07/10/2005
URL:
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050495,39275141,00.htm
With great fanfare and three singing maestros, Sony announced the birth of two new notebook line, the Vaio VGN-TX and VGN-FJ58 series. Quietly staying by the sidelines, the venerable Vaio S line had a chassis makeover. Almost unnoticed among the new additions to the family was the first wireless keyboard with a Sony logo.
The first thing which strikes one who beholds a Vaio VGN-TX series notebook is how incredibly small it is. Slightly over 20mm in thickness, this diminutive laptop somehow manages to shift its internal components to make space for a built-in optical drive. Even the strength of gravity manages to pull it down by only a mere 1.24kg. But true mobility is not just a matter of size. The new series has a claimed battery life of over 8.5 hours with the standard battery (9 hours for the VGN-TX17GP model). This is good news for the mobile professional who works away from office and home.
Built from the same material used in Formula One cars, the carbon-fiber exterior is tougher than steel, yet many times lighter. The 11.1-inch widescreen display has been reengineered to be razor thin and lit by environmentally friendly white LEDs. Able to play DVDs and multimedia files from the flash memory slot, Sony has made a radical departure by including support for SD/MMC cards together with its own Memory Stick format.
Unfortunately, such miniaturization comes at a price. Due to heat buildup, especially in such a compact body, the processor is limited to Intel's ultra-low voltage Pentium processors at 1.2GHz. The VGN-TX series also uses the slower 400MHz front side bus speed when other notebooks are running at 533MHz. Based on the specifications this laptop is suited for only light computing work.
The
Vaio VGN-TX17 comes in either sapphire black or platinum white. With a price tag of
S$3,999, this amazing piece of electronics will be available from November 11.
For those who cannot wait, the lower-end Vaio VGN-TX16GP notebook has a smaller processor and hard drive. Replacing the DVD writer with a combo drive, this version will be sold at
S$3,599 from October 25.
Astute users may notice that despite having a larger harddrive, faster processor and DVD optical drive, the Vaio VGN-TX17GP surprisingly has a longer battery life than the VGN-TX16GP. At the time of going to press we were still waiting for a response from the Sony team about this issue.
Consumers who do not feel comfortable squinting at the VGN-TX series 11.1-inch screen can look forward to the Vaio VGN-FJ58GP series. With a platinum white exterior, the most prominent feature of this laptop is the integrated camera located at the top of the display. Meant to simplify video conferencing and voice-over-IP conversations, this 14.1-inch transflective widescreen LCD will complement the other members of the Vaio family. Price and availability will be announced at a later date.
Unlike certain brands, Sony does not believe in giving new model numbers for incremental upgrades. The older but still popular Vaio S series has been given an extreme makeover. With a slate grey exterior and an additional LCD information panel, this series has been given a new lease of life with processor and harddisk upgrades as well. Specific details will be released later this month.
Sitting silently in a corner amidst the fanfare is the first wireless keyboard and mouse bundle from Sony. The ultraslim profile and matt black design of the keyboard, together with the avantgarde aerodynamic shape of the optical mouse, is almost reason enough to makeover your desktop. Using the proven 2.4GHz wireless technology, the keyboard has a touch pad which can be deactivated with a switch. The unique folding design transforms the keyboard into a sleek and slim piece of plastic. Coupled with a transmitter sporting a mirror finish, it is understandable if one should start using this beautiful piece of electronics as a shaving mirror.
Sony's new lineup
Model |
Specifications |
Type |
Price |
|
Pentium M 753 1.2GHz; 512MB RAM; 11.1-inch screen; DVD DL writer; choice of white or black color |
Notebook |
|
|
Pentium M 733 1.1GHz; 512MB RAM; 11.1-inch screen; DVD/CDRW combo; white color only |
Notebook |
|
|
Pentium M 740 1.73GHz; 512MB RAM; 14.1-inch screen; DVD DL writer; integrated camera |
Notebook |
TBA
(to be affirmed) |
Vaio VGN-S series (refreshed model) |
TBA
(to be affirmed) |
Notebook |
TBA
(to be affirmed) |
Wi-Fi keyboard and mouse |
2.4GHz radio frequency; touchpad; optical mouse; folding design |
Accessories |
TBA
(to be affirmed) |
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