Sony's 11-inch VAIO TT: world's lightest Blu-ray laptop
Sony Unveils World's Lightest Blu-ray DISC Notebook
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 23, 2008- Sony today took the wraps off the world's lightest computer with Blu-ray Disc™ technology- the VAIO® TT Series notebook.
Housed in a lightweight carbon-fiber chassis, this new model weighs just 2.87 pounds and is less than 1-inch thin.
"This engineering marvel packs the power of HD technology into an ultra-light, ultra-portable notebook," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of VAIO product marketing at Sony Electronics.
Select models play Blu-ray Disc movies in full HD 1080p resolution when connected to a compatible HDTV. These units can also record, store and play back personal content on high-capacity BD media.
It features an 11.1-inch widescreen display (measured diagonally) with Sony's XBRITE-DuraView™ LCD technology, delivering 100 percent color saturation for a wide range of vibrant colors and true-to-life picture quality. This technology also produces a brighter screen thanks to an energy-efficient white LED backlight so you can view photos in crystal-clear resolution.
The display is ideal for Blu-ray Disc movies. Since many HD films are shot using a 16:9 aspect ratio, the unit's extra-wide LCD is constructed with the same dimensions. This minimizes the black bars that typically appear, letting you view movies in their intended format.
For those who prefer to watch content on a big screen television, the TT model also has an HDMI™ output connector so you can connect it to a compatible high-definition TV for a larger viewing experience (connector cable sold separately).
It is equipped with Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology for powerful PC output and energy-conserving features that deliver long battery life.
Select VAIO TT notebooks feature a dual channel 256GB (128GB X 2) solid state drive (SSD) with RAID technology. The result is quicker boot-up times, faster application launches and overall enhanced performance.
The PC integrates wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) technology provided by the Sprint® Mobile Broadband Network and its latest mobile network technology, EV-DO Revision A. For this, a separate Sprint service subscription is required.
The notebook comes with the choice of Windows Vista® Home Premium, Vista Business and Vista Ultimate operating systems. Windows® XP Professional is also available on select models.
All models are ENERGY STAR® 4.0 compliant, hold an EPEAT Silver ranking and incorporates such eco-conscious features as a mercury-free LED backlit LCD.
The TT model starts at $2,000. The BD version will go for about $2,700, while the SSD model (128GB) for around $2,750. It is available in a premium carbon black, silk black, champagne gold and crimson red.
The VAIO TT notebooks will be available online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/tt. They will also be sold at Sony Style® stores, military base exchanges, and select retailers around the country starting this fall.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Khattab @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:10AM
Beautiful - but WAY too expensive.
engadget.mlc @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:16AM
What are you talking about? $4344.99 is no big deal..
Wait.. what?!
Flashpoint @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:24AM
Compared to the Mac Book Air, this thing is not really that bad. In fact, with a 256GB or 128GB SSD its a very good deal.
I doubt the neccessity of a Blu Ray drive right now considering flash memory is cheap and portable hard drives are cheap but, if you can afford a $3000 (with taxes) laptop, this isn't a bad choice.
dj496 @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:30AM
Flashpoint: you don't compare value with a Macbook air, or any Mac for that matter.
JerkfacedFed @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:50AM
exactly, and no mention of the screen res, just beating around the bush. def has like 1280x800 or something lame. wtf is it including bluray with such low res.
NineT9 @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:52AM
Before people start complaining of specs, power, price, etc...
You buy this laptop for 1 main reason, Portability.
And it happens to be sexy, have bluray, and a bunch of other features... but portability is key
Joseph @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:35PM
Display
Resolution : 1366 x 768
Screen or Display Technology : WXGA
Screen Size : 11.1"5
Back Light Technology : LED
XBRITE-DuraView™ Technology : Yes
kev @ Sep 24th 2008 7:34AM
Well, keep in mind you're also getting some seriously efficient hardware here too---I don't think the author of this article has had enough experience with Sony's 11.1" notebooks, but since their debut half a decade ago, they've always been able to last at least 5 hours (and this is with the standard battery). Last I checked, "11" hours is the standard, and "18" for the extended. These are good books, if you keep 'em clean of any junkware, and make sure you maintain the system's health.
Shadowise @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:12AM
Wait... is the SSD configuration only $50 more with bluray?... or without?
Jason Litka @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:17AM
I think that's an either-or kind of thing. There's no way there's only a $50 difference if you want both.
William @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:27AM
Is it me or is that laptop justs sits there and say "Hey, i'm sexy but you have to pay."
FT @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:20AM
Not an apple fanboi by any means....
But the color scheme reminds me of the iPod U2 version....
Mark @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:29AM
These look hot, now wonder if i could get OSX on it?
eDenE @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:30AM
I think you can have EITHER blu-ray or ssd. Either way, pretty good price, I believe?
Harshad @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:34AM
Aw damn, I thought that was a netbook until I saw the price....:\
Shane @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:48AM
This ain't no netbook. Sony has been making the TX / TZ series for awhile, and this is just a continuation. The price point is spot on. As for battery life, if my TX was any indication, and I hope that it is, I was able to get 11 hours, and 8+ hours under daily use with WiFi. The battery life is one of the main selling points of this series.
