Sony's new line of VAIO FS-series laptops elegantly combine moderate performance, mobility and multimedia capabilities in one svelte package. With a 15.4in. widescreen X-black display and a slim, lightweight design, the VAIO VGN-FS295XP is well balanced for portability between home and the office. However, it's not without its shortcomings. In particular, there's no built-in Bluetooth, connectivity options are basic, there are no security tools, and its performance is sluggish. If value is important, there are much better offerings available.

Pros: Excellent display; built-in Wi-Fi; 100GB hard disk; includes dock
Cons: No Bluetooth; basic connectivity; poor performance


Sony's latest mobile computing device is a mid-range laptop designed for mobile business users looking for a good combination of performance and design. Supplied with Windows XP Professional SP2 operating system and a full-size QWERTY keyboard (along with touchpad and matching mouse buttons), the VGN-FS295XP also integrates a dual-layer DVD drive and ships with a docking station, eliminating the hassle of unplugging all your external connections and peripherals when you take the laptop on the road.

The VAIO VGN-FS295XP is a relatively plain looking device, which is unusual for Sony. Having said that, its clean lines, minimalist design and robust enclosure are well suited to frequent business use. If design is ultra important, it's worth remembering that Sony has an extensive range of eye-catching laptops for casual users and consumers. Nevertheless, the VAIO VGN-FS295XP's silver-and-black chassis is attractively thin and light (364x265x35.9mm, 2.85kg) and effectively hides the 15.4in. WXGA (1280x800 pixels) X-black LCD screen.

Power users will be left wanting with the system, but general business users should find it more than capable. The system is powered by an Intel Pentium M Processor 750 (1.86GHz, 533MHz FSB), 512MB of DDR SDRAM (upgradable to just 1GB), 100GB Ultra ATA/100 hard disk drive (4200rpm), and DVD±RW dual-layer drive. Graphics are driven by nVidia's entry-level PCIe solution, the GeForce Go 6200, which comes with 128MB of dedicated memory and supports nVidia's TurboCache technology.

As you can see from the performance graph at the end of this review, the VAIO VGN-FS295XP was an average performer overall and struggled greatly with games. Needless to say, today's mobile computing technology is more than up to the task of running general applications, managing e-mail accounts, browsing the Internet, and running the odd 3D game. The system's battery performance was no better, lasting just 1h 58m in our tests (Sony claims the battery should last around 2h 10m). If you need more power outlet autonomy, you can always purchase the extended battery, which will add weight and bulk, but should double the battery life of the system.

The VAIO VGN-FS295XP's wide-format display is more impressive, and is ideal for everything from spreadsheets to movies. And as it's based on Sony's X-black technology, colours are brighter, contrast is higher and black is truly black. The benefit of a dual-layer drive is that you can store up to 4 hours' of DVD-quality video or 8.5GB of data, giving you a huge advantage over a conventional DVD's capacity of 4.7GB.

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