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First Look at Sony's Tiny Vaio UX180p
An anonymous reader writes "MobileTechReview has posted a first look at the Sony Vaio UX180P Micro PC and comparison of it with UMPC and OQO. "When I first heard about the Sony UX series, I nearly dismissed it because I just couldn't imagine that 1024 x 600 on a 4.5" screen could ever be readable. Yes, the price is certainly another issue-- consumers don't flock to spend twice as much on a "notebook" that's less than half the size of a standard ultralight. At least not in the SUV-lovin' US. Well, happily I was wrong. That tiny XBRITE display is easily readable, despite the number of pixels squeezed into close company""
You mean OQO right? QOQ doesnt sound quite as....eloquent ;)
His number one and biggest complaint is screen resolution. How hard could it possibly be to turn it down a bit?
Google: "All your data are belong to us."
I know that fonts sizes are easily adjusted in most web browsers, but what about images? Do any popular web browsers offer an option to scale all images a certain amount? Without this feature, the future of very small dot pitches on LCDs looks dim.
I pretend to know more than I really do by mooching off google and wikipedia.
What's up with all the Sony bashing lately?
This just goes to show that the Consumer Electronics division still puts out great products!
It almost, but not quite, gives the PDA a run for the money. Although the PDA is still significantly less expensive. I like it though.
I wonder if it comes with the rootkit preinstalled?
in Tokyo, and I was very impressed... my x51v PDA is just a bit smaller overall then this and only runs WM5. However it's not something u can easily stick in your pocket so not sure when i'd use it... Still I drooled over it :P
If it dosn't now, I'm sure it will. It's an x86 based system so the only likely stumbling blocks are the oddball display device and perhaps the bootloader.
I read the internet for the articles.
Apparently no one here has ever heard of the IBM T221. Maximum resolution was 3840 x 2400, 32 bit color @ 13 hz.... it was only a 21" screen... Let's just say you haven't ever written a line of code until you can readably fit more than 100 lines onto the same editor view.
That tiny XBRITE display is easily readable, despite the number of pixels squeezed into close company
He means "because of" the number of pixels. Presumably Sony is doing some anti-aliasing on the fonts to improve readability.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Screw the screen - can you imagine typing on this? IMHO, the "ultra-mobile" line of computers will not succeed because of keyboard issues. The tablet PC's have already dealt with that effectively by becoming "notebooks" in the real sense of the word (you write directly on the screen with a pen). UMPC's are the worst of both worlds. Just go for a small laptop or tablet if you want mobility.
So... it's SUX for short? At least they are getting more honest. (Can't wait to buy a "Sony 0wnz J00!1!")
sic transit gloria mundi
I'm an electronics salesman at staples, and we got them in today. We're one of the few stores in the nation to carry them, and even staples only has a few in.
I played with it for a bit today, and I have to say I love the design. The screen is crisp and clear with a high framerate, the two cameras are amazing, the touch screen is very responsive, and even the thumbstick is nice. The fold out qwerty keyboard is nice, but it takes some getting used to.
What strikes me is HOW small this thing really is. The original Origami concept was massive compared to this. It is barely bigger than two IPAQs glued together, and it weighs 1.4 lbs.
Not to mention it comes with EVDO support.
I'm impressed. Not 1700 dollars worth of impressed, but impressed none the less.
In my oppinion the resolution isn't really an issue. You can read standard 10 point with no real problems. You have to consider that this is a handheld device and so it would be held closer to your face than say, a laptop. They've had these things out for quite a while here in Japan. My biggest gripes with it is the size and price. The thing is really thick (bulky) and I just can't justify spending that much money. However, considering that's it's ligtweight and generaly easy to use it seems to be a good all around portable machine for those of us with deep pockets.
And yes, it can run Linux.
This is perfect for my needs (and it runs Linux natively): http://www.nokiausa.com/770
All your Sybase are belong to us.
It is a full featured computer with a 1.5 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM with a docking station to connect your monitor, usb keyboard/mouse and ethernet for about $1.700, but does it run Linux?
Freaking sweet! Sure it's Sony, but name a company that makes cool stuff like this and is not evil. I want it!
K Man
I am so glad I am not alone here. I have long wished Apple would make a 9" iBook (well, now a MacBook) with no disc drive. They could do it, and it would probably only cost $600 for a system otherwise identical to the $1099 13" MacBook.
