Sony\'s Sizzling UX180P Micro PC Reviewed

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Typical Sony. They go out and make people hate them (SonicStage software, spyware on music CD's, PS3 pricing, etc), then they go and bring out a killer device like this. Gaah!

Who knows what goes through the minds of the execs at Sony Corp.
 
How does this thing handle movies?

I was thinking it would be a nice gadget when traveling, being able to both work and have fun, since it is a small PC.
 
No mobile device gets my money or even a vote unless it has Verizon broadband (EVDO) either built in or supported with a PC Card slot (until there is an SD EVDO modem). So I say this review is seriously flawed in not noting this issue.
 
Hey Barry,

I still can't contact you through the Tom's forum link you said for the review on the only Core 2 Duo notebook in America with a 7900 GTX 512 MB video card... the Killer Notebooks Executioner. Please advise.

 
I'm with Killer. I want to see a 7900GTX 512 in a laptop..

To the UX180P. When I first read the name I thought it was some HD TV because it looks like UX1080P, which has 1080P in which is the highest HD res so far.

It looks amazing, though. It is not for me: Small keyboard, but I imagine for those who can live with them it is perfect. I don't like the lack of EVDO, either, but you can't have everything.

That is a mind-boggling resolution at only 4.5". My phone can hardly fit 177x220 into a 1.7" screen. I agree it would have been better go for 1024x768, a widely accepted screen resolution, but why they went with that one, I'll never know.

I'm with the previous poster how do movies look on it? Can you expand the hard drive? As in flash storage? 30GB doesn't seem like enough. It is just shy of the 16:9 Wide Screen ratio, so Wide-Screen should be perfect.

Does it have a camera? I think I read somewhere that it does, but you don't mention one in the review.

Built-In GPS would've been nice rather than resorting to a USB reciever.

I'm focusing on the negatives, but all around it looks great. Not for me, but I'm sure it should satisify the UMPC crowd.

~Ibrahim~
 
You know IK, these resolutions are all getting so silly.
The manufacturers figured out that the American consumer primarily shops by way of comparison, so they all want to have the largest numbers possible, even though they may not even be remotely what the average person would want.

Case in point, the WUXGA resolution I have seen on 15.4" screens, come on! That resolution was designed for 24" + monitors, I have never seen it displayed on a 15.4" (because I probably couldn't see it at all) but I also know I don't need to, as it is very difficult to see on a 17" screen.

The other thing is that the monitor quality itself need to be rally good in order to take advantage of the higher res. The Executioner, it's an awesome screen, but it is a high end machine. HP/COMPAQ has that 15.4" I mentioner earlier and we all know they are more interested in $$$'s in their pocket as opposed to quality, so I wonder how that looks. BTW, it had an x700 card if I remember right, that's one heck of a combo!

I wonder if any of these guys actually USE any of this stuff, or even the family of stuff they are designing or if it is just, "This should work" mentality.

I also wanted to mention that I am a terrible speller (as you can probably tell) today I downloaded a FREE wordpad replacement with spell check that is tiny, opens fast and has a lot of nice features. Get JARTE here!
 
Yeah, some of them are beyond me. With higher resolutions you need bigger monitors, not smaller.

X700, lol....

I've wondered that as well, does anybody really use these monstrous screen resolutions? I actually put up a poll a few days ago, What resolution do you play at?, and interesting enough the majority of users, 73%, either play at 12x10 or 10x7. Next in line is 1600x1200 which is generally 20"+..

~Ibrahim~
 
Like made for the resolution? Or played at the resolution?

It only fits those with 20+ monitors, so not too many people. I would say a majority of users have 19 and below.

~Ibrahim~
 
I would agree with that statement.

I saw a 20.1" widescreen for $240 after rebates last week. THAT is a good deal IMHO. I remember when I was a mere mortal and I had the 20" widescreen, it was nice. Now I have the 24" and I am a demigod.

If there are any God's out there with 30" monitors from Apple or DELL (not LCd tv's) let me know so I can start worshiping you.

