Sony Unveils New VAIO Lineup

There were no surprises as to what Sony unveiled this evening with the new VAIO lineup as the leaks came fast and furious over the past couple of weeks. The VAIO Z, VAIO FW, VAIO SR and VAIO BZ series were all announced tonight.

Sony VAIO Z

The VAIO Z is a 13.1" portable notebook replacing the existing VAIO SZ. The VAIO Z has a new XBRITE-Duraview screen designed to resist scratches that tend to show up more on glossy screens. In addition, a high-resolution screen of up to 1600 x 900 will also be available in the Z series.

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The VAIO Z of course makes no compromises in terms of design with a brushed aluminum look in a durable carbon fiber casing. The new Intel Montevina "Centrino 2" technology is also part of the mix too of course. You can get up to a 2.53GHz P9500 processor.

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WWAN is part of the mix with built-in wireless Sprint Mobile Broadband. Since this is a Sony machine, the company that has been most aggressive with Blu-Ray, the option is there to have a built-in Blu-Ray optical drive -- which is pretty amazing for a laptop of this size.

Just like with the VAIO SZ the VAIO Z has a switchable hybrid graphics system, allowing you to set graphics performance instantly for some light gaming on the Nvidia 9300 or extend battery life by switching to Intel 4500 integrated graphics

Ports wise the VAIO Z comes witha Memory Stick media/SD card slot, three USB ports, i.LINK IEEE-1394 port, microphone and headphone jack and an ExpressCard 34mm slot.

The VAIO Z is also available in a dual channel 128 GB solid state drive (SSD) model. Faster and more durable, the SSD unit provides a rapid boot-up and quicker access to applications than is typical of standard hard drives.

The standard VAIO Z notebook will start at about $1,800 while the SSD model will go for around $2,300. Both models will be available online at www.sony.com/pr/z. They will also be sold at Sony Style stores and select retailers around the country starting in August.

Sony VAIO FW

The Sony VAIO FW notebook comes in multiple configurations, including a premium and a standard model. The premium model plays Blu-ray Disc high-definition content like movies in full 1080 HD resolution when connected to a compatible HDTV. It can also record, store and play back personal content on high-capacity BD media.

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Weighing a little over six pounds, the FW notebook features a 16.4-inch display (like we saw with the recent Acer Gemstone Blue) which combines the benefits of a slightly larger 17-inch widescreen with the smaller "footprint" of a 15.4-inch model. The VAIO FW comes with the option of Sony's XBRITE-HiColor LCD technology on select models.

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The VAIO FW has the new Intel Montevina platform on board and you can get up to a 2.26GHz Intel P8400 processor and graphics in the form of the ATI 3470.

The port selection includes a Memory Stick media/SD card slot, three USB ports, an i.LINK IEEE-1394 port, microphone and headphone jack, and a 34mm ExpressCard slot.

Sony VAIO SR

The VAIO SR is a 13.3" widescreen notebook with XBRITE-ECO technology that will include ATI graphics in the form of the HD3470 and also the new Intel Montevina platform with up to a Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz processor. The weight will be around around 4.2lbs.

Constructed of lightweight, durable magnesium alloy, the SR notebooks are available in five colors- night black, sunset pink, glossy pink, classic silver and glossy silver.

The keyboard is different to past VAIO notebooks in that the unit's individual keys are slightly raised, producing a user-friendly touch and improved typing experience.

The VAIO SR port selection includes a Memory Stick media/SD card slot, three USB ports, i.LINK® IEEE-1394 port, microphone and headphone jack and a PC Card (type-II).

Sony VAIO BZ

The VAIO BZ notebook has a 15.4-inch widescreen display and full-size keyboard while weighing less than six pounds. An optional anti-glare screen featuring Sony's patented XBRITE-ECO LCD means business users can enjoy a brilliant display yet not have everyone around you being able to read data on the screen.

The VAIO BZ comes with a durable magnesium alloy casing to endure the knocks, bumps and accidents common to frequent travel. It also incorporates G-SensorShock Protection technology to counteract sudden movements helping to prevent damage and data loss. A spill-resistant keyboard panel has been added to help protect the internal components of the computer against accidental spills.

The BZ notebook is powered by the Intel Montevina platform and also includes Intel vPro technology for businesses that use the remote management capabilities that offers.

Since this is a business notebook the BZ also features a stripped-down software load so that the notebook can be imaged faster greatly reducing set up time for the IT professional. The VAIO BZ also employs a biometric fingerprint sensor, a Trusted Platform Module compliant chip and proprietary hard disk drive password protection software to help protect data from unauthorized access.

