to run out of the box. In the past I have had issues with Sony installing so much unnecessary software that just slows your machine down that my first job is to format the drive and reinstall a clean operating system. Unfortunately because this was only a loan machine I didn’t have that luxury, although I am fairly certain it would have made a difference.
Using it was fairly straight forward, although I did find it easier to sit it on a flat surface rather than using it on my lap, mainly due to the size and shape, but I figure that eventually I would get used to it. It wasn’t like it was a pain to use. And it has certainly been a while since I used any machine that has the little “nipple” track pad.
Battery life was pretty good, but it wasn’t on par with that of most current netbooks, and that was with both batteries. I am sure I could have tweaked it to get more out of it, but I really want a small battery that lasts a good 8 or more hour and doesn’t weigh a tonne!
I didn’t get the chance to test out the EveryWare 3G capabilities, but my previous Sony had mobile broadband built in and I used it all the time.
The biggest issue I have with the P series notebooks are the price. They are very expensive. In fact, they are so expensive that for the same price you could buy yourself a fully spec’d up laptop and not have to worry that the processor cant handle it! You need to remember this is really designed to check emails and surf the Internet whilst on the go, and maybe do a little work. Effectively what you have a netbook for, just a lot more expensive than a netbook.
In the UK, the P Series VGN-P39VL/Q retails for £1,199 including VAT, so it isn’t cheap. Especially when you can buy a decent spec netbook for around £350 or less. But you buy Sony for the quality, and this notebook has that in spades. Also you can choose a model that doesn’t have an SSD which drops the price by several hundred pounds.
So, the bottom line is that this is a great little notebook, and it looks fantastic, but its comes at a price. As long as you accept the limitations of the processor and different screen size, you will be fine. Just don’t think too much about the price! I’m just sorry I had to give it back to Sony!
Have you got one? What do you think? Let us know by leaving a comment.
Sony have a three minute video on the P-series in action – have a look below:
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