From the outside, the new Sony Vaio TZ Series looks very similar to the TX Series of the past. So why is this little ultraportable so much better than the previous version? Forget that the housing is now completely draped in carbon fiber(before it was just the lid that was encased in carbon fiber). Sony brought back the raised keyboard from the X505. Many will say that Sony copied the keyboard from the Apple Macbook 13-inch, but it was actually Sony that introduced this form of child-proof keyboard first.
The TZ Series adds an LED screen like many are doing now, including Dell, Apple, and Asus. It even has an option for a 32GB solid state hard drive. It succeeds the TX series in so many ways, but the most impressive change, at least for me, is the move to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I'm talking about a standard voltage processor, not the sluggish Ultra Low Voltage one found on the TXN15P(Update: Just found out it's using a ULV processor after all. You can imagine my disappointment). If you're wondering about heat, there's a good chance that the system will run warmer. As for battery life, Sony claims you can get 7.5 hours off the 6-cell battery. It even has a 9-cell battery option if you're willing to pay extra. At $2,299, it's still a little steep, but at least now you're paying for premium parts.