Sony VAIO 10th Anniversary Bash and VAIO UX180P Coverage (pics)

The keyboard was a bit spongy feeling and the build amazingly soft and brittle for this VAIO laptopon display (view large image)

Last night, Sony had a media event to introduce the AR series of notebooks (overview posted last night) andthe newVAIO UXUMPC device. The excuse used for the party was Sony VAIO's 10th anniversary, so they had a few things on display. Let's take a look.

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1999 -VAIOC1 Series. First ultraportable with a built-in camera.

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2004 -VAIO X505. First Sony carbon fiber model. Very thin. (VAIO X505 Review)
2005 -VAIO T-Series. First computer from a major manufacturer with a built-in WWAN. (VAIO T Review)

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2006 -VAIO SZ. VAIO's 10th anniversary model. Demo only, not for sale! So if you want some Swarovsky crystals on your VAIO logo, you'll have to DIY! (VAIO SZ Review)

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2006 -VAIO VGN-FJ290P1/V. Limited edition FJ seriesWild Violet 10th Anniversary VAIO. Available at the end of May for about $1,400. (VAIO FJ Review)

For whatever reason, all the old laptop models were behind scratched-up plastic cases, while the current models (desktops and other entertainment devices) were within reach. Sony's own photographer found that strange and doubted that the organizers were worried about theft. The photographer gave me some tips for shooting through glass that I'm saving for the next time.

There were also a handful of posters hanging around:

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1996 -VAIO 90 Series. First VAIO computer introduced in the US.

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2000 - VAIOLX Desktop. First consumer pen tablet in the market.

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2004 - VAIOX505. Clippings from a fairly clever ad that mean something completely different when blown up 3x the original size. I guess they only had two "regular" posters and needed something to cover up the wall.

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People mulling around, waiting for the obligatory speeches and the unveiling. Watch a 2-minute video about what Sony has been up to for the last 10 years. Sony bigwigs sound desperate to impress upon the media the words innovation and revolutionary. "So it is, once again, revolutionary, setting the stage for, once again, innovation, for VAIO." De-emphasizing the $3,500 price tag on the VAIO AR, sounding almost sad.

2006 - VAIO UX180P UMPC...

And now, the keynote - Sony announces what everyone has been waiting for, "the world's first full-function pocket-sized PC. Now, this is also very revolutionary..." Sony says they listened to a lot of customer feedback on their former similar devices, and as a result, added a keyboard and WWAN (Cingular's EDGE). "We think that the next generation, or the next evolution, of ultra-portable computing is here, and you are viewing it and seeing it tonight." Shipping early July for approximately $1800. "This is another example of VAIO's innovation leadership and the first step in our next revolution."

VGA-UX180P in its docking station, surrounded by a sea of cables. (view large image)

So, what's this all about? By the time I'm done taking notes and taking snaps of theVAIO AR, the show's mostly over and people are just hanging around -- which means, more room for me and the UMPC. Its name is UX Micro PC, because Sony doesn't want to be called UMPC i.e. Ultra Mobile PC, but they know that that's what everyone will call this device and they want the acronym to continue to work.

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I pick it up. The keyboard slides out nicely -- effortlessly, but without being wobbly. The shape is comfortable, with the sides being thicker than the middle to allow your hands to nicely wrap around the device. However, at 1.2 pounds, it feels like this could get uncomfortably heavy after a while. I have large hands for a gal, but they're still nowhere nearly as big or strong as man hands, so it's possible that it would be more comfortable to hold for men. I do know, however, that I wouldn't want to be carrying it around everywhere in my purse.

Gah, the Start menu takes up the entire screen! My eyes are hurting now, this WSVGA (1024x600) resolution on a 4.5" screen have completely defeated both my eyes and my camera that somehow made a blurry trapezoid out of it. The display is very, very, very sharp, so sharp that it's killing my eyes.

I touch something and a dialogue box pops up. My finger is almost too big to hit "No", accomplishing the task with some difficulty. However, I do notice that the screen is not retaining the fingerprints nearly as much as most devices, so that's a big plus.

A bored Sony rep comes up to me to ask what I think. I say "meh" and he's very much surprised. After all the hoopla, how could I... He takes it from me and I notice that you're supposed to navigate it through some thing on the top right, as the rep brings up some program while talking about how this could be used for presentations and just about anything. For $1800, you better be able to use it for just about anything. Ok, I don't feel like being harassed any longer, so I'm leaving. I get a press kit with the specs and a bottle of champagne to celebrate VAIO's 10th anniversary at home the proper way - and I'm gone.