TareX @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:50AM
The price makes me think there MUST be someone looking for a blu-ray netbook.
chefgon_ign @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:58AM
Am I the only one personally offended by that hideous red border around the screen? This is one of the ugliest laptops I've seen in a long time.
Jason Litka @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:18AM
Offended, no, I'm not offended. It is kind of ugly though.
Cybergypsy @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:58AM
Love the red :)
P90Puma @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:38AM
What don't you people get, this is NOT a netbook this is the sucessor to the TZ, which was the sucessor to the TX (iirc), which was the sucessor to my TR. I still use my TR3 daily, even though it is getting pretty old now. Netbooks feel like garbage compared to a Sony business ultraportable.
The laptops are designed for high end users who require/love the portability of a 10-11" notebook, I personally never want to own anything larger.
Félix @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:16AM
Dude ..
I know Sony paied alot for this blu ray thing and yes on my 50" plasma screen it totally kicks the lama's ass but man !
Bluray on a 11" crappy laptop screen ??
What the h*** ?
Seems to me like IT manufacturers are currently trying to fit anything they can in those laptop , for nothing good....
Jon @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:22AM
Well it is a portable notebook with a HDMI output... Business travellers can connect the notebook to a hotel's LCD, for example.
Félix @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:25AM
Oh and I forgot ..
Starting at 2000 $ !!!
this is a netbook right ?
what are you gonna do on this shit ?
You can't play, you can't run professionnal application that requires large screen (like ..99,99% of them) because your eyes will bleed before you achieve anything.
you can surf the web and play bluray (considering HD decoding is not gonna burn your battery in less than 2 hours which implies 6 cell battery ..not mentionned)
I can see the point of a lenovo 11" because it's ment to be proffessional but this is like billionaire's EEE pc to me..
only it does exactly the same as a wind..
plus you get Vista ..great !
Félix @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:28AM
allright ..
But :
#1 I don't travel to southern asia with my full bluray collection (if I really had one I wouldn't ^^)
#2 when you're awake for 20 hours, you have 8 hours of jetlag and you've been trying to speak english with chineses for a whole day believe me bluray = Xvid
Even on the non-existent 50" lcd of your 5* palace that my company doesn't want to pay :)
shimmy shimmy yah @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:18AM
Sony Vaio TT > macbook air
Smileypanda @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:28PM
Most sandwiches > MacBook Air
William @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:25AM
but then again, i always thought red and black went well with each other. And there must be many products that have similar colour scheme.
So, Slight tinge of apple fanboy-ness there :P
Muhammad-Oli @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:32AM
Oh man, this is the Sony I was waiting for, and I'd fully eat off it. If I was rich.
Caleb @ Sep 24th 2008 2:23AM
I see from your avitar you are a KING Prawn! Love that charicter from the Muppetts in Space movie.
Valgas @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:16AM
This laptop costs an arm, leg, penis and one testicle. S'ok, mine are useless.
webon @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:53AM
bit too much info there pal
DS @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:16AM
The price is about in line with other notebooks in this class, but the design and lack of useful features is disappointing. Blu-ray is pointless in an ultra-portable; the screen size and resolution are simply too low. You buy something like this to get stuff done on the road, not watch movies and play games.
The Toshiba ultra-portables seem much more attractive. They have approximately the same dimensions, a larger screen, a keyboard with keys instead of buttons, a longer battery life, lower weight (by a pound!), and cost several hundred dollars less. There is no way blu-ray and a fairly pointless RAID option on the SSD makes up for that.
Dany @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:50AM
How can the Blu Ray be useless when its a BURNER how many blu ray burners are on other notebooks?
Ian @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:58AM
For those who asked, the screen has a resolution of 1366 x 768, so it's a 16:9 screen (as stated in the article).
Anyway, I find it absolutely amazing that they can fit a computer in that thing when the Blu-Ray drive is in there. The remaining computer components must be tiny.
plwh888 @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:03AM
Will it have 3.5G or HSDPA flavor ?
iWant !!!
tim marshall @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:13AM
I personally love sony's T series.
To give Sony credit where credit is due there design is usually one year ahead of other PC makers (apple excluded).
S series was long there before the dell XPS1330 and I must say that they always use very classy materials.
I think I would be happy to use this in meetings.
I live in Japan, all sony laptops here have a standard 3 year warranty. So for me they offer good value for my business.
Regarding the blue ray drive - I think its merit is the benefit of being able to backup my hd on the fly without having to take a portable hard-drive as I currently do. Thats value!
boe @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:21AM
Great form factor / size!
Sucky 1.2 GHz processor and crappy GPU!!!! If this notebook sold for $1,000 the slow processor and GPU wouldn't matter, it would be a bargain but once you exceed $2,000 for a glorified calculator that can run notepad at snappy speeds and maybe solitair if you overclock it - seems a bit wasteful.
