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Sony's 13.3-inch VAIO VGN-SZ791N gets reviewed
Just glancing at the specifications sheet, you can tell Sony's 13.3-inch VAIO VGN-SZ791N packs quite the punch for its size. After all, who wouldn't be pleased with a 2.5GHz T9300 CPU, discrete GeForce 8400M graphics, 4GB of RAM and a built-in optical drive? Still, what looks good on paper doesn't always translate into perfection on your lap, but according to a glowing review posted over at PC Mag, this is one of those cases in which it does. When benchmarked, this critter bested the highly-praised Asus U6S, Acer Ferrari 1100, Fujitsu P8010 and MacBook Air in the vast majority of tests -- heck, it even cranked out a whopping 2 frames-per-second running Crysis at high quality (seriously, that's an accomplishment). All in all, this beauty managed to impress in basically every category, and with 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editor's Choice badge, it seems that you'd be hard pressed to find a better ultraportable for $2,500.[Thanks, Kane]
Sony updates Vaio lines of high-def and ultra-portable lappies
Sony let fly a raft of new specs in several Vaio lines today, including beefing up the high-definition AR (pictured, left) and FZ (pictured, right) series and the TZ and SZ subnotebooks. The flagship desktop-replacement AR790U gets a T9300 Intel Core 2 Duo bump and sports a 17-inch display, 4GB RAM, 400GB HD, 512MB nVidia GPU, Blu-ray burner and HDMI for $3300. The FZ485U now packs a T8100 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo, 15.4-inch screen, 4GB RAM, 300GB HD, 256MB nVidia graphics, Blu-ray burner and HDMI out for $2200. In the subnote department we've got the Vaio SZ791 now sporting a T9300 Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD, and 13.3-inch display for $2500, with the TZ298 packing a U7700 Core 2 Duo, 64GB SSD plus 250GB HDD storage space, and an 11.1-inch screen in a light 2.7 pound frame for a cool $3600. All of these will be available for pre-order starting January 7 which, for the calendarically challenged, is tomorrow.
Sony adds WWAN to select SZ6 / TZ20 VAIO laptops
Those scouting a sexy new VAIO may be lured a tad closer to the SZ6- and TZ20-series, as Sony has recently announced that select models in both lineups will boast integrated WWAN capability. Dubbed everywair, the specially equipped lappies will reportedly be able to cruise the HSDPA highway thanks to twin diversity antennas "concealed in the lid," which purportedly "boost signal quality in marginal areas." Additionally, the SIM card will be inserted "directly into the laptop itself," and the included VAIO Smart Network software should make managing your connections a lesson in simplicity. Oh, and for those wondering, current models should hum along at a maximum of 3.6Mbps, but a firmware upgrade will boost that figure to 7.2Mbps "when the service becomes available."[Via JournaldGeek]
Sony expands VAIO SZ line with new SZ6 series
Sony's made no secret of its plans to give its VAIO SZ line of laptops a Santa Rosa refresh, but it looks like the company's now let loose a few more details, including the all important word on pricing and availability. In addition to that Santa Rosa boost, these ones (dubbed the SZ6 series) all come equipped with 13.3-inch LED backlit displays, along hybrid hard drives boasting 160GB of traditional storage and 256MB of flash memory. According to Laptoping.com, a range of different pre-configured and build-to-order models are available, coming equipped with your choice of Core 2 Duo T7500, T7700 or T7250 processors, and an option of standard 120GB, 160GB, or 200GB hard drives if you're not quite ready to hop on the hybrid bandwagon. Look for these to set you back between $2,060 and $2,700 depending on the configuration, with them apparently set to ship on August 1st.Read - Laptoping.comRead - Sony VAIO SZ SeriesRead - Amazon.com pre-order
Sony bumps Vaio SZ and AR notebooks to Santa Rosa
Looks like Sony's decided to go all the way with Santa Rosa -- not only did it introduce the new FZ today, it's also giving the AR and SZ lines the full Centrino Duo makeover, with Core 2 Duos ranging from 1.80 - 2GHz sitting on that oh-so-popular 800MHz frontside bus and 802.11n networking. The AR (pictured above) is the real bruiser here, with a 17.8-inch XBRITE screen powered by an NVIDIA GeForce 8400M, a built-in webcam, HDMI out, a recordable Blu-ray drive, and a digital TV tuner beakout box with a CableCARD slot. All that power doesn't come light, though -- the AR tips the scales at 8.4 pounds. Road warriors will be more interested in the 4.1-pound SZ, which drops the old-school EDGE modem of its predecessor for a Sprint EV-DO model but otherwise remains basically the same: 13.3-inch XBRITE screen with the ability to toggle between integrated Intel X3100 graphics and an NVIDIA GeForce 8400M chip to save battery life, built-in webcam, and a trick carbon fiber body on the Premium model. No word on pricing or availability, but these two rolled out at around $3000 each the last time around, so we're not expecting any mad rush here.
