Sony vaio Laptop 15.5 inch Display Silvery White vpceb32fm/wi Review

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(More customer reviews)Before I start my review, I need to mention that I hold Sony to higher standards than some no-name or cheapo brand. Since I was a child with my Sony Walkman, every Sony product I have had has been excellent. I truly expect Sony to mean 100% quality and my dissapointment is magnified by the fact that a brand I have held in esteem for so long seems to be slipping.
My husband and I bought this laptop almost by accident. I NEVER shop on Black Friday (lol only online), but this year, we'd seen some really good deals advertised and decided to give it a go. One of the door-buster deals that was being offered by our local big-box electronics retailer was for a Sony Vaio for $399. We went later in the day, and since the limit of Vaio's at this price was maybe 8 per store, we did not think that we would have a chance to get it. It turns out that through a strange twist of fate, someone that had arrived at 5am had left the Vaio behind the customer service counter and not come back to pay for it. The store said that since it was so late in the day and the person hadn't returned, they would sell it to us.
I need to mention that the Vaio we initially brought home was a different model that retails for $100 cheaper, I believe it was the VPCEE32FX, but not entirely sure... you'll see why this is important in a moment. Anyhow, we went home right away and were anxious to open our new lap top. It was perhaps 8pm by the time we got home and tried to start it up and after an hour struggling to get it to work, and another half hour on the phone with tech support, we got confirmation from Sony support that our brand new Vaio was defective. By this time it was 9:30pm and we decided to rush back to the store to see if we could make it before they closed. We made it there and were probably the last customers to be allowed in before they locked the doors. We tried to exchange it, but since it was a doorbuster, there were no options for exchange, other than the slightly more expensive model that I currently own and am reviewing.
To make a very long story short, I think everyone at this store had been there since 5am and here it was after 10pm at night and we were insistent on walking out with a Vaio that worked. My husband started to try to negotiate to see if we could get a discount on this model. The very tired manager was way too frazzled to try to make us fork over an extra hundred bucks just because they couldn't exchange our door-buster deal. He ended up just exchanging our cheaper version without charging us a dime for the upgrade! So, we walked out extremely happy that we only had to pay $399 for this model.
So what do I not like about it? First of all, it's a little buggy and seems to be prone to crashing. Secondly, For some reason, installing software doesn't always seem to work the first time. I am not a computer geek and don't know what would cause this, but I typically have to install programs several times to get them to work. I still can't get Adobe to work on this thing. I would wonder if it were a problem with Adobe, but based on other problems with software installation, I am inclined to believe that it's the laptop. I am now scared to own a Vaio. In the years that I have been buying computers, I have never had one not work right out of the box. Granted, that was a different model, but scares me nonetheless. I have since returned to my electronic store a couple of times and noticed that each time, behind the customer service desk, in the returns area, there has been a Vaio. The second time I saw this, I actually asked an employee why there seems to be so many Vaio returns. He did not know, but admitted that he would never buy any Vaio after all the returns he's seen.
I really welcome an opportunity for Sony to re-gain my trust, though to be honest, I don't think I will ever buy another one of their computers.
I gave this computer 3 out of 5 stars because for $399 I really can't complain. If I had paid anything more than $600, this would be a one or two star review. Heck, if it lasts me a year, I'll have gotten my money's worth as far as I'm concerned. The one thing I do really like about it is the extra number pad. That is SO convenient and I won't ever buy another laptop without it. I actually feel guilty about writing this mostly negative review because I feel like I'm betraying a company I've grown up with. I really hope someone from Sony sees it and can fix the problem. I would hate to see them go downhill.

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Intel? Pentium? processor P6100Features 2 processing cores, a 3MB L3 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed.4GB DDR3 memoryFor multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.Blu-ray Disc-enabled DVD±RW/CD-RW driveFeatures read support for next-generation Blu-ray Disc (BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE). Double-layer support using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media. Also supports DVD-RAM.15.5" LED-backlit widescreen displayWith 1366 x 768 resolution offers easy navigation and delivers intense detail and clarity.320GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.Intel? HD graphicsFor lush images and vivid detail. HDMI output for flexible connectivity options.Dedicated control buttonsInclude VAIO, ASSIST, Web and wireless on/off for convenience.Built-in MOTION EYE webcam with microphoneAlong with face-tracking technology makes it easy to video chat with and send video mail to family and friends.Select memory card slotsInclude 1 Memory Stick PRO/Memory Stick PRO Duo with MagicGate functionality and 1 Secure Digital media card slot.3 high-speed USB 2.0 portsFor fast digital video, audio and data transfer. One eSATA/USB combo port.Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)To connect to the Internet on the go.Built-in 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T Fast Ethernet LANWith RJ-45 connector for quick and easy wired Web connection.Weighs 5.9 lbs. and measures just 1.2" thinFor easy portability. 10-key numeric keypad for efficient numeral entry.Long battery lifeOf up to 3 hours and 30 minutes to give you more time away from an outlet.Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system preinstalledProvides a stable computing platform.Software package includedWith Sony Creativity Suite. Microsoft Office Starter 2010 (product key card required for activation; sold separately) and 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office also included.ENERGY STAR qualified

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