VaioCw
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Sony's VAIO CW draining the battery while asleep?
Thinking of picking up a VAIO CW over the weekend? You might want to hold those horses just a bit, at least until Sony (or someone) figures out what exactly is causing the batteries on these to zap themselves while asleep. Based on a raft of complaints -- nine pages strong and growing -- over at Notebook Review, it sounds as if the batteries within the outfit's new CW series (at least those with Core i3 CPUs and the 330M GPU) are fading inexplicably quick while resting, leaving many with next to no juice once they crack open the lid the next morning. All sorts of theories are flying, but one in particular seems to note that a bundled Sony battery management application could be causing cells to only charge to a certain percent even when the machine is "off." For now, some folks are actually flipping the battery out for a fraction of a second and popping it back in after putting it to sleep for the night in order to prevent the drain, but we get the feeling that a less janky fix should be in order. Right, Sony?
Core i5 and i7-equipped laptops / desktops emerge from every corner
Best Buy already stocked up on the Core i5-equipped VAIO S and Satellite E205, and now it seems that everyone else is following suit. Just weeks after Intel announced that it would be releasing Core i5 and Core i7 chips for the mobile realm, the usual suspects have already outed a number of refreshed rigs that include said slabs of silicon. Sony's 14-inch VAIO CW is now available from $829 with a mobile Core i3, while the $1,120 version ships with a Core i5, NVIDIA's GeForce GT 330M CPU and a Blu-ray combo drive. Dell has obliged by adding a 2.53GHz Core i5 to its 15-inch Studio (available now for $999.99), and there's even a version that ships with Netgear's Push2TV adapter for taking advantage of Intel Wireless Display technology. Over on the desktop side, Acer hasn't wasted any time by updating its Aspire G Predator with a sultry black shell (as opposed to the old orange one) and a 3.06GHz Core i7-950 processor, though the $3,185 MSRP should scare away all but the hardest of hardcore. Seen any others get the Core i5 / i7 bump? Shout 'em out in comments!
VAIO CW hands-on
The poor VAIO CW has to play third fiddle to the VAIO X and VAIO L tonight, but it's a pretty nice general-market laptop in its own right. Especially for the price we'd say that Sony used some pretty premium materials here. The trackpad is large and comfily textured, though it didn't seem to be multitouch, unfortunately. We found the keyboard to be nice, if just a bit shallow to the touch, and sometimes the general complement of regularness is a comfort in this crazy, mixed-up world. %Gallery-74993% %Gallery-75001%
Sony VAIO CW announced, features Windows 7 for $799
Sony's laptop event is underway, but we've got early pages detailing the new VAIO CW. Let's just say it's much more... reasonable than the VAIO X, packing up to a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo with NVIDIA GeForce GT230M or GT210M graphics under a 14-inch screen, all starting at $799. It's also a pretty chunky little thing, measuring 1.52 inches thick at the back hinge and weighing in at 5.3 pounds -- but that means there's room for a Blu-ray drive and both VGA and HDMI outputs, so you know, there's just more of it to love.
Sony VAIO X announced, starts at $1,299
Sony's just started a laptop-oriented event in NYC, but we just got our hands on what look like unpublished web pages for the new VAIO X and VAIO CW and an updated VAIO L machines. All of 'em now run Windows 7, of course, but the big news is apparent confirmation that the VAIO X will indeed have a 2GHz Atom -- although it's listed at a "2GHz Intel Processor," the 533MHz bus speed also listed pretty much gives it away. And no, you're not getting an Ion in this deal to make up for that starting $1,300 price tag -- it's Intel GMA500 graphics all the way. You're also getting an integrated Verizon 3G card and both the standard and extended batteries, however. Still is that insane? It's probably insane. We'll keep you updated as the event goes on, stay with us!
