Starting on March 13th, you can pre-orde the new Sony VAIO CA and CB which first showed off their new radical designs and color at CES. Coming in with a neon green and orange, expect additional colors in the future though we don’t have a date on that yet. With a touchpad that “emits a beautiful glow”, Sony really wanted these units to stand out from other notebooks out there. The CA10 packs a 14-inch screen while the bigger brother CB10 comes in with a 15.5-inch. Both units will be available with the new Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6630 graphics, and Blu-ray drives. Not bad for a series that starts at $880. For those who want a little more entertainment in their living rooms, select models will have the new Intel’s WiDi 2.0 chip, which enables you to stream 1080p video to your TV. If you have a PS3 or Bravia television, both laptops series will also come with Sony’s Remote Keyboard which allows you to use your VAIO as a navigation and input device. Hit the jump for an action packed press release, in plain ol boring black and white, though more neon colored laptops will be featured.
VAIO
Sony has just announced their Q3 Holiday results with ¥137.5 billion (approximately US $1.68b) operating income and a total of $887 million in net profit. Compared to 2009, this is actually down by nearly 6% though this is mostly due to a 5% stronger yen and not an actual reflection of the companies performance. Sony’s Consumer, Professional and Devices division dropped 47 percent to ¥26.8b ($327.3m) as margins have shrunk, thanks to the global recession, factored with already fierce competition between rivals like Samsung and LG. On the other hand, Sony’s Networked Products and Services (which includes the PlayStation brand) saw a dramatic 134% jump to ¥45.7b ($559.78), helping offset the decline of the consumer products.
The good news for Sony is that in midsts of all the woes mentioned above, the electronic giant was able to raise unit sales in almost all divisions compared to 2009. Bravia sales were up 2.5 million, totaling 7.9 million. Video cameras was able to sell only .1 million more, an expected decline with most portable devices now having some form of video capturing method built in while Compact Digital Cameras saw a 1 million unit sales increase. The now profitable PlayStation division saw the PS3 lose .2 million units compared to the 2009 Q3 but is ahead of 2009 sales. The PlayStation 3 saw a total of 13 million unit sales in 2009 while the company now sits at a healthy 15 million units sold and still has another quarter to go. The same cannot be said for the PlayStation Portable which saw sales slip .6 million units, down to 3.6 million units. Now in its 11th year, the PlayStation 2 still managed to sell 2.1 million units, on par with the year prior.
Software sales on the other hand were a completely different story with sales raising both on the PS3 and the PSP. PlayStation 3 software sales were up an amazing 10 million units, with 57.6 million pieces of software sold. The PSP, though down in hardware sales also saw an increase in software consumption with a 1.5 million unit increase to sit at 16.5 million units of software sold. The PS2 on the other hand took a big hit, seeing a 5.9 million unit drop, down to 5.3 million.
[Via Sony]
When it comes to articles, I have to say that as much of a computer geek that I am, with 4 computers in my room alone, I hate writing about laptops. There is too many series with different processors and specs to try to make a smooth and cohesive sounding sentence without it just being a list of specs but I’ll give it a shot! During CES, though Sony had many new updates to its current Vaio lineup with the usual slight spec bumps, the main story was the Vaio Y and S series laptops, with the former packing in the newly announced AMD Fusion APU.
In a world where desktop sales have long been on a nose dive and plenty of other and cheaper all-in-one desktops on the market, is there anything Sony can do to change up their machine and stand out from the crowd, without just shoving more power in it? After playing around with the new VAIO L Series Touch HD, it seems like there is. At a first glance, the new 24 inch VAIO L looks to be just the next evolution of the all-in-one series from Sony. It packs what you would expect from a Sony machine that starts at $1,200 with HDMI in and out, built in TV tuner, DVR and Blu-ray player and burner for the media fans. For those who want more power out of their machine, you can also custom configure it with a Intel i7 processor. NVIDIA’s latest GeForce GT500M graphics, Dolby Home Theater speakers and a wireless keyboard and mouse all come standard of course. So how does this differentiate from the previous generation? With touch of course, but without the need to actually touch the screen.
If you’re thinking of picking up a Vaio for your loved one this holiday season but want more than the out-of-the-box experience, listen closely. Sony has expanded its Vaio Signature collection for the holiday season so that users can now outfit their Vaios in different colors with crocodile casing and black and gold Arabesque styling. If that doesn’t say you have a taste for premium products or show your love, I’m not sure what will.
[Via Sony Style]
On November 27th, Sony is going to be providing Vaio owners of Japan a newer configuration, shrinking the already small 13.3 inches laptop, down to 11.6 inches. Although the new VPCYA19FJ/B model is indeed getting smaller, the unit is still able to pack a 6 hour battery life with some great specs under the hood:
- 1366 x 768 Resolution Screen
- Intel Core i3-380UM (1.33 ghz)
- 320GB Hard Drive
- 2-8GB of Ram
- Bluetooth 2.1
- 802.11b/g/n
- Gigabit Ethernet
- HDMI Out
No price has been announcement for this yet, or a State side release date. Hit the jump as always for a full press release and gallery.
Sonys last remaining factory in San Diego is designated to the Vaio CTO (configure to order). If rumors are correct, then in order to reduce costs and be more efficient, Sony will be shutting down this San Diego plant and moving operations to their Chinese and Japanese plants. If this does indeed pan out, there is no word on what the factory would be used for, if used at all, or if Sony would simply sell it. In the reality of it, as PC users want more and more cheap units, something that Sony does not indulge itself in like Apple, it’s not a surprise to see demand for custom-ordered laptops to dwindle down and for Sony to not need multiple factories. This is especially true with the surge in demand for tablet units as the industry starts to shift.