What Apple needs is a 2lb, 10" convertible tablet. I'd buy that in a heartbeat!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
This is neat, but if I bought something like this it would be to write on, and that means the keyboard isn't good enough, the battery doesn't last long enough, and it's too heavy. We're still reinventing the wheel, poorly.
If this were Usenet, I'd killfile the lot of you.
This Vaio will suck.
Nintendo will Wiin the console wars.
Can I please have my mod points now?
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
I played with this device, but grew to dislike it. The thing is too big, runs too hot, eat batteries for breakfast, and the keyboard is barely usable. Nice that it runs WinXP and has two cameras.... but so what? Sorry, but the Zaurus still fits in your pocket, has a usable keyboard, and lasts 7 hours at a time.
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
Linux on UX180p
Nice micropc. maybe the smallest DRM infected PC in existence. While almost every electronic device I own is Sony. I will never buy another Sony product after their arrogance with that DRM infected CD fiasco and continued arrogance in the marketplace. DRM infected hardware is evil. They are the ring leaders of DRM infected locked down hardware.
I'll sell you my Newton...It's close to those dimensions.
available here.
:-)
Looks like a neat little unit. Pretty powerful, but the keyboard isn't super. If course, on any portable, there is a tradeoff between overall size and display & keyboard size.
That said, I miss my Libretto.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Give me the smallest iBook or MacBook any day. Older TiBooks aside, Apple's quality seems pretty good these days, and their laptops are light, well-designed, and powerful. Their pricing is even competitive once you realize what you're getting (small size/weight as well as features) for the price.
-b.
-b.
-b.
Normally I hate reading the "cool, but I would never use it" posts... but I'm really curious, what do you guys think is the target market for this device?
Too small for all day computing, too big to drop in most pockets... the thickness particularly seems to be a kicker.
Anyway geek factor, very high... practical factor, I'm wracking my brain and can't think of the application.
Would you be happy spending that much money and discover that half of the hardware that makes it useful doesn't work?
Give me something with twice the screen size (and a decent resolution 1600x1200 plz).
Make it an OLED for readability and shrink the thickness of the device about twice.
Make flash-based HDD and removable (hot-plug) wireless module for low power consumption.
Nuke the keyboard (I can lug my own, just give me a few usb ports).
Inevitably, it has been done. Although it seems not with total success (yet) - give it another week. http://mozy.org/vaio/
Not until you make a cheap jab at Steve Ballmer.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Just because it'll only use Cingular SIMs doesn't mean it won't work in other countries. You just have to keep using your Cingular SIM (and paying Cingular) when you are in those other countries.
Are you new to GSM or something?
I buy my phones unlocked, because I like the options. But I also understand that most devices are sold locked in the US but that doesn't mean you can't make calls or use data overseas.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
How much does the damn thing cost? From the article I know it cost "$400 less than the similarly spec-d import UX90" but considering the I have no idea what the UX90 is let alone how much it cost how am I supposed to know from the "review" how much it costs?
I'm not sure why everyone leaps to blame Sony for the actions of the Sony-BMG group. There were two partners in that group; one a moderately well-respected electronics giant, and the other a notoriously evil recording company. Just because you'd only heard of one of them doesn't mean that that one deserves all the blame. How come I never see this sort of comment when a BMG-related story is posted? ;)
Your question makes me wonder...
How long before we see a consumer product like this, supporting Linux from the beginning? I really need to replace my old and busted notebook, but is nearly impossible to find one, here at Brazil, that fully supports any flavor of Linux and even harder to find one that comes with Linux pre-installed!
I don't have any use for Windows... why should I be forced to buy it when I get a new notebook?
---- You know how some doctors have the Messiah complex - they need to save the world? You've got the "Rubik's" complex
So, anyone managed to run Linux on it yet? ^_^
o hai
What's it with these glossy displays lately? I'm sure contrast improves, but it looks like a mirror. Especially with a mobile device like this one it'll be quite annoying to use it outside. Just my two cents...
What are you smoking, I want some.
If I put a WiFI card and connect to the net, the most I get is one hour from a fully charged battery.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
In real life, if you associate yourself with a total jerk, you know that your reputation will suffer.
