Skip to main content

Sony Introduces New Vaio Notebooks

Sony Introduces New Vaio Notebooks

Sony has officially announced its new FW, SR, Z, and BZ lines of Vaio notebook computers, all sharing common design elements, Centrino 2 processors and numerous configuration options, including Blu-ray disc drives and the option to receive the PCs without having them loaded down with trailware.

Of particular note is the Sony Vaio Z, offering a 13.1-inch display (with resolutions up to 1,600 by 900 pixels), optional Blu-ray disc drive, HDMI video output, Nvidia 9300M graphics, along with a plethora of ports, including USB 2.0, four-pin FireWire, Memory Stick/SD card reader, and with an optional 128 GB solid state drive. Expect to see the Vaio Z in August at prices starting around $1,800.

The new Vaio FW line aims at multimedia fiends, with a 16.4-inch LCD display, HDMI output, optional Blu-ray drive, Centrino 2 CPU, and Sony’s own VAIO media software that lets users share their media wirelessly through their home network to (say) PlayStation 3 consoles or home theater PCs. The Fw line should be available later this month at prices starting around $1,000, with the premium units starting around $1,750.

The Vaio SR’s aim at the fashion-conscious and will be available in two shades of pink (sunset and glossy!), two shades of silver (classic and glossy!) as well as black. The SRs sport a 13.3 inch display, Centrino 2 processors, the usual complement of ports, optional Webcam and microphone, and “Switch” technology that lets user quickly change wallpaper and other personalization aspects of the computer to “correspond to various scenarios.” Expect the SRs to land later this month at prices starting at $1,400.

Finally, the BZ series targets Sony’s business customers, offering 15.4-inch displays, Centrino 2 processors, full-sized spill-resistant keyboards, a stripped down software bundle to make it easier for IT professionals to integrate the systems into their organizations, along with a fingerprint sensor and a trusted platform module. Expect to see the BZs this month starting around $1,000.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Microsoft announces a new threat to push people to Windows 11
Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating system logos are displayed on laptop screens.

Microsoft is sharing more details of its plans to transition customers still using Windows 10 from a free offering to a paid structure if they wish to continue receiving security updates.

The company is phasing out the legacy operating system, which will reach its end-of-life support on October 14, 2025. After this, Microsoft will begin charging enterprise users a monthly fee for Extended Security Updates (ESU). Businesses must purchase an ESU license for all Windows 10 devices in order to maintain security support beyond the cutoff date.

Read more
New Nvidia update suggests DLSS 4.0 is closer than we thought
A hand holding the RTX 4090 GPU.

Nvidia might be gearing up for DLSS 4.0. A new update for Nvidia's Streamline pipeline includes updated files for DLSS Super Resolution and Frame Generation that bring the version to 3.7.

This is a fairly small update aimed at developers. I haven't had a chance to try out DLSS 3.7, but like previous updates, I assume this includes some small tweaks to performance and image quality. Nvidia commits these updates pretty frequently, usually centered around reducing visual artifacts in games.

Read more
There’s an unexpected, new competitor in PC gaming
Snapdragon's X Elite PC SoC.

Windows gaming on ARM is becoming a legitimate possibility, and it's not just thanks to the recently unveiled emulation options, but it's chiefly due to the fact that Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite is shaping up to be pretty excellent. Spotted in a recent benchmark, the CPU was seen beating some of the best processors on the current market. Are we finally at a point where it's not always going to be a choice between just Intel and AMD?

The benchmarks were posted by user @techinmul on Twitter, and the results couldn't be more promising for the upcoming Qualcomm processor. The chip was tested in Geekbench 6, and although it's important not to take these results entirely at face value, it's an impressive show of performance that bodes well for upcoming thin and light laptops.

Read more