[Via SonyInsider]
Sony has just updated their 13″ Vaio Z lineup with just about every feature you could ask for, beating out Apple’s 13″,15″ and 17″ MacBook Pro when it comes to power. This little 13.3 inch laptop can be configured with a Intel Core i5-460M (2.53GHz), Core i5-580M (2.66GHz) or Core i7-640M (2.8GHz) processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 256GB or 512GB SSD hard drive. Yea, no more SATA drives for this lineup. If that’s not enough, you can also get a NVIDIA’s GeForce GT330M graphics card and a Blu-ray player/burner. All this is then wrapped in the ever-so-classy carbon fiber case with a 1920 x 1080 resolution screen. Holy shit. Santa, I swear I’ve been a good boy. But remember, Apple still can’t figure out the whole Blu-ray thing, not even on their high end Mac Pro towers.
[Via Sony Style]
In its efforts to further unify the brand and help them build and compliment off of each other, Sony is now giving US Vaio owners the capability of Remote Play, a feature we wrote about a long time ago that Japan had received. Some of the capabilities include using your laptop as the bluetooth keyboard and streaming content like music, video and pictures to your PS3. News is still a little sketchy on exactly which Vaio units are gaining this new update, but the EA series seems to be a sure bet. Keep in mind that if you own a Vaio that this wont be under your Windows Update section. You will have to use your Sony Updater or jump on Sonys eSupport section to see if it’s available for your model.
[Via Engadget]
Just in time for fall, although probably too late for all those back in school, Sony is updating the Vaio F, E and L series. Starting off with the Vaio F, the 16.4-inch laptop is packing in a new NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M graphics card with 1GB of video RAM and duel USB 3.0 ports, targeting the gamers and pro users out there. Next up, the Vaio E series is again getting the color of “Passion Purple” and gaining accessing to the Intel Ci5-580 and Ci5-460M. For those looking for a viasual push, an upgrade option is available for trading up the default 1366 x 768 displays for 1920 x 1080 full HD which will be free till October 9th and a $50 fee after that. Last, the Vaio L Touchscreen all-in-one desktops is gaining access to an upgradable 2TB hard drive, Blu-ray burner and Intel Core 2 Quad processor and of course is touchscreen.
Hit the jump for shots of the Vaio F and E series.
[Via Sony Blog]
What started off as a wrong report from the Wallstreet Journal has a ton of tech sites reporting that Sony is recalling over 500,000 Vaio units from the F and C series. The problem reported is a temperature-control defect that at worst would cause the units to overheat and/or cause some distortion to the laptop itself. Of course, as usual with major news groups these days, they like to just report stuff without doing this weird thing called fact checking. As Sony has said on the record, they are not recalling these laptops. Instead, they have issued a recommended BIOS update that will address this issue.
More Vaio news for everybody. First, we talked about the AMD comeback and how Sony quietly updated the Vaio Z series with a more powerful processor. Well the updates continue to come with the Vaio Z and Y series gaining the MiFi functionality at no added hardware cost. What Sony calls Share My Connection (SMC) turns your notebook into a MiFi for up to five devices. This is really perfect for those who travel for business or family as your laptop is now a portable router. As we also noted, there is no cost to you, the user, as it will be built into the series. The service itself is offered from Verizon which will have a fee.
Hit the jump as always for the full press release.
Sorry worldwide Vaio fans, the following is just for the United States. Sony has updated its extremely thin and powerful Vaio Z series with the option of a Core i7 processor and a 1920 x 1080 display screen. For those who have been waiting for a refresh this is the time and Sony will give you the option to get the new screen as a free upgrade until July 3rd.
[Via Sony]
If you have been a AMD fan, it’s been a rough ride the last few years. During the Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 era, AMD units ran cooler, faster and were first to the 64bit race. What slowly began as a transformation of hard core gamers building their new rigs with AMD units slowly began to seep into the consumer area as well. Once Intel exclusive, Dell, HP and Sony began to slowly offer AMD as well, not because it ran better but because they were also cheaper; a win win for a company. Fast forward to today and its been 5 years since Sony has used any AMD in its Vaio units and the same can go for the other big manufactures, especially when it came to the laptop arena. Once Intel had introduced its Core Duo and Core 2 Duo, AMD had nothing to offer to counter it and soon Apple came on board with Intel and AMD seemed dead in the water.
In the last year, AMD has been working on a comeback in the laptop sector as many consider desktops a dying beast. With the likes of HP, Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo bringing back AMD processors, AMD was able to woo back in Sony as well with two new models:
The Sony Vaio EE for $650:
- 15.4-inch
- AMD AthlonII X2 Processor 2.1GHz
- 4GB RAM
- 320GB Hard Drive
- Blu-ray Player (You see that, Apple?)
- Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
- 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
The Sony Vaio EF for $750:
- 17.3-inch
- AMD Athlon II X2 P320, 2.10GHz
- 4GB RAM
- 500GB Hard Drive
- Blu-ray player
- Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
- 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
So there you have it, folks. If you’re looking for a nicely sized laptop with plenty of storage and a Blu-ray drive, these units seem to fit the bill just right.
Let’s say that you have $900 to spend and you want a brand spanking new computer with lots of guts. Well, Sony wants to offer you something in return for your cash: the all new Vaio J. Sporting a 21.5-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display, a Blu-ray player and your typical wireless N and webcam and microphone, this makes for a beautiful everyday computer. For those who want more power as well, you can configure the J series up to 8GB of RAM and a Intel Core i7 processor. Look for these units to come out next month so the current Vaio J you will see in stores and on the Sony website is not what I have just mentioned.
Hit the jump for an official press release.
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