Sony Vaio N Series: Slim and Chic

Sony's new Vaio N-series notebooks are designed to offer both style and power for in-home use by "culturally creative" consumers.

Sony has announced its new Vaio N series, a set of notebook computers which aren’t designed for mobile use so much as in-home use, with chic styling and color options designed to balance form and function with the home decor of “culturally creative” individuals.

“From the furniture you sit on to the artwork you hang on your walls, you coordinate every aspect of your home’s style so why hide your PC?” said Mike Abary, Sony Electronics VP of VAIO product marketing. “These new notebooks are designed to accent your interior design, as well as your life.”

The Vaio N series notebooks will be available in three colors: white, black, and “wenge brown,” which Sony describes as a creamy, coffee color which resembles wood furniture.

That puffery aside, the N-series Vaios include reasonable specs (PDF) for home use: 1.85 Ghz Intel Core Solo processors (Sony says Core Duo options will be available on select models), 512 MB of RAM (expandable to 2 GB), and 80 GB 5,400 rpm hard drive, dual layer DVD burner, 802.11a/b/g wireless networking, two USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard slot, Sony i.Link four-pin FireWire connector, VGA out, 100Base-T Ethernet, and support for SD and MemoryStick media. Topping it off: a 15.4-inch 1,280 by 800 LCD display.

Sony says the N series will be available in October at prices starting around $1,000. It’s not going to replace your desktop or become your gaming system of choice, but it passing yourself off as “culturally creative” is your thing, you could do worse.

(Hint: “wenge” is an African hardwood, usually with a fairly dark color and visible figuring.)