Conclusions
9. Conclusions
If you haven't already done so, click here to check out the Sony VAIO UX180P slide show. It includes a lot of the pictures that used to be included in our articles, along with detailed captions that will answer a lot of your questions about the computer.
slide show Sony VAIO UX180P
All things considered, the Sony VAIO VGN-UX180P micro PC is well designed and offers an exciting new ultra-portable form factor. However, smallness has its price. For the UX180P this price is relatively low and revolves mainly around the super sharp 1024 x 600 display. If you can live with those limitations and the small keyboard, this computer is for you. It's not as small and light as a PDA, but at 1.18 pounds and 6" wide the UX180P has a lot to offer. Hence our granting this new Sony micro PC our Editors Choice Award.
Comparing the Sony UX180P to the only other micro PC available today, the OQO Model 01+, the Sony wins hands down. Not only is the Sony larger enough to overcome some of the problems associated with the keyboard and screen on the Model 01+, but it is based on Intel's newer Centrino technology. The OQO is based on Transmeta's Crusoe 1 GHz processor. Having once sold for over $2,000, the Model 01+ is now competitively priced with the UX180P. Read my review of the OQO Model 01+.
When it comes to new and somewhat unusual computers like the UX180P, I strongly suggest you buy from the manufacturer if possible. Generally, if you don't like the product, the manufacturer will take it back no questions asked. This is certainly the case with Sony. I have a friend who recently bought a UX180P. He's not happy with the problems related to the resolution of the computer's display. The company he bought from says they don't take returns on computers that have been opened. If there's something wrong, beyond an electronic or mechanical malfunction, for which they will make an exchange, they require that the computer be returned to the manufacturer to be fixed. But there's nothing to be fixed here in the classical sense. My friend's problem grows out of a design flaw in the UX180P. Sony customer service says it would have been happy to take back my friend's UX180P based on his dissatisfaction, if he had purchased the computer directly from Sony. A word to the wise should be sufficient.
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