X-bit labs

Sony VAIO VGN-C2ZR/B Notebook: Perfect Mix of Performance and Ergonomics (page 2)

Category: Mobile

by Alexander Britvin

[ 08/06/2007 | 06:08 PM ]

Package and Accessories

Elegant black boxes with Sony notebooks do not change over time and the VAIO VGN-C2ZR/B carries this tradition on. The name of the series is printed on the blue band on the larger sides of the box; the manufacturer’s name and the VAIO logo can be seen everywhere on it. Only the top and bottom of the box have the color of ordinary cardboard.

Sony has never included too many accessories with its notebooks. It’s hard to tell if it’s good or bad for the end-user. It’s nice to find the accessories you need already in the box, yet it’s no good to pay extra for accessories you won’t ever use. Anyway, the box is not exactly empty, containing, besides the notebook proper, a 5200mAh battery, a power adapter with an indicator, a card-reader, and a heap of paper booklets:

• Notebook setup poster (describes the entire process from unpacking to turning the notebook on)
• Troubleshooting guide
• System recovery guide
• Legal documents
• Booklet describing accessories for your VAIO
• Warranty coupon
• Microsoft product identification

The card-reader goes into the ExpressCard slot instead of the plastic panel and supports nearly every existing flash memory format: Secure Digital, Multi Media Card, xD-Picture Card, SmartMedia Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and Memory Stick Duo.

There are no system recovery discs in the box. The system prompts you to create them on your turning the notebook on for the first time. Just follow the step-by-step instructions that appear.

Besides the preinstalled operating system Windows Vista Home Premium, Sony offers a traditionally extensive software pack:

Audio:

• SonicStage CP 4.2

Video and TV:

• DVgate Plus 2.2
• WinDVD 5.0 for VAIO

Image processing:

• Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0

Burning CD-DVD:

• Easy Media Creator 9
• Click to DVD 2.6

Office applications:

• Adobe Acrobat Standard 8.0
• Adobe Reader 8.0
• Microsoft Works 8.5

Security etc:

• Norton Internet Security 2006 (with a pack of updated antivirus programs for 90 days)
• VAIO Recovery Utility 2.6 (for system recovery using a hidden disk partition)
• Google software suite