January 7th, 2009
CES 2009: Sony announces P Series ultra portable notebook at 1.4 pounds
I am a big fan of highly portable devices and I just saw a new device announced by Sony that may just have me putting my MSI Wind up on ebay soon. Sony announced their new Vaio P Series ultra-compact notebook that has some good specs and an interesting design. The tagline is that the P Series is the lightest 8 inch notebook in the world. Rather than go for a large display in a small form factor, Sony looks to have targeted maximization of the keyboard with sacrificing the screen size and going for a small form factor.
The Vaio P Series comes in Onyx Black, Emerald Green, Garnet Red, and Crystal White. I like the green one myself.
Specifications for the new notebook include:
- 1.33 GHz Intel processor
- 2GB RAM
- Windows Vista Home/Premium
- One-button quick-boot option (very cool)
- 8 inch LED backlit, 1600×768 resolution display
- 60GB hard drive (or 128GB SSD)
- 4-hour or 8-hour battery pack
- Secure Digital and Memory Stick slots
- 2 USB 2.0 ports
- Display/LAN adapter port
- Integrated GPS receiver
- Integrated WWAN connectivity (through Verizon Wireless)
- Integrated 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth radios
- Motion Eye webcam
- Weight of only 1.4 pounds (SSD model). The HDD model weighs 1.5 pounds
- Dimensions of 10.99 x 7.87 x 0.93 inches
You can actually pre-order one now starting at US$899.99 (60GB HDD model) from the Sony store and my finger is was hovering over the orange Buy Now button at the moment. The 64GB SSD model is US$1,199.99 and the 128GB SSD model is US$1,499.99. The upper end SSD models also have limited colors available. Availability is estimated as 3 February 2009. I can’t wait to read some hands-on reports and think this looks like a fantastic mobile solution.
UPDATE: Gizmodo has a very nice hands-on look at the P Series with lots of photos and thoughts about the device. I will have to see it in person before I decide if it is worthy of a purchase because that short and wide display has me doubting how much work can really be done on it.
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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