Sony Vaio FZ31Z

Now that the average consumer is moving away from the humble desktop to the all-round better laptop, those of us dedicated users are having to look at higher-end and more aesthetically pleasing models in order to remain ahead of the curve. We present the powerfully-sleek, Vaio FZ31.

As with most laptops of this ilk, let's get the main sticking point out of the way first - the price. Clocking in online at somewhere between Ł1100 and Ł1200 it isn't cheap, nor is it designed to be with its feature-set, but it still cuts a might fine hole in your wallet.
Perhaps unsurprisingly this cost is justified by the capabilities of this fine unit, but more on that in a bit.

Upon opening the packaging up, you're presented with a mighty fine, brushed metal exterior that is personally my perfect material for laptop design. It's cool to the touch and cool to look at as well, matt silver really is the new black. Lifting the lid, you're presented with a two-tone interior with the swish silver at the top with the speakers, and a black keyboard that is the standard for all lap based machines that have graced the office.
The keys are nicely spaces, and are very easy to use for all normal laptop users like myself, and touch-typing can be learned in a matter of moments (although do beware the Up Arrow and the right Shift key, they're close and occasionally I did tap Up instead of Shift which messed up my typing flow).

The trackpad is very usable, however, as we recommend for every machine we review, get a nice mouse if you're using it for any more than a few minutes.

The unit sports the rather-default Windows Vista, and although it isn't as good as XP, on this machine at this time, it works (albeit with a few stability problems, perhaps caused by the fact we're using a prototype model). It runs a T8300 Core 2 Duo processor from those know-it-alls at Intel, as well as 3GB RAM, c.300GB HDD and an nVidia GeForce 8600M GS.
Oh, and there's a nice little webcam in the screen's bezel.

Performance-wise, the laptop stands on its own, and whilst it wont win any awards for the power it delivers, certainly cuts through everyday tasks as well as picture editing and video playback. Gaming-wise it handles itself, but with Vista's shortcomings we were unable to assess it much further than that.

The perhaps only annoying aspect of the machine are the rather lacklustre speakers, but due to the immense portability of the unit (it moves around stonkingly easily, mainly due to it's diminutive frame, a 15.4" screen in a machine not much bigger than most 14" units) you'd be using headphones for much of the time when not plugged into a desk, where a good set of speakers would be a prerequisite anyway.

That screen is also impressive. The blacks are seriously dark, the whites are crisp and sharp, and every colour in between is displayed how it should be

Battery-life is also impressive, and whilst timing it would be slightly anal, it certainly provided enough time to browse a few hours of websites with the wireless on. The majority of wireless use is in the home nowadays, and I cannot forsee that you'd need more battery life when accessing hotspots where you'd be apart from a mains supply (if you spend more than two hours browsing the web in a coffee bar at a time, you perhaps have issues other than the number of cells your laptop's battery has...).

My usage of this laptop has become quite intimate, my original reason for reviewing it was because my personal machine was somewhere in the Midlands being fixed after a power supply malfunction, and after 3 weeks getting to know it, I've become quite fond of the FZ31. A very good laptop that does everything you'll demand of a machine this size, and whilst not cheap, who said Vaios' should be? So perhaps the only bitter point in this review is that after this, I have to hand it back to Sony.