Sony’s original take on a netbook-cum-ultraportable – the ludicrously over priced VAIO P series – failed miserably to impress, but the company aren’t giving up on the concept quite yet, no sir!
Resplendent in a range of five funky colours and packing the same beefy 8-inch, 1600 x 768 resolution screen, is the all-new update, packing built in 3G, onboard GPS, an accelerometer and curious optical touchpads either side of the LCD.
Combined with the accelerator, pages can be scrolled by tilting the VAIO, with the touchpads doubling up as mouse buttons, making for an unusual way of controlling a netbook.
Powered by an Atom Z540 chip, running Windows 7 and backed by 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM a 64GB SSD and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500, it’s a reasonably well specced wee beastie indeed.
Rounding off the feature set is 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, stereo speakers with mic, a Motion Eye camera and 2 USB port.
Pricing and availability
The VAIO P weighs in at just 632 grams and claims a battery life of 5 hours (10 hours with optional bigger battery), but pricing hasn’t been announced yet (think: eye watering), but if your pockets are deep enough, if could be yours next month.
It certainly looks rather lovely.
Press release:
Sony delivers a smarter on-the-move computing experience: Ultra-portable, easy to carry new VAIO P Series
10 May 2010
· Colourful ultra-portable PC weighs just over 600g· New design for two-handed operation while standing or walking
· GPS and Digital Compass
· Accelerometer sensor
· Built-in Everywair 3G
· Clear, bright, widescreen VAIO Display Plus
· Easy to use with Quick Web Access
It’s smaller than a notebook and smarter than a smartphone: the colourful VAIO P Series from Sony is your perfect partner for on-the-move computing.
Weighing just over 600g and slipping effortlessly into a bag or jacket pocket, new VAIO P Series gives you all the power of a fully-featured Windows® computing experience… and so much more.
Ideal for busy people who can’t sit still, it’s the first VAIO designed for simple operation if you’re standing or walking. The central trackball is complemented by an additional touchpad and mouse buttons. Duplicating the main controls, they’re located at either edge of the screen for comfortable operation with both thumbs while you’re holding the computer in two hands.
VAIO P Series is the first notebook computer from Sony with built-in GPS and a new Digital Compass. Perfect for telling you where you are and what’s happening around you, they can help you find your hotel or a nearby restaurant if you’re standing on the street corner in an unfamiliar city1.
A brand-new VAIO Location Search software offers a real-time map view without tying up your web browser. Your map position and orientation are displayed along with nearby Points of Interest and even local weather conditions.
The ultra-light notebook’s ‘on-the-go’ credentials for travellers are boosted with Everywair 3G on-board, giving high-speed connectivity to mobile networks (where available).
New VAIO P is the first notebook from Sony with a built-in accelerometer that responds to physical movements. Just give VAIO a gentle shake to ‘flick’ through pictures or the pages of a PDF document, or navigate back and forth through your web browsing history.
The sensor also recognises when VAIO P Series is turned on its side, automatically ‘flipping’ the screen for easy reading of documents or web pages in portrait mode. The notebook’s additional mouse buttons are perfectly placed for comfortable page-turning when you’re reading in portrait position – just like a paperback book or magazine.
New VAIO P Series is beautifully designed for easy operation, with a comfortable full-pitch keyboard for easy typing, plus a bright, extra-wide VAIO Display Plus that’s ideally proportioned for viewing movies or two web pages side-by-side. There’s also an ambient light sensor that dims screen illumination for comfortable viewing while saving power.
For extra convenience, dedicated buttons are provided for Quick Web Access and one-touch access to VAIO Care. There’s also a handy new Change Resolution button: instantly select a larger font size for easy on-screen reading, or choose maximum detail for HD movie viewing.
Available in five vibrant colours (black, white, pink, green and orange), the new VAIO P Series is complemented by a choice of stylish accessories that includes a distinctively perforated silicone slip case and carry strap.
The new VAIO P Series ultra-portable notebook computer is available from June 2010.
I’ve got the P788K. Not suitable for professional use because:
After upgrade to windows 7 professional so that I can use XP mode, I found that Sony does not support hardware virtualization and the bios locked so that you can’t enable it. This makes applications not yet upgraded to Windows 7 or older software unusable. Also, the pre-installed windows home edition is a proprietary OEM version. My upgrade from Microsoft’s site stripped some functionality and now I’m having difficulty getting the GPS to function.
The screen has great resolution, but its size is only good for travel. For normal use you need a remote monitor.
For Ethernet and remote monitor your need Sony’s proprietary I/O module (VGA only) at an additional $50 for a simple plastic adaptor. Or a USB docking station for $200.
The keyboard is reduced size. That combined with Sony’s annoyingly small right shift key slows typing. For normal use a remote keyboard is needed.
In short, the P Series is a high end netbook. The additional features IMHO don’t provide much use for the average user and those who seek it for the features I expect will be constrained by its limits.
By the time you configure as above, for the same price you can outfit the entire family with Acer Aspires and parents and kids will be fully functional without sharing.