vaio

Much digital ink has been spilled over ultrabooks, the new pseudo-category of very thin, very light laptops.

The idea behind the ultrabook is an excellent one: to create slim, powerful, long-lasting laptops that can compete with Apple's MacBook Pro and Air, but the name itself is a trademarked Intel marketing term. That means a PC maker has to play by Intel's (not always clearly explained) rules in order to qualify for an official ultrabook sticker.

Both before and after the launch of the ultrabook platform, there have been laptops that are as thin and light as official ultrabooks, … Read more

A supposed tablet/laptop hybrid PC from Sony made an appearance today in a leaked ad that appears very authentic.

The computer, known as the Vaio U series, reminds us of the concept hybrid computer shown by the Japanese company at CES this year. The information comes to us via a leaked flyer, courtesy of PocketNow, that contains little information other than various low-resolution angles of the hybrid PC. That doesn't stop us from figuring out several possible details, though. … Read more

It's the kind of announcement one expects to hear at CES, not a week or two after. Sony has updated part of its Vaio laptop line with new CPUs and new colors. But don't get too excited, these minor upgrades say nothing about any possible future systems meeting Intel's ultrabook spec, or using the next generation of Core i-series CPUs, expected around midyear.

The high-end Vaio Z (starting at $1,949), is adding a new color, Carbon Silver, to go alongside Carbon Black and Carbon Gold (and Premium Carbon Black, which we believe means "matte"). … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The biggest surprise of CES 2012 is not what we've seen here at the show, but what we haven't. In a radical departure from previous years, several major laptop makers are missing in action, while others are showing off only a single major new product, if anything.

Instead of hosting its usual giant press conference and hotel suites full of products to demo, Dell instead introduced a single laptop, the XPS 13 ultrabook. If it was going to highlight just one laptop, Dell certainly picked the most relevant one, but last year's CES saw several systems across different categories.

Dell's sister brand, Alienware, had nothing new to show, despite scoring big at past CES events with systems such as the M11X.

HP likewise stuck to a single major new laptop, the Envy 14 Spectre. It's an innovative system with a cool design (and our Best of CES winner in the computers and hardware category), but HP's other new laptops, the revamped Envy 15 and Envy 17, and the Folio 13 ultrabook, had already been released last month.

Toshiba typically has new models spilling from its various Satellite, Qosmio, and Portege laptop lines. But at CES 2012, it only had a single product to show off, an unnamed 14-inch ultrabook prototype. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--One of my favorite CES pastimes is checking out Sony's concept products.

This year, the Japanese company is showing off two compelling Vaio computer prototypes, which should have you drooling. The first product is a rounded tablet with a separate, sleek keyboard. The other is a hybrid tablet/notebook with an ultra-thin docking station that includes a bronze keyboard, speakers, and a stylus.

Check out our slideshow of the two concept computers.

2012 promises to be a watershed year for laptops. Really thin will be in and internal optical drives out, while some designs venture into hybrid territory.

Apple: Apple is expected to incorporate the MacBook Air design theme into more models, including a 15-incher sans optical drive. And since Apple popularized the really-thin aesthetic with the January 2008 introduction of the MacBook Air, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the company will continue to be a trendsetter.

Trendsetting may include a rumored 2,880-by-1,800-pixel display. That would be a remarkable feat as workstation-class 15-inch Windows laptops, such as … Read more

The lofty goal of 40 percent market share for Ultrabooks in 2012 is due for a reality check, according to an analyst. Meanwhile announcements from Asus and Acer in the U.S. are imminent.

First the positive news. Asus is about to roll out, as soon as next week, at least four Ultrabook models ranging in price from $999 to $1,499, according to a source familiar with the PC maker's rollout. The $999 model, for example, will come with an 11.6-inch display, a Core i5 Intel Sandy Bridge processor, and a 128GB solid-state drive. The high-end $1,… Read more

Sony is joining the glasses-free 3D movement with a laptop add-on designed to give you the best of both 2D and 3D viewing.

Sony's 3D panel, designed for Vaio S and C series notebooks, is a 3mm-thick plastic sheet that clips onto the front of a laptop screen. The sheet is a lenticular lens that produces 3D images by sending slightly different images to each eye. Lenticular lenses are widely used to give printed images the illusion of depth or motion.

Like Toshiba's recently released glasses-free 3D laptop, the Sony Vaio SE will include face-tracking software that adjusts the optimal viewing angle to the user's position. By contrast, Toshiba's 3D screen is built-in, which results in slightly compromised 2D viewing.… Read more

Sony has added a new 15.5-inch laptop to its lineup in the form of the Vaio SE, an upscale-looking slim and light system about 1 inch thick that weighs 4.4 pounds. From the design and features list of the Vaio SE, it's clear Sony is targeting this as a high-end, power laptop with potential appeal to business users.

Our just-arrived review unit, currently being benchmarked in the CNET Labs, is black, but a silver version is also available (Sony calls them Jet Black and Platinum Silver). Like Sony's other high-end laptops, such as the Vaio Z, the body is made of magnesium and aluminum, for a combination of ruggedness and light weight. The look and feel is pure Vaio, and the system looks like a matte black slab when closed, offset by an angular chrome hinge. … Read more