Super models around the world have been under the magnifying glass as of late. From Rio to Madrid, activists are saying that models need a little more meat on their bones, that being a waif is a wee bit too unrealistic, and unhealthy perhaps, for average women folk. The message to girls out there: you don't have to be waif-like to be beautiful. Sony must not have listened when it was designing its new model ultraportable notebook, the Sony VAIO G1. And they shouldn't. In the world of ultraportables, less is more.
Powered by Intel's ultra low voltage Core Solo processor, this new Sony notebook weighs in at a dainty 2.1 pounds. I've eaten hamburgers that have weighed more. In any event, you won't be asking "where's the beef?" with this laptop. Though it's petite, it is still loaded with enough features to make it a functional companion on any business trip. There's the 12.1 inch display, which works just fine for word processing and spreadsheeting with its matte finish. (No Xbrite technology, though, so Web sites and DVDs may look flat.)
Speaking of which, the ultraportable VAIO G1 manages to contain a DVD burner too-with enough room to spare for a VGA port, two USBs, Ethernet, a PC Card slot, and two Wi-Fi antennae for respectable wireless capabilities. Don't forget a battery. Sony estimates put battery life at 6 hours, though smart money is four hours being more likely.
So how can the new Sony manage all of these features and still weigh less than my favorite hamburger? The beauty is in the carbon fiber body. Most laptops contain aluminum or magnesium of some alloy or another, but the carbon body of this ultraportable Sony makes it lighter and stronger, and better at not burning your lap.
One downside of this little guy-it only comes with 512MB of RAM for starters. It's upgradeable to 1.5GB, which you might consider if you're going to switch to Vista when it eventually comes out. Another downside: no cutting edge gaming capabilities with only an Intel Graphic Media Accelerator card. The price tag hurts too: $2,599, partly explained by the fact this Vaio notebook has to be shipped to the United States by importer Dynamism. It is not sold on the shelves here in the U.S.
Available in a choice of white, brown, or silver, Sony's Vaio NR has some stylish design touches but offers an entry level price and specs.
We don't refer here tothe amount of RAM you can load into the NR's 6.2 pound chassis,or your choice of graphics processor. No, we're talking colors.And not to denigrate your basic laptop buyer, but the ability tobuy one's own chassis color and personalize a product reallycould top lists here. In the case of the VAIO NR, users can pick from white, brown, or silver. Andthough the chassis is made from plastic and not some light, slickmetal, reports have this VAIO looking good (and well puttogether) nonetheless.
Not to say that you can't customize other features of this. You have your choice of Intel processors, from thesemi-antiquated 1.46 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T2310 to the1.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5450. You can pack in as much as 4GBof RAM as well.
The choices at this price level, though, stop there. The VAIO NRcomes with a 15.4-inch display and that's it. (It comes withXBRITE-ECO glossy finish, still, so it's not a bad thing.) Thegraphics chip is an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100-noAlienware gamer's delight is the VAIO NR. And you get WindowsVista operating system with all its accompanying software thatyou'll either have to ignore or delete yourself. Unlike Asus'snew , alinux operating system is not a starting option.
One other downside note as well, NotebookReview reports have the NR supposedly having some designflaws, such as a battery that wiggles inside the chassis evenwhen locked in, and an AV mode switch (that would allow you to usea media player without booting Windows) that failed to work.
Sure, you can order your VAIO laptop in brown to match yourleather handbag. But those issues are worth considering aswell.
