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Sony Vaio VGN-LA38G

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PCQ Bureau
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Sony's latest in the Vaio series is meant for those who want a stylish

desktop replacement for swanky areas in their offices or homes. Vaio LA38G is a

personal computer but not a laptop, even though it looks somewhat like one. The

screen is surrounded by lightweight polycarbonate transparent frame on all sides

giving it a classy look. The transparent frame also houses various indication

lights for power, Wi-Fi, hard disk activity and battery status with speakers on

either side of the display. On the top, it's got a built-in web camera with

motion eye technology.

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All the other ports (USB, Ethernet, modem, DC in power) are on the back and

sides along with a switch for Wi-Fi. The back also has a support stand which can

be tilted back and forth to adjust the screen angle. On the right hand side,

you'll find a slot loading DVD writer and dedicated volume keys. On the left

side, it's got the memory stick and SD/MMC slots, express card, PC card slot, a

USB, FireWire port, audio out, microphone and line-in jacks.

The keyboard (with built-in track pad) can be folded up towards the screen

but is not detachable. The space above the track pad is vacant; this could have

been used to put in a number keypad for better interaction. On the sides of the

keyboard are dedicated music keys to control the music player. These can be

accessed regardless of whether the keyboard is open or closed.

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The Vaio is beautiful no doubt but it also packs a lethal punch when it comes

to performance. It incorporates an Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 processor running at

1.83 GHz, 1 GB DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive and an NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400

graphics card. It scored a decent 3.2 rating in the in-built Vista rating test.

We also ran 3DMark06 and PCMark 05 on it and got 605 3DMarks and 3943 PCMarks

respectively. These figures are almost the same as those for current high-end

notebooks. What's more, it has a dedicated graphics card for casual gaming. One

of the useful features of this product is its ability to work as a standalone

music player. It has a sound-reality audio chipset which delivers crystal clear

sound through the 3W stereo speakers. Just fold the keyboard up and the

remaining viewable area of the screen displays track info, artist info, time,

calendar and music visualizations.

However, there are a few cons. First of all, the track pad is on the right

side of the keyboard, rendering it quite useless for left-handers (though they

can easily attach a USB mouse thanks to the conveniently located port). The

music player application (Soundflow) cannot be configured to play music from any

folder other than the 'My Music' folder in 'My Documents'. The device doesn't

have a VGA out to connect to a projector or an external monitor. Finally, we

felt the viewing angle of the screen left a lot to be desired.

Bottom Line: Overall, a product that is sure to turn a few heads

towards your workplace while working as a desktop PC or as a standalone MP3

player.

Price: Rs 89,990 (2 yrs warranty)



Meant For: Everyone


Key Specs: Core 2 Duo T5600 (1.83 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM,
GeForce Go 7400,120 GB SATA



Pros: Stylish form factor, card reader, standalone music player
function



Cons: Trackpad inconvenient for lefthand users


Contact: Sony India, Delhi, Tel: 011-26991205


Email id:
sonyindia.care@ap.sony.com




SMS Buy 130599 to 6677




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