The VAIO BZ port selection includes a Memory Stick media/SD card slot, three USB ports, i.LINK® IEEE-1394 port, microphone and headphone jack and a PC Card (type-II) slot.

 

Sweet! Can't wait to try out one of the new Z series notebooks!

 

Hm, the price is a bit high, but the VAIO Z does look nice! What's the weight?

 

3.31 or 3.4lbs depending on model

 

Are you sure about the Z having a PC Card slot? From the photos I've seen it doesn't look like there's enough room for a standard PC Card. Also, the specs (official pdf and the german leaked specs) we've seen elsewhere imply it's an Express Card 3/4 slot. It's also harder to believe considering this is supposed to be the best of breed type notebook. It would seem backwards (and a waste) to have PC Card technology. Can you confirm?

Regardless, I wish Sony would update their site so I can place my pre-order for the Z. I'm still running my original 1st generation VAIO VGN-S170P series. I think I deserve an upgrade.

 

New models or not, their customer service stinks. Look elsewhere for your laptop joy. I have an SZ and the support is the pits.

 

EDIT: Ok, I saw the news post http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/computer_peripheral/notebooks/release/35845.html where it says PC Card. Of course, I still say it doesn't jive with the images which clearly show a PC Card won't fit in the same area as the Express Card slot as shown here: http://news.sel.sony.com/images/lar...ral/notebooks/Z_Black_-_Left_Side_Open_lg.jpg

Is this another case of US customers being second class citizens and getting the inferior product? If so, that blows.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth, groovy! I am still debating whether Z or SR is a better buy for me, but yeah my S170P, despite still running strong after 4 years, is getting long in the tooth. Although like my S-170P, I want to customize...

 

Groovy, the specs say Express Card, so don't worry.

http://news.sel.sony.com/documents/...ral/notebooks/VGN-Z520NB_spec_sheet_FINAL.pdf
http://news.sel.sony.com/documents/...ral/notebooks/VGN-Z530NB_spec_sheet_FINAL.pdf
http://news.sel.sony.com/documents/...ral/notebooks/VGN-Z550NB_spec_sheet_FINAL.pdf
http://news.sel.sony.com/documents/...ral/notebooks/VGN-Z570NB_spec_sheet_FINAL.pdf
http://news.sel.sony.com/documents/...ral/notebooks/VGN-Z591UB_spec_sheet_FINAL.pdf

 

Doh! Nice find! I'd say the VGN-Z591UB is the only one i'm looking at unless they have a Customize-To-Order option.

My only dismay is the use of 5400RPM HDDs....unless they're hybrid drives. Otherwise i'd prefer a 7200RPM HDD which would really make the noteboook fly.

By the way, the UB in the model number screams of UBER. I'm sure it will cost a pretty penny since it has the Blu-Ray burner...

 

Yeah, I wish to be able to customize with 7200RPM HDD, too. I would also like to have an ATI video card, but only SR offers that. And finally, I want a pure black one, like TZ, or an anniversary edition purple one, like TZ 505 Limited Edition.

 

Does this notebook use the slow and incompatible Intel graphics chipset or one from ATI or Nvidia? I like the Intel CPU, but when paired up with Intel graphics.... look out. Intel has a bad reputation for 3D compatibility and lower quality video performance. The delay just proved again how bad it really is. No one to date can get their hyands on a system, so beware!

 

If Windows is your thing you most certainly have way more choices for a much lower cost similarly equipped notebook. Sony is way too expensive for just a common Windows PC.

 

That BZ looks interesting......

 

Thanks for sharing, Andrew! Nice!

 

You may want to check the specs. This is a hybrid system not unlike the previous SZ. It features the latest Intel integrated graphics X4500 HD AND Nvidia 9300M GS with 256MB of dedicated memory. You can switch between the two on-the-fly. The X4500 HD is Intel's latest integrated graphics so it's bound to be better than previous generations but time will tell.

Regardless, you get BOTH! One for better battery life and one for better performance so it's the best of both worlds.

 

I can't belive it, 13.1 with 1600x900

I've been waiting for 13.1 screen with 1440 x 900 and the x300 was too expensive. I thought dell would release this on the xps m1330 but no news yet.

 

the Z is sweet. I just got my SZ jacked so i might have to get one of these. I really would like a full sized express card though - we can agree that built in audio on these things is horrible. id need a full size express card for a creative xfi soundcard... unless anyone knows of any others that fit in the 3/4one? might be a deal breaker for me

 

So...which one would be the "gaming" laptop, or at leats closer to that?

 

These Sonys are not aimed at gaming. But if you had to choose one it would be the FW that has most GPU power.

But better go for a different brand.