Sony Announced X Series

>

Sony teased the Vaio X at this year’s IFA conference in Berlin, which essentially functions as the European version of CES. With no spec sheet or press release to be discovered, all we know are the bare essentials from Sony’s press conference. Now, fast forward to just a few months later, and Sony has unveiled its newest netbook, the VAIO X. This time, the X looks set to razzle and dazzle with its super slim form factor, lightweight style and really pricey cost. Of course, the magnesium alloy chassis and carbon fiber frame of the notebook doesn't come cheap by any standards, but it does give it a feel that's just excellent for the enterprise users that this netbook is targeted at. How perfect you ask? We'll uncover out alot more over the next couple of pages but let's begin with our usual exterior photos and table of specifications initial.

So how was Sony able to achieve such a thin and light netbook? The VAIO X’s chassis is created of a magnesium alloy, and the lid is built from carbon fiber. This material makes it possible for the screen to flex, which can be a bit unnerving, but Sony said that it’s developed to bend somewhat. Also, by using an Intel Atom Z-series processor, which utilizes much less power (and creates much less heat) than the N-series Atom chips in most netbooks, the business was able to make the netbook incredibly slim with out requiring a fan. The lid of our evaluation unit was matte black, as was the inside, with a bronze underside that felt slightly rough to the touch. Sony also provides the netbook with a Champagne Gold lid, but only for the model with a 128GB SSD (more on that later).

There are some inevitable niggles we need to have to address. The very first is the cramped keyboard. Sony does its greatest, with the isolated keys giving higher margins for error when typing, but the tiny correct Shift key takes a lot of finding employed to, as do all the keys in the bottom-perfect region: the full stop and cursor keys are a particular challenge. We by no means looked forward to utilizing this keyboard. The tiny touchpad is also an concern. It appears odd to contain such a tiny touchpad when there's plentiful space below the keyboard, particularly since Sony has included a scrolling region at the bottom and far proper of it. At least it is responsive when you touch it in the correct location, and coupled with the relatively little screen we found it usable when travelling.

Running on an Intel Atom Z550 (2.0GHz) processor, sporting 2GB DDR2 RAM, a Samsung 128GB SSD, and integrated Intel GMA 500 graphics, the VAIO X was slightly sluggish in our genuine world handling. Of course, every little thing turned out better when Aero was turned off, but this felt strange, seeing as how our previous encounter with typical netbooks with Aero turned on in Windows 7 RC was lag cost-free. Strangely, this isn't reflected in our efficiency benchmarking tests in the Windows 7 operating system as the scores do indicate a fairly quicker efficiency compared to your average netbook. Maybe this could be some thing related to the slower FSB between the processor and the chipset. Note that we would have loved to test the VAIO X employing PCMark Vantage, but regrettably, we had been unable to get it running.
Packing a specially created 4-cell battery, the Intel Atom powered notebook ought to do fine in our battery test, and given its lightweight form factor, it should score pretty high in our Portability Index test. The battery essentially locations the two battery cells at the side whilst the middle has a depression to accommodate the trackpad on the chassis. It is an innovative design for sure instead of locating a spot to squeeze a battery into the chassis, Sony fits the battery around the VAIO X's design.

Sony’s VAIO X is so light and stylish, this product is practically in a class by itself. It sets a new normal for portability. Furthermore, the built-in 3G and GPS ensures that users will be connected wherever they go. Still, for an 11-inch program, we were disappointed in this machine’s small keyboard and touchpad. If you have the cash, the VAIO X’s industrial design will certainly turn heads, but you will sacrifice ergonomic comfort.