Sony VAIO PCG-K27 Review

The Sony VAIO K27 notebook packs plenty of multimedia features into an attractive ultra-portable design. The eye-catching Sony VAIO PCG-K27 features a gently slanted full-sized keyboard that provides a comfortable hand and wrist position. The enhanced widescreen format LCD lets you take full advantage of watching DVD moviews as well as view side-by-side page layouts. The Sony VAIO PCG-K27 features an integrated 802.11b/g wireless LAN, 15.4-inch screen, 80 GB hard drive, combo DVD+/-RW drive, fast 3.06 GHz processor, and 512 MB of installed RAM. It also comes with Sony’s Vaio Creation suite of multimedia applications. Sony VAIO PCG-K27 Basics

• Hard Drive: The spacious 80 GB hard drive offers more than enough storage for both your work and home files as well as a multimedia library.
• Processor: The 3.06 GHz Pentium 4 processor is one of the fastest processors currently available on the notebook market–a definite plus for a video-centric PC. It also has a 512 KB L2 cache and a 533 MHz front-side bus speed.
• Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory is a good start for power users. It has two memory slots in total, with a maximum memory expansion up to 1 GB (2 x 512 MB).
• CD/DVD Drive: It is equipped with a combo DVD+/-RW and CD-RW drive. For DVD+R discs, it has a 2.4x write and 4x read speeds. For DVD-R discs, it has a 4x read/write speed. For CDs, it has a 16x write/8x rewrite/24x read speed.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has an 86-key keyboard and electro-static touch pad.

Sound and Graphics
The Sony VAIO PCG-K27 features ATI IGP 345M graphics card with 64 MB of shared video memory (meaning that memory is taken from the PC’s main RAM). It has a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Sony’s exclusive XBRITE LCD technology delivers ultra crisp and super bright graphics. It also has an AC’97 sound card that’s integrated into the main board, and comes with two built-in stereo speakers. Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The Sony VAIO PCG-K27 has an integrated 802.11g wireless LAN (which is compatible with the more widespread 802.11b and offers faster data transmission rates). You get a decent–but not overpowering–offering of connectivity options, including both high-speed USB 2.0 and FireWire:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• 1 Memory Stick slot (Memory Stick Pro compatible)

Sony VAIO PCG-K27 also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems). Preloaded System and Software
This Sony VAIO PCG-K27 comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it features Microsoft Works 7.0 (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). It’s also loaded with Sony’s Vaio Creative suite of multimedia applications, which includes PictureGear Studio (digital photo), SonicStage (digital music), Sony MovieShaker, DVGate Plus (digital video), VAIO Media (network file sharing), and Click to DVD (for burning DVD discs). Other preloaded titles include a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, Quicken 2004, Norton Internet Security (with 90-day trial subscription), InterVideo WinDVD, and a 90-day trial of AOL.

Dimensions and Weight
Measuring 14 x 1.6-2.2 x 10.9 inches and weighing 8.04 pounds (with battery), the K27 won’t load you down, thought its size and weight aren’t for the ultimate road warrior.

Power
The Sony VAIO PCG-K27 comes with the PCGA-BP2NY rechargeable lithium ion battery; it has an estimated battery life of 1.5 to 3.0 hours.
Sony VAIO PCG-K27 Specifications

Processor, Memory, and Motherboard

• Hardware Platform: PC
• Processor: 3.0 GHz Intel Pentium M
• System Bus Speed: 533 MHz
• Number of Processors: 1
• RAM: 512 MB
• RAM Type: DDR SDRAM
• L2 Cache: 512 KB
• Memory Slots: 1

Operating System and Software

• Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
• Bundled Software: Sony Click to DVD, Sony DVGate Plus, Sony SonicStage, Sony PictureGear Studio, Sony VAIO Media, Sony VAIO Update, Sony VAIO Recovery Wizard, Sony VAIO Help and Support, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Google Toolbar, Intuit Quicken 2004 New User Edition, EasySystems Dragn’ Drop CD+DVD, Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Office 2003 60-Day Trial, Norton Internet Security 90-Day Subscription, AOL Online 90-day Trial

Keyboard and Mouse

• Keyboard: QWERTY, 86 key

Hard Drive

• Size: 80 GB
• Manufacturer: Portable

Optical Drives, Other Mass Storage

• Additional Drives: Memory Stick Media Slot

Graphics and Display

• Graphics Card: ATI Radeon IGP 345M
• Graphics RAM: 64 MB
• Display: WXGA with XBRITE Technology

Ports and Connectivity

• Modem: 56 Kbps
• Network Connection: IEEE 802.11b/g3; 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX/1000BASETX

Power

• Rated Charge (normal use): 3 hours

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