We’ve already discussed on way of getting more performance from the Sony VAIO P this morning: stump up for an imported 1.86GHz Atom Z540 version. Of course, there’s another way to make the most of the official US-spec 1.33GHz VAIO P, and that’s get rid of bloated Vista. Unfortunately switching to Windows XP isn’t as easy as you might think, with the VAIO not wanting to offer the right drivers for WWAN and GPS. Happily we now have a tutorial explaining how.
One of the more frustrating aspects of Sony’s VAIO P, at least in the US, is the sole 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor choice. It was enough to concern us in our first impressions of the “not-a-netbook” ultraportable and, after benchmarks and real-world testing, enough to mount a sizable criticism in our final review. Happily there are 1.86GHz VAIO P units available from importers, and one of those has landed with jkkmobile.
Unboxing and demo video of the 1.86GHz Sony VAIO P after the cut
The Sony VAIO P’s integrated mobile broadband makes for a great addition to an ultraportable device, but Sony and their carrier partner Verizon Wireless aren’t going to let you have it without a fair chunk of cash. Unfortunately there are no subsidized deals as such out there yet, not in the traditional sense, but Verizon have revealed a $200 mail-in rebate if you activate (or renew) a two-year data plan on the VAIO P.
Sony have announced a new version of their 12.1-inch VAIO G notebook, the Sony VAIO G3 series. Replacing the ageing current range, the new G3 line-up consists of four models, kicking off with a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo SU9300 then moving up to the 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 for the remaining three, with either 1GB or 2GB of RAM, a 120GB or 160GB hard-drive, or a 64GB SSD on the most expensive G3.
One of the major announcements for CES 2009, the Sony VAIO P has been hailed by some as the ultimate netbook, and by others as a folly of “what Sony can do” rather than “what Sony should do”. SlashGear has been using the VAIO P for near enough the past two weeks; we shared our first-impressions back during the show, now it’s time for the full review.
Just last week all knowingly false hopes of an affordable Sony VAIO P were extinguished as Amazon’s UK site fixed what was reported as a typo. Now the portable device has been spotted on store shelves in Hong Kong complete with price tag.
SlashGear may have a Sony VAIO P in the house, but what it didn’t come with was any retail packaging. As such, we’ve had to wait to see a full unboxing, and the guys at Akihabara are the first to oblige. It’s unclear whether theirs is the 1.33GHz or 1.86GHz version currently available to order in Japan (but not in the US).
The new Sony VAIO P “ultraportable” is not suppose to start shipping in the US till February, but from the looks of it those who are dying to conceal one in their coat pocket or even carry it around in their back pocket for show can not pre-order theirs from the Sony Style store.
One of Sony’s favorite things to say about the Vaio P is that it can fit in your pocket. The prospect of having such a small device intrigued many people and made the Vaio P highly anticipated going into CES. Good news? The Vaio P seems like a great device. Bad news? It barely fits in your pocket, and Sony is paying the price.
Import specialists Dynamism have begun taking pre-orders for the Japanese version of the Sony VAIO P ultraportable, complete with its 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor. The US version of the notebook has a slower 1.33GHz CPU which, as we discovered recently, leads to some disappointing benchmark results. For $1,549, though, you can have the 1.86GHz processor, together with the 64GB SSD, in the Japanese P version. As you might expect, though, there are a few caveats making this a tricky decision.
SlashGear Japan
