The computer is another little AMD Fusion beauty. I have always had a thing for Sony Vaio laptops. I begged my boss for one years ago when everyone else at work was using Dell. He did not fall for it. LOL! They were always among some of the sexier designs out there. Sleek, shiny, colorful. I know… function is the most important part of a computer, but it certainly does not hurt when it looks good.
Sadly, I do not have the pink one pictured here. I just still lust after it. 🙂 I have a silver one that is *almost* as sexy. LOL! I have been giving this one the business for around 1 month. It is very similar to the HP DM1z which I reviewed not too long ago. The specs are very close, but with Sony's spin on it. The HP actually get a very slight edge mainly due to supporting more RAM.This netbook is also powered by the AMD Fusion E350 at 1.6GHz.
An 11.6 inch laptop/netbook is a perfect size to use as a secondary computer for traveling. Leave your huge one at home, and fit this one in a small bag, or in some cases your purse.
The Sony Vaio YB performs well when watching a movie, doing some light editing, and using Photoshop. Those are among the first things I do when testing a new laptop. If it can't do those things for me.. it fails! Unlike the HP, this one has only 3GB of RAM (versus 4gb), but is is upgradeable to 4gb.
My Highlights:
- 320gb Hard Drive – This is a good size since I try to get into the habit of saving my most important stuff on SugarSync or Dropbox now. Some models have a 500gb hard drive.
- Good screen – Very good graphics quality.
- Battery life – They list it as getting about 6 hours of battery life.
- 3GB of RAM (DDR3 SDRAM – 1066.0 MHz) – This is enough RAM for most tasks, and it is upgradeable to 4GB.
- Sexy Design -Yes, I said it again.. it is pretty sexy in a cute kind of way. I just love the way Sony implements that Vaio logo on the back of the machines now. Oooh shiny!
Other Specs:
- A dual-core AMD Fusion processor E350
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit (which I upgraded to 64-bit)
- AMD Mobility Radeon HD 6310 graphics
- An 11.6″ LED (1366×768) display
- Support for 1080p HD content playback
- 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
- SD Card Reader + Sony Memory Stick Reader
- 3 USB, VGA, RJ-45, HDMI
Cons:
- I have little bit of a hard time typing on the keyboard. The keys are a bit smaller than my other netbook. It just takes some getting used to. Some keys like the right Shift key are small and you actually have to look for it to hit the correct key.
- Pricey! At $519 it is more than I think it should be.
In Closing:
Overall, this laptop is good. I like the form factor, and the specs are good. I would wish for 4gb of RAM by default instead of 3gb (and I think some models do come with that), and heck.. get the one with the 500gb HD. It stays cool, and it great for travel. It would be a perfect machine for a college student, teen, or as a secondary computer.
The Sony Vaio YB reviewed here starts at around $519. Click here to purchase the souped up version with 4gb of RAM and a 500gb hard drive!
Disclosure: I received the netbook as part of my relationship with AMD as an AMD Tech Mom. All opinions are my own.
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