When you can count the top gadgets of CES on the fingers of one hand, Sony’s new VAIO P Digital Lifestyle PC certainly figures high on that list. SlashGear was invited to an exclusive Sony event this week and given one of eight pre-production units to test out over the next two weeks; I’ve been carrying the VAIO P instead of my second-gen Apple MacBook Air (reviewed here) and in advance of our full review have got some first impressions.
Shortly after officially announcing the new VAIO P, Sony spent some time demonstrating the brand new ultraportable to SlashGear. In our video demo, here are all the details missing from the sparse press release: ports, memory card slots, everything you want to know about VAIO P connectivity.
Sony today officially announced the VAIO P Lifestyle PC, their answer to the popular netbook niche. The $900 1.4lb ultraportable measures roughly as long as a business envelope, and has integrated WAN WiFi b/g/n, LAN and Bluetooth with Verizon 3G EV-DO. It’s around 10-percent smaller than the VAIO TT.
We’ll update with live video as soon as it’s processed
The folks over at Engadget seem to think that the device they snapped a picture of here is the fabled Sony VAIO P, a super small netbook we took a look at late last month. In case you don’t remember, Sony claimed that the P “fits in a pocket”.
Reports are coming in and from all over the place revealing more specifications on the Sony P or “Light” as it is being called. This news may or may not be true, but given the amount of time before Sony announces device at CES 2009 it is more than likely correct.
It looks like Sony is really jumping into the Netbook business. All the teasing comes to almost a climax today when the company released specs and a picture of what they’re calling the Sony P or P-series. According to SonyStyle, the P stands for “pocket”. Whether the P fits in my pant pocket or not, I can’t wait to get my hands on a unit; hopefully sooner than later.
In the wake of Sony New Zealand’s teaser campaign, promising a new VAIO announcement on January 9th, comes Sony Japan’s piece of the puzzle. In their slightly more forthcoming teaser a woman is shown taking a long, narrow device out of her handbag – a device similar in proportions to the VAIO netbook seen at the FCC - with the tagline “VAIO New Mobile Coming Soon”.
When first announced back in September, the Sony VAIO LV-series was described as a High-Definition PC/TV. That blurring of distinctions between computer and entertainment gives a good idea of how the company envisages their all-in-one slotting into your lifestyle; a relatively rare HMDI input, allowing external sources to use the LV as a 1080p-capable display, helps single the system out even further. Are TV tuners, Blu-ray and Dolby Digital surround sound enough to let the VAIO LV replace your current HDTV?
Sony’s VAIO VGF-HS1 Home Server, which was launched in Japan back in May, has finally appeared in the US. Unlike its fellow circular-HTPCs, the HS1 is basically a network-attached storage and streaming device; outfitted with 1TB of storage from dual 500GB 7,200rpm hard-drives, it supports remote backup, DLNA streaming and one-touch photo and video transfer.
In a world of $250 netbooks and credit crunch, is there a place for a high-end ultraportable that, in its peak configuration, costs $4,345? That’s the question Sony – and plenty of others – are asking about the new Vaio TT, its latest luxury notebook. A carbon fiber chassis, WWAN, Blu-ray and RAID options all draw upon the latest technology available, but have they over estimated the market? SlashGear pulled on a pair of museum-standard gloves, buffed the test bench to a dull sheen, and prepared to find out.
SlashGear Japan
