Category: Laptops / Notebooks

Gallery: new Sony VAIO ranges

Sony’s new CW series is available in several different colours including blue, red, pink and white, as well as a gloss black step up model with Blu-Ray and 500Gb hard drive. There’s a 16:9 14inch widescreen X-black LCD screen with LED backlight and an on-board NVIDIA GeForce graphics to handle HD video editing and 3D games.

Three buttons just above the keyboard give one-touch access to useful functions, including a button to start surfing in seconds without waiting for the PC’s operating system to boot up and a VAIO button which launches Media Gallery, letting you browse digital photos, videos and music tracks.

Also on board is an HDMI output which connects the VAIO to any BRAVIA for enjoying big-screen movies on your HDTV and a web cam for crisp, clear video chatting with friends and family. The CW Series is available October 22nd.

Shinychris Computers, Laptops / Notebooks

Sony X series – a light and very sexy looking laptop

Billed as the world’s lightest notebook (until the next one comes along that is) Sony’s latest 11.1inch laptop tips the scales at just 655g and is 13.9mm slim.

Designed primarily for the business traveller, the X Series is available in three finishes: gold, black and premium carbon. Customers can choose the specifications that suit them best and create their own personal VAIO X with ‘VAIO by you’ custom ordering from Sony’s website.

Sony claims that because the chassis is sculpted in tough, light carbon fibre it is both strong and incredibly light. The aluminium palm rest is designed to provide a stable base for comfortable, error-free typing on the keyboard while a new multi-finger touchpad simplifies navigation through your files.

The 11.1inch X-black widescreen LCD with LED backlight technology offers high contrast and true-to-life colours, reckons Sony, while thanks to its extremely low voltage processor and power-efficient LCD panel, the VAIO X Series offers approximately 8 hours of charge. An optional extended X battery accessory boosts stamina further still, up to 16 hours of battery life.

When away from a Wi-Fi hotspot, the VAIO Everywair WWAN lets users stay connected with high-speed access to 3G HSPA mobile broadband networks at download speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. Two USB, Gigabit Ethernet and VGA ports are complemented by 802.11 b/g/Draft n and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also a mic, headphone jack and card slots for Memory Stick and SD media. A 2.25mm Motion Eye camera is provided for videoconferencing with clients and colleagues.

The Vaio X series runs Genuine Windows 7 Professional while Energy Star 5.0 rating reduces your carbon footprint. Optional accessories include a luxurious slip case in genuine leather, external USB DVD drive and a wireless mouse.

The VAIO X Series notebook PC is available from November 2009.

Shinychris Computers, Laptops / Notebooks

Nokia announces Booklet 3G, a mini 10inch laptop

In a departure from its usual mobile phone product launch, Nokia has announced a Windows based mini-laptop PC, the Nokia Booklet 3G. Powered by an Intel Atom processor, the Nokia Booklet 3G promises up to 12 hours of battery life.

Weighting just 1.25 kilograms and measuring slightly more than two centimeters thin, it offers – as you might expect – a broad range of connectivity options, including 3G/ HSPA and Wi-Fi, giving users high speed access to the Internet, including Nokia's range of Ovi services

Shinychris Laptops / Notebooks

SHINY PREVIEW: Sony Vaio W Series netbook

I can normally see where the extra money goes when paying through the eyeballs for a Sony Vaio but I can’t say it was all too obvious when I got my hands on the Sony Vaio Mini W. It looks and feels just like pretty much any netbook out there and, in fact, there are much slinkier ones in the shape of the Acer Aspire One for example. Take a look and see what I mean.

At approcimately £400 that’s quite a lot more than any other netbook and the only thing it really has going for it, on first inspection, is the keyboard. It’s still pretty small but Sony has somehow managed to keep their isolated keys design while making it easy enough to type on. I’m not saying I’d want to write a book on the thing but it’ll drive you a lot less crazy than a lot of the others out there.

I’d need some up close and personal time with the thing to really see how much I’d pay for it but, until then, I’m not going to be losing any sleep. Oh, and brown was the other colour I was after.

Sonystyle

Daniel Sung Computers, Laptops / Notebooks

Datawind UbiSurfer netbook – free internet wherever, whenever

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Canadian company Datawind, the guys behind the Pocket Surfer, has entered the netbook market with the UbiSurfer.

Spec wise I’m afraid it gets absolutely blown out of the water compared to other netbooks available. An Arm processor with just 128GB of RAM is pretty poor. As is the SSD of just 1GB. But it does have a few features going for it that make it an attractive proposition.

Firstly, it’s tiny. If you’re looking for a really compact netbook you’ll struggle to get more compact that this. The screen is just 7-inches and it weighs just 700g. Secondly it’s only £159.99. Lastly, and by far the most crucial aspect of the UbiSufer is that it comes with a pre-installed Vodafone SIM that will allow 30 hours of GPRS web surfing a month. It’s not 3G but it’s better than a poke in the eye.

If more than 30 hours are needed a £5.99 a month fee will allow unlimited usage. The 30 hours a month deal lasts for a year, and then it’s just £29.99 a year after that. Roaming charges are pretty cheap too – just 5p a minute in Europe and the States.

30 hours should be more than enough for most surfers – the netbook has Wi-Fi as well so it wouldn’t be totally dependent on the Vodafone connection.

So overall, fairly poor netbook, fairly good data deal. For £159.99 it might be worth a punt. Get it online from Maplin.

Paul Lamkin Laptops / Notebooks