Sony's VAIO P 'mark 2' hopefully learns from past mistakes

While we had high hopes for Sony's sleek and beautifully crafted VAIO P back in the day, it's become a major point of frustration and thus, ridicule, ever since we first powered it up. This $900ish ultra-portable is the very symbol of what tends to go wrong at Sony: beautiful hardware is crippled by software leaving consumers wondering why they paid a premium for such an undistinguished user experience. Now Techradar is reporting that Sony has a VAIO P "mark 2" ready to launch in October or November -- we suspect right after Windows 7 launches. The only real detail provided is that the "mark 2" will feature a "much-improved boot-up time." Whether that's the result of inherently fast-booting Windows 7 alone or via some third party Instant-on technology like Corel, well, Sony isn't saying.

[ratchetnclank @ Jul 10th 2009 6:14AM]

Needs to be cheaper.

[betafrog @ Jul 10th 2009 6:34AM]

So does yore ma!

[Lee @ Jul 10th 2009 6:40AM]

No, she's cheap enough.

[Silencethisnoise @ Jul 10th 2009 6:45AM]

Hahaha -- First "Your Ma" joke I've seen on engadget. Any other regional variants of the American style "Yo' Momma"?

Oh yeah...Sony...I do wonder who they are targeting with the strange dimensions of the Vaio P. It looks like it would fit in a handbag
well, but doesn't look particularly useful for typing or websurfing.

Maybe I'm wrong. Does anyone have one of these and find them useful?

[Ryan @ Jul 10th 2009 7:48AM]

As long as it fits it your pocket, it's ohtay.

[OneLove @ Jul 10th 2009 10:01AM]

If they only improved the boot time, then sony is still smoking crack and has lost touch with consumers.

[Adam Williamson @ Jul 11th 2009 5:38AM]

silencethisnoise: I have a P (I'm typing this comment on it). I love it. I've done all my work on it for the last three weeks while I've been away from home. The dimensions have already been explained by Sony: it's the smallest system you can build with a reasonably sized keyboard.

The shape is also such that you can fit it in the inside pockets of a suit jacket, which sounds bizarre but which I've actually found useful on a few occasions. Mainly, though, it's so small and light you can just grab it on its own, or throw it in almost any kind of bag, as you're going out the door. Even with a 'regular' netbook, that's not quite so much of a no-brainer (you get a bit tired of carrying, say, an Aspire One around after a few hours).

Of course, mine runs Linux. Not sure I'd be enjoying it much with Vista.

[j_g_puff @ Jul 10th 2009 6:33AM]

My single experience of a Sony laptop left me wondering how a new computer could possibly be so sluggish. After a few weeks I put Ubuntu on it and have enjoyed it ever since. A couple of the function keys don't work, but at least it boots in less than 3 minutes.

[FAP FAP FAP @ Jul 10th 2009 6:46AM]

LOLWHAT
3 SECONDS?
O_O; /caps

[Frostblade10 @ Jul 10th 2009 7:01AM]

I see "3 minutes". I dont see an Engadget post edit button. If there is one, please tell me.

I personally have a hands down rape computer so if I were to be getting a vaio P, the only use for it that i can think of besides playing music from my shared music is playing an SNES emulator or something on it. The Vaio P does have at least one USB port, right?

I was following the P release since it was first hinted at with that single blurred picture on Engadget and, yeah, I was really disappointed with how the end product turned out. I REALLY hope the "Mark 2" is worth it because if it is, then ill pick up one in a hopefully-less-than-1200-dollars-with-an-SSD-and-not-sluggish-running-Windows-7 heartbeat.

[Terry @ Jul 10th 2009 10:01AM]

Once you remove the bloatware they are fine.

[Tosser @ Jul 10th 2009 12:33PM]

try PC decrapifier

[skinned @ Jul 10th 2009 7:54AM]

Yeah, I doubt they learned. Sony usually doesn't.

[Steve @ Jul 10th 2009 7:03AM]

I received the white one for my birthday earlier this year and its become a great comic book reader when I take it along with me to restaurants, diners etc. I pre ordered Windows 7 so hopefully that will make it more useful. It does attract attention...well...it did when i first got it!

[Patriks7 @ Jul 10th 2009 11:57AM]

How old are you? 7? Comic books in a restaurant?

[Tony @ Jul 10th 2009 1:00PM]

You could always take an actual comic book with you to a restaurant... or find a date...

[Ethos @ Jul 10th 2009 7:31AM]

You think if you could rotate the screen to make it a tablet it would work well(camptive)? I mean it's small and light and compact,I guess it's personal opinion but I think it would work.

I'm not up to date are there any major new cpu's going into netbooks nowadays besides those CULV(?) the low power ones?

