Sony VGNFW270J/W

The Sony Vaio FW270, which incorporates a similarly HD friendly 16.4 inch display, does not have these shortcomings. Its optical drive reads Blu-ray discs, and its latest generation Core 2 Duo P8400 processor produced solid performance and battery scores on our benchmarks. Add to that the Vaio FW270's lengthier battery life, lighter weight, and sleek, minimalist design and you can easily rationalize paying $350 more for it than the Gateway.

Specification

• Price as reviewed / Starting price $1,299
• Processor 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
• Memory 4GB at 800MHz
• Hard drive 320GB at 5,400rpm
• Chipset Intel GM45 Express
• Graphics Intel GMA 4500MHD (integrated)
• Operating system Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
• Dimensions (WDH) 15.1 x 10.3 x 1.1-1.5 inches
• Screen size (diagonal) 16.4 inches
• System weight / Weight with AC adapter 6.2/6.9 pounds
• Category Mainstream
  

While other models in the Vaio FW270 series feature a silver lid, this retail version offers a matte finish, yet pearlescent, white lid with a large silver Vaio logo in the center.

Opening the laptop reveals a silver interior and a sleek, minimalist design, both of which make the Sony Vaio FW270 the closest to a MacBook Pro you can get in the Windows world.

Despite its 16.4 inch screen, the Vaio FW270 manages to keep both its weight and its footprint closer to a 15 inch system (such as the Vaio FZ180) than a 17 inch one. We felt unencumbered with it in tow on a trip to a coffee shop down the street.

Another way in which the Vaio FW270 reminds us of Apple's laptops is the keyboard. Featuring the same widely spaced pebble design found on the MacBook (and, admittedly, earlier Vaio laptops), the Vaio FW270's keyboard makes for very comfortable typing. The touch pad, too, glides smoothly and is easy to use. The only other element on the keyboard deck is a row of media control buttons above the board.

(Unlike the recent trend of touch sensitive media control buttons, these are of the old fashioned click variety, which feels almost retro.) The button on the right, labeled AV Mode, launches an on screen toolbar, which sits at the top of the screen and provides quick access to Sony's proprietary media playing software.

In our review of an earlier FW series laptop, we criticized Sony for placing a "Full HD 1080p" sticker on the wrist rest. To our dismay, the sticker is still in place, even though the 1,600x900 native resolution on the 16.4 inch wide screen LCD display isn't truly 1080p. (Sony has explained the 1080p sticker by saying the system offers "full 1080 HD content when connected to a compatible HDTV.") Nevertheless, the FW270's 16:9 display is great for playing HD content (at 720p), provided you don't mind the screen's glossy and somewhat reflective finish.