Sony Vaio
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Best Buy lets out the WiDi-enabled Sony Vaio S a week early
Looks like everyone who picked up the Push2TV a bit early can finally put the adapter to good use. We received a handful of tips that certain Best Buys were selling their Intel Wireless Display-compatible "Blue Label 2.0" laptops a bit early -- nowhere near us, unfortunately -- and now comes pictorial proof from the forums of Notebook Review. This 13.3-inch Sony Vaio S was allegedly caught wearing a $1,049.99 sticker and housing a 2.26MHz Core i5 with integrated graphics -- no NVIDIA GPU here, and we gotta figure that's hurting the displayed Windows Experience Rating. The official launch of the Best Buy-customized Vaio S is next week, along with a number of other WiDi-enabled laptops.
Sony Vaio Y11, S11 and F11 leaked ahead of launch, Z and CW series refreshed
It appears that the Vaio T's return is only the tip of a giant iceberg of refreshes coming out from Sony HQ this month. Greek e-tailer Compuland has a trio of new models listed -- seemingly prematurely -- for sale: the Vaio Y11 (pictured) is a relatively standard 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300 machine with 4GB of DDR3 memory and 320GB of storage, and its nomenclature seems to fit given that its specs land somewhere between the underpowered X and fully-equipped Z series. Speaking of the latter, Sony is adding a Core i5-520M to its refreshed Z line, as well as to the new 16-inch F11 model which adds a half terabyte storage drive just for kicks. The lesser Core i3-330M Arrandale chip finds a home in the new 13-inch S11 laptop, which may or may not be replacing the SR series we know and love, as well as a freshened up CW number. Hit the read links for early pricing and more details, and if you hope really hard maybe we'll get proper announcements from the official channels some time soon. [Thanks, SpaceCowboy1973 and Al] Read - Compuland (VPCY11S1E) Read - Compuland (VPCF11M1E) Read - Compuland (VPCS11X9E) Read - Laptopshop.nl (VPCZ11X9E) Read - Laptopshop.nl ( VPCCW2S1E)
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.
Transparent Sony VAIO X amazingly captured on camera
We've already gotten a couple of up close looks at Sony's new thin-and-light VAIO X ourselves, but it seems that the company had a little something extra for its debut at a press event in China today: an amazing transparent edition of the laptop. Of course, the chances of it ever seeing a store shelf are even slimmer than its impossibly thin profile, but we're guessing this is the best glimpse most folks will get of the laptop's internals -- as anyone shelling out $1,300+ for one of these likely won't be able to bear prying it apart. Be sure to hit up the gallery below for a closer look courtesy of our pals at Engadget Chinese.%Gallery-75444%
Sony UK site unveils new VAIO P with 2GHz Atom and Windows 7
Look, the upcoming VAIO X might be all fancy with its 11.6-inch screen and all day battery life, but Sony's not ignoring its original underpowered-and-overpriced funky laptop -- three new VAIO P configurations just went up on Sony's UK site today, all sporting Windows 7. The big news is that the top-end configuration will now sport a 2.0GHz Atom Z550, but there's also two low-end models with the 1.86GHz Atom Japanese P's have had for a while now but only the $2,000 Signature model carried Stateside. Apart from that we're not seeing much else -- this certainly looks like a modest Win7-related spec bump and not the rumored VAIO P mark 2. No word on pricing or US availability yet, but we're sure to find out more very, very soon. [Thanks, Liam]
Sony VAIO X specs and pricing leak out -- 2.0GHz Atom, $1,499?
We're expecting the official launch of Sony's hot little VAIO X ultraportable later today, but Boy Genius Report claims to have some leaked specs and pricing to think over while we wait -- and if they're accurate, you'll be staring down the wrong end of a $1,499 price tag when all is said and done. Yeah, it's not unexpected, but still, ouch. For your trouble, you'll be getting what Sony's calling the "world's lightest notebook," weighing in a just 1.5 pounds of carbon-fiber with an 11.6-inch LED display, SSD, multitouch trackpad, and a 3.5-hour standard battery life that can be pushed to 14 hours using a "super-extended" battery. Okay, not bad, but what's running this show? Well, we've got some potentially bad news to report -- we've been told that the VAIO X will have a 2.0GHz Atom Z550 inside, just like the prototypes. Yep, that's another $1,499 Sony Atom laptop -- we'll wait for the official announcement to confirm before we start wringing our hands, but we're open to your lamentations in comments.
