Sony Vaio VGN-TX57GN (Core Solo U1500 Processor 1.33GHz, 1GB RAM)

	This Vaio comes in a trio of colors. (Click for larger image)

Storage comes in at a reasonable 100GB from the Toshiba hard drive and there's also an internal dual layer DVD writer so you can burn up to 8.5GB of data at a time.

Sony has packed a fair bit inside the TX57GN, which is probably just as well since you're limited to two USB ports and a single four-pin FireWire for expansion. The card slot is also the older PC Card format, rather than ExpressCard--while this is fine for now, it does limit its potential in the future.

Your wireless needs are taken care of by the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you shouldn't have a problem connecting it up to a wire-free Internet connection.

The 11.1-inch screen uses Sony's X-black technology, and while this means extremely vibrant colors, it does have the downside of making the display fairly reflective. The resolution stretches to 1,366 x 768 pixels so widescreen content will make the most of the display area.

The TX57GN is fully capable of running Vista's flashy Aero interface and you also get an assortment of bundled software thrown in, including a copy of Microsoft Works and Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Performance And Battery Life
To create a laptop this small, compromises have to be made and as a result the TX57GN was only reasonable rather than outstanding in our speed tests.

Its PCMark05 score of 1,508 isn't going to break any records but that doesn't mean that it's slow by any means. In general use, even with all the Vista eye-candy turned on, it was still quick to respond and it's more than capable of turning its hand to office tasks.

If gaming is your thing, however, you'll need to look elsewhere--a 3DMark06 score of 111 just doesn't cut it for immersive gaming. MobileMark won't run under Vista yet, but according to Sony it should last for 7 hours 30 minutes from a single charge, a figure that is in line with our experience. Operating noise is extremely low, with the fan barely noticeable.

Service And Support
Sony Vaio notebooks have a one-year local warranty. At Sony's support Web site, Vaio owners can download the latest drivers. For simple problems, the company offers an online knowledge database for troubleshooting. Should the unit require further diagnosis or repair, the customer will have to send the unit to the service center. For an additional S$94.50 (US$67.10) , consumers can purchase the Vaio Overseas Service package which provides a 24-hour call center for repair requests and international warranty coverage at designated countries.

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