Sony has announced its first netbook, featuring a 10.1-inch display with a higher-than-usual 1366 x 768 pixel resolution. The "Vaio W Series" includes a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g/n wireless networking, the company says.
Until now, Sony has remained aloof from the cheap-and-cheerful netbook market. In January, it did release the Vaio P (right), which uses a 1.33GHz Atom Z520 processor and offers an eight-inch display. However, Sony prefers to term that device, which measures just 9.65 x 4.72 x 0.7 inches, a "lifestyle PC," not a netbook.
The new Vaio W is more conventional, in many ways resembling the NB205 recently released by Toshiba -- another staunch latecomer to the netbook market. Like the NB205, the W features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, instead of the 1.6GHz N270 featured in most first-generation netbooks. Employing the usual 945GSE (945GCSE northbridge and 82801GBM southbridge) chipset, the device comes with 1GB of RAM, which can possibly be upgraded to 2GB, though Sony provided no information on this point.
Sony's Vaio W (Click to enlarge)
The Vaio W has the "chiclet" keyboard that first made its appearance on Apple's MacBook and has subsequently spread to a variety of other laptops and netbooks. The netbook also includes a 160GB hard disk drive loaded with Windows XP, plus a 10.1-inch screen with a higher-than-usual 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, Sony says.
Other ingredients -- wrapped up in "cherry pink," "sugar white," or "cocoa brown" -- are relatively standard fare, though the Vaio W sports separate SD and Memory Stick slots instead of the usual "four-in-one" reader. Wireless capabilities are said to include 802.11b/g/n local area networking and stereo Bluetooth, while the netbook also has two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, VGA output, a microphone input, and a headphone output.
According to Sony, the Vaio W measures 10.54 x 7.07 x 1.28 inches, and weighs 2.62 pounds. Unlike many of its competitors, the netbook is initially offered only with a three-cell battery, said to provide approximately two hours of cordless operation.
Finally, the Vaio W is said to include "Vaio Media Plus Multimedia Streaming" software, a media sharing application that allows streaming content to or from other devices compatible with the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard. For example, the netbook can share video, music, and pictures with another PC or with a PlayStation 3, according to Sony.
Features and specifications listed by Sony for the Vaio W include:
Processor -- 1.66GHz Atom N280
Memory -- 1GB of DDR2 memory (expandability not specified)
Display -- 10.1-inch LED-backlit display with 1366 x 768 resolution
Camera -- "Motion eye" webcam; resolution not specified
Storage -- 160GB hard disk drive
Networking:
LAN -- 10/100 Ethernet port
WLAN -- 802.11b/g/n wireless
PAN -- Bluetooth, with A2DP stereo profile
Other I/O:
2 x USB 2.0
1 x VGA
Microphone input
Headphone output
Expansion:
SD slot
Memory Stick Pro Duo slot
Battery type/life -- Three-cell battery delivers "up to two hours" operation
Dimensions -- 10.54 x 7.07 x 1.28 inches
Weight -- 2.62 pounds
Sony's new Vaio W series Source: Sony (click to play)
Further information
According to Sony, the Vaio W will sell for approximately $500, and will go on sale in August. More information may be found on the company's website, here.
Until now, Sony has remained aloof from the cheap-and-cheerful netbook market. In January, it did release the Vaio P (right), which uses a 1.33GHz Atom Z520 processor and offers an eight-inch display. However, Sony prefers to term that device, which measures just 9.65 x 4.72 x 0.7 inches, a "lifestyle PC," not a netbook.
