7 ms·

This is what I was hopeful for when VAIO was spun off of SONY last year. When I saw the "machined magnesium body" line in their video [1] I was immediately rem

This is what I was hopeful for when VAIO was spun off of SONY last year. When I saw the "machined magnesium body" line in their video [1] I was immediately reminded of the VAIO laptops that had beautiful material way back in the 90's. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVfOe5mFbAE&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVfOe5mFbAE&feature=youtu.be

cm2187 11y ago
I still miss the z series... But the z series had ethernet ports. This surface thing is useless to me.
- soapdog 11y ago
  I use a surface and I have an ethernet to USB adapter, works pretty well.
  - cm2187 11y ago
    But then you loose the USB port. But the main problem of USB adapters is that they don't like being unplugged and plugged back which happens quite frequently with a laptop. With a real port connectivity is pretty much instantaneous. I used USB adapters for a while on a MacBook pro and came to the conclusion that I will never ever buy a laptop without ethernet ports. What I wonder is why they don't come up with a mini-ethernet port format? Ethernet ports aren't exactly high tech.
    - jaytagdamian 11y ago
      Remember these? http://www.recycledgoods.com/media/extendware/ewimageopt/media/inline/74/d/xircom-cbem56g-100-cardbus-ethernet-10-100-modem-56-w-dongle-bba.jpg http://www.recycledgoods.com/media/extendware/ewimageopt/med... Never quite sure why the small connector didn't become the standard for laptops.
      - cm2187 11y ago
        I think that was before my time. All it would take is a different plastic socket format. The top 10 laptop manufacturers could agree on a standard in a 10 minutes conference call.
        analognoise 11y ago
        Real products don't work like fads in Javascript.
      - csixty4 11y ago
        The 15-pin I/O connector for ethernet was part of the PCMCIA CardBus standard, which is why dongles could be shared between cards. After PCMCIA picked up speed, a "non-practicing entity" pulled a patent out of their portfolio for a "programmable connector". Because the PCMCIA ethernet card itself plugged into the computer and presented a different connector to the outside world, the NPE was able to sue and/or settle with something like 90% of the companies making PCMCIA ethernet cards & modems. 3COM had a cool connector on some of their cards called XJACK. It was a little tray you slid out of the card. It had a hole that your RJ-45 plug slid into and some pins. It would certainly make for thinner devices today, but the connectors broke pretty easily and you ended up with an ethernet cable sticking out at a weird angle. Before everybody standardized on RJ-45, there was a standard called AUI which used a 15-pin D connector. Your network card would have an AUI connector and you'd buy an adapter for whatever kind of network you needed to attach to. Apple had their AAUI which was much, much smaller (about the size of 2 mini Display Ports?). But I think licensing kept that from taking off as a standard.
        cm2187 11y ago
        Well, that's actually an alternative. Instead of having a full standard RJ45 port, having a smaller laptop-friendly proprietary socket with a cheap plastic adapter to RJ45. The adapter would just be a piece of plastic and therefore this would avoid all the driver related problems and would not require manufacturers to pick up the phone to agree on a standard with their peers. That would work for me.
    - untog 11y ago
      > What I wonder is why they don't come up with a mini-ethernet port format? I suspect that is part of the problem. The plug is just so big - though IMO Thunderbolt and USB adapters work OK. Realise not everyone thinks this way, though. > But the main problem of USB adapters is that they don't like being unplugged and plugged back which happens quite frequently ? That's basically what they're designed for.
      - cm2187 11y ago
        Maybe I am unlucky but I tried different adapters. The Apple ethernet adapter is not even plug and play on windows and requires a reboot. But even USB adapters take a while for drivers to load then I had all sort of problems: the connection regularly being recognised as 100Mbit when it should be gigabit or the USB adapter not being recognised after a couple of unplugging without a reboot.
