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Sony VAIO VGN-AR21S laptop Sony does Blu-ray on the PC

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8/10 See more with this score

Reader score

9/10

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Reader review

User: freefly (profile)
Location:
Date Posted: 10 December 2006
Review: As a professional photographer and part time website builder, I had been waiting for laptops to become suitable in terms of quality and specs for while.

I needed something portable for my travels that would at least match my desktop`s power.

I needed something with a high definition screen for photo editing, a large hard disk to handle my high resolution files, and DVD´s capable of holding large quantities of data on the fly. I also needed a lot of power to utilise Photoshop and other memory crunching software with no problems.

So after reading up quite a bit....I ordered the Sony VAIO AR-21s.

When it arrived and I took it out of the box...my wife´s jaw hit the floor! It is an awesome looking machine and has already won me a couple of large contracts partly due to how professional it looks but also how bl**dy good it makes my images look!

Aside from that and after trying it out for a month or so, it now makes my (what I thought was fast and powerful) desktop seem like a clumsy ZX Spectrum.

The screen is perfect for showing off images and can easily show two full web pages side by side due to the widescreen HD element.

Programs including Photoshop and the pre-installed video editing suite work like a charm with no delays. If you are a gamer...Wow! The definition, rendering and speed coupled with the stunning X-black screen make gameplay incredible.

The bundled software is very good although some of it, for a lot of people, will be quite unnecessary.

It seems to pick up Wi-fi hotspots pretty easily and I use it all over the house. I have only played a couple of HD videos on it but they look amazing. I am looking forward to playing my first Blu Ray DVD on it over Christmas.

Up to now it is absolutely perfect for what I need. The only downside is its weight. I intend to travel quite a bit and even though my camera gear weighs 10KG, the 3.8KG extra for this laptop (plus accessories) makes quite a big addition.

Luckily I ate my greens as a child and can handle the weight.

If you are thinking about buying this laptop and the size doesn´t put you off, just get it. As a desktop replacement it is perfect.

As a portable, aside from the weight, it is like taking your entire home entertainment system with you everywhere...magic!
Pros: Screen definition, colours and quality.

Hard disk capacity.

Blu Ray.

Power and speed specs.

Bundled software.

Keyboard very nice and responsive.

Sheer number of ports including HDMI, USB, Video/TV in/out etc.

Stunning looks and build quality.
Cons: Weight.

Battery power (order the larger capacity battery). The screen burns a lot of juice.
Score: 9/10
Rating: 23 people have rated this review helpful

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