Sony VAIO VPC-EE42FX/BJ 15.5-Inch Widescreen Entertainment Laptop (Black)

So far, so good
I have wanted a Sony forever, but hesitated because of a lot of so-so reviews. I finally purchased a top-of-the-line HP - i7, blue ray, 17.3" that cost almost $1,100 after a $300 coupon. The blue ray wouldn't work, a couple of other little things were wrong, so I sent it back (I had ordered from HP direct - no hassle returning - I had my credit in 3 days). After I dropped the HP off at FedEx, I stopped at BJ's and saw the Sony Vaio VPC EE42FX on sale for $399.95 ($499.95 less $100 rebate at register). Total with tax - $435. I bought mainly to try a Sony and thought I'd probably return it. I've still got a couple of days to go, but it's a keeper. I hardly notice the difference between my old HP 17.3" and this. I still have my numeric keyboard, which I couldn't do without. I'm not having any trouble adjusting to the alplha keys being slightly to the left. It's as fast as the new HP was. I'm wondering now why I originally spent $1100 for the same thing I got for $435. I would have given 5 stars except for the sound. It's mediocre - not loud enough for me even at full volume. But ear phones easily solve that problem.