Sony Vaio VGN SZ38GP

We took a look at a Z series Vaio (specifically the SZ28GP) some time ago, and were wooed by the thin screen, miniature footprint and the twin, switchable graphics cards. The new SZ 38GP is almost exactly the same, except the 2 GHz Centrino Duo processor has been replaced with a 2GHz Core2 Duo processor.

The SZ series’ trump card is its dual graphics system. A basic, low power Intel 945 graphics sit alongside a gruntier Nvidia Geforce Go 7400, and you can select between them when you boot with a slide switch located above the keyboard. It gives you the choice of better battery life or performance graphics, and if you select between them while the laptop is on, a dialogue box will prompt you to restart.

Most of the benefits of the Core2 Duo model are in the details. Because the processor runs cooler, the fan isn’t as noisy and the laptop doesn’t get as hot as it used to. Two small rubber grips have been added to the base of the monitor so that when you grip the closed laptop the monitor bezel doesn’t press down on the shortcut keys.

Feature wise, the SZ38GP is quite uncompromising, in spite of its diminutive size. 1GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive sit alongside the 2GHz Core2 Duo processor. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (up to the G revision), 10/100 Ethernet (no gigabit, unfortunately) and a 56K modem handle networking. FireWire and two USB ports, along with a DVD burner, inbuilt Memory Stick Duo reader, PC Card (the interface formerly known as PCMCIA) and ExpressCard 34 take care of expandability. HD audio, a fingerprint scanner and a VGA output round off the feature list. Even though it is a very small laptop, it would have been nice to have seen a DVI output in place of the aging VGA output.

Sony bundle Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements with the revised laptop. It’s a better choice than Premiere Standard (which was included on the older model). Although it doesn’t give you as many tools and options as Premiere Standard, the updated software bundle handles media from DVD-based camcorders better, is easier to use and sports a more straightforward interface. Other than the medium shelf editing package, a 3-month subscription copy of to Norton Internet Security and a smorgasbord of Sony programs are included.

We were hoping that the Core2 Duo revision would add a more extensive inbuilt card reader, but sadly this isn’t the case. As it stands, it still accepts only Memory Stick Duo, with XD and SD cards are still handled by an included ExpressCard 34 reader. It doesn’t provide an exhaustive list of all the available types of memory cards and it chews up an expansion slot.

However, there is also an unused PC Card slot. These are on the cusp of being phased out, however the vast majority of useful laptop upgrades use the PCMCIA form factor, so between this and the fact that you can eject the ExpressCard reader, Sony has provided a versatile expansion path for such a small notebook which still provides everything we loved about the Centrino Duo version.

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