If you had a good reputation before, that's normal people notice more the degradation.
So in the case Sony BMG, you expect nothing from BMG. But you would have expected that Sony would have maintained a certain level of dignity. Well that was not the case, and yes only Sony lost something since BMG had already nothing to lose and yes that affect the global perception of Sony as a whole.
Can't you still send in for a refund? Should be worth it for the satisfaction if not the money. Personally I kept my copy of windows in case I need it (and sometimes I do) but the space it takes up is annoying me.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
If it had modern specs (500mhz CPU, color high-resolution screen, Newton PIM apps running on top of an OS X kernel, ability to sync with OS X via USB or Bluetooth, etc.) I'd take you up on that, because you're right: that is what I want.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
http://mozy.org/vaio/
No,
Dell, HP, Lenovo... All of them refuse to refund a returned Windows copy. Mind you that this kind of pratice goes aggainst the brasilian law, they can't force me to buy something that I don't want... In theory I could take this to the court, but its not worth the effort.
I would buy an Apple MacBook instead, but they cost almost 3x the price here at Brasil... A Dell is much cheper, because they have a assembly factory here and don't have to pay the abusive import taxes.
---- You know how some doctors have the Messiah complex - they need to save the world? You've got the "Rubik's" complex
Yeah - the Libretto is great...
That's why I went and got a second-hand one off of Ebay and put Linux on it!
http://librettoalive.blogspot.com/
OK, so I'm still tinkering with it, but it's great! Very portable and fast enough to run X (although I must admit I use it mostly as a terminal with display on the framebuffer).
I've got a lappy with a 1920x1200 15.4" screen, only 155 pixels per inch, and I ended up getting a 24" monitor to go with it for work. At the end of an 8 hour day, doing word processing and CAD, my eyes were pretty much freaking out. I wouldn't expect someone to spend lots of hours per day on this thing, but its certainly going to need a pretty close eye distance.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Now where's my 21" LCD with the same resolution. Max resolution these days that is readily available is maybe 1920x1200 or so. I'm sure I'm missing some technology limitations, but 5500x3200 should be possible if you could just have a bigger LCD panel with the same resolution per inch. Is there some technology limitation.... or are manufacturers just being stupid?
I'm one of the people blessed with above-average vision (20/10 rather than the standard 20/20). This means I can see the individual pixels in a normal LCD monitor from several feet away. Gets annoying at times, especially anti-aliasing, which just looks to me like a bunch of gray pixels surrounding the actual letters.
However, with the new smaller pixels in things like this 4.5" 1024x768 screen (And the 17" 1920x1280 monitor in my Dell d810 laptop), I finally am not annoyed by the pixels. I have to get within a foot of the screen now to see the individual pixels. I think it rocks.
My apologies to those with lesser vision, but imagine what it would be like for those of you to look at a screen with 1/10 inch (or bigger) pixels. Yuck.
I've been hoping for this since a few years ago IBM announced their ($20000!!) monitor with pixels 1/5 the size of normal ones.
Now if we could just get to the resolution of paper! Bring back vector graphics technology rather than relying on pixels.
And why should any company be forced to sell you their hardware with LINUX installed? It works both ways.
You want LINUX, use the instructions already all over the internet to install LINUX on the ux180p. You don't want Windows on a Laptop from a computer manufacturer who clearly tells you what you are getting for your money - no crime there - then find a company who has what you want or go out and build your own.
It is so naive and childish for the fanboys here to criticize others who don't bow to their wishes and convenience. When there are enough of you to make focusing on some other OS sound practice buiness-wise, it will happen. But no one is forcing you to get or buy anything you don't want so wake up.
Fine,
So sell me a notebook WITHOUT any OS pre-installed! Why should I be forced to pay for something I'll not use?
My problem isn't install Linux on the notebook, that I know how to do... My problem is how can I buy a piece of hardware without having to buy a Windows Licence too!
---- You know how some doctors have the Messiah complex - they need to save the world? You've got the "Rubik's" complex
The idea is that you can type on it while holding it in your hands. You cannot do this with hinged keyboards. If you need something bigger for portable use, you could get something like the Thinkoutside Stowaway Bluetooth; I have one and it works great while folding up very small. Or as others have suggested a folding/rolling USB keyboard.