Sony VAIO UX180P Full Specs:

• Core Solo U1400 Ultra Low Voltage processor, 1.2GHz, 533 MHz FSB
• 512MB RAM (PC2-3200), which is also the maximum capacity
• 30GB 4200 RPM Ultra ATA HDD w/ G-Sensor Shock Protection
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 w/ 128 MB shared RAM
• Built-in monoaural speakers and microphone
• 2 built-in cameras -- .3 megapixels in the front for web conferencing and 1.3 megapixels in the back for taking snaps
• Action Buttons: Mouse left, mouse right, scroll, zoom in/out, capture, center button, WLAN on/off, VAIO Touch Launcher
• Biometric fingerprint sensor
• Inputs, Outputs, & Networking:
• Headphone Jack
• Microphone Jack
• MemoryStick slot
• 1 USB port
• Port Replicator
• 100 Mbit Ethernet
• 802.11a/b/g WLAN
• WWAN accessing Cingular's EDGE network
• Bluetooth
• Inputs & outputs on port replicator:
• FireWire
• 3 USB ports
• Ethernet
• VGA out
• A/V out
• Software:
• Windows XP Pro w/ SP2
• Microsoft Streets & Trips
• InterVideo WinDVD
• Microsoft Works
• Roxio DigitalMedia SE
• Pen Plus
• VAIO proprietary software
• Bloatware, including trials a whopping 60 minutes long
• Battery life: 2.5-4.5 hrs standard, 5.0-9.5 hrs large capacity
• Measurements: 5.91" W x 3.74" H x 1.27-1.50" D
• Included accessories: port replicator, soft carrying case, stylus, strap
  

 

how in the heck is that UX 1.2lbs. Holy moly, that's heavy for a palm top device, PDAs should be weighed in ounces and not lbs. I guess it's a "Micro PC" but I can't help but think of it as a PDA.

Sony kind of already did this with the VAIO U750 (review here: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=1943), although this device is decidedly better looking and the integrated keyboard cool. It'll die though, sorry Sony.

That cake looks pretty good. They ever slice into that thing?

 

The UX180P reminds me of the Sony Clie.

 

Even though the Vaio Ts are kinda old right now, still one of my top most favorite ultraportables, like em better than the newer TXs anyways.

The Picturebooks were pretty cool from Sony. Are there any more pics from that event, comparing older models to each other?

 

I don't believe so. I was too busy with the AR (while Mr. PC Magazine was busy taking snaps of me taking snaps), and I didn't take a look at the cake on my way out. Nobody stopped by the stand with a plate of cake though, which would have occurred to at least some people - cake and movie - so I would say they didn't cut the cake.

Gigantic laptops, like Swarovsky crystals, don't cease to amaze people.
(Ever walk by J&R?)

I, too, think of it as a PDA. I can just imagine trying to do a presentation on a 4.5" screen. The person I'm presenting to would be like, what's that? I can't see anything. It would also seem like you're trying too hard, so if I'm trying to sell something, the buyer would try harder to get a lower price. Just bring a laptop or a tablet and get it over with, dammit!

rahulnimal - no, these are the only old laptops that they had. It was kinda lame. They coulda done it SO much better. I wanna be an event organizer, I could tell them what's up!

Malia

 

Odd. I like Sony's laptops, but it seems anything that requires human interaction with Sony needs some major improvement, like customer support, PR, etc. Is this just the case for Sony North America? Or has Sony a company policy to only hire incompetent people for anything except engeneering?

 

let's see them get a working Blu-Ray drive first!

http://gearlog.com/blogs/gearlog/archive/2006/05/16/11622.aspx

 

beam, please don't post that. The PC Mag editor who wrote that was drunk, was walking by while I was taking my pic with the drive open, didn't know that that one of the laptops was playing a DVD for comparison purposes, thought he had a scoop, walked away to have more drinks. The laptop on the right was playing a BD, the laptop on the left (the one pictured) was playing a DVD. I feel bad for Sony, since if it wasn't for me, this guy would never have taken the picture - and now it's been picked up by all sorts of sources.

DaCheese - it's funny, but I was talking to a Sony rep about that, and he agreed that support is horrible. He says it's much better since they moved it from India, but he still cringes every time he has to call them. But, it takes a long time, and I can sympathize, since I know what it takes to run a call center. Re PR - this event could be better in so many ways, like, if they had lighting (even spot lighting) to make it easy to take pics of the things they were showing off. The reps there were very nice and knowledgeable, but the event as a whole needed help, since even the spec sheets they gave out had errors - and they'd been printed days before, if the datestamp is correct.

Malia

 

Lol, the butterfly flapping its wings in Africa affect, not your fault. At least by going you stirred up some excitement on the web.

