Sony VAIO E Series SVE14112FXB 14-Inch Laptop (Sharkskin Black) Review

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Computer is very-light and the perfect size at 14". The back-lite keyboard is a nice feature, but it does not seem to distract or enhance much. I thought perhaps if you got the white version that might be problem, but I got black, so it's just a really cool cosmetic feature. Bootup time is really fast and impressive. Computer does not make any weird "processing" sounds. The speakers are on top (not the bottom), so there is no distortion of sound. The usb drives are all up front, so it would be nicer to have those in the back. It would also be nice to have a 10-key pad, but you really have to go up to a 15.6" for those, and those really are too big for me. Wish it had a micro sd slot instead of a pro duo slot, but it is a Sony. Processor and graphics are pretty good but not great. But not at all bad, and I upgraded from netbook, so I am really noticing and benefiting from the speed difference. Overall, I would recommend this computer. I think between a PC, 15.6", 13", and those netbooks, this size really gives you the best of everything that you are looking for including: a DVD drive, 6GB RAM (that's a lot), and a hard drive with well over 500 GB of storage (640GB to be exact), good graphics, i3 processor (of course i5 and i7 are better but most people wouldn't even need that and many computers out of box come with much worse), without being too big or heavy. This is a really great value and design. Buy it with your Amazon credit card like I did and you save 3% on top of that!! Highly recommend this.

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The Sony VAIO E Series SVE14112FXP is a pleasure to use! The laptop itself is an eye-catcher because of its bright, pink case and illuminated, soft-to-the-touch keys. Beyond that, it's a real workhorse.

This laptop performs all the tasks I desire and allows me to run multiple applications at once. I have had no problems using my VAIO to write papers, explore the web, stream movies and music, download songs to my iPod, play DVDs, read e-books, connect to my wireless printer and run educational software. The web cam and microphone are also adequate and easy to use. I'm not an avid gamer or video editor and can't comment on how it would handle those projects.

However, I would like to comment on two features that attracted me to the VAIO:

The Backlit Keyboard I love having a laptop that I can use with the lights off. My only gripe is that the only way you can turn it off is by changing the settings in the VAIO Control Panel (under "Keyboard and Mouse"). There should be a keystroke (ideally a switch or button) to turn the back lighting off when it's not needed.

VAIO Gesture Control Waving your hands around to skip back and forth through songs and control volume is a bit silly, but I want to do it! This feature is disabled by default when you receive your laptop and can be turned on through Sony's Media Gallery or VAIO Gesture Control. According to the settings, you can use it when running Media Gallery, Windows Media Player, Power DVD and Internet Explorer. I find the camera to be very fussy about your distance from the computer and it doesn't pick up your gestures in poor or dark lighting. I'm not sure how much more time I'll devote to trying to master gesturing because it's faster to use the clickable touch pad.

I almost didn't purchase this laptop because I was concerned about negative reviews about the clickable touch pad on previous VAIO models. I've never used a touchpad like this before and it took me a short time to get acquainted with it. I recommend practicing and watching the tutorial video (also in the VAIO Control Center under "Keyboard and Mouse") to novices like me. Scrolling and enlarging images with two fingers is my favorite part.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase and would recommend a Sony VAIO E Series SVE14112FXP to my friends or people who perform similar tasks. I haven't had a computer that I could get THIS excited about in years!

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It truly pains me to write this review. I researched laptops more than I should have, spending a lot of time trying to figure out just the perfect one for me. I decided to spend a little more than my $400 budget, and went with the $550 Sony. All my laptops have been in that $400 to $500 range, so this was a bit higher than normal for my wife and I.

I received it quickly, and really liked the looks of it (I did check out a similar model at BB). We opened it and noticed the keyboard was not properly snapped into place, so I just pressed on the outer perimeter and snapped in all the edges. Typing on the keyboard felt nice. I liked the backlight too!

The touchpad was not great. I am accustomed to just lightly tapping my finger on the pad to click, and with the settings adjusted to be very sensitive, the touchpad would still require a few tries before it accepted my "tap input".

The left and right buttons are on the corners of the seemingly continuous touchpad. They are very flimsy and feel awkward to use.

Multitouch input is a FAR cry from any smart phone I've used. It usually took a few tries to get it to function the way I needed it to. I mean, come on Sony... this is 2012. Is this technology stuff that tough? Sony has always been a great brand, but the touchpad is as if its never been invented before and I'm getting a beta version of it on my laptop. $300 laptops have a better feel in the touchpad than this one.

The speakers were VERY tinny and pretty quiet. I guess I'm spoiled from the speakers on my 17" Acer laptop that had some kind of built in subwoofer. I thought those were mediocre, but now I can appreciate them more. This Sony has lousy speakers. Don't let the fancy trademark fool you.

FINALLY... the MAIN reason I returned this product. The screen. How is it that a laptop that is 4 years NEWER than my best one in our home has a screen not as bright, not as crisp, and lacks in deep blacks in comparison to the older ones? Shouldn't there have been improvements over the past 4 years? Keep in mind, we never have spent this much on a laptop.

Also, the screen had a blue tint that was impossible to adjust. We had to put the screen at its brightest, and it still wasn't as bright as any other computer in the house. It appears Sony has put cheap technology in this thing all over.

In conclusion, technology should ONLY improve over time, but this laptop was a step back to 2004 technology in some ways (obviously not the processor speed). I have to send this back because the the poor touchpad, the screen quality, and the processor created as much heat as my old Acer (one reason I really wanted a new computer... a burnt lap gets annoying). My wife also mentioned her opinion of it right out of the box was that it had a cheap feel. I don't know about that, but that was her input.

I'm regretfully sending this back. I REALLY wanted that Vegas movie editing software it came with too.

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I received this laptop a couple days later than was posted. But so far I'm pretty happy with it. Very good webcam, the keys light up when you type which is very helpful. I had never owned a 14 in before and thought that it would be too small but it's just right. It doesn't have a number pad to the right, so that's taking some getting used to. But it's very light weight and hasn't overheated. The only issue that I have with it, is that you have to push the keypad a little harder than on other laptops to get it to click. It's only been a few days, but so far I am satisfied with it. Will update in a few months if things change.

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Granted you could probably get a better deal out there for another laptop form another brand with better specs. Trust me ive seen plenty. Yet None of those in this price range compare to the styling on this one. the wife loves the VAIO line, she comes form a VAio N which has served her well for the past 3 1/2 years. It took various drops and even one lcd change, but never failed her. So obviously she wanted another Vaio. This computer is a perfect size, 14" is a sweet spot for laptop screens. She is a fan of 15 inchers yet due to her carrying it around on our family trips and sometimes to work i wanted something lighter. This laptop is light enough to carry all day, and battery life is good, not great, but very good. We get around 5 to 5 and a half hours on it, surfing and watching youtube videos. Trackpad is good, not like my MBP, but very good for a pc. i3 processor is fast enough for daily use. I doubt most people need more. 6gb ram is great no need to upgrade for a long time. Keyboard is good and backlight is a plus. So far we are very pleased and like i said you might get a better deal specwise, but build quality at this price range you can't really beat and styling is an added extra. One thing you should know there is a bit of flex on the trackpad area but nothing we cant live with. Same trackpad on my work Vaio S13P does not have this but then again that laptop costs almost 3 times as much.