In a day of $300 netbooks and $500 tablets, it sure is mystifying to see Sony still pushing a secondary, $700+ Atom-powered device. That's right, Sony hasn't given up on its 8-inch
VAIO P Series, and has updated the 1.3-pound mini-laptop with a slightly different design, a faster Atom Z560 processor, touchpad, and last but not least, an accelerometer that lets you tilt the machine to the navigate the web. It's got some pretty cool tricks, that's for sure, and considering that our main complaints about
the first generation included performance and desktop navigation we're certainty taken with this next iteration. So, does a mild retooling and a smattering of new abilities make the VAIO P a better product, or better yet, worth a lofty $800? Hit that read more link to find out in our full review.
Look and feel
Without a doubt, the VAIO P's long and thin form factor continues to be one of the most unique looking gadgets in the ether. And it still truly turns heads: when we left the P on our desk, more than a few bystanders came over to inquire about its origins. Sony has tweaked the aesthetic a bit, and thankfully removed the glossy lid; it's now available in a matte orange, neon green, hot pink, white and black. It's not difficult to see why we prefer the white and black options since the color appears on more than just the lid, but those into more vivacious scenes may disagree. As previously teased, when shut it looks like a paper clip -- the color loops from the lid onto the bottom, and then to the keyboard. Though it doesn't have that shiny or silvery look anymore, the P is still a looker, if that's what you're worried about.
It also remains incredibly light and well built; at 1.3-pounds, the .78-inch thin netbook can fit into a small bag or can be tucked into a suit jacket pocket, but let's be real, beyond the models in marketing images no one puts
this thing in a jean pocket. Yet despite its portability, it's hard to use in certain situations: we continuously found it difficult to use on a lap or while lying down on a couch, primarily because a bona fide palm rest is nowhere to be found. Holding it up and navigating the desktop using the new touchpad on the screen bezel is actually comfortable if you have to access some info on the run, but it's hardly something you'd use long-term. The P still lacks in port selection -- it only has two USB jacks, a headphone socket, SD and MemoryStick slots, and an expansion port for attaching a VGA / Ethernet dongle that's sold separately for $60. Yeah, $60. Let's be real -- these are standard, expected ports, and Sony really should include this in the box for $800.
Keyboard and mouse options
Believe it: we typed this entire review on the VAIO P's small keyboard. We wouldn't exactly call it a pleasant experience, but given the space constraints, the chiclet layout was actually comfortable enough. Though the plastic keys are a bit clicky, they're fine for firing off short emails, and by the fourth or fifth paragraph of this review we were touch typing with very few typos.
The VAIO P still has a pointing stick smack in the middle of the keyboard, and long left and right mouse buttons below the keys, but an optical touchpad has been added to the right screen bezel and two small left- and right- click buttons to the left side. Dubbed the mobile nav grip by Sony, the idea is that you'd end up wrapping your hands around the screen to surf the web, and while that may seem awkward to have the keyboard hanging below, it was actually quite comfortable. We definitely defaulted to using the pointing stick or external mouse when working in clamshell mode on the laptop, but when we just wanted to quickly look something up, it was convenient to grab the touchpad and select a bookmark. Frankly, though, a full-on touchpanel would be far easier to use that what we're given here, and we'll be touching a bit more on this point in just a bit.
Screen and accelerometer
We still have major issues with the 8-inch, 1600 x 768-resolution display, and in short it's just incredibly squint-inducing. Sure, everything is super sharp, but it requires you to really stick your face into the screen to see -- not exactly the most natural way to use a laptop. For instance, when we loaded Engadget, we really had to hunch over while sitting at a desk to read the text -- and reading the comments... you may as well forget about it. While there's a zoom tool on the keyboard for this default resolution, we much preferred switching the it to 1280 x 600 by hitting the shortcut button beneath the keyboard. While you have to side scroll quite a bit with this screen setting, it's much easier on the eyes. Other than that, we wish Sony had swapped the glossy screen for a matte one -- it would have made it much easier to use outdoors. However, despite the nasty reflection, it does have decent vertical and horizontal viewing angles, and the ambient light sensor adjusts the brightness quite accurately.
