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""

Comments

nice typo

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean OQO right? QOQ doesnt sound quite as....eloquent ;)

Screen Resolution

[PatTheGreat]

His number one and biggest complaint is screen resolution. How hard could it possibly be to turn it down a bit?

Re:Screen Resolution

[darkmeridian]

LCDs become fuzzy when set to a non-native resolution. Furthermore, most operating systems display things using a pixel-based rendering system as opposed to a "real-life" size, so the icons become either tiny or huge. Vista should have vector-based rendering so that everything is rendered at the "right" size regardless of the resolution of the display. I can't wait, because my laptop has a 1920x1200 15.4 display. Of course, it probably can't run Vista. Dang.

Re:Screen Resolution

[timeOday]

LCDs become fuzzy when set to a non-native resolution.

Not inherently. By my calculation this screen has a dot pitch of 4.5/sqrt(800^2+600^2)*25 = 0.1125. A dot pitch of 0.11 mm is smaller than any CRT I've seen, so this LCD screen should scale a raster display better, not worse, than a CRT.

Re:Screen Resolution

[Gnavpot]

"LCDs become fuzzy when set to a non-native resolution." Not inherently. By my calculation this screen has a dot pitch of 4.5/sqrt(800^2+600^2)*25 = 0.1125. A dot pitch of 0.11 mm is smaller than any CRT I've seen, so this LCD screen should scale a raster display better, not worse, than a CRT.

On a CRT, you can never hit each dot precisely, so every resolution will appear fuzzy. CRT users are used to that fuzziness.

LCD users running native resolution with a digital video feed are not used to such a thing, so the fuzziness that appears when running non native resolutions can feel quite disturbing, even if the dot pitch is equal to that of a typical CRT.

Scaling of pictures and text

[Toba82]

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.

Re:Scaling of pictures and text

[DeafByBeheading]

Opera scales its images with font size changes.

Re:Scaling of pictures and text

[davidpack01]

Opera can scale an entire page, including images, to your liking.

Re:Scaling of pictures and text

[AnyoneEB]

The Zoom Image extension has a similar option for FireFox, although I think Opera's works a bit better.

Sony still rulez

[MdntToker]

What's up with all the Sony bashing lately?

This just goes to show that the Consumer Electronics division still puts out great products!

Re:Sony still rulez

[Anonymous Coward]

Look up the legal term "goodwill." You lose a lot of it when you vandalize my computer with a rootkit.

I own an early ancestor of this subnotebook, the original Crusoe PictureBook (I believe the model number is PCG-1VN). I love it. When it eventually dies, it's going to be very hard to resist the temptation to replace it with this new model from Sony.

But you can bet your ass I will.

Too bad its made by sony

[huguley]

I wonder if it comes with the rootkit preinstalled?

Saw this at the Sony Building

[Reapman]

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

Re:Saw this at the Sony Building

[Provocateur]

This is Slashdot. You're supposed to stick this into your utility belt, along with the batarang and ninja smoke pellets. The handcuffs don't really belong in there. But you never know.

I think he has it backwards ...

[ScrewMaster]

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.

Re:IBM T221

[zalas]

I actually work with it in the lab. It was quite fun trying to read the tiny little terminal windows on the screen. Eventually, I just kicked the font size up and it looked beautifully crisp. Unfortunately, for some reason, MATLAB had defaulted to the super large font size, and made it temporarily impossible to use now that I switched back to a smaller dpi display.

it's the keyboard, stupid

[eliot1785]

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.

Re:it's the keyboard, stupid

[dunng808]

I can't tell from the product descriptions if it does handwriting recognition, but the UX180P does have a touch screen and ships with a stylus. According to Microsoft the handwriting engine can be added, if not already there, by installing Office XP. Which are just about the only applications that can be used with handwriting recognition.

Can this thing take the place of a cell phone? Here's what I want:

• Digital ink notepad, for taking notes in meetings, classes, etc. where text recognition is intrusive.
• Ability to enter text with a pen, such as what I am writing in this post ... could be text of a mail message, for example.
• Cell phone.
• A really smart calendar that will take the system out of stand-by to announce an appointment.
• Web browser, mail client, all the usual PC stuff.

After that, I wish it could run Linux or FreeBSD and that there was something like Gnome for tablets, with a useful hardwriting recognition system available to all Gnome apps. I know, I sound like a beauty pagent contestent wishing for world peace.

Sony UX?

[glwtta]

So... it's SUX for short? At least they are getting more honest. (Can't wait to buy a "Sony 0wnz J00!1!")

Re:IBM T221

[dfghjk]

I think plenty have heard of it. I own two.

A couple corrections. The display is 22.2" diagonal and 13HZ is the slowest refresh when using a single DVI. There several versions of the monitor but all can do at least twice that refresh rate. I operate mine at 30Hz.

I've played with it

[iconeternal]

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.

Re:I've played with it

[supremebob]

I agree that this product is a great idea, but I can't imagine more than just a few wealthy gadget freaks ponying up $1,700 for this thing. I guess that the rest of us will need to wait for Dell/Lenovo,HP,etc. to make a sub $1,000 version with a bit more storage than 30 GB.

Re:I've played with it

[Achromatic1978]

A call to Sony will get you the unlock code for no charge.

Re:I've played with it

[Achromatic1978]

Because that slight inconvenience will stop people doing it / convenience will keep people on Cingular, ergo they'll be willing to pay a commission to Sony.

Japan

[frankyfranky]

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.

Re:Apple

[mrchaotica]

What Apple needs is a 2lb, 10" convertible tablet. I'd buy that in a heartbeat!