My 19" Assassin SLi laptop, with the optional marine deep cell battery and CRANE upgrade is crazy, but now I see they have 20" notbooks, which is absurd.

Where are you from IK?

 
$240 for a 20.1"? Nice!

Haha, demigod with a 24".

What is a marine deep battery and what could be this CRANE upgrade?

Originally or where I live? I was born in Pakistan, moved to the US in 1993.

~Ibrahim~
 
A marine deep cell battery is like a car battery for a boat that is designed to be running electronic equipment for several hours w/o charging from the alternater, and the crane is to lift the thing.
 
I don't think Barry actually used the UX. Otherwise, he would have clearly noted what a piece of shit it is.

1. The unit is NOT sturdy. The plastic feels cheap and flexes easily. One good twist could crack the screen. How the hell did you decide this unit feels solid? Are you some kind of sissy girlyman?

2. The 1.18 lbs and dimensions of the unit aren't as gush-worthy as you make them out to be. The OQO has the Sony beat, and it's several years old. Are you a Sony shill? Are you one of those old timers who still erroneously believes Sony = quality? He're a clue: Sony makes crap. The UX is crap. It's an oversized piece of crap.

3. The ergonomics of this unit are crap. It's a flush keyboard. You can't feel your way around it like you can the OQO, or even the old HP200LX. Do you know why cellphone makers are abandoning the flush-keyboard? Because users hate it. Once again, Sony is asleep at the wheel of design, and their product suffers for it. Unfortunately, you appear to be such a Sony sycophant that your review can't even talk about the reality of this unit's poor design.

4. The screen does not lock in place securely. It's just a little notch slide it sits in. In 6 months, it'll hang more raggedly than your mama's beef curtains.

5. The port replicator is an overblown piece of junk. Why does it need to be an entire cradle? You can't easily port that with you! The OQO port replicator is a sleek little cable that fits in a pocket. THAT is how you do port replication on a handtop. Once again, Sony and Barry just don't get it.

6. The mouse joystick is a huge mistake. There's a reason IBM doesn't make the trackpoint anymore. There's a reason the trackpoint-on-a-mouse isn't selling. There's a reason no one else in the universe implements mouse function this way. NOBODY LIKES IT. Well, except for Barry, because Barry blindly likes everything Sony.

7. Only Barry could look at a 4.5" 1024 screen, talk about how everyone will need glasses, and give it a thumbs up. Jesus, Barry. Why don't you just get on your knees and unzip Sony's fly now?

8. Oh, and Barry - when it comes to oversized dialog boxes, the answer is called ALT+SPACE, SELECT MOVE FROM THE POPUP MENU. We learned this trick back in Windows 3.1. Barry, computers. Computers, Barry. I'm sorry that I'm apparently the first one to introduce the two of you because you obviously don't have a friggin clue what one is in the first place.

9. Battery life. Here's where Barry's shill status gets cemented. The review for the OQO says the 3 hour battery isn't good enough, yet the not-quite-3-hour battery on the Sony is "as expected"???? WHERE'S YOUR DAMNATION OF THE SONY BARRY? You psycho freakjob.

10. Face it, the UX is crap. The design is busy and not well thought out. There are too many specialized buttons for things you don't want or need to worry about. The plastic is cheap. The slide is cheap. Even the stylus is cheap. The screen is over-res for the size. It's locked into some Cingular crap. It uses a joystick. And, the most damning reason to stay away from the UX: Barry likes it.
 
anyone know if i can easily use autocad, photoshop, illustrator on this? or the OQO?
ive never owned a portable computer. ive used a laptop a couple years ago when my school let me borrow one for work. but im a desktop person.
im going to paris for 4 months on study abroad, so i need a laptop or something. i was looking around and saw the UX.
i need soemthing that i can use google earth on to get around paris and europe, and access the internet and stuff, but i also have to do some course work which involves using autoCAD and graphics design software. and perhaps 3d Studio Max.

will those software work on these?
or should i just get a 12" laptop?
 
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