Review by B. Family for Sony VAIO VPC-W211AX/P 10-Inch Pink Netbook – Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life
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This is the newest model (W211AX) of Sony’s Netbooks and has a extended battery life. While others may complain of the battery- I like the fact that it elevates the netbook up towards you. Depending on the surfing you do- you may have a bit less battery life than advertised. I ordered the pink Vaio and couldn’t be more pleased. It was everything I expected it to be and then some. The Track pad is reasonably sized and much larger than most. The screen clarity is amazing. My only complaint is where the speakers are situated for the volume. I simply resolved this issue on my own and use my ipod head phones when listening to sound. To the lower right of screen you may also adjust zoom level. Your options are 100, 125, and 150. If you do increase the zoom level- You do loose a bit of viewing and must scroll from side to side. The keyboard buttons are a bit elevated and makes it easier for typing. The only other downfall that I could say would be that the netbook only comes with Windows 7 Starter. With this program starter version you are unable to change desktop background. Bummer… I love that I can install my SD card and download my photos too. Perfect for web surfing, downloading pics, typing, emails, etc.

AMAZING LITTLE NETBOOK!!!!!!!!

SONY CONTINUES TO IMPROVE THEIR APPEARANCE, MODELS INTERIOR, AND STAND BY THE SONY NAME WITH EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!!!

Review by Erik J. Mccullough for Sony VAIO VPC-W211AX/P 10-Inch Pink Netbook – Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life
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I had read average reviews on this elsewhere.

I bought it because it’s one of the few 10.1″ netbooks with 1366×768 resolution (instead of 1024×600 which is normal for this size). That intrigued me because the more resolution means the more screen you get on a page. Usually that is better for browsing, word processing, etc.

Problem is I’m barely able to make sense of a 10.1″ screen with 1366×768. I bet 1024 would be better. And then you get to the reviews — which is that this thing slows down because it has more dots to put on the screen. So, I’m getting the bad side on both ends.

Also, the keys are a little crammed, another negative I’ve read and now agree with. It isn’t that they’re small because it’s a 10.1″ screen – unlike most netbooks, the keys go to the very edges left to right of the keyboard. So Sony could have made the keys bigger, but consciously decided not to, because they stop about a half an inch to the left and right.

This Vaio has no HD video accelerator, like Crystal HD. So any kind of HD videos are out.

The battery is good. It gets the 8 hours that it says. The only downside is that the battery isn’t thin and flat — it’s used as the stand. Which is good on a table, it gives you the slant. It’s less than comfortable tho when on your lap. But good news is that it doesn’t get superhot when on your lap, either.

Otherwise, it’s your standard netbook. N450, 1GB ram, etc. When you take into account that the screen isn’t all that great with the extra resolution, and you look at the price compared to other netbooks — there’s probably better alternatives available. I figure you are paying $50 for the screen, and they should be giving you $50!

Hint: If you buy this or any Windows 7 netbook, turn some of the Aero screen special effects off — they slow down the system immensely. It seemed sluggish even after this, but it’s just the nature of a netbook. You’ll really notice the difference if you have a regular or high-end laptop that you have (for work, etc.). You get what you pay for.

Review by J. Diaz for Sony VAIO VPC-W211AX/P 10-Inch Pink Netbook – Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life
Rating:
I bought this netbook for my wife and the two deciding factors were the high-resolution screen (1366×768) and its build quality. I checked out a lot of other netbooks and most have lower resolution screens and are built with too much plastic that makes them feel cheap. This Vaio is solid – it feels like a mini version of Apple’s classic 12″ Powerbook (without the heft). The screen is also fantastic in its brightness and clarity. It’s perfect for movie viewing, web browsing and even book reading. The clarity makes reading a Kindle book a breeze even though horizontal mode isn’t the ideal way to read an electronic book. The sound is excellent when using headphones but the built-in speakers are worthless, which seems to be typical of most notebook computers.

I’m a Windows XP user so it did take me some time to get used to Windows 7 but I haven’t had any problems especially with its wireless capabilities. Connecting to my secure home network took a few minutes to set up and my connection is rock-solid. The Vaio is also quieter than other laptops I’ve used. You’ll still hear the fan but it’s more of a whooshing sound so it never really gets annoying. The bottom of the computer does warm up but it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

On the downside, the chiclet-style keyboard is a bit cumbersome to use especially if you have larger hands but I was able to adapt and my wife doesn’t have any problems with it. I do wish the right shift button was bigger and there were dedicated volume buttons (you have to use FN button + key or the on-screen slider for volume adjustment). We were not able to get the trackpad scrolling feature adjusted to our liking (scrolling was never smooth) so we ended up turning it off. This is one area that could use a major revamping especially when compared to an Apple Powerbook trackpad. The large capacity battery mars the sleek design of the machine but it’s hard to argue with 8 hours of battery life and the resulting angle does help with typing.

The Vaio W does have some minor quirks but they’re not enough to overshadow the build quality and exceptional screen that’s hard to find in other netbooks.