 

Ah, I knew it. Sony couldn't have been that stupid to have had that laptop playing a burnt DVD. But man, its caused a lot of stir on the internet though.

Still, I'm losing more and more respect for Sony now, even with their stylish cool products. I don't think I'm the only one.

It is a shame how many people complain about the poor quality of tech support going to India, my home country. I've never had to use tech support ever, so I can't compare, but I hope that the support in India can get better.

What is the main reason for so many complaints about India's tech support? I'm guessing its mostly the language/English accent barrier??

I wish I could've gotten into that event, or any cool tech events you big grown up adults do, haha.

 

Looking at people's reactions to this new Sony UxMPC, I really feel bad for Sony. They are in such a position that ****ed if you do, ****ed if you dont.

4.5" highres screen, and people are complaining that everything is too tiny. Make the resolution lower, and people would complain that the res is too low, akin to PDA's.

As for weight, is it a bit chubby? Yes, how is it at a fault of Sony? Take Toshiba MK3006GAL HDD, Core Solo CPU, LCD and battery, and you are already passed the half a pound mark.

I personally lug around a DAP, PDA, PSP, Cellphone all the time, and having to be a walking radioshack sucks. Something like this with integrated GSM cellphone, and a better joystick nub for those emu roms would merge all my inventory into one pleasent device. And eat up a lot of my expendable income.

At $1800 as it is now, it is a very steep for non business minded people. Unfortnatelly for Sony, businesses preffer the far cheaper PDA alternatives accompanied by a laptop both still being far cheaper than this UxMPC.

So like previous Palmtop PC attempts by Sony, this will be more likes by techno gadget heads as found on this site. And there are very few of us, so the future for this device is somewhat bleak. $500-700 dollar mark people. Once these devices are in that ballpark people will start justifying them over an Ipod or similar, and mainstream will start buying.

 

Malia,

You are a borderline psychotic journalist who really shouldn't be giving notebook advice. The Sony UX series has several resolutions for toggling and a VGA port to output to an external display, which is how most people do presentations. Maybe when you become a little older and more mature, then maybe you can comment on technology. For now, leave it to the experts.

Please...

 

Lance,

Very nice to hear from you again. At least, I can only assume it's you, since you are as condescending in your post as Lance Ulanoff was in his email to me - after I told him I saw him take that picture so he could rescind his post without any doubt of what happened. I guess it took someone backed by lawyers to knock some sense into you, huh? I suppose mere ethics wouldn't do.

Now. At this time, UX is not a series any more than it is a notebook, which is why it's not really covered. It certainly makes sense that any gadget claiming to be a full-blown PC would support several resolutions. I never state anything to the contrary. I do mention VGA out in the specs. I also clearly state that I walked off before taking a good look at the thing. What part of that did you not understand from my post?

If you are Lance, I really hope that you went through the trouble of registering and posting this at 12:38 in the morning because Sony is suing you for libel and you don't have a job. Ah, if only... Well, the next time you want to tell me to grow up, do so in private, you have my email. After all, you are an adult.

Malia

 

"I, too, think of it as a PDA. I can just imagine trying to do a presentation on a 4.5" screen. The person I'm presenting to would be like, what's that? I can't see anything."

I believe these are your words, No? And this is not Lance, though I can see how your simple mind would allude to that. Oh and guess what, you're up as late as I am. You probably just came back from a college party, which I totally understand.

The AR and even the UX series are Sony milestones, but you wouldn't be able to recognize such accomplishments. Look at all the pathetic UMPCs, micro PCs, and mini PCs, and you'll see Sony is way ahead of the curve. The price is the only thing holding it back and even at $1,799, it's still cheaper than any OQO, Flybook, or Librettos, assuming you know what those are.

Don't worry, you'll get better at this. I'm here to help

 

Yes. The Sony rep tried to show me a presentation on-screen, which is why I'm sure it will be used for presentations without VGA-out some of the time. I did not exclude the possibility that it has other means of doing presentations. Once again, I was not covering UX; it was merely an afterthought. I can't care less if this is a breakthrough UMPC because we don't cover UMPCs. This is not Anything-With-A-Screen-And-Keyboard Review.

The Blu-ray drive, on the other hand, is a breakthrough for Sony, but most people on NBR can't care less about Blu-ray, and the overall system is lacking - which is why I gave it such a lukewarm overview. If you want to continue to insist that there's something revolutionary and innovative about a DTR with a 4200RPM HDD, be my guest.

