Sony VAIO VPCS111FM/S Ultraportable Notebook
August 10th, 2010
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This thin and light notebook is equipped with a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 LED-backlit display, a 2.26GHz Intel Core i5-430M processor, an Intel GMA HD graphics card, a 4GB RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a webcam, a DVD writer, a media reader, an HDMI port, a 6-cell battery, WiFi, Bluetooth and runs on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS. The Sony VAIO VPCS111FM/S is now available for purchase via BestBuy for $1,049.99.
The second generation of the Sony VAIO P min-laptop is now available for pre-order in the United States.
Sony will be brining the Vaio M netbook to the Japan coming June 19. Available in three colors – white, pink and blue, this hunk is powered by an Intel Atom N470 processor, and features 10.1-inch 1024×600 pixel resolution display, which is a downgrade compared to its older brother, Sony Vaio W which has a HD display. Unlike the latter, the Vaio M is not equipped with a chiclet keyboard and has a rather cramped key layout. 6-cell battery is standard and Sony claims around 4.5 hours of runtime.
Last week we heard that Sony was launching a special edition Vaio W netbook with a Billabong design. Billabong is an Australian company that designs gear for surfers and skateboarders, and last I’d heard the netbook would only be available in Australia. But it turns out Sony has decided to offer the distinctive looking mini-laptop in the US as well.
Want to make your mini-laptop look more like a handbag, wallet, or… a crocodile? Sony is now offering the Sony Vaio P in Japan with a cocodile skin design.
Sony’s never been one to craft a “low-cost laptop,” and even the company’s minuscule VAIO W netbook remains one of the most expensive in the sector. But this, friends, might just be one worth the premium. Announced over in Australia, the limited edition VAIO W you’re peering at above has been designed in partnership with Billabong, and the Imperial Lime lid is certainly the primary selling point. Expected to ship Down Under next month, the 10.1-inch machine will be outfitted with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, Windows 7 Starter and a GPU that’s incapable of handling 1080p material. You’ll also find an Ethernet jack, a pair of USB 2.0 sockets, built-in webcam and a 250GB hard drive, but none of those ho hum specs help to justify the AU$749 ($619) price tag.
Well, we did have some strong evidence to suggest that Sony was planning a design update to its VAIO P Series, but there happens to be a lot more than fresh aesthetics going on with the new 8-inch lappie. Sure, it gets a new matte lid that’s available in five different shades, but Sony has also updated the 1.3-pound P Series with an optical touchpad and accelerometer. The former is built into the LCD bezel and, as the picture above shows, is all about navigating the desktop by just holding the screen – the pad is on the right bezel while the right / left mouse buttons are on the left. The accelerometer is probably the most interesting addition – you can flip the device vertically to read documents, but also tilt it to the left or right to move forward or backward while surfing the web. Pretty cool stuff, and there’s even more: it’s been given a faster Intel Atom Z560 processor option, though the entry-level unit has a slightly-slower Z530 CPU. Still waiting for US pricing to see if Sony can tempt us with its notoriously expensive VAIO P when it begins shipping in June.
Instead of Intel Core 2 Duo processors in old VAIO Z notebooks, the updated version includes the Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors, an on-the-fly switchable graphics solution combining the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M dedicated and Intel HD integrated GPU, up to up to 512GB of solid state drive storage capacity, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, a DVD burner or Blu-Ray combo drive, and a battery life of up to 6.5 hours with the standard battery.