Sony VAIO W netbook now official in US, coming August for $499
By Ross Miller 
posted July 7th 2009 4:35AM
posted July 7th 2009 4:35AM
Now for what's missing: the reps stressed this an "in-home" product for them, and as such there's no talk of 3G or GPS, nor should hold your breath for an optical drive or SSD option. The company stressed the hardware's build quality here, and while we'll have to wait until we get our hands on to validate, like we said before, the pics aren't exactly flattering when you look at what the competition is producing. All that's left to discuss for now is the release date, pricing, and color options, so in order: just around the $500 mark, mid-August, and berry pink, sugar white and cocoa brown. Welcome to the bottom, guys. Full press release after the break.
SONY DEBUTS HOT NEW MINI NOTEBOOK IN COOL NEW COLORS
VAIO W Series Ideal for Casual Computing and Staying Connected
SAN DIEGO, July 7, 2009 – Sony today took the wraps off its chic new line of mini notebooks- the VAIO® W Series.
Featuring an ultra-portable design, the W Series is perfect for using as a secondary PC, in any room of the house, for surfing the web, checking e-mail, and social networking.
The W model comes in three vibrant colors- berry pink, sugar white and cocoa brown. A more subtle shade of the exterior hue finishes the inside of the PC while the touchpad is lined with a splash of brightness.
"The W Series lets you quickly look something up online whether searching for a recipe in the kitchen or relaxing on your recliner- there's no need to trudge upstairs to your office," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the VAIO business group at Sony. "And it's sturdy enough for the kids to use, making it perfect for every member of the family."
The W Series incorporates a high-resolution, 1366 x 768, LED backlit 10.1-inch (measured diagonally) ultra-wide display, making it easy to view two full web pages- no side-to-side scrolling necessary.
The model features an isolated keyboard with springy and responsive keys making it comfortable and easy to use. Its carefully designed touchpad and mouse keys make the PC functional and mouse movements easy to control.
The W Series unit is ENERGY STAR® 5.0 compliant, EPEAT Gold registered and incorporates eco-conscious features such as a mercury-free LED backlit LCD. Its corrugated cardboard packaging is comprised of 95 percent recycled content. Sony will also help recycle your old PC (www.sony.com/green; recycling fees may apply).
The model comes with VAIO Media plus Multimedia Streaming software, a media sharing application that lets you wirelessly stream content across DLNA®-enabled devices throughout your home network. Stream video, music and pictures from your W Series to your compatible primary PC or PLAYSTATION®3 and vice-versa and enjoy your content anywhere in the home including on your big-screen TV.
Easily transfer data, such as photos from your digital camera or music from an MP3 player, to and from the PC with the unit's two convenient USB ports. Incorporated Bluetooth® technology enables peripherals such as a wireless mouse to be utilized without tying up the unit's ports. A built-in webcam and microphone let you video chat with family, friends and colleagues. A third-party internet service provider is required.
A roomy 160GB hard drive has been included providing ample storage for all your photos, files and videos. It comes pre-installed with Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition operating system.
The VAIO W Series mini notebook will retail for about $500. It is available for pre-orders today online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/w. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and at other major retailers around the country starting next month.
Wow, I was just at the sony site
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644650994&parentCategoryId=16154
And saw this "up to 2 hours of standard power"
I think Toshiba NB205 beats this Vaio in every aspect!
Screen resolution.
Unfortunately, the absolutely pathetic battery life kills this one for me.
Its just boring,, I would have expected a little more bling from Sony. There's nothing that makes this netbook stand out from other ones.
I still think the machine looks fine from the pictures and have no idea why the author would say the pictures aren't flattering and then link to the Asus machines, which arent horrible, but definitelynot so much better than Sony's...
Spec page on Sony.com says Max memory is 1GB.
That combined with 2 hour battery life would make this a really bad netbook, wouldn't it?
Too bad the battery doesn't last long, or I will seriously consider to get this.
1005HA is easily 8 hours+ on standard battery. I expect Sony to get a little closer to 4 hours+ with standard battery if not matching 1005HA.
again, sony starts out trying to start a revolution (Vaio P, minidisk, UMD) and ends up folding into a mainstream option.
Too little. Too much.
Too little. Too much.
If this thing came with a 9 hour battery and a GPS built in I'd be all over it. But an inhouse netbook? I'm sorry we have those, they are called anything with internet that plugs into a wall. A fullsize laptopl, a nettop plugged into a tv with wireless keyboard or just a desktop. Anything would be berry than a Netbook with only 1-2 hours of battery life.
