Sony products aren't cheap, but they sure have the features. Consider the feature-set of the company's US$2999.88 (C$4799.99) XG700 portable:
Notable Features of the XG-700
The Out-of-box Experience of the XG-700 is as refined as you're ever likely to see this side of a Macintosh. A large fold-out poster graphically depicts the important steps required to set up the machine and its required components. When the machine first boots, it immediately initializes McAfee VirusScan with an antivirus configuration to protect you. Then, the machine launches a wizard-driven setup of the included Windows Millennium Edition. During the procedure, you are guided by an animated, talking wizard character who can be clicked for additional help during potentially confusing aspects of the operating system's initial configuration. While this setup procedure is not specific to the XG-700 (Mr. Wizard is part of the standard "Out of Box Experience" for Windows Me), it helps to ease the user through the initial stages of this machine's configuration in a way that we think almost anyone will find utterly simple.
Once these steps are completed, the familiar Windows Me desktop boots and you can access the considerable array of software Sony bundles with this machine.
As with other Sony VAIO models, this unit includes the easy-to-use MovieShaker software for turning a collection of video clips into a move complete with your choice of soundtrack, slick transitions and, if desired, other special effects.
There's also a copy of Adobe Premiere LE, which further extends the unit's movie-making prowess, a copy of Microsoft Word 2000, plus several other utilities: Apple's QuickTime, a suite of DV capture utilities for use with iLink (FireWire)-equipped digital cameras, a multi-format movie and DVD player, a gimmicky image browser and, of course, the collection of games and other goodies bundled with Microsoft's Windows Millennium Edition. (The machine is optionally available with Windows 2000 pre-installed, if you prefer.)
The package also includes a complete set of restore CDs, allowing you to easily return the machine to its pristine condition, in the event of a serious problem. See our review of the Sony VAIO PictureBook, elsewhere in this section, for more details on the standard Sony software bundle.
The package includes a couple of items not well suited for Canadian consumers. The included version of Quicken 2000 includes some U.S.-specific features, and Sony's online Club VAIO community and Sony VAIO Direct online store are also U.S.-only affairs.
Performance of the unit's 750 MHz Pentium III processor and included drives was snappy and trouble-free. There isn't much to complain about, really. We find the unit's "Intercooler" arrangement a little awkward to retract. It automatically extends when the screen is raised, but must be manually returned to its retracted position after closing the lid, and the claimed 6-lb weight (which, Sony admits, is achieved with the use of a "weightsaver" plastic insert in the expansion bay) is quickly exceeded when traveling with the CDRW, DVD and floppy drive.
Still, these peripherals, along with the handy docking station that allows you to connect the machine on your home or office desk to a ready-to-work array of external peripherals such as a printer, network card, monitor keyboard or mouse, makes this a portable well suited as a desktop replacement PC. Recommended.
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