Old news - it's called a Psion

[water-and-sewer]

First look? I saw one of these ages ago, back when they were called the Psion 5 (see http://therandymon.com/content/view/86/79/). Awright, the Psion didn't network at all, but it had a better keyboard and the two double-A batteries that kept it running lasted over 3 months.

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.

Rootkit. Sony Bad

[Trogre]

This Vaio will suck.

Nintendo will Wiin the console wars.

Can I please have my mod points now?

Zaurus still better

[Neo-Rio-101]

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.

Does it ...? Yes, it does!

[slashflood]

Linux on UX180p

Re:Apple

[refactoringdr]

I'll sell you my Newton...It's close to those dimensions.

Video Review at CNet

[sootman]

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. :-)

... and why is it locked to fucking Cingular?!

[b0s0z0ku]

Having a laptop that can't be used on other countries' mobile data networks would seem to be a pretty severe disadvantage for the business traveller.

-b.

Re:... and why is it locked to fucking Cingular?!

[b0s0z0ku]

Does anyone know if this hardware is now fast enough to do any of the cellular networks protocols in software?

Doesn't matter. With GSM/Edge, a SIM card is required, and if the SIM isn't a Cingular SIM, the wireless modem will refuse to play. Maybe there's a way of unlocking the thing, like you can do with many cell phones.

-b.

Re:... and why is it locked to fucking Cingular?!

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Yeah.

Call Sony and they'll give you the code to unlock it. Imagine that, reading the goddamn article.

Target Market

[skiflyer]

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.

Re:Target Market

[VdG]

For me, a traditional PDA is of very limited use. All I really want in a package that small is diary and contacts stuff, which is already on my 'phone. (Along with loads of other things I hardly ever use.)

Something like the Vaio is clearly not as useable as a proper laptop or as portable as a PDA but it gives something of both. I can sling my U71 in a briefcase, satchel or whatever and it offers me much, much more than a PDA.

I use it for Internet radio and for taking notes. It's also a good portable library: shift the display to portrait and it'll show a page of a manual quite nicely. You could read a novel on it if you wanted, I guess, though I don't.

This is a machine I can take with me when I'm travelling on business without having to take extra luggage, and still have access to all my personal stuff - email, usenet, banking: things I can't use my company laptop for.

I also use it for RPG stuff, so I can have all my notes in one convenient package.

It serves as a photo album: most of my holiday snaps are on it now so I can show them to my parents without having to cut CDs or worry about storage.

It's powerful enough for use as a workstation but if you were doing that you'd want to hook it up to a proper monitor and keyboard. But that's no different to the way I use my work laptop.

I don't think anyone could say that this - or any of its competitors are cheap, but it does fill an interesting niche. I could live without my U71, but I do enjoy having it.

Re:Target Market

[thedletterman]

Well, I've been mulling over replacing my work laptop with one of these. It would easily slip into a briefcase, and there is an available docking station that comes with it. You don't need to use the 4" screen or the foldout keyboard. You can slip it out and stick it into the cradle, and it's business as usual on a 20" LCD screen, ethernet and a fullsize keyboard and mouse.

When I'm done for the day, there's nothing to synch, and there's no disruption in workflow. I just pop it out and head out the door. I don't need 10 hours of battery life, in fact, only enough to use it on the train while I go from my office back home. I'll never forget a file, miss an email, etc.

The 1 lb portability, and dockstation is what makes this a very atttractive solution to me. Now I don't have to carry a laptop bag anymore, and this thing will whip out while on the go much easier than a fullsize laptop ever will. If I had a car, this would also make one of those $39 GPS receivers totally worthwhile.

That's debatable

[IANAAC]

Here's a list of things that work and things that don't:

Working features:

1. Keyboard
2. Mouse
3. Screen (doesn't fill the screen yet)
4. USB is detected (obviously because we booted from it!)
5. CardBus chipset (which houses the Cingular WWAN adapter).

Non Working features:

1. VAIO button
2. Fingerprint scanner
3. Intel WiFi card
4. Zoom buttons
5. Touchscreen (this might work if I look into it more..maybe later)
6. Camera's DON'T work

Would you be happy spending that much money and discover that half of the hardware that makes it useful doesn't work?

Re:That's debatable

[korny]

This is pretty normal for any brand-new laptop though. It looks as if all the hard stuff works - once the basic system, display and mouse are working, the rest are just devices.

In fact, it's quite probable that some of these devices will already work with the right driver revisions - linux support is actually quite good for most Intel wifi devices:
http://ipw3945.sourceforge.net/
and many fingerprint scanners:
http://www.upek.com/support/dl_linux_bsp.asp

I have both of these working fine in Ubuntu 6.06 on a ThinkPad X60 - I'm not sure if the fingerprint scanner is the same, but it's meant to be the same as what's on the Sony sz-140 series.

- Korny

Yes

[slashmojo]

http://mozy.org/vaio/

Re:VAIO quality

[Bill_the_Engineer]

I call bullshit!

While you may have played with a few VAIO's, I actually own a VAIO laptop for 4 years. I have not experienced any of the deficiencies that you have cited. I work with fellow VAIO users who have the latest notebooks, and they are happy with their purchase.

Out of the 4 years (so far!), I only had two problems.

1. Hardrive died on the 2nd year and was easily replaced.

2. My cat clawed off the keyboard and turned the laptop into an expensive paperweight. A call to Sony and 72 hours & $80 dollars later, I am back in business with a new keyboard. (I will go on record that I did scream, but the cat remained unharmed).

Because of my experience with #2 above, I am now a loyal customer of Sony.

But don't let the facts get in the way of you trying to show your coolness by being an Apple fanboy.

Bill

About time!

[KlomDark]

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.