VaioVgc-ls1
Latest
Sony's iMac-like Vaio VGC-LS1 announced, reviewed
Back in our former lives as sales drones for the big box retailers, we used to cram all our computing gear onto the coffee table, because, well, we couldn't afford a proper desk. We sure wish Sony had been around back then with its all-in-one Vaio VGC-LS1 Media Center desktop, which like the latest generation of iMacs, packs all of the PC components neatly in and around a flat-panel LCD. First appearing in Japan several months ago, the LS1 will finally make it stateside come September, and PC Mag finds the Core Duo-equipped multimedia powerhouse to be a worthy adversary for similar machines from Apple (a wireless keyboard and mouse come standard here) and especially Gateway (its horribly-designed Profile 6 isn't even fit for public display). The LS1 improves upon Sony's previous all-in-one offering, the VA11G, by getting rid of the hardware at the base of the display as well adding ExpressCard and SD slots -- though you still have to deal with an unsightly appendage in the form of a tethered USB IR receiver dongle. The built in TV tuner, dual-layer DVD burner, and 250GB hard drive make this model sound perfect for college students or as a bedroom PC, but the main drawback lies in its lack of HD support: not only is it missing a Blu-ray drive, you're not getting a single HDMI, DVI, or component input for filling that 19-inch, 1,680 x 1,050 screen with high definition goodness. Overall, though, the $2,100 machine comes across as a pretty capable performer with an eye-catching design and only a few, mostly minor drawbacks -- meaning that we would have been proud to give it a home in our dingy little studio apartment.Read- LS1 announcementRead- PCMag review