Sony at fault for another Dell-style T2300E switchup?
Well, aren't Sony and Dell just two peas in a pod. After getting dragged into the muck by Dell's recent battery recall, Sony is once again following the mega-manufacturer into another bit of scandal: the great T2300/T2300E switchup of 2006. Apparently, Sony's SZ2 laptops are subject to the same confusion that scored Dell a class-action lawsuit from some disgruntled consumers China. Their extensive marketing material purportedly claims a VT-happy T2300 chip, while forum buzz so far makes it sound like most purchasers ended up with the slightly cheaper T2300E. Since Intel replaced the T2300 with the T2300E in June, it's understandable that some manufacturers might fail to update their marketing material accordingly, and we're sure Sony and Dell weren't the only ones to do so. From the sounds of the Dell debacle, all Sony needs to do is quickly provide an apology and a replacement/refund option to the small amount of consumers that care for VT functionality or just want the satisfaction of getting the entirety of their laptop dollar. Or they could just do things Dell style, and deny the whole affair until it gets messy.[Thanks Afiq]
Sony adds Core Solo, Celeron options to SZ notebooks
Sony has just announced several new configurations for its SZ series of VAIO notebooks, the VGN-SZ91 and -SZ81, which add Intel Core Solo and Celeron processor options to the Core Duo procs already available. Both 13.3-inch models sport 1,280 x 800 WXGA displays, but the SZ91 incorporates a thinner LCD that lobs off a few millimeters of thickness compared to the SZ81. Battery life is also slightly better on the SZ91, with a claimed 7-hours of juice in Pentium-equipped models, which is about an hour more than the SZ81 supposedly can muster using the same processor. Other than these relatively minor differences, the features on both laptops are basically the same, with integrated graphics (GeForce Go 7400 available for extra), from 512MB to 2GB of RAM, 802.11a/b/g, PCMCIA/ExpressCard slots, and options for Bluetooth 2.0, FeliCa support, and a fingerprint reader. Sony will drop both models on the 13th of this month, with the SZ81 starting at $1,343 and the SZ91 at $1,486.
Sony's FJ, FE, and SZ get spec bumps
Look like Sony's giving their European laptop releases some spec bumps to fend off the summer slump. The most interesting is the FE line's new FE20, with Sony's new 2nd gen X-black display (aka XBRITE, some of the nicest laptop displays money can buy), which finally addresses its most typical complaint with an anti-reflective surface layer, and also throws in some extra brightness with a dual lamp backlight; the FJ line's new FJ3 gets a dual layer DVD burner, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, and a 100GB drive; the SZ series gets the SZ2 with the upgrades are the least exciting, and from what we can tell they'll just have a version with a 2.16GHz T2600 Core Duo chip, which is already available as an upgrade on the Sony Style configurator. Keep an eye out for these in the states sometime in the near future (with different names, of course).[Via MobileWhack]
