Sony VAIO VGN-T350P with built-in EDGE wireless review [Bottom-line: connected, but slow]

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Co-published with Laptop Magazine : Solutions for Business and Life

Freedom. That's what separates the Sony VAIO VGN-T350P from the ultraportable pack. This tiny three-pounder is the first notebook to feature a built-in EDGE cellular modem, which means you can connect whenever and wherever you want in the U.S. at speeds up to 160 Kbps.

Verizon Wireless' EV-DO network is much faster (300 to 500 Kbps), but this VAIO is a good buy since EDGE coverage is more widely available and Sony makes managing the T350P's cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections simple using a single interface.

To get connected to Cingular's EDGE network, you click on the Cingular Connection Manager within Sony’s slick SmartWi Connection Utility. It takes several seconds for the EDGE radio to turn on, and then 30 seconds or more for the notebook to find the network and automatically connect from a cold start. That’s a little annoying when you consider most PC Card modems find and connect to whatever networks they support in less than 10 seconds.

In our tests, the T350P delivered good enough performance for those want to check e-mail and surf the Web on the go. Using McAfee's Internet Connection Speedometer (not included) in various locations in Manhattan and New Jersey, we averaged 142 Kbps, which is more than 2.5 times faster than dialup. In day-to-day use, Web pages popped up between 9 and 14 seconds, which is decent. You can get away with listening to Internet radio (LAUNCHcast worked fine on the Low quality setting), but we don't recommend using this notebook for streaming video (even a 56 Kbps stream on iFilm looked choppy).

Pros
• Integrated EDGE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
• Compact, lightweight design
• Great battery life
• DVD burner

Cons
• Slow to connect to EDGE network
• Slightly cramped keyboard