[Fizy @ Jul 10th 2009 8:26AM]

I have the 1.6Ghz version with an SSD drive. I think that makes a huge difference on functionality. They keyboard is great. It is a premium ultraportable, but if that is what you want there is no machine that is more beautiful. I found most netbooks felt cheap in the hand; the Sony isn't cheap and doesn't feel cheap. The screen also is the best out there.

[deckyon @ Jul 10th 2009 8:52AM]

While the whole "netbook" concept is intriguing, I cant say I have seen one as a "must have." While the Sony Camcorders are great, and their console systems are decent, their PC's have always been more money than they are worth. I have yet to see anything on the computer side of Sony wow me. Actually, that is not entirely true. Their UX series I wanted, and still want. But again, the price-point was too exclusive.

[beschizza @ Jul 10th 2009 9:00AM]

Thomas, the current Vaio P already has Corel's instant-on technology, as pointed out by commenters on the very post you link to!

[Eddie.exe @ Jul 10th 2009 9:07AM]

Past mistakes? You mean like costing more than a decent full on notebook? Sigh, remember when one of the main selling points of netbooks was that they were ultra cheap? Hell, wasn't that the point of them??

[Ethos @ Jul 10th 2009 9:34AM]

Haha exactly, But Sony being Sony cunningly went with the "Ultraportable" instead of Netbook.

[yegon @ Jul 10th 2009 9:15AM]

Picked up one of these for much cheapness recently. The extended battery, allowing about 5hrs usage, hiked the price up but it's been well worth it.

Slap XP on there and the 1.33ghz model runs like any other netbook, and actually better imo thanks to the higher res screen. That said, the P occupies the unique position of being the only computer I've ever owned that I'd prefer a *lower* resolution - 1360x768 would be the sweet spot for me. 1600x768 is still entirely usable though, far more so than the usual 1024x600.

The other key difference is the tracking nub, waaaaay better than a tiny trackpad imo, but that's entirely subjective. One of my mates handed it back to me after 5 minutes, found it totally unusable :)

Basically, I love it, flaws and all. Does the tasks I want from an ultra portable - Firefox, podcasts in iTunes, SD video, SCUMM - very well and it's very practical to carry around.

[AnnoyingPoster @ Jul 10th 2009 9:19AM]

theres 2 things i like about the P, its screen resolution, and the mouse track stick instead of the capacitive touch pad. however, it needs to get a multi touch screen to compete now that win7 is on the verge of coming out and the archos 9 is looking amazing.

also, sony makes it, so you know theyll fuck it up somehow and price it at double anything else comparable. idiots.

[common sense @ Jul 10th 2009 9:44AM]

As long as Sony continues to think they are smarter than everyone else in the computer industry and continues to make the "Sony Version" of the operating system and will void your warranty if you change or alter it...then charge you two to three times for the privilege of using it, then Sony will continue to prove they should not be making computers. Sony is basically to computers as Verizon is to handsets!

[NOCknock @ Jul 10th 2009 12:48PM]

Give me a Asus netbook with ion in a Sony shell and I would be in heaven. At Asus prices or course, not Sony's.

[iKurt @ Jul 10th 2009 2:00PM]

Just buy a refurb Macbook Air, it has a displayport or mini-DVI which is a digital output as well as a robust unibody construction unlike this piece of crap VAIO. Plus, the Air has a real Core 2 Duo chip inside, which should play hi-def content flawlessly.

[yegon @ Jul 11th 2009 5:08AM]

Problem being, in no way shape or form is a MBA an ultra portable, the whole point of the P.

[mingoochingoo @ Jul 11th 2009 10:41AM]

For all you people that say sony is overpriced are sorely mistaken.
The current FW can be configured for blu-ray playback, 16'' 16:9 1080p display and a ATI 4650 1gb ram (not the best, but it's decent) all for 1089.99. I just configured it myself at the sony website.
Tell me another comp that can do that?
And they have one of the best build quality. I dropped my fz from my bed, a good 4 feet high, onto hard a vinyl floor. All I got was a chip in one corner, but everything was still working, the computer was still on, the display was still on, harddrive was still chugging.
so no, not all sony laptops are overpriced, just learn to configure....

[dupond858 @ Jul 18th 2009 10:05AM]

I have to find a link on comparative between SONY VAIO P and and a clone

http://best-of-high-tech.com/eng/laptop/gemsta-viva-is-a-sony-vaio-p-clone-from-china/

[dupond858 @ Jul 18th 2009 9:51AM]

I have to find a link on comparative between SONY VAIO P and and a clone

http://best-of-high-tech.com/eng/laptop/gemsta-viva-is-a-sony-vaio-p-clone-from-china/