Has anyone tried Ubuntu on a VPCZ21V9E yet?

[crsteve80]

I ran a Z series for 3 years with Ubuntu on it till it was stolen 6 weeks ago. So I ordered a new VPCZ21V9E/B. It arrived today and I was shocked to find it didn't have an inbuilt optical drive. Very disappointed I have to cart around another powerblock AND a docking station.  However, my biggest concern is that I'm not sure if Ubuntu will be able to see all the docking station gizmos. I haven't even taken the laptop out of the box yet! I might be taking it back to Sony for a full refund as the spec wasn't clear at all.  So, has anyone got one of these things yet and have they successfully got any version of Ubuntu working on it?

Regards,

Craig

[crsteve80]

I've now powered up the unit in Windows 7 and have had a good look around. I'm shocked at how cheap and nasty the build quality is. For something costing £2,700 I'm REALLY suprised. The VGN Z11 I had for three years was great (still someone stole it) so I was expecting something at least as good from Sony. The track-pad is a single peice of plastic allowed to bend at the two bottom edges.  Means you can't feel where the button parts are easily and they feel really odd. That and the external optical drive and multiple power blocks means it's a nightmare. I'm going to see if I can get a refund. It's really tacky.

[alanjrobertson]

Personally I was very unimpressed with the tacky stickers below the keyboard and the amazing 84 pieces of crapware that comes pre-installed!  Really not exactly a premium experience.