Hasta La Gadget!

Looks like Sony is preparing to freshen up the top end of its laptop range with a pair of new VAIO series, the SA and SB. An Intel Core i7-2620M is found populating a listing for an SA1X9E/XI model, alongside 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 128GB of SSD storage, AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics, and a 1600 x 900 resolution squeezed into a 13.3-inch screen. All that for a measly £1,571 (nearly $2,500). What’s intriguing about that 2.7GHz dual-core CPU is that Intel lists a February 20th launch date for it, potentially giving us a hint as to when Sony will put the trigger with its refresh. The VAIO SB laptops are set to be the tamer offering, being built around the latest Core i5 chips, though we’ve yet to know for certain what any of these new machines will actually look like. So, for your speculative pleasure, we’ve embedded a video after the break with some prototypes spotted at CES that could end up slapped with the SA / SB labels.

Continue reading Sony VAIO SA and SB show up at European e-tailers with 13-inch screens, Core i5 / i7 CPUs, SSD options

Sony VAIO SA and SB show up at European e-tailers with 13-inch screens, Core i5 / i7 CPUs, SSD options originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh yes, it’s a laptop processor war here at CES with AMD’s new Fusion APUs and Intel’s fresh Sandybridge CPUs gunning for core territory, but Sony’s not pickin’ sides when it comes to its new seriously mobile VAIOs. Kicking it off on the lower end is the 11.6-inch, 3.2-pound VAIO YB Series, which is being refreshed with AMD’s Brazos E350 APU. Sony doesn’t consider the YB to be a netbook — in fact, it doesn’t plan to continue with its netbook line after this quarter — but like most of these other Fusion systems (see: HP dm1 and Acer AO 522) the Y promises long battery life along with really solid graphics. Actually, according to the product manager, the platform has been out performing Intel’s Pentium processors. The system will be avilable with Windows 7 Home Premium, 320GB or 500GB hard drives, and 4GB of RAM — as you would expect, the $549 base configuration only gets 2GB of RAM and 320GB of storage. The Intel-powered YA Series will still be available with a Core i5 processor option for close to $750.

So, what does Sony have in store on the more powerful ultraportable end? Well, it’s the VAIO Z, expect it’s now being replaced with the VAIO SA series, and not only is the 13.3-inch laptop being refreshed with new Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, it’s been drastically retooled with a floating hinge screen design, a new cooling system, a USB 3.0 port, and innovative sheet battery. The latter, which will be available separately for $200, attaches to the bottom of the 3.4-pound chassis and can actually charge the primary integrated battery to give the system an extra 6.5 hours of endurance — that means the entire system could run for up to 13 hours according to Sony’s claims. Unfortunately, Sony wasn’t up for removing that switchable graphics toggle — nope, no NVIDIA Optimus here — but its ATI 6630 graphics should provide a good amount of gaming muscle. However, Sony was able to manage cutting a few bucks off the price — the regular hard drive version will start at $1,250, while SSD models will start around $1,800. Those looking for a more budget 13.3-inch VAIO can also nab the refreshed S Series, which packs Intel’s first generation Core processors and the orignial WiDi. That enough for ya? We’ll have hands-on impressions of the SA and others soon, but until then enjoy the shots and press release after the break.

Continue reading Sony VAIO SA with Intel’s latest processors primed to take over for the VAIO Z, VAIO Y picks up AMD Fusion

Sony VAIO SA with Intel’s latest processors primed to take over for the VAIO Z, VAIO Y picks up AMD Fusion originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD’s Fusion processors might finally be well and truly official, but all the hardware that will wrap around them hasn’t yet filtered through into public knowledge. One such machine is the above, as yet unnamed, VAIO laptop from Sony. It’s an 11.6-inch machine driven by an E-350 Zacate chip (meaning a dual-core APU running at 1.6GHz) and the particular unit we handled also came with 4GB of RAM, 500GB of HDD storage, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth and that utterly delectable pink lid. Construction felt solid enough, with little to no flex in the keyboard and a sturdy display hinge. This HDMI-equipped laptop also feels pretty light in the hand and is easy enough to hold and to adore with just one hand. The one thing that shocked and disappointed us was that once we unplugged it from the mains, the VAIO offered us a measly three hours and six minutes of autonomous runtime. Before you rush to accusing AMD of over-promising with its Fusion chips, do note that it was running an Internet Explorer-based graphical benchmark, which obviously isn’t your typical usage scenario, as well as Sony’s excessively frugal 3500mAh battery. This thing with a beefier power cell could be a pretty gorgeous lightweight mobile computer, in our opinion, let’s see if Sony decides to give us such an option when it makes it official some time soon. The AMD rep informed us that this and all the other Zacate laptops should be making their way to market in the next six weeks.

Sony shows off 11.6-inch VAIO laptop with AMD Zacate goodness inside (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s little mid-range Vaio just got a little more little. The Y series, launched back in January, is shrinking from 13.3 to 11.6 inches with the new VPCYA19FJ/B model, but still offers a perfectly respectable resolution of 1366 x 768. The CPU is an Intel Core i3-380UM processor running at 1.33GHz, storage is provided by a 320GB disk, between 2 and 8GB of memory is available, and connectivity is provided by Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, and the ever-popular HDMI port. All that will supposedly still net you six hours of battery life when it ships to lucky Japanese shoppers with laps on November 27th at an as of yet undisclosed price.

Continue reading Sony shrinks Vaio Y series to 11.6 inches, threatens to cut you if you call it a netbook

Sony shrinks Vaio Y series to 11.6 inches, threatens to cut you if you call it a netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think Apple’s MacBook Air is one overpriced ultraportable? Have a gander at the build sheet for Sony’s refreshed VAIO Z. The same machine that we took a peek at this February has seen a predictable fall update, right alongside legions of other Sony lappies. The 13.3-inch machine can now be ordered with a presumably lap-melting Core i5-460M (2.53GHz), Core i5-580M (2.66GHz) or Core i7-640M (2.8GHz), an optional carbon fiber colored casing, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 256GB or 512GB SSD, optional Blu-ray Disc burner, an SDXC card reader and NVIDIA’s GeForce GT330M graphics card. Oh, and did we mention that there’s a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution on this thing? Maybe that explains the $2,249.99 starting price.

Sony’s 13-inch VAIO Z line gets updated, your wallet hurts just thinking about it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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