Sony has yet to appear on the market with a VAIO mini laptop; in fact, Sony has been openly reluctant to produce and sell a netbook. Sony executives have said the cheap laptop concept doesn’t align with Sony’s “premium” corporate image. That said, I’ve seen Sony make some pretty crap electrical gadgets before, my TV for example, so this could be taken one of two ways: snobbery or a joke.
But in recent years, Sony has come out with some very genuine, high-end products that back up this claim. Sony’s Bravia range of televisions is a market leader, they have carried on the legacy of ‘Walkman’ against the power of Apple’s iPod and iTunes and in gaming, it has extended its PlayStation brand, replacing the PS2 bestseller with the PS3 with a staggering £425 RRP against Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii. Their VAIO line of laptops is also very good.
But have they abandoned the netbook market entirely? Technically, yes. Try searching for “netbook” on Sony’s VAIO minisite, no results. Sony is not and will not be associated with the cheap and cheerful image presented by Asus when it introduced the Eee PC. But they do have a VAIO laptop that is small, light and portable: the VAIO TT.
The TT is an impressive product, offering an 11.1-inch screen, up to 9 hours of battery life, and a weight of 1.3kg, putting it on par with the HP 2133 8-inch mini-note. .9-inch and lighter versions of the Asus Eee PC 1000. All TT models feature a strong carbon fiber chassis in a choice of two colors, ‘deep black’ and ‘gold rush’. Sony claims that carbon fiber is “used in the manufacture of race cars or aircraft and is 200% stronger and 30% lighter than conventional materials used in computer chassis design.”
A byproduct of the larger screen is a larger keyboard that’s almost (but not quite) comparable to that of a full-size laptop. The keys are large and slightly spaced apart, with the center of each key indented marginally for better precision.
With the background of Sony’s TV, the 11.1 screen comes with a lot of experience. Viewing in its 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and 1366×768 resolution is a delight. Also, the ability to read blu-ray discs (or any disc) provides much more flexibility. You don’t have to waste time burning DVDs or downloading movies online, and the quality is such that viewing quality isn’t compromised either.
The enormous battery life of up to 9 hours lends itself to use during a business trip, more than enough for a full day of work. Sony has incorporated a variety of energy-saving and efficiency features, such as a battery care function that prevents battery drain, automatic adjustment of the LCD screen brightness based on the environment you are working in and usage ultra-efficient Intel Centrino. 2 technologies.
Connectivity is certainly at the heart of the TT, with 3G ‘Everywair’ built into several models with speeds of up to 7.2mbps. A T-Mobile SIM card is included in a free trial. Fortunately, you can remove it and use your own SIM card so you are not bound by a new contract.
Perhaps then, Sony has definitely entered the mini laptop market, but specifically marketing it as if they haven’t. Oh yes, the website highlights the “slim and sophisticated design” and how portable it is, but Sony is very reluctant to use the ‘n’ word. Maybe it needs to be said for them, maybe not.
The difference between the VAIO TT and a typical netbook like the Asus Eee PC or the Acer Aspire One is profound. Are they in the same league? As for the price, certainly not; The VAIO TT is expected to retail for around £1,200 for entry-level models, compared to a more modest £200-300 for your everyday mini laptop. It’s certainly just as portable and usable; however, it’s clear that Sony has taken a different approach to portability.
Asus pioneered the netbook by starting over, building a small computer that could handle simple processing tasks, fast internet, and make it affordable. Sony’s response was to reduce the size and weight to make it ultra-portable while maintaining excellent performance. The result is a very high-performance laptop that has the size and weight properties of a netbook; it is, if you prefer, the fancy mini laptop.