Lance - I'll continue calling you that, since I can't imagine anyone else getting so upset over this - get a life. If you have to be at work at 9 AM tomorrow, it's sad that you're up at 1:45 AM trolling around the Internet. I don't have to work till noon, so it's a different story. Now, get a dictionary, learn the definition of the word allude, and if you want to continue this nonsense, have some decency to do it in private via email. Or, if what you claim is true and you really aren't Lance, them PM me.

Malia

 

Believe it or not, I'm having tons of fun reading your material. No one is upset except you. It's two people discussing technology. BTW, the Blu-Ray skew has a 5400rpm SATA drive. You should make that a little clearer when presenting your facts. You even found a way to mess it up in the specifications here: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2939, calling it a 5200rpm hard drive.

How can you say your readers can't care less about Blu-Ray? It's about the hottest topic in the industry, and Sony is the first to have it. Are you aware at how fast the Toshiba HD-A1 sold out when it first came out, and the response Toshiba has gotten on the Qosmio AV650. Toshiba doesn't even have a recordable HD drive, but I'm sure you knew that.

Focus on going to college first.

Again, I'm always here to help if you have any questions.

 

Lance,

Yes, I did make a typo on the AR190G's HDD spec, it should be 5400RPM instead of 5200. Errors happen when you stay up past 3 in the morning.

AR130G and AR150G have only 4200RPM HDDs. These are the only models of interest to our members since the great majority of them are not interested in Blu-ray. Our members are not the industry, they are consumers who, for the most part, don't care which format wins. Don't come here and try to tell me who our audience is.

This is a personal attack, not a technology discussion.

Malia

 

That's an honest typo, and my fault for not catching it as I'm the editor

Anything with limited quantity will of course sell out to early adopters.

Readers really don't care about this. We're focused on mainstream buyers here and if you look at our " What Should I Buy Forum" where every new buyer posts questions on what they want to buy (we're #1 in Google for Laptop Reviews and Notebook Reviews so mainstream buyers find this site quickly), you'll find Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is just about never asked for -- or even known about.

The type of people who care about Blu-Ray and HD-DVD would be covered in an enthusiast forum such as this: http://www.avsforum.com/

 

It's a Blu-Ray drive in a notebook, which is what this site covers. The avsforum is a broader site that covers a lot more than just notebooks. Not all your readers are looking to buy notebooks right away when they come to notebookreview. They want to learn about the latest technology and trends as well. The AR series shouldn't be dismissed because the technology is not practical.

I'll be the first to admit that I visit this site quite often. I'm actually a big fan of your reviews, abaxter. Malias approach is off-the-wall as evidenced by her posts. Next time she decides to launch an attack on other journalists like Lance, let it be an email directed to him, not to a variety of people in OTHER PUBLICATIONS. She managed to inquire about job opportunities in the same email, and at the same time trashing another journalist. And Malia, if you want to deny this allegation, I'll be happy to post the email in this forum. If you still think this is Lance, then honey, you're barking up the wrong tree.

 

There will be a harddrive-less version with 16GB flash-disk (NAND) instead coming in June, at least in Japan. Sony claims at least 20 gram of weight-saving (less than 500 gram vs. 520 gram).

 

Lance, the email was directed to you, and other people were merely copied. These people were all listed as editors or analysts of PC Magazine on its Magazine Contacts page, the publication you (I believe still) work for, which is why I copied them. And yes, I did say that if you're not willing to do your job, you should hire someone who is - me.

The main point of the email, however, was not to attack you, but to tell you that I know you're lying. I did this via e-mail instead of a public forum to allow you to retract your story and save face. You did not do that. You waited until "Sony's PR", which I assume was backed by lawyers, contacted you later that day. So much for ethics and journalistic integrity.

If you were offended, however, why didn't you indicate that in your reply to me? Is it because you replied before Sony contacted you, so it didn't matter then?

Oh, and why did you delete my post on Gearlog? You know, you made an anonymous comment on your own post in which you trashed NBR, even though we had nothing to do with your lies and did not get involved on the blogs. I responded to clear NBR's name, pointed to this thread. Before I knew it, my post was gone. Well, it's ok, I still have the cached page - screenshot attached.

Yes, why don't you come here and tell us what our audience wants and what it should want.

I'll believe it when I see your ISP's logs...

Seriously, this story has long been dead. Your 15 minutes of fame are over. Nobody is reading this thread because nobody on this forum cares about either you or Blu-ray and there are no outside links to attract those who do. Cut it out.

Malia

 

anyone have cliff notes of the gearlog thread?

 

Strikeback,

I'd rather not bring any more of that ugliness in here. Here are the links though if you're interested:

Article 1 (Posted the morning after the event)

Article 2 (Lance's retraction of sorts after being contacted on Wednesday by Sony)

Malia