Computer Advice?

[amberfocus]

Does anyone have the Sony Vaio laptop model number VPCEA36FM/P?  It's the one shown here:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+VAIO+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+14%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Pink/1245962.p?id=1218242192022&skuId=1245962&st=Sony Vaio laptops&cp=1&lp=5

It comes in either pink, purple, black or white.  It's the one I'm considering buying next because I'm getting colored lines on the screen of my HP that are getting too hard to ignore.  I've had them for a year but they've always been off to the side.  Now they are getting in the way.  I don't think I will buy HP again for numerous reasons even if they do have a good typeable keyboard (after almost two years nearly all the letters have worn off, never had that happen before).  I like Toshiba (not the Satellite pros but the better ones) but they are too heavy.  I like this one because it has a very typeable keyboard (good depression of the keys, light clicking noise, good spacing, nothing that makes my fingers trip, not too high or too low in the placement) which is my number one concern and because it weighs very, very little, which is my second concern since my wrists and hands are no good for carrying heavy things and I tend to take my laptop everywhere. 

I like Sony Vaio as a brand.  My first laptop was one and it actually still works except for the fan which buzzes the whole time it's on and apparently is no longer replaceable.  It's ten years old and I'd still be using it if it didn't annoy the heck out of me with that buzz.  But I used it for four years before that happened.  I've been through a couple of Toshibas (a good one and a crap one and my husband has a nice one) and one HP since then but I don't think the quality was nearly as good.  Anyhow with this new one, I've read several reviews that says it has crap speakers.  So if anyone has it, how are the speakers?  If they are bad, is it alleviated by using good quality headphones or plugging in external speakers?  I watch a lot of TV and movie DVDs on my laptop, but I have no issue using headphones or speakers if they will cure the problem.

Also, if anyone has the purple one how dark is it?  It says violet but it looks very dark to me, more like eggplant.  They only had the white one in the store, the colored ones would have to be ordered.  I'm debating between purple and pink, but if the purple is very dark towards black then I'd go with pink.
 

Comments

[mylittlepwny.livejournal.com]

I've got a pearly white one and it's basically Heaven in the form of a lovely laptop with perfectly good speakers, I don't know what those reviewers were talking about. Like, my last computer was an HP and the speakers were SHIT. I can hear these when I'm in the kitchen and my door is slightly ajar.

And as for weight, it's pretty light, I think. Definitely lighter than both my last one and my sister's, which is something I can't remember right now but SUPER DUPER HUGE and with a weird full keyboard that pushes everything slightly to the left and throws me off whenever I try to type on it. The only thing that takes a little getting used to with the VAIO keyboard are the spaces between the keys, but if you've checked it out in the store then you know about that already.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's good to hear. I think the pearly white one was the one I looked at in the store. It was so light, it felt like it only weighed a pound or two. I like the spaces between the keys since I type so fast. It makes it harder to strike the key next to the one you want and it is a feature I have sorely missed with the HP. Yeah, my HP speakers are not that good either, but I've always gotten around that with good quality earphones with adjustable speakers.

Does it hold up well to taking it around with you? It seems like it might be softer than it's harder bodied cousins.

[claire-petrelli.livejournal.com]

Does it have to be a laptop - as in do you really take it with you or would a wireless keyboard be enough to have you type on the couch?
Because I am facing the same decision and I am thinking about getting a good old computer instead of a laptop. They are faster, more reliable and easier to repair.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it needs to be a laptop because I take it with me everywhere I go. Spring and summer especially I like to go down to the park to write. Also we take our streets and maps program with us when we travel and have to have something to run it on. At the moment our space is limited and there is no place to set up a full computer in the bedroom where I do most of my writing and TV stuff since I still have to keep my leg elevated a lot. Once we sell the old house and buy a new one then I might consider having a desktop PC in the corner of the bedroom, but that's two years away. About the life of a laptop these days, anyway.

[geordie-chick.livejournal.com]

My brother has the purple one and it's almost eggplant as opposed to violet in my opinion. He is happy enough with it and I've asked him about the speakers, he says they are fine for him. I can't compare to my Apple Macbook as he's about 100 miles away sadly.

I'm not sure if that post helps but I have to say that if I wasn't an Apple geek I'd be a Sony geek - I have an A390 digital SLR camera and it's the business.

[draconin.livejournal.com]

If you use it a lot to watch TV and video, will a 14" screen be large enough? I know there's a penalty in increased weight but...