Sony adopts Chrome as default browser for VAIO line
Google's Chrome was already the default browser on the VAIO NW we handled a month ago, and now the Financial Times delivers confirmation of a wider distribution deal between the search giant and Sony. According to the report, new VAIO laptops and desktops will come with Chrome preinstalled -- an "experimental" arrangement -- and, most importantly, will default to Google for both their homepage and search queries. Pair this with the agreement to bring over a million Google Books to Sony's e-readers, and you start to see some clear lines being drawn in the sand. Intriguingly, Google is said to be pursuing similar distribution pacts with other manufacturers, which would place Internet Explorer's stranglehold on the uninitiated user under threat. Your move, Microsoft. [Thanks, Matt]
Sony's VAIO W netbook reviewed: personable and pricey, and that's pretty much it
After Sony's unorthodox VAIO P, did you really expect the outfit's first "real netbook" to burn the house down? With Microsoft's inane hardware restrictions still firmly in place on Windows XP-based netbooks, there's only so much differentiating Sony can do, and evidently those subtle tweaks didn't exactly justify the higher-than-average $499 price tag. Computer Shopper managed to give the unit a spin a few weeks prior to its US release, and while it definitely appreciated the 1,366 x 768 resolution display, the cramped keyboard, painfully lackluster 3-cell battery and commonplace performance didn't exactly elicit huge grins across the review room. Naturally, the design here is pretty notable, but with ASUS' Eee Seashell line already lookin' pretty decent for a lot less cheddar, we'd agree that Sony's going to have to do better than put a pretty face on a vanilla set of innards to get our next five Benjamins.
Best Buy gears up for back to school crowds with Next Class-branded laptop series
It's getting to be that time of the year where all the kids and teenagers flock to retail and spend copious amounts on back-to-school gear. Best Buy knows this cycle all too well, and has hand-picked a quartet laptops to showcase for its Next Class branded lineup. So what do these laptops have? Anywhere from a 14 to 15.5-inch screen, bundled Microsoft Office and 12 to 15 months of antivirus software, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, 3GB DDR3 or 4GB DDR2 memory, 320GB HDD, a sub-six pound weight, and a three to six hour battery life. Each of the four have their own merits, from Toshiba's $650 price tag to Dell's 4.7 pound body, but to us the HP Pavilion DV4 and Sony VAIO NW stand out. Of course, you could cast your net a little wider and shop around for all kinds of different models yourself, but if you're feeling particularly lazy, this isn't a bad set to pick from.Read - Press releaseRead - Next Class website
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXIII: VAIO W netbook clone handily beats Sony to market
Turns out by the time Sony went official with its inaugural VAIO W netbook, it was already old news to the Chinese KIRF market. The "VAIO" pictured above apparently came out some time in mid-June and does a laudable job of honoring the actual one's chassis, although the keyboard is more traditional than Sony's isolated / chiclet stylings. Throw in a 10.2-inch LED display, 1.6GHz Atom processor, integrated graphics, a 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, and decently convincing packaging and you'd be liable to think you went through a time warp spotting this in Shenzhen. It's got a pretty sizable head start on the legit version, but something tells us this particular model won't be trying its luck elsewhere in the world.[Via PMP Today and Cloned in China]
Sony VAIO W hands-on roundup
Looks like our friends across the pond were among the lucky few to get a their hands on Sony's VAIO W netbook -- that still feels weird to write -- and the big takeaway here is that despite its size, the 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution screen is gorgeous. As for video, though, it's still an Atom-powered portable with integrated Intel GMA graphics, meaning smooth HD is more or less out of the question. The good news if it pans out, however, is that Sony will likely offer a 2GB RAM update, which should help out a bit. There was also near-universal love for the keyboard, with PC Pro being the lone exception, decreeing it just average when compared to what the Samsung N110 offered. Battery life couldn't be tested, and as for price? Well, no one seemed too bothered by the £400 tag, but we still maintain our own reservations until we get some time with it ourselves. You want more? A platter of impressions await you just below.Read - PC ProRead - TechRadarRead - Stuff.tvRead - What Laptop
Sony VAIO W netbook now official in US, coming August for $499
Not so much of a surprise now, but Sony's bringing its 10.1-inch VAIO W stateside as well, and yes, according to the Sony reps we talked to, this time they really do mean to call it a netbook, unlike its VAIO P brethren. Likewise, with that nomenclature comes none too surprising specs, including a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Windows XP, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, VGA out, two USB ports, Ethernet, webcam, and MemoryStick / SD card readers. The three cell battery should last an estimated three hours, and like usual there's also an option for six cell. That isolated (read: chiclet) keyboard is said to be 86% the size of a normal typing surface, and the aforementioned bundled VAIO Media plus software enables content streaming across DLNA-enabled devices like the PC or PlayStation 3. Now for what's missing: the reps stressed this an "in-home" product for them, and as such there's no talk of 3G or GPS, nor should hold your breath for an optical drive or SSD option. The company stressed the hardware's build quality here, and while we'll have to wait until we get our hands on to validate, like we said before, the pics aren't exactly flattering when you look at what the competition is producing. All that's left to discuss for now is the release date, pricing, and color options, so in order: just around the $500 mark, mid-August, and berry pink, sugar white and cocoa brown. Welcome to the bottom, guys. Full press release after the break.