When they come out with this same unit with a 2.4 GHz Centrino 2 or faster and a decent GPU - please wake me up- I'll be happy to upgrade my 2.5 year old laptop - otherwise it would be a downgrade for me. ALthough my laptop is a pound heavier, it does have a 13" screeen - no reason to dump my 2.5 year old laptop for a new one that really only beats it in one area that matters.
Kalen @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:05PM
When I go to the website posted in the press release (www.sonystyle.com/pr/tt), it shows that the only way to get blu-ray is not with a $2700 model, but a $4300 model. Also, it seems as though the only way to get the 1.4 ghz processor is to buy the the most expensive model.
I know it is just a pre-order at this point, but I hope I will be able to upgrade certain things on the computer. I waited all this time to upgrade my TX, and I'll be damned if I will be upgrading from 1.2 ghz single core to 1.2 ghz dual core. I'm also a veteran of sony press releases, so i know they are not the greatest when it comes to consumer relations. Only time will tell I suppose
DennisR @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:20PM
How come nobody's rethinking the outdated typewriter keyboard layout?
Each finger has at least 4 keys (some 8 or more) but the thumbs (the most flexible of our fingers) have only HALF a key!!
Here's a laptop design inspired by the Advantage keyboard from http://kinesis-ergo.com
http://filskov.dk/david/netbook_idea.jpg
Mr. B @ Sep 23rd 2008 4:39PM
If nothing else this should lower the price of the TZ series.
NotMark @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:31PM
Love the specs, hate the colors. (Champagne??!? Half red?? ) The carbon black looks the best.
Give us white Sony! Who cares if they say you're copying Apple.
Jeff McNabb @ Sep 24th 2008 4:38AM
That's one of the sexiest laptops I've ever seen. Definitely the best looking VAIO I recall seeing. Too bad it's so expensive. And it doesn't run OS X. :-\
RK @ Sep 24th 2008 2:08PM
great little notebook - and certainly not a netbook...but the netbooks are creating a sales/marketing problem for those ultra light notebooks...
I used to to have a 10,6in Sony - my favorite notebook ever - and was looking at the TZ... but with the limited processors and graphics, handicapped by Vista and the high price point, I decided to get a MacBook Pro AND a Lenovo S10 instead for the same money...the MBP for serious stuff, somewhat portable, and the IdeaPad for light work when traveling (without having to worry about the expensive loss when it breaks or gets stolen)
so, I think the ultralight market segment is in serious trouble... unless you absolutely have to have everything in ONE tiny notebook, an ultralight is not as good an option as it was prior to the arrival of the netbooks...
creddy @ Sep 27th 2008 10:12AM
Seems like most of these "netbook companies" have lost sight of what made the EEE PC such a success - 3 things - light weight, low price and long battery life. If I wanted a machine for Blu-Ray, I'd buy a full-sized laptop. C'mon guys - I know ASUS has gone overboard with their model proliferation, but let's see some $200 and $300 Netbooks!
Steve @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:34AM
I don't think you can call this a netbook by any stretch of the imagination. i find it hard to call 10inch laptops "netbooks".
11inch laptops where around before the netbooks. small compacted, good spec and the latest stuff (SDD / bluray) this was gunna be expensive even before you slap a sony sticker on it
Martin @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:51AM
Do you even realize that this laptop is targeting customers with more cash than the average guy who settles for an Eee? Or would you expect a beautiful carbon-fiber casing for $400?
And as stated in the article, the Blu-Ray is optional. You aren't forced to buy it if you find no need for it, as you've already expressed. But heck, I would buy it simply because I already have over 80 Blu-Ray movies (and counting).
Bender @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:53AM
Just because a laptop is small, doesn't mean it's a 'netbook'. A netbook is more suited to basic tasks, such as web browsing, email, etc. This Vaio is in another class altogether. I imagine it is capable of similar functions to most desktop PC's (except for 3D gaming), except in a nice small package.
This is the updated TZ, not a Sony netbook.
I'm also really glad I waited and didn't buy a Z - this little sucka is just what I'm after :)
chengee @ Nov 26th 2008 12:06AM
Compared to the previous TZ, this model doesnt show much changes in the design but have added some metal details. One thing i dont like about this new laptop is the curved edges on the ends of the laptop. I dont get the point of 2 seperate ssd and blue ray drive in this machine. The laptop won't be fast enough to even do alot with blu ray movies.
I still prefer the old and classy TZ. It's still one inch thin and cheaper(better looking as well). Just dont have bluray and double ssd. If i were Sony, I would make it cheaper not adding up unnecessary items like dual ssd and bluray. Well Sony=expensive
John from San Francisco @ Nov 26th 2008 11:13PM
I own a TT-series vaio notebook. I bought it last week from Fry's.
It's very similar to the TZ, but the texture of the material is definately an upgrade. It has more curves, rather than straight edges. The battery pack seems to be much more secure, and overall, feels VERY solid (compared to the TZ).
I could only afford 3k; so, no blu-ray for me. :(