Getting hands-on with the Sony Vaio Lifestyle PC
We managed to be among the very first to snag a coveted Sony Vaio Lifestyle PC, so here are a couple of in-the-wild photos, plus some first hands-on impressions.
Despite the small overall size, we found the keyboard fairly easy to use. At first, the lack of a touchpad worried us, but the trackpoint was fast and responsive, and after 15 minutes or so, we got fairly used to navigating with it--a very light tap on the pointing stick will give you a left mouse click. We're still not entirely sold, however, and still think a touchpad is better for many tasks.
The 1,600x768 screen has a higher resolution than many 15-inch laptops. Some initial attempts at online video streaming played fine, and the built-in Verizon-powered mobile broadband worked as advertised.
Even with Vista as the operating system, the Vaio seemed to run about as well as any Intel Atom system with XP we've used (2GB of RAM and an SSD hard drive help). With Windows 7, purportedly excellent for Netbooks, it would probably fly (relatively speaking).
It's hard to convey just how small this thing actually is. In the photos below, you'll see it positively dwarfed by an HP Mini 1000.
Stay tuned for a hands-on video, as well as benchmark testing and a full review.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
In this case, more like a crystal shot glass, lol.
Other than that, I wonder about navigating with that ugly red button wedged between the keys.
Reminds me of an old IBM Thinkpad from years past.
I'll probably hop on for a second or third generation P-series.
@Charlie_V:
"This is not a computer designed for use by anyone with less than perfect vision."
In other words, it's designed for the youthful who want to be out and about more so than you oldies with your VHS tapes ^^;.
For those wondering about the pricing, the CES coverage article stated that it would retail starting at $900 with various upgrade options.
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10131906-100.html?tag=mncol
@Brian:
"Looks like a nice protable DVD player."
The original article (and this as well) didn't mention it having an optical drive option.
Stare at that puny screen long enough--no matter how "youthful" you think you are--and you might as WELL submit your application for 'oldie' status. Tiny and lightweight might be great for toting around, but your eyes will be toast a lot faster than ours have become of any of us old farts.
The argument that you brought up is based on the currency exchange, which is a different type of whining. And to add more to that, you can't really complain about an argument that uses the currency differences as a reason to back yourself up with. Blame the European economy for not keeping up in its lacking aspects if you want to do that. Otherwise, suck it up because there *is* a reason why there are different values in currencies. One currency simply isn't equivalent in value to another.
Thats right currencies have different values and the British Pound is worth more then the US dollar. So I believe what Notoapplefanbois was trying to point out was that the Vaio P is expensive in the USA at a $900 USA starting price it is a lot more expensive in the UK as its starting price is 850 pounds which is the equivalent of it costing about 1300 US dollars.
Although I think you should take a look at Australian pricing & Specs before you complain too much as Sony is still charging an arm and a leg but they rip out the GPS and 3G modem down here.
Other point, looking at asus t91, will make it hard to buy that one .
Also, it's still a bit early for manufacturers to be taking Windows 7 into account, especially with products that are extremely limited in terms of upgrading potential such as these mobile devices. The *beta* recently went open, and the *beta* works fine, but exactly how are manufacturers supposed to future-proof this if a near-final build isn't out yet?
I have had both sony and apples products I prefer the Vaio to other laptops and I prefer the ipod to most players each has its own unique merits. But in both cases both Apple and Sony overprice their products.
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by Caliginosity
March 6, 2009 12:16 AM PST
- Alright. So I'm blown away by the styling (as usual with a Viao) and I definitely think there is huge potential with this device. I'd personally love to see a touch-screen integrated in the next generation to take advantage of the touch options of the new Windows 7 OS (and getting rid of the nasty, evil red dot). Having a Built in GSM SIM slot for 3G, 3.5G GPRS etc would be perfect in markets outside the US. Integrating a swiveling LED MicroProjector would be a wholly justifiable upgrade component for its intended market. I don't know about you guys but I'd much rather drag this into a coffee shop than a full blown notebook for general browsing and really light applications. (Did i mention I was blown away by the styling?)
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