        X-Istence 11y ago
        The Apple Thunderbolt Ethernet Adapter is basically a PCIe devices over Thunderbolt. Unless your OS has hot plug PCIe, it's going to require a reboot.
        tracker1 11y ago
        IIRC, the apple thunderbolt ethernet adapter violates thunderbolt spec and relies on the adapter specific driver for hot-plug when it's supposed to be a generic interface... this is a problem in other OSes running on mac hardware even.
        vardump 11y ago
        At least Windows and Linux have supported hot plug PCIe for ages. Although hardware PCIe slot register must support the optional presence detect bits. Also slot capabilities register must report optional hotplug support and surprise removal support. I guess thunderbolt has those features supported by default.
      - Eric_WVGG 11y ago
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]
    - mrbuttons454 11y ago
      Anker makes a USB 3 hub with gigabit ethernet. I've got one, it's pretty great. http://www.ianker.com/product/A7514041 http://www.ianker.com/product/A7514041
      - johnny22 11y ago
        I didn't realize such a thing was being made! thanks for the tip
      - Theodores 11y ago
        That is my docking station at work! Fully linux compatible, built properly too, albeit Apple aesthetic rather than the black plastic that is more me.
    - NeutronBoy 11y ago
      > What I wonder is why they don't come up with a mini-ethernet port format? Ethernet ports aren't exactly high tech. Regular ethernet is so ubiqutious that you'd end up needing adaptors anyway. At that stage, you may as well use a USB-whatever to Ethernet adaptor.
      - cm2187 11y ago
        Not if it's a standard. Think micro-usb ports. You can find micro-usb cables everywhere. In this case you would find RJ-45 to mini-RJ-45 cables.
    - muddi900 11y ago
      You can do Ethernet over many connectors. The end points will still be RJ45, which are very ubiquitous. That issue will not be resolved any time soon.
- nothrabannosir 11y ago
  You'll probably be best served by the (ugliest ever) "surface dock." See the same page.
- lhl 11y ago
  You can order a new Z here: http://us.vaio.com/ http://us.vaio.com/ As a pleasant surprise, it still has a built-in RJ45.
  - vxNsr 11y ago
    At $3000 I expect a dedicated graphics option...
- listic 11y ago
  It has, in the docking station; which makes sense to me.
gozo 11y ago
"Fun fact": Steve Jobs is said to have admired Sony [0] and things like the MacBook Air is presumably inspired by the Sony VAIO X505 [1]. [0] https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+jobs+admiration+for+sony https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+jobs+admiration+for+so... [1] http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/6/5385716/sony-vaio-iconic-pcs-photo-essay#photo-5149539-10 http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/6/5385716/sony-vaio-iconic-pc...
- eggy 11y ago
  I bought a Sony Vaio 15 Flip ($1200)[1] new vs. a MBP, Surface Pro 3 or Wacom Cintiq (needs a computer) for drawing. Artists are still looking to buy them at $1400 to $1800. It has a large drawings surface vs Surface Pro 3, a dedicated GPU, lots of ports, and a great screen. It runs my CAD programs (Rhino, MOI and AutoCAD Fusion) sufficiently for an i5-based notebook. It has some other great screen positions for just browsing. It a very sleek and well-designed unit. I can see how Jobs would admire them or be inspired by their innovative designs. Just look at the PSP vs. the Nintendo Gameboy physical design. I did consider an Apple Modbook [2], but it was too blocky, expensive, and going to a third-party for a modded Macbook didn't feel right, although they are Apple-endorsed and sponsored now. [1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425731,00.asp http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425731,00.asp [2] http://www.modbook.com/ http://www.modbook.com/
- marpstar 11y ago
  I worked at Geek Squad in the mid 2000s and we had one regular customer who had one of those X505. Its thinness and its lightness were unbelievable back then.
- simonh 11y ago
  Sony actually manufactured the early Powerbooks under contract.
  - georgechen 11y ago
    That's correct. The Powerbook 100.

