Hasta La Gadget!

Daaaamn. We just got back from our time with the Sony X-series and it’s making us rethink the entire definition of thin as the word is applied to ultra-portable laptops — see how it casually jockeys our 15-inch MacBook Pro workhorse in the pic above. Sony’s X-series is so thin that it’s dangerous: on one hand, it’ll cut a jugular or cake with little effort, and on the other, it has just enough flex to make us worry about its ruggedness. But this isn’t Sony’s first experiment with this form factor and the carbon-fibre frame and aluminum keyboard should help with rigidity when this goes production in both glossy- and matte-plastic finishes. (The displays were all matte, at least for now.) The new X is followup to the rarely seen VAIO X505 that was available in limited markets early in the decade — only then it wasn’t sporting an Atom, 2GB of memory, or a 31Wh removable battery. According to Sony, the choice of an Atom processor is far from decided and is only on display to run the engineering prototypes here at IFA, so there’s still hope for at least CULV internals when this thing ships. Unfortunately, access to the rest of the internal specs were software blocked and Sony was zipped tight on details.

Further visual inspection reveals a pair of USB jacks, SD/Memory Stick slot, WWAN SIM slot, and folding feet on the bottom to prop up the lappie so you can attach an Ethernet cable in the mechanically yawning RJ45 jack or a Kensington lock. Unfortunately, the only video output option is VGA. Nevertheless, the Windows 7 box we tested performed as expected for such a small device — lethargically, but capably for casual internet browsing and tweeting. And honestly, we could see ourselves dropping a premium (less than $2,000 we’re told) for this 11-inch ultra-portable as opposed to the VAIO P. At least now we know what Sony meant when they said they wanted their products to be aspirational. See the new X up close with its X505 cousin in the gallery. Trust us, it’s worth a look.

P.S. It’ll be announced with official specs in October with units available for retail about a week after Windows 7 launches.

Sony VAIO X slimster hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ultrathin Vaio we’ve known Sony’s had in them: The X-Series is built with carbon fiber, so the 11.1-incher is 0.55 inches thin and weighs about 1.5 pounds (half a MacBook Air). Plus, Sony’s promising crazy battery life.

Update: Aaaand that’s cause it’s apparently got an Atom processor inside Engadget’s been told. Didn’t Sony learn anything from the Vaio P?

For those keeping score on thinness, Adamo is 0.65 inches and weighs around 4 pounds, while MacBook Air’s ballooning ass is 0.76 inches and it weighs about 3 pounds, though both of them have 13-inch screens versus the X-series 11.1-inch display. But still, Atom? And god, I don’t even wanna know how much it’s gonna cost. [Engadget]

Google’s Chrome was already the default browser on the VAIO NW we handled a month ago, and now the Financial Times delivers confirmation of a wider distribution deal between the search giant and Sony. According to the report, new VAIO laptops and desktops will come with Chrome preinstalled — an “experimental” arrangement — and, most importantly, will default to Google for both their homepage and search queries. Pair this with the agreement to bring over a million Google Books to Sony’s e-readers, and you start to see some clear lines being drawn in the sand. Intriguingly, Google is said to be pursuing similar distribution pacts with other manufacturers, which would place Internet Explorer’s stranglehold on the uninitiated user under threat. Your move, Microsoft.

[Thanks, Matt]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

Sony adopts Chrome as default browser for VAIO line originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last summer, while Dell and HP were busy pinpointing and replacing faulty NVIDIA chips in their notebooks, Sony was adamant that its superior products were unaffected by the dreaded faulty GPU packaging. Well, after extensive support forum chatter about its laptops blanking out, distorting images and showing random characters, the Japanese company has finally relented and admitted that “a small percentage” of its VAIO range is indeed afflicted by the issue. That small percentage comes from the FZ, AR, C, LM and LT model lines, and Sony is offering to repair yours for free within four years of the purchase date, irrespective of warranty status. Kudos go to Sony for (eventually) addressing the problem, but if you’re NVIDIA, don’t you have to stop calling this a “small distraction” when it keeps tarnishing your reputation a full year after it emerged?

[Thanks, Jonas]

Filed under: Laptops

Sony finally admits NVIDIA chips are borking its laptops, offers free repair originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get used to seeing Sony’s new low-priced VAIO NW pop up all over the place: not only is Best Buy heavily promoting the $800 configuration as part of its Next Class campaign, but it’s a pretty great value in general — our $880 tester with Blu-ray basically has every feature you could want in a WIndows machine. We just got it unboxed and toyed around with it a little — it’s not the smallest 15.5-inch machine we’ve ever seen, but it’s not a clunker, either. There’s just… more of it to love. Unfortunately, it’s harder to love the goofy faux-wood texture that’s been baked into the plastic — it’s very much like bad 80s rec room wallpaper. If you do work up the arm strength and fashion courage to lug this thing outside, however, you’ll find that quick connectivity is greatly enhanced by Splashtop, which allows you to quickly boot to a Linux-based shell and run a browser. It’s a nice little perk, and it should help NW owners transition into the Chrome Age quite nicely — and speaking of which, Chrome is the default preinstalled browser once you boot back into Vista. Other quick notes: the screen has pretty dismal viewing angles and it’s crazy glossy, the trackpad is textured (which we love), and we have no idea why Sony can’t bother to at least properly align all the stickers on this thing — it looks a bit of a mess. That’s just sort of how it goes at this price point — if you can get past the minor flaws, though, the VAIO NW certainly has a lot to offer. Quick Slashtop video demo after the break.

Continue reading Sony VAIO NW unboxing and hands-on

Filed under: Laptops

Sony VAIO NW unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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