New laptop - Sony VAIO C series

I'm wrestling with writing an actual review, but until and unless that happens, I may as well mention that I've replaced my stolen Vostro with a new laptop. It's a Sony VAIO C series, and it was literally the *only* machine that met my basic requirements:

• Under $1,000 shipped (this was not a planned purchase!)
• 1080p screen
• Blu-Ray combo drive
• Dedicated graphics
• 14" or 15" screen

It's tough to find all of those things in a single machine - some of them kind of work at cross-purposes. All high-end features in a budget system, high-res graphics on a relatively small screen, etc.  But this machine had them all.

It does *not* have some of the things I hoped to get but wasn't married to, like a pointing stick (really limited selection there), metal construction, a traditional non-chiclet keyboard or a matte screen. But it did have *one* of my optional desires, at least: I love that crazy color! "Anything but black" was definitely one of my wants. Black is the new beige. Heck, Sony used to offer this series in neon green and orange, and I almost definitely would have bought one of those if they still made them.

There's something intensely Japanese about the design; it's almost going out of its way not to appeal to American sensibilities. I actually enjoy that about it.

So far I really like the computer, and even the glossy screen isn't bothering me - they've got a really effective filter on it that keeps reflections to a minimum. (Not like my old Acer, which is the computer that swore me off of glossy screens in the first place. That thing was an absolute mirror.) In fact, the screen is by far the best I've ever seen on a laptop.

I'm kind of annoyed by the off-center keyboard and touchpad, and the fact that it's a chiclet keyboard - but what are you gonna do? They're all like that nowadays. And the only way to get a centered keyboard is with a 13" or 14" laptop... Sony does offer this model in a 14", but it's a little bit more expensive and I'm not sure if they offer a 1080p screen (I'm afraid to look; I might regret my purchase).

Well, I might write in some more detail later, and I've got a video review too that I may or may not post (I'm not happy with the way I ended it right now). But for now, just wanted to say that the healing has begun after the horror of my laptop theft.

Though I'm still looking for that thing, and I remain convinced that one day I'm gonna find it.  I'm not gonna stop chasing it down. Dell themselves are on the case now too.

You can see a couple of my new security measures with this laptop here:

Cable lock (for when I'm at work) and Prey. I'm also boot password-protected now too... which I might actually disable, as while it renders the laptop useless to a thief, it renders Prey useless too.