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Sony introduces limited edition VAIO Nebula FW laptop
Sony's done plenty of limited edition "Signature Collection" laptops before, but it sure does seem to be particularly excited about its new VAIO Nebula FW model -- how else can you explains such imaginative advertising copy as the blurb above? Better still, the laptop demands a relatively non-premium starting price of $809.99, and packs some more than respectable specs across the board, including a 16.4-inch display, your choice of Core 2 Duo processors, up to 8GB of RAM, a range of SSD or standard hard drive options up 500GB, and a Blu-ray drive that comes at no added cost to the base price. Of course, if that nebula design is a little too flashy for your liking, you can also still grab the laptop in basic black or brown for the same price.
Sony's 16.4-inch VAIO FW laptop gets previewed
Maybe it's the 16.4-inch panel, or maybe it's the built-in Blu-ray drive. Whatever it is, Sony's VAIO FW has garnered quite a bit of attention. Just a fortnight after getting (extra) official, this nimble monster made its way into the loving arms of NotebookReview, where critics couldn't resist giving us a sneak peek before penning the fleshed-out review. We'll just get it out there -- initial impressions are really positive. Fit, finish and build quality were all deemed "excellent," and the overall design was dubbed "beautiful." Performance seemed to be above par during limited testing, though the screen is apt to be one of those love it or hate it ordeals. Check out the read link if for nothing more than a couple more shots.Update: CNET has a full review of the unit.
Sony extends Xross Media Bar UI to Vaio FW laptops
Sony really likes the Xross Media Bar. So much, in fact, that the PS3-like interface has appeared in its Bravia LCD TVs for some time, and now it's putting that same interface theme in its new Vaio FW laptops. The Vaio Media+ software uses the same left/right, up/down scrolling UI to help extend its "digital living room" all the way to your, um, lap. This all makes sense, and we welcome a consolidated UI theme, but this means, of course, that Sony is pretty much locked into this theme for some time, and we won't be seeing any major interface changed to the PS3 like we have on the Xbox 360 Dash, for better or worse.
Sony's new VAIO Z, FW, SR and BZ laptops go official
Leaks, rumors and teasers have told us just about everything we'd ever need to know about Sony's new VAIO lineup before we ever laid eyes on it, but Sony has finally confirmed its new VAIO Z, FW, SR and BZ laptops. They share a common design language, Centrino 2 processors, configuration options and setup software to remove that icky trial ware, and a whole lot of Blu-ray between them. Of particular note is the VAIO Z, which packs a Blu-ray drive and HDMI into a 1-inch thick, 3.4 pound, 13.1-inch 16:9 form factor, and even discreet NVIDIA 9300M graphics and a full size hard drive bay, with an option for dual SSD in a RAID configuration (which is just rubbing it in, if you ask us). The Z, FW and SR keyboards are all of the isolated, raised key variety, which might remind people of the MacBook keyboard, but is actually a design Sony has been toying with for a while now. The 13.3-inch VAIO SR is Sony's bid at bringing its ultraportable line "mainstream" with supposedly aggressive price points, multiple color options, and a four pound form factor which leaves room for discreet graphics, but sadly no Blu-ray. The 16.4-inch VAIO FW, on the other hand, has room for it all, with a 16:9 aspect ratio screen well suited to playing back Blu-ray movies. Finally, the VAIO BZ skips over the home theater fanciness and shows a growing commitment from Sony in the business laptop space. There's a 15.4-inch screen, magnesium alloy case, spill-resistant keyboard, vPRO and all that other fancy security-related business stuff, though no HDMI or Blu-ray to speak of. The BZ and FW start at $1,000, the SR at $1,400, the FW premium at $1,750, and the Z will hit at $1,800, with an SSD option for $2,300. All should be available in the late July / August time frame.%Gallery-27612%
Sony teaser points to laptop refresh on Monday
Sony Style is running a rather large teaser on its main page, featuring a quite distinctive power button and the blurb "Performance / Style / Mobility. Redefined." Hrm. We wonder what it could be?[Thanks, Mathias S.]
Sony VAIO FW, SR laptops get unofficially detailed
As if it wasn't already clear enough that Sony had a bundle of new VAIO laptops in the pipeline, this latest leak of some seemingly official German spec sheets should clear up most of the remaining mystery, with them breaking each of 'em down to the very last detail. That includes details on two different 13.3-inch VAIO SR models, the VGN-SR19XN and the VAIO VGN-SR19VN, the former of which boasts the usual integrated graphics, while the latter bumps things up to a Radeon HD3470, along with a boost to a full 4GB of RAM and a 200GB, 7,200 rpm hard drive -- both pack a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 processor. On the decidedly larger end of the scale is the 16.4-inch VAIO FW, which looks to be available in a whole host of configurations, with options including ATI 3650 or 3470 graphics, a Blu-ray drive, and the same Core 2 Duo P8400 processor used in the SR. Of course, none of this is quite set in stone until we get the official word straight from Sony, but we wouldn't bank on any surprises with these.
Sony Vaio FW and SR series show up on Circuit City
We'd already heard the Vaio FW and SR series were due in short order, but they've since apparently shown up on Circuit City's site. The pages are down now, but the shots of the 16-inch FW (which looks pretty reminiscent of the old school Vaio Z-series) and 13.3-inch SR are still live, indicating model designations VGN-FW140EH and VGN-SR140EB. We'll keep you in the know.[Via Notebook Review]%Gallery-26410%