The coolest addition to the VAIO P is the accelerometer. The screen automatically rotates -- albeit a bit slowly -- when you turn the device so you could read longer documents or books. We loaded up Kindle for PC, and we have to admit it morphs into a cute little e-reader -- if you don't mind having a keyboard on the left, of course. Yet again, we found ourselves wishing it had a touchscreen for turning pages. The VAIO P also takes advantage of the accelerometer with a new flick function; when you are in Internet Explorer, you can tilt the P to the left to go back and to the right to go forward. It's a fairly useful trick if you happen to be carrying the laptop somewhere or sitting on the couch with it, but it just doesn't work in enough programs. The function works in Adobe Acrobat and Windows Picture Viewer, but didn't work when we tried it in Firefox, Kindle for PC and Google Chrome, three apps where we needed it most. As you'd expect, the small speakers are quite tinny, but Sony does include a pretty nice set of earbuds in the box to compensate.
Performance, battery life and software
The second-generation VAIO P sure is faster than the first, but keep in mind that when we first tested the VAIO P at CES 2009 it
came with Vista. With that said, our unit's 1.60GHz Z530 Intel Atom processor and 2GB of RAM kept up with our web browsing and writing in Microsoft Office 2010, but showed more lag than other netbooks when trying to move around within Windows 7 Home Premium; that'd probably explain the 2.3 Windows experience score. Sony will offer the P with a faster Z560 Atom processor for a few extra bucks. We do attribute a bit of the lag to the amount of crapware that comes on the system -- the 64GB SSD only had 30GB of space left when we booted it for the first time. Removing Accuweather's widget, Shutterfly Photo Books, ArcSoft Magic-i, Webcam Companion 3, and Evernote for VAIO helped speed things up and make some space on the drive, but that's a chore no man or woman should have to endure under any circumstance. We should also mention that you can boot the Splashtop instant-on OS by hitting the Web shortcut key, but honestly, you probably never will. The Assist Key launches VAIO Care, which is actually a nice utility for tweaking settings.
On the graphics front, while the GMA 500 scored an embarrassingly low score on 3DMark06, it does support Flash 10.1 for playing back high-def Flash video. When we pulled up a 720p YouTube vid of Justin Bieber on
The Late Show it played rather smoothly with only a few pauses here and there -- obviously that's something an Intel Atom N450 powered netbook cannot do. A local 1080p video couldn't manage to play without looking like a total slideshow.
Battery life is still where the P Series falls extremely short of other netbooks. Because of its small dimensions it only has a four-cell, 19Wh battery, which in our daily use didn't last longer than three hours on a charge. On our video rundown, which loops the same standard def video at 65 percent brightness, it mustered just 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is low by pretty much any laptop standard. Sony will still offer the higher capacity battery on its site for $129, but yet again you won't find one in the box.
Wrap-up
Can you get an $800 laptop with five times the performance of the P Series, or a $399 netbook with better ergonomics and endurance? Of course, but the VAIO P is -- and will probably always be, unless it drops severely in price -- a niche device meant for those that have the cash to burn on an overpriced, albeit striking little laptop. But regardless of it not being a gadget for the masses, we'd still like to see it gain a touchscreen and more than four hours of battery life. Ultimately we feel the same way we did when we concluded
the first VAIO P review: "There's some cool stuff happening here. $800 worth of cool things? That's your call."
posted May 10th 2010 8:01AM
The Vaio P is actually a very nice laptop to use, much better than any other netbook I've used, and looks better than an iPad, eePC, or Mini. The speed is average, not too bad, but not as fast as a core i7 either (because it doesn't have a core i7).