I hate to be a debbie downer but all netbooks are the same. Everyone has the same processor, HD, screen, etc. What's the point? Let's make this netbook industry interesting!
Actually, this has a 1366x768 screen. Not the first to do this of course, but still rare for a netbook.
Price isn't really an issue here. People will pay whatever Sony charges. There are plenty of people with money to burn that will buy Sony because it's quality.
I have a Sony Vaio P... And while I do like it, I must say this is the Sony netbook I was waiting for. I might consider selling off the P and replacing it with this, the W.
After all, the specs are the same or better, and I get a larger display, although the resolution leaves a bit to be desired.
Finally, 10.1" screen with HD resolution. Hope to see this screen in more upcoming netbooks.
Okay, first remember that it has that 1366x768 screen STANDARD. There are a few models out there now with 720p screens--the DELL Mini 10 and HP Mini 110 are the only ones that I know of--that offers this as an EXTRA COST OPTION. Now its generally only $25 or $30 more for this screen, not $100 more, but hey, its something.
It has a very nice physical switch for turning the Wifi on and off. It has 802.11n. Both good things. It has the slightly faster N280 Atom.
It is NOT thin at 1.3", though from the pictures you wonder if they're talking about the unit with the 6 cell battery--can the little 3 cell really stick out that far from the unit?
Two USB ports rather than the standard 3. Stupid but maybe not a big deal.
The keyboard looks well built, but it ISN'T edge to edge so its smaller than other keyboards in similar sized netbooks AND it has that stupid right shift key placement again. A shocking error. I'd call this a FAIL all on its own.
The design really does look nice though, although I agree the pink one is a bit of a shocker. The brown looks nice though.
It appears to have a good trackpad and buttons, though no indication of multi-touch, which is becoming a required feature as far as I'm concerned.
From the video at Laptop Magazine it does look like there is an access panel on the bottom, so perhaps upgrading the RAM and hard drive will be easy enough.
Glossy screen? Good speakers? 6 cell battery going to be available at something other than a ridiculous price? Have to wait for reviews or something I guess...
I looked at the specs page on Sony website, and it says 1GB is the maximum amount of RAM, so unfortunately, access panel or not, it won't be possible to upgrade the RAM I think
For those who are interested (yes I know everybody has moved on to other articles by now), there's a bunch of pictures of the bottom access panel AND the truly massive tumor that is the 6 cell battery for this thing over at:
http://www.netbookchoice.com/2009/07/08/sony-vaio-w-netbook-protruding-6-cell-battery-access-panel-in-pictures/
Now Im usin HP mini2140. It's been on the market at least 3~4 months ago, with better figure and almost same price. At that time, Sony presented Vaio P with horrible price but good looking one. For this Sony Vaio W, what's the difference between ordinary Netbooks, Design or Just the logo "VAIO"? No kidding... I can see the going down of Sony empire, finally, they threw away their last pride, the price and high end marketing. As time goes by~
The Toshiba NB205-N31x series murders this thing for $100 less, and the sony looks like a ripoff of that device. The Tosiba's chicklet keyboard is better/wider, it has a feature where you can charge devices with USB if the machine is turned OFF, it has an aluminum frame inside, it has a 6 cell battery and 9 hours of charge. An LED Screen is of no real use on a panel this size, the Toshiba screen is among the most legible out there.
No, it's the Toshiba all the way, hands down.
The new Gateway Neo processor machine isn't bad either, but for true atom based netbooks, its the Toshiba , period.
Maybe if Asus built a more Asus like netbook they could do better, but i'm not sure how.
I'd love to see a atom 330 (dual core) netbook.
the next generation of this - with 2gb ram, whatever the next gen of atom processors is with dual cores, an improved video chip and better battery life - that will make it for me.
this ALMOST does. good price, glad to see an N280, beautiful design, perfect screen.
need to change password so posting. maybe better system will help.
It's already available in Asia.
Happen to be in HK a few weeks ago and it was selling for ~$575 USD converted currency!
Looks great externally but relatively underpowered and overpriced for something that's only equipped with 1Gb memory (max. according to sales flyer I took when in HK stores!) and NO CD or DVD drive! Ouch!
It's a Sony product so expect to pay a PREMIUM price!
ill wait for the 6 cell, the toshiba netbook is more attractive atm
wow
This model is already available in Asia!
Saw it in Hong Kong a few weeks back when visiting there.
The price is relatively similar, even after converting the currency amounts.
Higher screen resolution but not so good battery life and no disc drive!
It looks great but still slightly overpriced, even by HK standards!!
It is a Sony product which "demands" a premium price, after all!
There are better netbooks available, some aren't even sold in the USA!!!