✓impressive audio subsystem including a MiniDisc drive and a subwoofer.
Cons
✕Bulky, heavy and relatively expensive
✕MiniDisc player only works with Sony’s SonicStage application.
Sony has never been scared of being different. Although the VAIO PCG-NV109M looks like a bulky, desktop-equivalent notebook from the outside, it has more Sony trademarks than almost any portable we've seen -- Memory Stick slot, Jog Dial, iLINK port, and even an internal MiniDisc drive. It also has a subwoofer, to give the audio a bit of extra kick.
Special Sony features aside, this is a well-appointed system -- as it should be for £1,701.28 (ex. VAT; £1,999 inc. VAT). A 1.6GHz Mobile Pentium 4 processor keeps 256MB of DDR RAM busy, while a beautifully bright 15in. XGA TFT display keeps the user informed. There's a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, a 30GB hard disk, three USB ports, two PC Card slots, a 10/100 Ethernet port and a TV out port, along with audio in and out conveniently positioned near the front of the unit next to a handy thumbwheel volume control. There's also the highest count of pop-out legs, protective flaps and fiddly plastic bits we've seen on a notebook. The whole lot weighs in at a whisker under 4kg, so you're not going to carry it around any more than is strictly necessary. However, as our benchmarks show, the NV109M is powerful enough to be your main computer.
The subwoofer, MiniDisc drive and a floppy disk drive are all options that can occupy a bay on the right-hand side of the computer -- you can only have one of the three units installed at a time. The MiniDisc drive doesn't look like a CD-ROM to the system -- you can't use it for data storage, and it doesn't work with Windows Media Player. Instead, you have to use Sony's own SonicStage application. This is an idiosyncratic system for moving playlists of songs to and from MiniDiscs through a degree of copy protection. You have to check songs into the disc, and you can't do this more than three times without checking out -- that is, deleting -- a copy first. It's not too intrusive, won't stop anyone determined enough to be naughty, and lets you title your songs on MiniDisc with infinitely more ease than having to do so using a portable player's own tiny buttons.
Having the MiniDisc NetMD drive as part of the computer is very convenient, but not cost-effective. You can buy a USB-interfaced portable MiniDisc recorder for less than the cost of this option: these work just as well, and with the same software, but give you the bonus of a brand-new state-of-the-art portable MiniDisc player to pop in your pocket. Likewise, the subwoofer is surprisingly effective but doesn't do anything you couldn't achieve with portable external speakers.
Sony has put a jog dial beneath the touchpad, half-embedded in the mouse buttons. This looks as though it should act as a scroll wheel, but instead it pops up a rather intrusive applet for launching programs, linking the wheel to various functions within those programs and so on. It beeps, too. It would be much nicer as a simple scroll wheel, but there appears to be no way to configure it as such.
Once you've whacked all the volume controls up to maximum, the NV109M is loud enough to handle a party. We've never heard a portable computer get so close to boombox status, and are impressed. If you like taking your MP3 collections to parties, this is as good a one-box solution as you'll find, although something smaller and your host's hi-fi system might be more convenient.
As far as performance is concerned, the NV109M delivers the goods. Its benchmark scores in both the Business Winstone 2001 (mainstream applications) and Content Creation Winstone 2002 (high-end applications) tests are just shy of making our 'top 5' lists, but the NV109M comfortably joins the top products when it comes to 3D graphics, courtesy of its 16MB ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 chipset. Battery life of 2 hours 43 minutes is useful too, should you feel strong enough to lug this 3.8kg monster around.
If you're a committed MiniDisc user, this is a great way to create and manage discs full of the music you've copied from your CD collection or obtained online. It's by no means the cheapest way of doing this, though.
Otherwise, this is a solidly constructed, solidly performing notebook that has a certain eccentric style about it.
