Sony VAIO UX handheld gets 3G wireless, quad OS, inflated sense of self
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted November 23rd 2009 11:08AM
posted November 23rd 2009 11:08AM
As we're all undoubtedly aware, old gadgets don't really die -- they just get modded eternally (as the continued appearance of Atari on these pages will attest). Another case-in-point: the Sony VAIO UX490N. It's been a while since we laid eyes on one of these bad boys, but apparently there's been plenty of hacking goin' on ever since, including: upgrading the SSD to the RunCore Pro IV 128GB and swapping out the 1.2GHz CPU for a 1.33GHz Core 2 Duo (overclocked to 1.438GHz). And that's just the beginning -- the cats over at the Micro PC Talk forums have also installed a voice-capable HSPA modem, swapped out the old wireless card for one that supports a/b/g/n WiFi, and installed partitions for Windows XP Pro, Windows Vista Business, Windows 7 Ultimate and Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.7. Impressive stuff, all that: but what if we told you that one fearless individual has applied every one of those changes to a single device? And that battery life was pretty much unaffected? Well, you're probably going to want the details, right? Hit the source link to get started.
Its a shame that Sony never refreshed the UX series. They brought back the C1 Picturebook series that lasted from 1998 to 2002 with the latest Vaio P, why not this?
And even more wonderfully, make it cheaper. But that said, would the Vaio P itself preclude the UX form factor? After all, the P is almost as portable and is probably better to use in my circumstances given the bigger screen and keyboard. The primary disadvantage is that you can't use a P with only two hands - you need to set it down somewhere.
And if I am not mistaken the last gen UX model came with Core 2 Solo, which last I check is a better cpu than Atom in the P, but other than that I think the P has the advantage.
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT CREEPY GREEN THING!??
It is the Chameleon boot-loader mascot. Guess what animal the mascot is ;)
OpenSUSE 11.2?
I for one, welcome our quadbooting Creepy Green Lizard overlords.
Install Android OS on it and you have my money.
=/
Why would you install Android on it? It already has Windows and OS X on it, two far more functional operating systems than Android. Provided they run fast on the system (which it should, looking at the specs), they are far superior to android
Damn.
Someone needs to tell these guys you don't Chameleon boot loader you can use Windows 7/Vista bootloader fine with a bit of help from EasyBCD.
Nobody needs Xp or Vista Business.
Is that your technical analysis of their current choice for a bootloader or are you making a suggestion? Furthermore, who are you to decide what people do or do not need? XP is still very much relied upon in business environments.
And XP is relied on a lot in the UMPC world as it still offers the best battery life and performance while retaining a huge level of software compatibility.
Uhm, Chameleon is an EFI loader, so if you want to run the stock Apple kernels and such, you do need Chameleon. Not to mention it looks infinitely better and is much easier to setup than the Windows bootloader.
Now they just need to add a linux distro to complete the ultimate weapon.
What do I mean you ask?Give this to Steve Jobs and his head would explode.
I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!
If only I had $2,000....
Hmm... This gives me an idea. I used to sell imported Japanese laptops and do the English translation myself. I'm now wondering if there's a big market for selling modded hardware such as this.
Would many people here actually pay for this kind of thing if the price was right?
$1,000 is my sweetspot. Anymore than that I'd just wait until the tech falls in price.
Of course. I'll pay up to 1.500 in a snap.
I like the idea here.
Freaking sweet. I can't believe all those mods to such a tiny machine! A core2duo in such a tight space is gonna be HOT though, but it seems worth it for that much awesome in your hand. (
Wow this is awesome. Why doesn't SONY just sell it like this though!?
BAMF
wow...
You cant buy these anymore. Why, Sony, why?
I can't imagine how slow that thing must be with Win7 on it much less Vista...ugh.
Have any of you guys tried using Win7/Vista with a 1.2GHz Atom? It's not pretty.
They put a Core2 Duo in it.
LOL! Read the article all the way next time.
Crap. Point taken :P
clean up in aisle 3
Even if they didn't put a Core 2 Duo in it... 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo (original CPU) > Atom by a long shot.
Sony is used to release this type of ridiculous items (this UX and older UX50) and never upgrade them later. They just terminate the items and makes the customers fool.
while gadgets can't be supported forever, I think there are some companies (Sony is one) that jettison products too quickly.
S16
This guy makes Sony's development team look like one man and a donkey.
You're saying it isn't?
Karma karma chameleon...
Holy shit that's crazy. The worst part is I'm sitting here waiting for the first legit dual-boot Android/WinMo device, and this shit can run XP Pro, Vista Business, W7 Ultimate, and Leopard. That's insane.
Honestly though, while this isn't something I'd purchase as a student, in the business world this thing could potentially be awesome. It's essentially a high speced UMPC running every OS necessary with 3G and 802.11n. As opposed to a bulky laptop or an almost as bulky underpowered netbook, this could be both useful and usable.
This is the same type of model John Conner used in T:Salvation to hack into the skynet motorcycle, heh.
Futuristic design. Maybe it was ahead of its time.
Someone that installs 3 different versions of Windows on a single device should be considered mentally handicapped.
@gerrrg Well you are right... I certainly am mentally disabled... I wanted to compare the different windozes on the same hardware, before deciding which one I would keep...(I have all this stupid M$ licenses anyway...)
Funny thing is this amazing machine would be a door stop without the Runcore Pro IV SSD. Thank Runcore for the 1st and only good 1.8" Zif SSD in the world. FYI, 6 times faster than any other Zif SSD on the market.
The funny part is these MPCT fellas build the best machine in the world, we got posters on engadget still criticizing and giving their two cents and our most powerful software/hardware suppliers are still CLUELESS on what to release.
That is sweet, and I always toyed with the idea of a UX, but the HTC Athena had the same form factor, better life and instant on of WM6; plus it is phone - at half the price.
@keithwwalker How should you compare a smartphone with a PC?
The point here is to have the smallest computer possible, with the best connectivity features, yet powerful enough to run any major apps. without issues.
Try to run google earth+3d building+streets with any other one-handed device...:)
By the way, if you want to have some of these mods within a UX (or TV or gps, or whatever..) just ask for Anh at www.micropctalk.com