Sony unveils 15.5-inch VAIO NW with BD-ROM and $880 price tag, we go hands-on
Sony announced today a new entry into its VAIO series, the NW, complete with a Blu-ray drive and what they're hoping is an aggressive pricing point. It's packing a 15.5-inch WXGA display with XBRITE, 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350, ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 with 512MB VRAM, a 4x BD-ROM drive, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, webcam, 802.11a/b/g/n, a 400GB HDD, and a Li-ion battery that's at best 5.5 hours in large capacity and at worst 1.5 hours with the standard-sized version. Port-wise, we've got VGA and HDMI output and Memory Stick Pro, ExpressCard, and SD card slots. We got a chance to get some hands-on time with the portable, and we gotta say, it's a pretty impressive little number. It's not the most slender 15-incher, but at six pounds, it's lighter than we expected. The chiclet keys -- dubbed "isolated keyboard" by Sony PR -- are comfortable to use, as is the textured trackpad. Body and hinge felt sturdy, with an intentionally rugged and stylistic feel to it, and as one rep was excited to show, the metallic "Vaio" logo on the back makes a great reflection in the sun. From what we saw, Blu-ray playback was smooth, but we did notice horizontal viewing angles weren't the best. We'll reserve judgment when we get some play time with the unit and see how hard we can push the software, but for now we're pretty happy with what we've seen. Starting price isn't too shabby, at $880 equipped with the BD-ROM and $800 without, and it comes in three colors: white, grey, and dark brown. Striking your fancy? Look for it to ship out pretty quickly, as in some time next month.
Sony Japan's aluminum VGP-BMS10 Bluetooth laser mouse
You know, we thought this Vaio mouse that Sony Japan just introduced looked a little familiar -- that's because it's almost a metallic doppelgänger of the company's mouse / VoIP phone combo first spotted way back in the heady days of 2006. The VGP-BMS10 Bluetooth mouse features an aluminum case and a sliding cover (which does double duty as an on/off switch) meant to protect the buttons and jog wheel. And no, you can't place any phone calls with it.[Via Akihabara News]
Sony shows that 'C' stands for Crocodile with skinned VAIO Type C
Shattering misconceptions that crocodiles only come in various shades of dark, menacing green, Sony has managed to genetically engineer crocs in girly pink, luscious red, and chocolaty brown colors exclusively for the sake of wrapping its CS series VAIO notebooks in organic texture. Mind you, textures are all those crocs sacrificed, as like the company's earlier Crocodile-themed machines these lappys are still made entirely of plastic and bits of silicon -- just grooved and pigmented to look like prehistoric, genetically modified reptiles (check out the detail pic after the break). The crocette devices, which are otherwise identical internally to those sporting myriad of other hues, hit Japan on the 18th for ¥104,800 (just over $1,000), and while Sony hasn't announced any plans for an international release, we're thinking if you head on down to Florida you could find yourself a good 'ol boy who could whip up one of these in no time and make a rib-stickin' stew with the remains.[Via Sony Insider]
Sony debuts beefed-up 18.4-inch VAIO AW laptop
Sony's 18.4-inch Type A VAIO laptop was already impressive enough when it made its debut in Japan earlier this month, but it looks like the slightly revised VAIO AW just announced for the UK has now taken things one step further. Of course, there's not much room to upgrade that 1,920 x 1,080 18.4-inch display, but you can expect to get a slightly speedier T9600 Core 2 Duo processor and, most notably, a 128GB SSD drive that's joined by a 500GB SATA drive in a RAID arrary, something Sony describes as a "world's first." Also, it looks like prices for this monster actually start at a fairly reasonable £999 (or just over $1,700), but you can pretty safely bet that any "world's first" features will demand a hefty premium.
