Sony has claimed that the latest version of its
505-series notebook computer is the world's lightest and thinnest
of its type.
One of the first things noticeable about the computer,
the PCG-X505, also dubbed the "505 Extreme", is its thickness,
which is 9.7mm at the front, growing to 21mm at the back where the
body and display are hinged together.
Sony managed to reduce the thickness of the machine by
miniaturising the motherboard so that it fits in a space between
the keyboard, hard disc drive, battery and PC Card slot.
Usually the motherboard is much larger and overlaps other
components so that the machine has to be thicker, but by shrinking
the motherboard to roughly the size of a Mini Disc, Sony has
managed to cut the total thickness of the machine.
Other space-saving measures include fitting the Memory Stick
slot into the computer mouse and reducing the thickness of the
keyboard backplane to 0.4mm.
The 505 Extreme carries a 1GHz version of Intel's Pentium M
microprocessor. Standard memory is 512Mbytes and the laptop
includes a 20Gbyte hard disc drive and a 10.4in TFT LCD with
maximum resolution of 1,024 pixels by 768 pixels (XGA).
Wireless Lan support is not built into the machine, although
Sony supplies a Wi-Fi card that can be inserted into the computer's
single PC Card slot.
The computer measures 259mm by 208mm and weighs either 785g or
825g depending on whether a carbon fibre or nickel-strengthened
carbon case is chosen. The carbon-fibre model will go on sale in
Japan next week, and the other next month. They will be priced at
¥349,000 (£1,918) and ¥300,000 (£1,648) respectively.
Sony has also unveiled the Vaio PCV-P101, which aims to
bridge the gap in the market between desktop computers and notebook
computers, which already make up more than half of all consumer PC
purchases in Japan but which are often only used inside the
home.
The keyboard of the Vaio P covers the screen and protects it
when not in use and folds down when in use. The screen is a 17-inch
widescreen LCD panel.
Unlike Sony's Vaio W however, which was reasonably thick, the
Vaio P is thinner and flat on the rear. A metal frame runs around
the monitor, joined to the monitor at each side but clear of the
monitor at the top and bottom so that it forms a handle with which
the computer can be carried, making the entire PC resemble
something like a large notebook computer with metal carrying
handle.
Battery life is between 30 minutes and one hour and the machine
weighs 7.8kg. The Vaio P is based on a 1.06GHz version of Intel's
Mobile Celeron processor, has 256Mbytes of memory, a 40Gbyte hard
disk drive and CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive. There is also a host of
connectors, including four USB2.0 ports, a Lan port and iLink S400
four-pin connector.
Sony will put the Vaio P on sale in Japan on 22 November for
around ¥180,000. Sony has not yet decided on plans to sell either
machine outside Japan.
Martyn Williams writes for IDG News
Service