Specifications
General
Packaged Quantity
1
Recommended Use
corporate business,
small business
Built-in Devices
Jog Dial,
display,
keyboard,
stereo speakers,
touchpad
Processor / Chipset
CPU
Intel Pentium 4-M 1.6 GHz
Cache
L2 - 512 KB - Advanced Transfer Cache
Data Bus Speed
400 MHz
Cache Memory
Type
L2 cache
Installed Size
512 KB
RAM
Upgrade Rule
max 512 MB module
Technology
DDR SDRAM
Installed Size
256 MB
Storage
Optical Drive
1 x CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo fixed
Type
none
Read Speed
24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
Write Speed
16x
Rewrite Speed
10x
Type
portable
Memory
Max Supported Size
512 MB
Technology
DDR SDRAM
Form Factor
SO-DIMM 200-pin
Slots Qty
1
Empty Slots
0
Display
Widescreen Display
No
Diagonal Size (metric)
38.1 cm
Display Resolution Abbreviation
XGA
Hard Drive
Type
HDD
Installed Qty
1
Capacity
30 GB
Audio & Video
Graphics Processor
AGP 4x - ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
Input
Type
Jog Dial,
keyboard,
touchpad
Communications
Wired Protocol
10/100 Ethernet
Optical Storage
Drive Type
CD-RW / DVD
Type
CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo
Form Factor
fixed
Processor
Installed Qty
1
CPU Type
Pentium 4-M
Manufacturer
Intel
Clock Speed
1.6 GHz
Modem
Protocols & Specifications
ITU V.90, k56Flex, Hayes AT command set
Floppy Drive
Type
3.5" 1.44 MB floppy
Card Reader
Type
card reader
Supported Flash Memory
Memory Stick
Battery
Technology
lithium ion
Run Time (Up To)
3.3 hour(s)
AC Adapter
Input
AC 100/240 V
Output
80 Watt
Connections & Expansion
Expansion Bays
1 x front accessible - (0 free)
Slots
1 x memory (0 free) 1 x CardBus (1 free)
Interfaces
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) 4 pin FireWire 3 x USB 4 pin USB Type A 1 x microphone - input - mini-phone mono 3.5 mm 1 x headphones - output - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm 1 x parallel - IEEE 1284 (EPP/ECP) - 25 pin D-Sub (DB-25) 1 x serial - RS-232 - 9 pin D-Sub (DB-9) 1 x modem - phone line - RJ-11 1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) 1 x display / video - VGA / TV
Memory Card Reader
Yes (Memory Stick)
Header
Brand
Sony
Product Line
Sony VAIO
Model
PCG-NV109M
Packaged Quantity
1
Compatibility
PC
Networking
Max Transfer Rate
56 Kbps
Data Link Protocol
Ethernet,
Fast Ethernet
Form Factor
integrated
Miscellaneous
Integrated Options
Stereo speakers, keyboard, touchpad, display, Jog Dial
Included Laptop Accessories
NetMD,
subwoofer,
weight saver module
Compliant Standards
ACPI,
APM
Monitor
Diagonal Size
15 in
System
Notebook Type
notebook
Platform
Windows
Hard Drive Capacity
30 GB
Dimensions & Weight
Width
13.2 in
Depth
10.9 in
Height
2.1 in
Graphics Controller
Form Factor
integrated
Interface Type
AGP 4x
Audio Output
Form Factor
integrated
Sound Output Mode
3D Sound
Compliant Standards
Microsoft WSS 1.0/2.0
Manufacturer Warranty
Type
1 year warranty
Mainboard
Data Bus Speed
400 MHz
Environmental Standards
ENERGY STAR Certified
Yes
Physical Characteristics
Form Factor
portable
Weight
8.6 lbs
Power
Type
power adapter
Voltage Required
AC 100/240 V
Operating System / Software
OS Provided: Type
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Type
Adobe Acrobat Reader,
Adobe Photoshop Elements,
Adobe Premiere LE,
Apple QuickTime 5,
Drivers & Utilities,
InterVideo WinDVD 2000,
Norton AntiVirus,
RealPlayer,
Sony DVgate,
Sony Digital Printing,
Sony MovieShaker,
Sony PicoPlayer,
Sony Smart Capture,
Sony SonicStage
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