@prodigypv It is Eee PC, not eePC
@prodigypv I agree that it LOOKS cool, and I've used one of these things for a few hours.. It doesn't even compare to the HP netbooks or the iPad.
@prodigypv Who are you trying to fool? Insane aspect ratio + sub-standard mouse navigation + slow graphics + terrible battery life = 800????
@Very Powerfull Codfish
All of the sudden, my purchase of an ASUS T101MT doesn't seem so bad :P
@prodigypv How can you say it's better than a netbook? Ofcourse is going to be better, it's A full blown laptop. They're 2 different devices. An ipad is basically a netbook. Anyway, it looKs cool, and if you can install software remotly then it's really cool. I still prefer the mac air but it sux mac os is so closed. So hopefully this takes off.
@EL MAESTRO FYI the Vaio P most definitely is not a full blown laptop. The only major differences between the P and a typical netbook, are the amount of RAM and the screen resolution.
If people go expecting full blown laptop performance out of a P, then they're going to be disappointed. One is not going to be playing Crysis: Modern Warfare 2 on a P. However it runs MS Office and web browsers including Flash very well.
@prodigypv Loving Joanna Stern's reviews!
@prodigypv sh-shut your mouth. just shu-shut shut your mouth. you look like an idiot right now
@prodigypv
Sony this thing will not sell, you are not Apple... When will these other jealous cats learn only apple can sell these premium products and get away with it SMH... Good luck sony but that thing is sexyyyyy!
@EL MAESTRO which part of Mac OS is closed !?
@prodigypv Two things:
1. There are a few contradictions between the written review and the video review (like where the tilt navigation is enabled and the specifics on resolution).
2. This is the first time I've seen something that actually makes we want an iPad more.
Man I hate to say it since Sony has been one of the pioneers of super light and sleek laptops but maybe they should stop putting out the P series until they can come up with something competitive in the netbook/notanetbook segment. I think it's great that it's so light but the craptastic battery life pretty much negates the "take it anywhere and use it all the time" thing they seem to be going for with the small size and light weight so it's basically a waste of money for Sony to bother putting this out there.
@mukatuna
"One is not going to be playing Crysis: Modern Warfare 2 on a P"
I think you're a little confused
@Ben64 It's purchase EULA that states it can only be installed on Apple hardware.
@prodigypv i like your comment bro, i dont know why it gt downranked into oblivion!
@Very Powerfull Codfish Atleast it can multitask, LOL.
@Very Powerfull Codfish I only commented on the laptop itself, not the price. And I wonder if you have ever actually used one. The 1.6 Ghz Atom that came with mine was not too bad. I am comparing this with other netbooks by the way, considering that it has an 8" screen and 1 processor. You can't expect a netbook to play games, now can you?
@Mekkakat looks sleek and very small. ergonomic wise, although not for the economy, would appreciate if there'll be a price reduction, even just a little. Opinions. http://j.mp/sony-vaio-p-laptop
@prodigypv
The Aspect ration of the screen alone Kills this device, Dont get Me wrong I have Always liked sony Laptops.. But the aspect ration is Bad enough on all those Throw away Netbooks. this skinny screen is just plain Unusable and for $800 .. a Complete NON starter.. Might make a Good Controller for a Home entertainment system..
Had to laugh as that image popped up. I was cleaning out a pile of old magazines and there inside of a 1992 popular science was a illustration dead on like that unit in the photo. What the future of computing would look like was the article or something. That and the keyboard was detachable so it was a tablet also in that profile.
I actually think this looks swish. Not that I need one, mind you - my work bag is already overflowing with nerd toys. If it works as well as it looks, well done Sony.
God that looks lush.
At that size, it might as well be a 10 inch netbook with a bigger screen and a track pad... it's in-between form-factors. There's
1. The chocolate bar form factor that fits in your pocket and the palm of your hand, then
2. There's the netbook form factor which can be carried in one hand, then
3. There's the notebook form factor which (if you're strong) can be held in one hand, but more than likely you'll always use 2 hands and sit it down.