Sony's VAIO R Master splits the tower
Come young grasshopper, it's time to meet the Sony VAIO R Master. Now, instead of looming over your desktop as a giant tower of yore, Sony has wisely spilt the VAIO R's innards into two smaller slabs connected via some USB/PCI Express magic. This allows you to arrange the clutter to your liking with up to 1.8-meters (about 6-feet) of tethered separation. The smaller of the boxes contains the most frequently accessed components such as BD drive and various memory card, USB, and Firewire slots while the fatter base holds the rest of the computing guts configurable with up to 4x 500GB SATA disks, a 2.96GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU, 256MB nVidia GeForce 7600GT graphics, a suite of analog and digital TV tuners, up to 3GB DDR2 RAM and plenty of PCI/PCI Express expansion slots to get you through a couple of product release cycles. All that and a bundled 24-inch, 1920x1200 pixel LCD connected over one of the base unit's two DVI outputs, one of which is HDCP-enabled, and plenty of software from Adobe and Sony to make the most of this multimedia powerhouse. And if you're quick, you can snatch the new R from the hand of Sony Japan starting October 28th for ¥192,000 (roughly $1,632) or more than ¥555,000 (about $4,717) fully equipped.[Via Impress]
Sony gets theirs: flaming Vaio brings the firefighters
Exploding Dell laptops get all the press, but that doesn't mean other honest, hardworking laptops can't get their 15-minutes of fame if they play their pyrotechnics right. And who better than Sony to produce an exploding Vaio featuring one of their very own infamous power cells? Today's story comes from Shawnee, Kansas where firefighters were called after the Vaio burst into flames twice. The first incident, which happened while the computer was idly charging, was quickly snuffed by its owner's fire extinguisher, but after the laptop burst into flames a second time a few minutes later, the fire department was called in. By the time the firefighters arrived they found the persistent Vaio on the driveway out front, fully contained by the fire extinguisher and its soul already ascending up to laptop heaven. So what's it going to be Dell, are you going to sit back and let Sony beat you at your own game, or do you have a triple explosion planned to take back the crown?[Thanks, Jason Taylor]
Copy-Protection shield for Blu-Ray, HD-DVD cracked
The next generation of optical media is riddled with safety and anti-piracy mechanisms (think the AAC encoder on Sony's music program Sonic Stage ...what a pain). With this encryption in mind, movie producers felt they could rest easier, knowing their works of art (debatable at times) could not be plundered by CyberPirates, or Cyrates.But avast, mateys! A loophole has been discovered and it's fairly elementary. The first Blu-Ray enabled PCs have the ability to take a lovely full resolution screenshot whilst a movie is playing. Manipulate that Print key (Prt Sc for the hunt n' peck typists out there) so it takes pictures to match the frames per second of the actual movie and you've got a pirated video track! Snag the audio separately and voila -- a super HD movie free for distribution.Sony and Toshiba are going to counter this with updates for the video players and graphics card that will close the loophole before too much damage is done. Still, kudos to the magazine c't that found said loophole and Heise Security for bringing it to our attention.
Sony's VAIO RC desktops with Blu-ray get (more) official
We already saw an official Sony preview of the VAIO R series desktops last month. Now in addition to announcing their AR laptop and UX micro, Sony completes the hat trick by coming clean with full specs on their Type R desktops. At the top of the heep is the RC72 Blu-ray spinnin' model which maxes out with Intel's top of the line 3.6GHz Pentium D960 processor, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT graphics with 256MB of VRAM, either a 20-inch DVI-D (HDCP) 1680 x 1050 display or 23-inch 1920 x 1200 DVI-D sans HDCP display, and 2 freakin' TB (4 x 500 giggers) of SATA disk to record television from the included terrestrial analog or digital hi-vision tuners. At the moment, these are announced in Japan only but we're sure a US press release of the similarly spec'd VAIO RC300 series with NTSC/ATSC tuners is just around the corner. Don't worry, we have time since these won't be dropping for Nippon until about mid-June.[Via Akihabara News]
