25May2006
As promised the guys at Digital World Tokyo has a detailed review (or should we say preview) of the Sony Vaio UX Series.
It’s rare that a new product causes as much of a buzz as that surrounding Sony’s take on the UMPC that was announced here in Tokyo on May 16. Looking at the VGN-UX50 handheld PC in the flesh, as we have been doing for the last week, makes it easy to understand at least a little of the hype.
Put simply, the UX50 is one very attractive piece of kit — the sleek blacks and silvers it’s made of instantly ask that you pick the thing up and play with it. Realizing that there’s a Windows-based PC inside with all the functionality of a full-size laptop or desktop simply adds to the “wow� factor.
Throw in a few novelty items, such as the typically Sony IC-card reader, a touch-sensitive screen, a fingerprint scanner and a blue-backlit sliding keyboard for a pretty stunning first impression. In fact, it’s all very reminiscent of previous U series mini Vaios, but that’s another story.
What they reviewed/previewed?
The Japanese Vaio VGN-UX50 model we looked at costs ¥169,800 (US$1,550) and doesn’t include any office software. Adding Microsoft Office 2003 ups that by another ¥40,000. It weighs 520g, measures 15 x 9.5 x 3.2-3.8cm and battery life is rated at 3.5 hours.
U.S. versions of the UX series will have a range of processors to choose from and Cingular EDGE WAN integrated when they launch in July. Prices start at $1,800 [...Read the full preview here...]
NOTE: They seemed to have had some technical issues with this posting and there is something still missing in what they have posted, looks like it would be fixed soon. It’s fixed now
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24May2006
We’ve seen and heard a lot of things about the UMPC. Lately there has been a lot of speculation about the Sony UX series, is this an UMPC or Sony’s answer to the UMPC?
According to Microsoft and Intel, when the UMPC was first announced they said: “The Ultra-Mobile PC is a new kind of computer. It combines the power of Windows XP with mobile-ready technologies that make it easy to access and use your software on the go” Till date we’ve seen many vendors with their own versions of UMPC. Now comes the Sony Vaio UX Series.
Sure it does have the features that all other UMPCs don’t have, but wait is it worth the $1800 - Well we are talking tech and not just style. Sure it does pack
- Intel® Core™ Solo Processor U1400 (1.20 GHz)
- 512 MB of RAM
- 30 GB of Storage with G-Sensorâ„¢ HDD Shock Protection
- 4.5″ Wide SVGA LCD, Touch Screen (will this be good enough for the applications that we run on it?)
- 2 Cameras (Why not have just one that rotates)
- Cingular EDGE Card buit in
- Integrated WLAN, WWAN, and Bluetooth® technology
- Integrated Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
- USB 2.0, Memory Stick Duoâ„¢ slot, headphone and microphone inputs
- Port replicator which includes three USB 2.0 ports, i. LINK®4, VGA, AV-out, Ethernet, and DC-in, and the VGA adapter includes ports for VGA, Ethernet, and AV-out.
- Built in Sliding Keyboard
Well may be, but we’ll have to wait to see the product in person to judge its features and ease of use. Some thing that really bothers me is the Screen Size, Yep Small is beautiful but when it comes to Screens everyone wants it BIG, and when it comes to gadgets smaller the better.
The unit comes pre-installed with Windows XP (SP2) and seems to be ready for Vista, From the pictures released so far it also appears that sony would pack its own version of touchpack to the product. With the sliding keyboard the need for dialkeys is gone. Yes in many ways the product specs and features looks very promising except for the price. Though the unit comes with microsoft streets installed the optional GPS reciever has to be purchased (price not announced yet)
More information on Sony Vaio UX Series
It would have been great if sony had packed the a SIM card slot in to it and made it a phone too (well it would not be much bigger than those black berries). Go ahead tell us what you think.
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23May2006
Posted by Joe
in Hardware and Sony.
Guys at Digital World Tokyo seem to be feeling lucky - they say: they asked sony nicely and they got one, and will be posting a review soon.
“Whaddya know? We asked nicely and Sony sent us over a VGN-UX50 this weekend for us to road-test. Lucky us.
So far, results have been pretty mixed but we’ll be publishing a full review shortly, which we hope will answer a few of the hundreds of calls we’ve had for a complete rundown of Sony’s UMPC killer. Keep your eyes peeled.”
Via [Digital World Tokyo]
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16May2006
Posted by Joe
in Hardware and Sony.
After a few days of speculation this week, Sony has confirmed the existence of a UMPC device in their Sony VAIO computer line. The VAIO Type U will go on sale by the end of the month, and will be available in two versions, the VAIO U VGN-UX50 and VAIO U VGN-UX90. There are some differences in the specifications we speculated on previously, which we’ll go over in a moment; the basic specifications, however, are still the same. With the first UMPC that breaks the design mold set by Samsung’s Q1 and TabletKiosk’s eo, will Sony have what it takes to bring these devices into the mainstream?
If you want to take a closer look at the device, jkOnTheRun uncovered a Japanese Flash demo of the device. Check it out here.
Read On
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16May2006
Posted by Joe
in Hardware and Sony.
Sony has released details on their impressive Vaio UX UMPC. Priced high at $1,800, but the unit offers desktop computing power from a palm sized device. The Sony Vaio UX is packed with these impressive specs :
Intell ULV Core Solo Processor
512MB of 400MHz DDR2
30GB Hard Drive
4.5″ SVGA (1024×600) touch sensistive LCD w/XBRITE technology
3 USB 2.0 ports
Ethernet, VGA, Firewire, WiFi, Bluetooth, & WWAN (used for Cingular’s EDGE network)
2 built in cameras - frontside camera for video conferencing, while the camera on the back of the unit is to take pictures.
Security is handled by an integrated biometric fingerprint scanner
expected battery life of 4.5-7 hours
runs Windows XP (and Windows Vista when it is released).
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