cm2187 11y ago

I still miss the z series... But the z series had ethernet ports. This surface thing is useless to me.

soapdog 11y ago
I use a surface and I have an ethernet to USB adapter, works pretty well.
- cm2187 11y ago
  But then you loose the USB port. But the main problem of USB adapters is that they don't like being unplugged and plugged back which happens quite frequently with a laptop. With a real port connectivity is pretty much instantaneous. I used USB adapters for a while on a MacBook pro and came to the conclusion that I will never ever buy a laptop without ethernet ports. What I wonder is why they don't come up with a mini-ethernet port format? Ethernet ports aren't exactly high tech.
  - jaytagdamian 11y ago
    Remember these? http://www.recycledgoods.com/media/extendware/ewimageopt/media/inline/74/d/xircom-cbem56g-100-cardbus-ethernet-10-100-modem-56-w-dongle-bba.jpg http://www.recycledgoods.com/media/extendware/ewimageopt/med... Never quite sure why the small connector didn't become the standard for laptops.
    - cm2187 11y ago
      I think that was before my time. All it would take is a different plastic socket format. The top 10 laptop manufacturers could agree on a standard in a 10 minutes conference call.
      - analognoise 11y ago
        Real products don't work like fads in Javascript.
    - csixty4 11y ago
      The 15-pin I/O connector for ethernet was part of the PCMCIA CardBus standard, which is why dongles could be shared between cards. After PCMCIA picked up speed, a "non-practicing entity" pulled a patent out of their portfolio for a "programmable connector". Because the PCMCIA ethernet card itself plugged into the computer and presented a different connector to the outside world, the NPE was able to sue and/or settle with something like 90% of the companies making PCMCIA ethernet cards & modems. 3COM had a cool connector on some of their cards called XJACK. It was a little tray you slid out of the card. It had a hole that your RJ-45 plug slid into and some pins. It would certainly make for thinner devices today, but the connectors broke pretty easily and you ended up with an ethernet cable sticking out at a weird angle. Before everybody standardized on RJ-45, there was a standard called AUI which used a 15-pin D connector. Your network card would have an AUI connector and you'd buy an adapter for whatever kind of network you needed to attach to. Apple had their AAUI which was much, much smaller (about the size of 2 mini Display Ports?). But I think licensing kept that from taking off as a standard.
      - cm2187 11y ago
        Well, that's actually an alternative. Instead of having a full standard RJ45 port, having a smaller laptop-friendly proprietary socket with a cheap plastic adapter to RJ45. The adapter would just be a piece of plastic and therefore this would avoid all the driver related problems and would not require manufacturers to pick up the phone to agree on a standard with their peers. That would work for me.
  - untog 11y ago
    > What I wonder is why they don't come up with a mini-ethernet port format? I suspect that is part of the problem. The plug is just so big - though IMO Thunderbolt and USB adapters work OK. Realise not everyone thinks this way, though. > But the main problem of USB adapters is that they don't like being unplugged and plugged back which happens quite frequently ? That's basically what they're designed for.
    - cm2187 11y ago
      Maybe I am unlucky but I tried different adapters. The Apple ethernet adapter is not even plug and play on windows and requires a reboot. But even USB adapters take a while for drivers to load then I had all sort of problems: the connection regularly being recognised as 100Mbit when it should be gigabit or the USB adapter not being recognised after a couple of unplugging without a reboot.
      - X-Istence 11y ago
        The Apple Thunderbolt Ethernet Adapter is basically a PCIe devices over Thunderbolt. Unless your OS has hot plug PCIe, it's going to require a reboot.
        tracker1 11y ago
        IIRC, the apple thunderbolt ethernet adapter violates thunderbolt spec and relies on the adapter specific driver for hot-plug when it's supposed to be a generic interface... this is a problem in other OSes running on mac hardware even.
        vardump 11y ago
        At least Windows and Linux have supported hot plug PCIe for ages. Although hardware PCIe slot register must support the optional presence detect bits. Also slot capabilities register must report optional hotplug support and surprise removal support. I guess thunderbolt has those features supported by default.
    - Eric_WVGG 11y ago
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - mrbuttons454 11y ago
    Anker makes a USB 3 hub with gigabit ethernet. I've got one, it's pretty great. http://www.ianker.com/product/A7514041 http://www.ianker.com/product/A7514041
    - johnny22 11y ago
      I didn't realize such a thing was being made! thanks for the tip
    - Theodores 11y ago
      That is my docking station at work! Fully linux compatible, built properly too, albeit Apple aesthetic rather than the black plastic that is more me.
  - NeutronBoy 11y ago
    > What I wonder is why they don't come up with a mini-ethernet port format? Ethernet ports aren't exactly high tech. Regular ethernet is so ubiqutious that you'd end up needing adaptors anyway. At that stage, you may as well use a USB-whatever to Ethernet adaptor.
    - cm2187 11y ago
      Not if it's a standard. Think micro-usb ports. You can find micro-usb cables everywhere. In this case you would find RJ-45 to mini-RJ-45 cables.
  - muddi900 11y ago
    You can do Ethernet over many connectors. The end points will still be RJ45, which are very ubiquitous. That issue will not be resolved any time soon.
nothrabannosir 11y ago
You'll probably be best served by the (ugliest ever) "surface dock." See the same page.
lhl 11y ago
You can order a new Z here: http://us.vaio.com/ http://us.vaio.com/ As a pleasant surprise, it still has a built-in RJ45.
- vxNsr 11y ago
  At $3000 I expect a dedicated graphics option...
listic 11y ago
It has, in the docking station; which makes sense to me.

gozo 11y ago

"Fun fact": Steve Jobs is said to have admired Sony [0] and things like the MacBook Air is presumably inspired by the Sony VAIO X505 [1]. [0] https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+jobs+admiration+for+sony https://www.google.com/search?q=steve+jobs+admiration+for+so... [1] http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/6/5385716/sony-vaio-iconic-pcs-photo-essay#photo-5149539-10 http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/6/5385716/sony-vaio-iconic-pc...

eggy 11y ago
I bought a Sony Vaio 15 Flip ($1200)[1] new vs. a MBP, Surface Pro 3 or Wacom Cintiq (needs a computer) for drawing. Artists are still looking to buy them at $1400 to $1800. It has a large drawings surface vs Surface Pro 3, a dedicated GPU, lots of ports, and a great screen. It runs my CAD programs (Rhino, MOI and AutoCAD Fusion) sufficiently for an i5-based notebook. It has some other great screen positions for just browsing. It a very sleek and well-designed unit. I can see how Jobs would admire them or be inspired by their innovative designs. Just look at the PSP vs. the Nintendo Gameboy physical design. I did consider an Apple Modbook [2], but it was too blocky, expensive, and going to a third-party for a modded Macbook didn't feel right, although they are Apple-endorsed and sponsored now. [1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425731,00.asp http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425731,00.asp [2] http://www.modbook.com/ http://www.modbook.com/
marpstar 11y ago
I worked at Geek Squad in the mid 2000s and we had one regular customer who had one of those X505. Its thinness and its lightness were unbelievable back then.
simonh 11y ago
Sony actually manufactured the early Powerbooks under contract.
- georgechen 11y ago
  That's correct. The Powerbook 100.