Sony re-established itself as the leader in ultra-mobile PCs with its announcement of the VAIO P series Lifestyle PC (VGN-P500). Its mere 1.4lbs total weight is appealing, and design distinguishes it from competition. Expected to ship in February with a starting price of $899, the VAIO P can be seen today in Sony Style stores in Las Vegas and New York.
The VAIO P features an 8" extra-wide screen in a compact clamshell, which is reminiscent of Sony’s popular VAIO PictureBook of 2001. The bright screen is easy to see from multiple angles, as you can see from photo on the left. Plus, you can align two applications side-by-side for convenience.
I accidentally touched the display several time as if I could navigate with my fingertip. My error – this does not have a touch screen, but that would be a welcome improvement for future versions and complete the premium experience.
Sony is offering the VAIO P series with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium and has a 2.7 Windows Experience rating with 2GB SDRAM and a 60GB hard drive. Solid-state drive may yield a different rating.
Even though Sony has taken a step toward fashion with its VAIO P, it is designed to be a classic. Sony hasn’t forgotten about helping blend PC technology into your everyday life, with carry case accessories and mice. I’m not sure that women will want to carry these particular bags, which don’t have pockets or much room to also carry phone and wallet. That said this is a better effort than previous efforts and perhaps these envelopes slip into larger bags well.
Below are a series of photos showing the accessories, as well as close-ups of keyboard, pointing stick, I/O ports, and Instant Access. Also, a few photos compare the Sony VAIO P to familiar products, so you can grasp how small this PC really is.
Crystal White Sony VAIO P Lifestyle PC series (VGN-P500)
Sony VAIO Lifestyle PC VGN-P500 with green case.
Spacing between rows on keyboard
Slim profile. Just 0.78" with lid closed.
Front: SD card slot, Memory Stick Duo media slot
Look past the Kensington cable lock to see the USB 2.0 port and Display adapter port.
Bottom of PC is simple. You can see this battery in black. Yes, Sony offers white.
Sony VAIO P with Apple iPhone sitting on top. Both are thin, though the VAIO P is a full PC.
Sony VAIO P sitting on top of Lenovo IdeaPad U110 notebook. The U110 has an 11.1" display.
Apple iPhone 3G (top), Sony VAIO P (middle), and Lenovo IdeaPad U110 (bottom)
Control the cursor with the pointing stick and 3 buttons.
View of keyboard.
Integrated webcamera is called "Motion Eye".
Close up of Delete and Backspace key
Beautiful red Sony VAIO P with matching mouse.
Navigate through Instant Mode, which is a Linux-based quick boot option
 Restore Default Settings |
 Access files located on Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Videos, and other folders |
 Accessory Settings |
 Playing a video via Instant Mode |
Accessories
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Sony VAIO P Series (VGN-P500) Specifications
- 8" LCD display
- LED backlit
- XBRITE-ECO Technology
- 1600×768 display resolution
- Intel Atom processor (1.33GHz, 512MB L2 cache)
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
- 60GB SATA HDD, 64GB SSD, or 128GB SSD choices
- 2GB DDR2 SDRAM (1 slot)
- Intel High Definition Audio Sound System
- Built-in Motion Eye webcam and microphone
- 82 key QWERTY keyboard with 1.2mm strike and 16.5mm pitch
- Pointing stick
- 1 Memory Stick PRO media slot with MagicGate functionality
- 1 MMC card slot
- 1 SD card slot
- 802.11 b/g/n Atheros wireless
- Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth technology
- Integrated 3G wireless mobile broadband and GPS, which is independent of internet access
- Instant Mode for quick boot up
- Up to 4 hours of battery life with standard Lithium-ion battery or 8 hours with 4-cell battery
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium
- 9.65"(W) x 0.78"(H) x 4.72"(D)
- 1.4lbs
- 4 color options: Crystal White, Emerald Green, Garnet Red, Onyx Black