We can't muster much enthusiasm for Sony's underpowered, underequipped $969 Vaio J114FX all-in-one. Sony wants you to find its combination of a 21.5-inch, touch-sensitive display and a Blu-ray drive worthy for home entertainment, but for just $30 more you can get a more broadly capable all-in-one from Gateway with Blu-ray and a larger screen. We're also frustrated that Sony has left off an HDMI input, a revolutionary feature it pioneered on its previous generation all-in-ones. Sony's last few all-in-one desktop efforts have been impressive, but this one is uncompetitive. Skip it.
Sony VAIO J114FX (21.5 inch)
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
We have no problems with the overall design of the Vaio J114FX, and in fact it's a far more polished-looking all-in-one than any of Gateway or Acer's recent efforts. Where competing all-in-ones have opted for chrome and plastic accents, Sony's all-black review is understated with graceful curves. We can think of few places where you couldn't put this system on prominent display.
Although we like the look of this system, there's no getting around the fact that the Vaio J114FX has a small screen for its price. Sony isn't alone in looking stingy next to the 23-inch Gateway and Acer systems in this price range, but at least Apple and HP have either robust internal components or a lower price to make up for their smaller display sizes. True, neither Apple's $1,199 iMac nor HP's $899 Touchsmart 300-1120 have Blu-ray drives. Unfortunately for Sony, Gateway's ZX6900-01e, a 23-inch all-in-one for $999, does.