review notebook

Sony Releases VAIO S580 with new cooling mechanism
The Sony VAIO S series laptop with a 13.3" XBrite widescreen has long been a popular notebook, but there has always been one major gripe about it, it runs too hot. Sony looks to resolve that issue with this release.
The Sony S-580 is the same S series notebook that was recently released in Japan complete with the Nvidia GeForce 6400 Go graphics card, better cooling, and has options that the new VAIO BX series has like a 120 GB HD. The VAIO S580 is currently available for purchase from SonyStyle.com here:
Sony S580 at SonyStyle.com (thanks to user Eliwood for this news tip)
One catch, you can't add in the NVidia 6400 yet, so hold off on your purchase until that appears as an option.

Sony Vaio VGN-S380P Specs
Intel Pentium M 750 (1.85 GHz, 533 MHz bus)
Chipset Intel 915PM
13.3" WXGA XBrite (glare) Screen
RAM 512MB (1 stick, I'm going to be upgrading this)
NVidia GForce Go 6200 (32MB onboard)
Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG + Bluetooth (802.11 a/b/g)
80GB 5400RPM HDD, Serial ATA
CD-RW (24x read/24x write)/ DVD-ROM (8x read)
Ports and Slots: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x 1394 (4-pin mini Firewire/iLink), Headphones, Microphone, 1 x MemoryStick Pro port, 1 x 100baseT Ethernet + V.90 modem, 1 x PCMCIA Type II/I
Weight: 4.2lbs with battery
Measures 12.3" x 1.39" x 8.85" (Width x Height x Depth)
Purchased from the Sony Style website just a few weeks before the S480 was announced (doh!) and, despite being a Sony employee, I was joyfully fleeced on the price just like everyone else. But then, if you're buying a new model Vaio you're not doing it for the sweet deal. VAIO is for people who really want a Powerbook, but have to run Windows programs, n'est ce pas?
Image Gallery (20 images)
For those uninterested in reading and just looking to kill time looking at pictures, we'll accomodate that desire here: Sony VAIO S380P Image Gallery

Reasons for Buying
Unlike almost every laptop review ever, I couldn't give a flying French fancy about 3D gaming performance. I bought this laptop as the centerpiece of my portable audio studio - software synths, software FX and mixing, MIDI I/O, FireWire pro audio, that kind of thing.
My last machine was a Dell Inspiron 8100, a monster of a machine. That 10 pound behemoth (with extra battery) was an overpowered, huge screen joy to use just so long as you didn't actually need to carry it anywhere. Increasingly I found myself attending conferences and thinking "Nah, I'll just leave it behind this time". Thin and light was my key upgrade, that and NO LEGACY PORTS. Initially I was set on the IBM Thinkpad T43 all the way, right up until the moment I found it has no Firewire. That was a deal killer for me as I *need* 1394 for low latency audio devices. The Asus V6V has everything I wanted except it was over my weight budget (it was a really close choice, how fickle am I?) and so I found myself drawn to the Vaio S270/S360/S380. But which one to choose?
When specifying the perfect audio crunching laptop, CPU, Memory Bandwidth, HDD size/speed and Ports are the only things that matter, and in these things the Sonoma 912PM chipset offers plus, after customizing an S270 to the spec I wanted the price difference was ~$200. S380 it had to be.
In my opinion the Vaio S380 is a beautiful machine, free of decoration like many home systems, it's just pure form and function. The details are so well thought out - tiny rubber bumpers that exactly cushion the screen from touching the keyboard when it's closed (a problem with the old Inspiron 8000), no screen latch needed, rubber feet on the base that keep the base off the table and help shift some of the heat. Some criticisms that have been aired in previous reviews are the flimsiness of the WIFI switch and, yeah, it's cheap and wobbly (and usually missing on store display models), but I have no intention of ripping it out. The strange shape of the mouse buttons take a few hours to get used to as they are fairly austere shiny metallic bars rather than the luxurious click-me-anywhere surfaces you might be used to. Takes a bit of precision to use and the mouse pad has a fairly abrasive surface initially but that's fine. The major physical thing you notice while using the machine is the sheer heat of the wristpad coming from under the Windows XP sticker. It gets WAY toasty if you're running full power, less so under power management or on battery. I've never owned or used a laptop that gets this hot but it's not uncomfortable, just toasty warm. Having said that, I haven't used the machine in the height of summer yet.
A note on the plastic covers over the ports. These covers are made from the same plastic used to make soft drink caps - polyethylene. It's a strong, flexible material that will take a lot of abuse and I have no fear of the covers being torn off their connectors. I do, however, worry for the tiny teeth that hold the covers closed. Only time will tell if that's just an imaginary worry or not.
Going around the machine clockwise from the bottom left (7 O'clock), the PCMCIA slot has a spring loaded cover to keep out dust and has a release bar that locks flush inside the case. The VGA Out has no screw retainers but seems to provide a surprisingly good, almost rubbery grip on a male socket. The 1/4" Audio jacks are initially quite crunchy and feel like they won't take much horizontal or lateral abuse, but they grip well so treat them gently. The RJ-45 Network port is a bit of a nuisance as it's recessed under the top surface and will require you to retract any rubber cover you may have on your network cable. As a consequence the locking on the RJ-45 is not as crisp as my old Inspiron and you're never quite sure if the network cable is engaged. Excellent friction hinges holding the screen, I have no doubts of their strength. The only weakness in the case appears on the main unit just above the "S" buttons where the plastic casing is unsupported above the battery bay and it's disconcertingly flexible there. This doesn't effect the power and S-buttons as they have that solid, quality Sony Electronics click.