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Sony Releases Smallest VAIO Yet
ephidryn writes "Sony Corporation has released their new VAIO laptop in Japan. The PCG-U1 is even smaller than their previous sub-notebook the C1 PictureBook. Measuring in at 7.3" x 5.5" x 1.4" and weighing a mere 1.8lbs the 6.4 inch XGA screen does 1024x768. The laptop uses a Transmetta Crusoe TM5800 processor and can house up to 384 megs of RAM." As a Picturebook owner, I can't imagine how a keyboard any smaller can still be usable, but this little guy offsets that with thumb controls to make input easier.
This has been out for MONTHS (I have one I got 2 months ago).
/. ever...
Check out the NEW version, the U3, here: http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/PCG-U3/
Wow, that was teh most out of date story I've seen on
if memory serves me correctly this was discused some time ago PCG-U1
What's nice is that while the built in screen is limited to 1024x768, it has the ability to pump out 1600x1200 to an external monitor.
--------- Beware the dragon, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
I made the mistake of buying a vaio assuming that the battery would be at least ballpark useable (eg. sales literature says 1-2 hours, I figure at least 1.25 hours doing text entry). Wrong--the wonderful BP1-A half-empty battery could barely keep the screen lit for 40 minutes.
I ended up having to buy a decent battery (BP-71A) on ebay for $200 extra.
Not a happy camper when people say Vaio.
Remain calm! All is well!
Sdo now my fgat finfgers.. Will ptress even more ketys tjhan they needf to.
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
The description includes :
"1x Biology U-Port"
What kind of beast is that?
{{.sig}}
Top ten ways Linux (and OSS) hackers can adapt to this keyboard:
... Profit!!
10. Cut down on those Starbucks Venti Moccha Frappucinos
9. Make like a yakuza and chop-chop-chop your way to smaller fingers
8. Develop appropriate mouse-gestures for your favorite language keywords
7. Finger train to slim fingers with other than hjkl keys
6. Stop hacking with this keyboard. You're violating the DMCA anyway
5. Keyboard? Who needs a @#$(*& keyboard...it's an Apache server!
4. Don't buy it. Sony's the enemy this month. Er, I think.
3.
2. Ssh in from your desktop via your XBox Linux via your Sony PS2 Linux box
and the number one way Linux (and OSS) hackers can adapt to this keyboard:
1. Take your fat ass out for a walk instead of that debugging session
Classic Case of Cheaper, Smaller, Faster: Pick Any two.
Unfortunately the big PC companies are Driven by the fact that the Masses think "more Ghz == Better!" so Faster is required. So you now get to pick between an expensive, but small and fast notebook, or cheap and fast, but large laptop.
Forgive me for being cynical, but I can't see many uses for something of that size. It seems to me to have all the functionality of a PC, while having all the UI woes of a handheld.
Now, I can think of things like being a portable place to dump picture files, and *maybe* to take notes on if you have small enough fingers. Other than that, I can think of nothing. Would someone mind enlightening me as to why this uber-expensive gadget is useful?
--I hate big sigs.
Why is this story reposted 5 months later?
/. reader's long term memory. If no one notices, they'll start posting reviews of Redhat 5.2 on the next slow news day.
1. This submission's been stuck at the submission queue for a long, long time.
2. dude, this is Slashdot. There's no reason for reposting old stories, they simply do.
3. An experiment to test
4. Go pick up a newspaper tomorrow morning, it should say May 9th 2002. Congrats, the Beowulf cluster inside your Delorean finally did something.
5. Michael's been the one making the Cowboyneal entries for the poll, and Cowboyneal unchecked Michael's name for stories (hey look a Cowboyneal reference that's actually a legit option!)
I used to think like this. Lately they've let their game go IMO. They are certainly often on the upper end of the scale compared to other mass market / generic brands. You know, the ones that do everything. However they really aren't the best at anything anymore either. At least they have started to realise that their strength is often in just relatively cheaply producing others good designs (the Sony/Ericsson partnership?). Don't even get me started on the memory-stick nonsense! Why push a proprietary standard so hard when it has no (read few) benefits compared to what's already available? The last thing I want is to be locked into a Sony Digital Camera, just so the memory stick slot in my laptop will finally be useful! That coupled with the whole refusal to play CD-R's in most of their home hi-fi/DVD or car CD players has tipped me from your point of few (I wish I had a Sony everything!) to my current view - If someone does it any better, or even as well but without this vendor lock-in non-sense, then I'll avoid Sony when I can.
The fact that a fish swims in water does not make it an expert in fluid dynamics. GogglesPisano (199483)
s a Picturebook owner, I can't imagine how a keyboard any smaller can still be usable
Easy CowboyNeal. Loose a couple hundred pounds.
I'm a big fan of small computers, and am glad to see some manufacturers resisting the touchpad, which is a huge space hog on small units. I do wish the new U1 went with a trackpoint, or a libretto-like mouse on the screen. Having it where they located it on the U1, almost makes it necessary to pick up the unit to use the mouse, which is unacceptable.
Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
I recently bought a Sony VAIO SRX - not quite as small as the PictureBook, but still smaller than just about anything else out there (there are a few in its class - Fujitsu has a nice offering with built-in DVD drive). I recommend you take a look at it if you're looking for a small form-factor without sacrificing usability. It's got a usable keyboard, and a touchpad (pointing sticks drive me nuts - otherwise I was really looking at the picturebook). The battery life on the standard battery is about 4 hours or so for normal usage, and the 10.4 inch screen (1024x768) is very easy to see and read. Built-in Wi-Fi is the best thing since sliced bread - I don't even use my Home Theater PC anymore for quick internet stuff - it's faster to flip open the laptop and use the wireless connection from the couch, and I don't have to fumble around with a bunch of remotes.
Performance is good for business use - it's got integrated Intel 815 graphics (bleh), an 850MHz mobile PIII, and 256MB of RAM standard. I paid $1300 at Best Buy for the SRX-87, with a $100 rebate. The 87 is the now-discontinued model, so they are (or were) dirt cheap. The only difference between the 87 and the current line seems to be that the new ones come with a CDRW/DVD Combo Drive - I got a DVD drive. There's no docking station or port replicator - the drives are i.Link (Firewire)
Also, it mostly runs Linux, according to Linux-Laptop.net