"The sony VAIO E Series has become just about everyone's favourite mid-range laptop"
John Hillman
The sony VAIO E Series has become just about everyone’s favourite mid-range laptop thanks to it being a very competent, all purpose machine that is capable of satisfying most requirements, be they entertainment, professional or academic.
The more observant amongst you will notice that this review is very similar to our other review of the E Series and that is simply because thye are more or less the same machine.
The visual aspects of this laptop are there for all to see but underneath you’ll discover a highly competent dual core AMD Athlon II processor supported by 3 Gb RAM.
The combination of this machinery together with the 3 Gb RAM and an ATI Radeon Mobility Radeon HD 5145 graphics card makes for a pretty impressive multi-media system.
What we like best
The addition of a WEB button for instant net access, and an ASSIST key to troubleshoot software issues are two respectable features of E Series.
Having the internet at the touch of a button is something commonly stated but not often implemented, immediate access for traffic news, e-mail, and plane or train delays is on offer with the E Series.
The range of ports is fairly elementary 3 USB 2’s and a fourth that doubles as an eSATA, a HDMI and D-SUB and a Gigabit Ethernet, nothing to complain about there.
The E Series comes in three sizes 14/15.5/17.3 inches they’ve updated the resolution from the standard 1366 x 768 to 1600 x 900 on the 14 inch screen which is a great improvement on the system offering heightened visibility.
What we like least
The only discrepancy with this system is the battery life. On a light day you may reach up to four hours on the VPC-EA1S1E/L battery, but an intensive session will drain the life out of your laptop in just under an hour.
That said the rest of the E Series complaints are mostly cosmetic, you may find yourself wondering ‘do I really need my name engraved on a computer.’ Similar musings arise with the colour schemes, there are the basic tones but other than that, one man’s vibrant green is another’s garish eyesore, the choice is yours.
It is a fine multipurpose system that’s well kitted out with enough gadgetry to provide a stable and efficient computing experience. Colour choice aside, the battery may prove a problem but the Sony E Series is not designed to be a notebook, power it up in the comfort of your home or at the office and it will not serve you wrong.
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Processor Speed
2.26 GHz
Processor
AMD Athlon II or Dual Core Intel
RAM
Up to 3 Gb RAM
Screen Size
15.5 inch
LCD
Graphics
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145
Hard Drive Storage
Up to 320 Gb Hard Drive
Battery
Runs for up to 3 hours
Multimedia
Integrated Camera 0.3 MP
Built in speakers
Microphone
Headphone jack
Microphone jack
SD Card Reader
Ports
3 x USB
1 x eSATA/USB combo
1 x HDMI
1 x D-SUB
1 x Gigabit Ethernet
Weight & Size
345mm (W) x 27mm (H) x 239mm (D)
3Kg
Connectivity
Wireless LAN
Bluetooth
Operating System
Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium
"Really lovely looking laptop, the keyboard felt nice, all my applications still start up quickly after more than a year and a half, and it almost never crashes. I bought the 17in model to keep on my desk so I rarely move it around, which means the battery life isn't really a problem for me"
Frank Mayes 13 October 2011
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