Sony P-series VAIO Dont-Call-Me-A-Netbook Unveiled

This new... mini-ultraportable... notebook has received a lot of hype, and now as promised it has finally revealed itself at CES 2009.
We're pretty sure we know why Sony won't let you call it a netbook. Netbooks, as we all know, are ultraportable, low cost boxy machines that can't do a lot and rarely look pretty outside of a glossy lid. They have cramped keyboards and small touchpads and low resolutions and suck at Vista. The Sony VAIO P-Series is almost none of those things.

The P-Series Lifestyle PC goes out of its way to be different, in fact. First, it's shaped like an envelope, not a box, making it more ladies-handbag-friendly. The 8" screen has a gorgeous if unusually wide display featuring an astounding 1600x768 resolution. It will come with 2GB RAM (up to 4GB) to handle Vista, along with the slim Z-series Intel Atom 1.33GHz processor. It comes with built in 3G WWAN from Verizon as well as GPS and the now standard WiFi and Bluetooth.

There was speculation over where a trackpad would go in such a svelte, slim and trim laptop, and you guessed it, there isn't one. Instead Sony has placed a ThinkPad like nub in the center of the keyboard and has placed just the small mouse buttons beneath the keyboard. Which, on the other hand, is actually a decent size, and something like 90% of full, with a pebble setup so that none of the keys actually touch. According to the press release, "The spacing between the keys has also been engineered to help reduce typing mistakes making it perfect for long fingernails." Yes, this beautiful product is being heavily marketed by Sony for women.

There is also an instant-on boot menu that looks much like the familiar cross-bars system used in Sony's PS3 and PSP systems. The lucky folks at Gizmodo snapped a few photos of that if you take a look after the jump.

Color options include garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white, and classic matte black, which matching accessories including a fitted leather case. There are HDD options starting at 60GB and SDD options up to 128GB. It weighs a mere 1.4lbs. Pricing starts at $900 but you can bet your bottom dollar you can spend a lot more if you want to.

Diambil dari: laptopical.com

MacBook 3G could have detachable antenna

A patent granted to Apple provides new hints that a 3G version of the MacBook may be in the cards. The new patent outlines a detachable, magnetic antenna for connecting your laptop to the Internet on the go.

Patently Apple first reported on the patent, one of a series of patents newly granted to Apple. The antenna appears to sit on a hinge when connected, so that it can be adjusted to ensure the best reception. The antenna is also attached by magnets, so it comes off easily when knocked, stepped on, or otherwise duffed up. That should keep it from breaking.

Diambil dari: news.cnet.com

Sony Showcases New OLED Concept

Sony has a new prototype laptop for us featuring a flexible OLED screen. After watching a video of the concept in action, we are very impressed with the potential this device has.

As a part of the new Contrast line, the OLED laptop combines a flexible bioplastic OLED screen with touch technology to create something wonderful. There is no hard keyboard, just a touch keyboard, and with the press of a button that keyboard can be whisked away and replaced with more display screen, basically doubling the size.

Flexible OLEDs are a new and extremely interesting new technology, as laptop displays are easily the bulkiest part of any laptop. (The keyboard is running a close second, and Sony has taken care of both here.) As this technology develops, we can expect more manageable displays that take up less physical space and are also more flexible and easier to move. We did say this was a prototype and not just a concept, and gizmodo has reported that it's currently being prototyped in Sony's lab. We're excited to see this laptop reach the light of day. Come on Sony, make good on this one, and we swear we'll buy it.

Diambil dari: laptopical.com

Apple to sell 3.5 million Macs this quarter

According to new research, Apple will sell between 3.5 million and 3.7 million Macs in the fiscal quarter ending in this month.

The data comes from market research firm NPD and was sent to clients by Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster. Interpreting the data, Munster says he believes Apple will finish the quarter at the lower end of expectations.

For January and February, Apple is trending up 16 percent over the year-ago quarter. That would put Apple at about 3.6 million Macs for the quarter. The street consensus is for Macs to be up in the 22 percent range year over year. The 16 percent gain would put Apple within, but at the low end, of Munster's expectations of 15 percent to 25 percent.

Munster notes that there may have been a pause in sales as Apple readied to release the new MacBook Pros in February. That would also lead to a rise in sales for March, which are not yet reflected in the numbers.

iPad sales are also falling in line with expectations, according to Munster. Currently the iPod is tracking down 11 percent over last year, meeting his range of being down between 5 percent to 10 percent.

The NPD data suggests Apple will sell between 9.8 million and 10.3 million iPods this quarter. Munster said he believes the street expectations are around 10.2 million iPods for the quarter.

Diambil dari: news.cnet.com

Peluncuran Notebook Sony VAIO Seri Y Dengan AMD APU

Jakarta, CHIP.co.id - PT Sony Indonesia yang memiliki lebih dari 16 Sony Center dan lebih dari 600 dealer resmi, pada hari ini meluncurkan notebook Sony VAIO Seri Y yang menggunakan Vision Technology terbaru dari AMD. Acara ini mengambil tempat di XXI Djakarta Theater, Jakarta (1/2).

Notebook Sony VAIO Seri Y hadir dengan layar 11,6 inci yang memiliki disain tipis dan kompak, serta merupakan bentuk baru setelah tidak lagi mengembangkan seri netbook yang telah berakhir pada akhir tahun 2010. Sony VAIO Seri Y dengan platform AMD terbaru, para pengguna dapat memutar konten HD yang lebih halus dan nyaman. Sony VAIO Seri Y terbaru ini merupakan tambahan bagi platform Intel® yang ada saat ini, jika rangkaian VAIO Seri Y (VPCYA) dilengkapi dengan prosesor Intel CoreTM i3-380UM, maka rangkaian VAIO Seri Y terbaru (VPCYB) didukung oleh prosesor E-350 AMD Dual Core ditambah AMD RadeonTM HD 6310 Discrete – Class Graphics.

Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) dari AMD merupakan sebuah chip tungal yang menggabungkan prosesor dual-core AMD berkinerja tinggi serta discrete-class graphics yang mendukung Microsoft DirectX®11. Menggabungkan Northbridge 66mm berdaya 13 watts, dual-core CPU 117mm berdaya 25 watts, discrete-level DirectX®11 GPU 59mm berdaya 8 watts yang pada akhirnya menghasilkan AMD Fusion APU 75mm yang ramah lingkungan dengan memakan daya hanya 18 watts.

Vision Technology dari AMD yang merupakan platform baru, menawarkan pengalaman HD yang jernih dan halus, termasuk memutar video HD dengan nyaman dan mengoperasi internet lebih cepat, bagi para pengguna VPCYB. Pengguna dapat dengan nyaman menikmati konten-konten HD di layar berukuran besar dengan hanya menghubungkan notebook Sony VAIO Seri Y ke sebuah layar atau TV Sony Bravia melalui port HDMI.

Bertepatan dengan acara peluncuran ini, Citra Dewi Indahwati selaku VAIO Evangelist Sony Indonesia menjelaskan akan pelaksanaan Sony VAIO yang akan digelar di 5 kota besar di tanah air yang hadir di berbagai mal dan universitas pada setiap kotanya. Kampus Roadshow dan Mal Roadshow diselenggarakan pada 27 Februari hingga 3 April mendatang.

Diambil dari: chip.co.id