The MacBook Pro is the flagship brand of laptop to the apple. Updated a few weeks ago, this new version works now with the Intel Santa Rosa platform and also includes a long-awaited screen LED backlighting. However, is it really almost 1 500 dolar more than its little brother the MacBook?

A true success for gaming and multimedia

These are certainly areas where the MacBook Pro excels. This model is in effect provided a screen 15 inches to a comfortable resolution 1440 x 900 pixels. For more demanding, his older brother by 17 inches offers an optional Full HD panel (1 920 x 1 200). Here we will therefore confine HD Ready.

Apple MacBook Pro

NIVIDIA card in a Mac laptop

Users of Apple machines most faithful will note that it certainly was a few years now that the MacBook Pro cards were equipped high-end graphics from ATI. Turnaround with this new generation is now the newest GeForce 8600M GT NVIDIA team that these models. Depending on the version chosen, it will be by cons 128 or 256 MB of dedicated memory to be integrated. During our tests, we have seen with pleasure the good performance in Quake 4 with about 40 FPS at a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

Comfortable in the media

Of course with an entry price of 2 000, the MacBook Pro is a high end machine and its configuration suffers. Equipped with Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2 GHz) and T7700 (2.4 GHz), both models take on board what is the best currently. Yet, day by day, the difference with a single 2 GHz MacBook (Intel T7200) equipped with a disk drive 7 200 trs / min and 2 GB of RAM is not so obvious. For example, encoding WAV files to AAC in iTunes is not faster than our MacBook reference. It is indeed around thirty times the playback speed on both machines. No worries either side of decoding high definition movies, even full HD resolution, they are decoded smoothly through the machine. All the more reason to integrate an HD in this machine is really starting to run out.

Battery performance and good ergonomics

Battery performance

Even with a large 15-inch screen, the autonomy of the MacBook Pro is very good. With DVD playback, it reached almost 3 hours (2 h 47 to be precise), where the simple MacBook reached 3 h 10. In other words, the use of an LED screen that will win almost 20 minutes to the MacBook iSight overcomes the new screen LEDL’iSight overcomes the new screen LEDPro. It therefore looks forward to integrating this technology into the MacBook!

An LED screen in the center of attention

On this screen, much has been written about the dominance of yellow over its predecessor classic neon backlight. We also found that dominant with the default settings. After calibrating the screen in good and due form, but it actually manages the color fidelity of the slab is still strongly undermined. However, it is not surprising from a laptop screen. Ultimately, this aspect yellow does not notice if you do not place the screen next to another better calibrated. In short, this is not at all uncomfortable when used daily. The graphic therefore prefer an external display.

Reviews more mixed for the keyboard

The least we can say is that the keyboard of the MacBook Pro has really taken a blow since the old MacBook has a new version. This highly criticized when it was released (called Minitel keyboard), is ultimately much more comfortable than the MacBook Pro. Separate keys to reduce typing errors (that is pressed very rarely on the wrong letter). Moreover, the key stroke is much more straightforward than the MacBook Pro, which integrates the other hand keys to end the race a little too soft for our liking. There is really by cons fan system backlight keyboard. In dark environments it can better discern the keys. Ideal for artistic professions working in the dark, or simply for those who prefer night life.

An ultraportable
Barely larger than a Eee PC, the TZ31 is a quite different category of performance, equipment and price.

The promise

Enable users and demanding professionals to have a successful and complete machine barely larger than a Eee PC is the goal with the Sony TZ31. A machine whose performance gap is proportional to the price of the Asus machine. A difference justified?
The reality

It is beautiful. It falls like a hair in the soup, but it’s a fact: the design of this laptop is a success. Jet Black with a ignition button on the green fluorescent hinge of the right gear, it is very compact class, the type of object that is appreciated out in the evening. Its quality of finish is excellent, there is no play in any parts or protrusions on the cover. A bonnet as well thought out multimedia buttons are accessible on the front, even the hood closed. Forget or neglect, we must instead open the cover to reduce the sound. Not everything can be perfect. And it’sa shame.
“Then look, look a little! ”

Sony Vaio VGN-TZ31WN/B

There are screen and screen. In these price ranges manufacturers typically slabs mates, less prone to glare, but also less dynamic and less luminous. For this TZ31, Sony has chosen to include a brilliant slab. Like it or we assess, we must recognize one thing: this screen is superb. On the one hand, the colors are very pleasing to the eye, on the other hand, it is incredibly bright and contrasting. The only pitfall is related to the vertical resolution is limited to 768 pixels, which is slightly insufficient for some windows. But this is not insurmountable.

A keyboard comfortable to use
As Oscar Wilde said, the most important thing is consistency. And what about the keyboard, once again, Sony makes an almost perfect score. The distance between keys makes typing more accurate and they respond well, while flexibility and responsiveness. Perhaps in the hands of users find logger format is too small - a 11.1-inch - but it is not connected to the keyboard. Web camera called Eye Motion like the PS2 model, is not of the same ilk: the image is not very clear and quite noisy. Nothing catastrophic, but from a professional image, it is disappointing.

Regardless of software, but some are impossible to uninstall
Since a vast majority of laptops we’ve tested recently, the TZ31 comes with a Microsoft Office limited in time and antivirus software - Norton 360 - also limited (90 days). It is further equipped with the software house of Sony, which we may regret or appreciate the quality, according to taste. However, one can only regret the presence of an AOL connection software, which launches at startup, and it has been impossible to uninstall. An option to choose which are embedded, or easily uninstall software onboard would be welcome.

A battery to make love strikes
Sony Announces Seven hours of autonomy. Here it is said that “the manufacturer data, should not be relied upon! . Well if it read DVD took 3 hours 25 minutes, which ranks among the champions. In text mode it approaches this value, knowing you can stop at any time to feed the CD player to save a little more energy. To you the joys of subway breakdowns, social movements and other blockages student. Especially with 3.5 G connectivity you can access the Net from all over France.

Performance and equipment sufficient
No question you start to make 3D modeling or simulation of atomic explosions: it is a portable multimedia-office, and it’s not bad. Especially since this is not Intel GMA 950 which will be a great relief to play. For once, Sony was silent on the Firewire and it is regrettable that there is not a third USB port 2. But the compactness and durability of the battery charged. We particularly note that it is very consistent in configuration and has everything you need to enter, calculate, browse and access the Net.

Sony Vaio VGN-TZ31WN/B

The verdict

The ideal travel companion, the mobile office that loves going out, a real working tool for both efficient and beautiful: the VGN-TZ31WN is a frank success. While not free of defects, however it will make all the facilities you expect from a machine of this size. The beauty of the machine and more.