Overview: Sony Mini laptop

I’m sure you’ve noticed more and more mini laptop computers arriving on the market, released by the worldwide leading computer manufacturers like ASUS, Acer, HP or MSI. According to statistics, by the end of this year there will be sold approximately 5.2 million netbooks, and the number will increase up to 50 million in 2012.


In the mini laptops category are all models under 13.3 inches, including netbooks designed for wireless Internet use, ultra-mobile PCs and portable entertainment computers like the latest 11.1-inch Sony VAIO mini laptop models we will take a look at today.


The company provided a few mini laptops in the past years, which almost vanished without allowing us to know them in detail, but the models people are still talking today about are the VAIO UX Micro PC launched in 2007 and the new VAIO TZ series.


VAIO UX mini laptop has a sliding 4.5-inch widescreen display with XBRITE LCD technology, which reveals the full QWERTY keyboard, and weighs just 1.1 lbs in a very small pocketable form factor with rounded edges.


Even if it’s small, measuring 5.91 x 3.74 x 1.27-1.50 inches and combining a tablet PC design with a laptop, VAIO UX runs on a strong mobile processor of 1.2GHz, the Intel Core 2 Solo Ultra Low Voltage. In addition, it has 48GB Solid State Drive storage type to conserve power and increase battery life, Wireless WAN, Wireless LAN, Bluetooth GPS receiver, biometrics fingerprint sensor, and up to 7 hours of continuous operating time. It also provides front and back digital cameras.


Another difference between netbooks and mini laptop computers, besides the larger number of capabilities provided by the latter, is the high price difference, which allows you to distinguish between them easily. Netbooks are cheap computers available at around $300, while the other category including Sony mini laptop computers, has stylish designs with powerful features and are built using the latest manufacturing technologies to enable miniaturization of strong components powering standard notebooks.





For example, let’s take a look at the Sony VAIO TZ 3,699-dollars business notebook launched at the beginning of this year. It is an expensive model optimized for business people’s requirements such as mobile performance, portable entertainment, fast processing speeds and long battery life.


This Sony mini laptop series brings all these elements in a durable carbon fiber housing, weighting just 1.24Kg.


During the 7 hours of battery life, the Sony mini laptop allows you to watch high-quality images on its 11.1-inch X-black LCD display with 72% color gamut, and see your colleagues while chatting with the built-in microphone and Motion Eye web camera wirelessly, using the Wireless WAN connectivity that enables 3.6Mbps download speeds.


To send and receive files from mobile handhelds, the laptop has Bluetooth wireless technology.


Playing games on the go enhances your entertainment experience thanks to the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 chipset with 3D support, while the Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage processor and Mobile Intel 945GMS Express chipset enable fast multitasking for all your complex applications, even in low light conditions as it features the LED backlight 1366 x 768 screen.





Other features of the VAIO TZ include 2GB memory, enough o run the Windows Vista Business operating system that comes pre-installed on the Sony mini laptop, fingerprint reader, Trusted Platform Module, HDD Shock Protection, DVD burner, 120GB HDD, and stereo speakers.


Sony is also planning the release of a new netbook, probably by the end of this year, and rumors say it will work with the VIA technology, with a design based on the 8.9-inch VIA mini laptop computers, featuring a 1.6 GHz C7-M processor, the VX800 chipset, 1GB memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WiMac support, 60GB storage, and will run on the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system.