Sony VGN-FW31E

Made from magnesium alloy

As usual, Sony has not done things by half with the FW31E. This includes the famous frame of its predecessors. Made of magnesium alloy, it is articulated around the cylindrical hinge that includes the battery, making FW31E relatively heavy. The overall strength has improved notably in terms of the screen. In fact, a key feature is the 16.4-inch Super-TFT screen. Its widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio makes ideal for watching movies and multimedia use. For a fantastic cinema experience and image quality, you can also connect to an external HDTV or monitor using the HDMI and VGA-out display ports. This design also extends to all models in the Vaio laptop range. Similarly, the power button is also involved in the sleek design and is built at the end of the hinge with a nice green LED that provides information about the status of the computer. In other words, the finish is impeccable.

Impeccable notebook finish

The keyboard of Sony VGN-FW31E passed the test successfully as with Sony models in this range. It lacks backlighting, but the square keys are spaced and large enough for quick entry. Each key protrudes through individual holes in the chassis which creates more space between keys and makes it less likely to strike other keys. There is no keypad but this the price to pay in order to have a clean design that goes successful with the magnesium alloy chassis.
Above the keyboard, there are several shortcut buttons used to select a particular media player and adjust volume directly without going through the operating system.
In terms of connectivity, the Vaio FW31E has everything one expects, despite its delicate chassis: the classic Memory Stick card reader, a second player able for the SD cards, a microphone and headphone jacks, a switch for WiFi and the above mentions features: Firewire (IEEE 1394), the HDMI and VGA ports and RJ11 and RJ45. Finally, the DVD is placed on the right edge next to the three USB ports. Small note to Sony, this is not necessarily the best place to integrate USB ports.

The positive points (pros)

Good keyboard, sharp screen, graphics performance.

The negative points (cons)

Relatively heavy, not full HD.

Technical specifications for Sony VGN-FW31E

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Type: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (CPU) Processor Cores Dual Core (2)
Processor Speed: 2GHz CPU
Memory Size: 4 GB (Gigabytes)
Hard Drive (HDD): 400 GB (Gigabytes)
Card Reader Built-in
Display Size: 16.4 inch Display
Graphics Memory: 256 MB
HDMi Port
Web Camera 1.3 MegaPixel
Built-in-Bluetooth
Wired Network: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Internal LAN RJ-45 connector
Wireless LAN 802.11abg upto 54Mbps