I love love love this laptop. It's so easy to use and lightweight. It takes up to 4GB of DDR2 memory and you can prettymuch upgrade to any size hard drive you want (SATA). Sony did a great job with these, and you can pick your own color (Mine is Green). They are perfect for on the go computing, because they are super light and the display isn't too large or WAY to small like the netbooks. They have great functionality, you can multitask like a pro. Watching movies is super easy with the DVD combo, and if you want to watch streaming the internet is SUPER quick. You can pick up WiFi signals pretty far away so no matter where you are you're always close to the internet. If you want to use a laptop for home, school or work. This one is PERFECT for you.

catzeyes

Ashland, KY

Sony Vaio VGN 290 is an average laptop with basic features and built in wifi. It has a RAM of about 1gb and HDD of 100GB with a processor matching for its features. The LCD size is adequate and the keyboard is well laid out. The touch pad is responsive with two keys for left and right clicks. There is a separate wifi switch to turn wifi on and off. The prostick duo memory stick slot by the side is a good addition, but i wish they had a SD card slot. There are two customizable buttons by the keyboard which you can customize any way you want. The battery doesn't last long and runs out in under an hour. You might want to get an extra battery if you need to travel. The laptop design is sleek and weighs less than similar ones from other brands. The laptop does heat up very fast and if you keep it on your lap, it really burns you. So you might want to get a laptop pad or a laptop pad with a built in fan. There is a video out by its side, which receives a video out single pin with audio for external monitor.

joyrh75

Fairborn, OH

Four years ago I purchased a Hp laptop computer that I battled with until I recently purchased a Sony VAIO VGN 290 Notebook PC. I am very pleased with the computer thus far. It's small and easy to travel with. The computer is light and the battery life on this particular model is unbelivable. I am a student at school and the computer is in constant use for long periods of time. It lasts usually around 5 to 6 hours. The trick that I have learned is to not always have to computer plugged in to the charger- this burns out the battery faster and wears at the battery life. I also loved all the additions SONY offers to personalize the laptop and make it your very own. I am very happy with the SONY VAIO VGN Notebook PC.

nmb121988

Lancaster, NY

This computor is great and you should think about buying it. It is nice for a few reasons. One great feature is the screen it is about 16 inches And crystal clear. I really love my laptop. I use it a lot everyday and ive had it for about 2 years and havent had any real problems with it.It has pretty good internal speakers; 2 USB cord plugins; head phone jack; microphone jack; wireless on and off switch; internal battery; Pro Magic Gate; SD card slot; CD cartrage; AV mode; and much more. One of the greatest features on this laptop is the Motion Eye web cam. this computor is great and i would take it over just about every other laptop. It is great but there are a few cons that go with this PC. One of the biggest cons it that it can get very hot and it cant be but on like a blanket or couch because it will over heat and damage your computor. Also the battery life could be longer but over all it is a great product.

miller21

Mogadore, OH

First off, know that I build and fix computers as a hobby and I very much enjoy technology. With that, I was fixing my girlfriend's laptop because it was overheating. Opened the sucker up and has guessed that the fan had died or shorted. I took apart the heat sink fan and once done, whiiirrrr, it started spinning up again. After much testing, I realized that the heatsink that Sony had placed on the CPU, was starting to warp because of the heat. Realy Sony? You put in a heatsink that gets warped when heated?? After some research, I discovered that people with the same model had a similar issue. The only way to fix the problem was to unhinge the 3rd screw to the heatsink COMPLETELY so it would take off the pressure on the fan (the pressure from the warped heatsink was causing the fan to press up against the case in such a manner that it would refuse to spin.) Mind you, I didn't want to do that at all because then it would take of necessary pressure to keep the heatsink cool. Well, after leaving the 3rd screw off, the fan now works and the laptop cpu has yet to overheat. Hopefully it'll stay that way. I feel bad for the people who have to pay for Sony's mistake :(

mlpham32

Roswell, GA

I bought this vaio when it just barely was released by sony and it cost atleast triple of what they're selling for now.  I was expecting to get the top of the line for what sony offered and hopefully more than what the competition offered.  When i first booted up the vaio it seemed like a nice clear screen with high quality color and decent sound, but from the very beginning i was only in for a let down.  The programs took forever to open and they would sometimes close and open randomly without pushing or touching anything at all. The strong point of the sony vaio is its beautiful screen which looks like a mirror finish at all times because its so clean and smooth.  The colors are very detailed and bright and so its great to use this laptop for watching movies on the go.  The internet connection works fine, it had the built in wifi which got great reception from almost anywhere in my house.  Id recommend this for a personal use laptop or light business use.

linkterritory

Los Gatos, CA

I think its actually me and I am cursed when it comes to electronics.  I just touch most of them and something goes wrong lol.  I have been through quite a few laptops over the last 8 years (gateway being the absolute worst!) and so far I am very pleased with my Sony Vaio.  It has proven to be really quite reliable thus far ...I have had it over a year now.  It runs great with minimal issues and the picture and sound quality are very excellent as you would expect out of Sony.  The two cons to the computer would be number one, the battery life...it goes very quickly when not plugged into an outlet and sometimes runs slower when not plugged in. Number two would be how hot the system gets if you have it on your lap..and I mean BURNING hot...I recently read an article that it is possible to recieve irreversible heat bumps from having a laptop on your legs (even through clothing).  I would def recommend some sort of lap desk.  Overall, I am very happy with this computer and would certainly recommend it.

Momoftwogirls1011

Stevenson Ranch, CA

I do not have this model but I have a VGN - FW140E.  I puchased this computer because my daughter had asimiliar one and the feature I liked best about it was the keyboard, the keys were seperated a little and typing was easier.  Well since owning this model. It has b een a great laptop. Even after my husband left it on and it got a virus, my stepson was able to restore much of the lostinformation for me.  Itake it with me when I travel and use it everyday. I am at present sitting in bed using it. I think this is a reliabl brand and although I consider myself computer illiterate, I do enjoy everything about it. I hve owned it for over two years.  My hearing has dimiished over the years, as I a 63 and the volume on it could be better. I have to put the max on it and watching movies sometimes makes hearing hard. that is my only complaint.

peggywhiz

Texarkana, TX

I completely love my Sony VAIO. Never have I owned a laptop such as this one before. I've never experienced any real performance problems with it, and for that, I can't complain. This computer does it all...It even plays Blue Ray discs! Definitely, by far the best laptop I've owned.

KristenDahlia

Santa Fe, NM

I like SONY because of the quality of its products. SONY seems to be very expensive comparing to other brands. I've been using a VAIO VGN for 3 years and the only problem I have was the battery  that drains very quickly. I read that the Lithium battery has life time regardless if you use it or not. I just changed my battery last year and everything has been working perfectly. To get a good deal on accessories you can just go ahead and visit ebay.

hezball

Sheppard Afb, TX