This is, just, in-between 1 and 2. Can't fit it in your pocket (sorry, rear jeans back pocket with 50% of the unit sticking out does not count). I've seen it shoved in a jacket pocket, so perhaps there is some utility there - but if you don't want to wear a jacket with deep inner-pockets everywhere, well, you need to accommodate this unit the same way as a netbook-sized device, with charger to boot since its battery life is paultry. Then what about if you connect it to a 3G dongle?
I still think that they are on to something with the Vaio P - but this generation tweak doesn't do anything for me. The price is also.. ouch!
@buoy I get 3 hours from its 2-cell battery with Wi-Fi. I use power save profile all the time and brightness at 2 bars (~20%)
@iluvms 7 hours less than an iPad. Admittedly this is a smaller device capable of running standard desktop software, but still.
@buoy
I was long wondering what they ARE for... difficult to hold in hands, hardly fits in pockets... Once I've seen an old man using it on a desk in public library, beside books that takes much of the desk's space. From that very moment of sight I started to think that the type P is a perfectly designed device for those people, writers and "bookworms", but the clear fact that I'm not gonna have it isn't likely to change so soon.
Well that was quick!
@Spaceshipped
That's what she said?
Didn't expect a review until at least a few weeks after
I saw the post before this.
Keep it up Engadget!
I think some people will actually buy this. Count me in, maybe. Just maybe.
800$? No deal, sorry. You can buy something like Dell Vostro V3 or andd another 100 and get White MacBook.
bloatware! bloatware! bloatware!
GMA 500. No deal.
@Leindurstit
I concur, my Dell Mini 1010 has the same graphics card and it's abysmal.
@HotDog GMA500 isn't so bad. With up to date drivers and the current Flash beta you can watch Hulu in full screen.
"by the fourth or fifth paragraph of this review we were touch typing with very few typos."
that seems like an odd thing to say in the 4th paragraph of the article...
@mrqs Hah, thanks for counting!
Hmm.
I had one of these for a while, picked it up for cheapies off eBay (broken hdd). Fixed it, put Win7 on there and it was...okay. I really, really wanted to like it but, regardless of processing power, I think it is actually *too* small. Not so much the keys, but if you use it on your lap you have to keep your knees together and, like the review said, lean in to the screen.
Anyway, sold mine on in the end for a teeny profit :)
It's clear that this is a luxury product. Nobody is going to buy this because he/she needs it. So, with that in mind, this is very very cool and it's going to sell not very well at all, I imagine. But I suppose that it still is going to make Sony money.
I would go for an X or Z series VAIO tbh. This just looks too... girly. But still, it shows that Sony is miles ahead of other companies in terms of engineering, innovation and, of course, expensiveness.
If it had a piece of fruit on the back you would all be wanking furiously right now.
@doomlordis
Yeah, in that case it would be magical and a revelation.
@doomlordis
Correction a half eaten piece of fruit!
@doomlordis
And it would be priced /even more/ aspirationally.
@doomlordis I so badly want Sony to put a peeled banana logo on the back of this now.
@doomlordis
I lol'ed at the "and an expansion port for attaching a VGA / Ethernet dongle that's sold separately for $60. Yeah, $60. Let's be real -- these are standard, expected ports, and Sony really should include this in the box for $800. " part. So ipad-ish.
@doomlordis
Who said I wasn't?
Strange device. It's seems like it's a very confused form factor - not a netbook, not an ipad, and not a laptop.
All 3 of the above perform their respective functions better, I can't see where Sony were going with this. At least if they dropped the price they could have competed in the netbook Market.
@sl86
what about "ultraportable"?
I can't see Sony going anywhere with this - too small, horribly expensive and easily beaten in performance by inferior devices. It looks great but that's it.
My sister's got a 1G and it is laggy as hell, plus, that mouse is useless.
Saw the video on the Vaio P, but not playable on my iPad and iPod Touch.