Updated: read our full review of the Sony Vaio VGN-P11Z/W and our full review of the Sony Vaio VGN-P11Z/R.
I've just sat down with Sony's shiny, immaculately-designed new ultra-netbook (ahem, sorry, 'portable PC'), the diminutive and featherweight Vaio P-series, for an hour or three on a rather pleasant train journey, so l'll give you my first impressions of the gadget that rocked CES in Vegas this year.
Does the Vaio P-series punch above its weight? Or is it all fur coat and no knickers?
For the laptop aesthete at least, the design of the 'just larger than a standard office envelope'-sized Vaio P-series has already seduced you, even before you have removed the cheeky-looking little business toy from its leather and suede pouch. Cost of said animal-skin laptop cover? £89.99 extra. Ouch!
And yes, let's get that little niggle out of the way first. Being British, we love to gripe about how the cost of, well, everything is going through the roof. And it is too. There is no getting around it. The price point of Sony's porta-PC-du-jour has been set phenomenally high.
To the average Joe in PC World, the P-series' price tag of £850 will seem nothing less than astronomical. And while that's not the target market, it's certainly going to confuse a number of Vaio fans and loyal fanboys (it's $899 in the US, when did we hit 'parity' with the dollar?). With the ongoing financial crisis, that's a firm, no-nonsense slap in the face from Sony, isn't it?
Well. No. No, it's not. If it were, then why, after a matter of minutes playing with Sony's new business toy, are we considering - actually considering - how we might justify finding £850 to buy one when they launch in the UK early in February?
This isn't a netbook
It's because, in Sony's opinion, the Vaio-P isn't a netbook. The product guys physically wince at the mere mention of the term. They see those comparisons as null and void. Netbooks are small, affordable computers than you can use to surf the web while you are out and about to 'consume' news and media. Whereas laptops, proper laptops, are computers that you can use to 'produce' stuff on - videos, music, websites, blogs, novels, 30-page PowerPoint epics and other thrilling bits and bobs.
Got it yet? Well, while we have to admit to not being entirely convinced by this particular PR line, the real clue is in our description of the device as a 'business toy'. For us, the Sony Vaio P-series does everything that we've wanted every other netbook to do. It also does it notably better than everybody else has done (to date) and then squeezes it all into something that looks like an oversized Nintendo DS. It's lighting fast, cute as a button and a joy to play with. A bit like Jodie Kidd. If she were a computer.
Hell, you could even play emulated DS games on it and really pretend that it was an oversized DS, although that would be stupid and largely pointless (Google: 'Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for PC'…)
Redefines work as fun
The P-series makes working on the train an actual joy. No need for clumsy laptops to take up the limited table space and annoy your neighbours. When you pull the mini Vaio out of your man-bag, all you receive are snatched glares of pure, bilious-green gadget-envy. Oh yes!
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Your comments (8) Click to add a new comment
andrew.tiney
January 16th
8. In retrospect, launching a not-Netbook was probably the best course of action for a company such as Sony.
Most of their halo products are tiny ultraportables - producing something that does the job as effectively, but selling it for £1500 less would murder the company's laptop business model.
The P is the best compromise, for a number of reasons. Cost-wise, they've pitched it close enough to bigger VAIO machines, which is quite cunning really.
Due to the use of a Netbook processor at this price, there's a real chance consumers who like the machine, but aren't put off by cost, may well opt for only marginally more expensive VAIO Z's or TT's.
The extra cost allows the company to justify that high-resolution screen; it seperates the P from Netbooks, and is in-keeping with VAIO ultraportables.
If it were cheaper, unfortunately you'd be looking at yet another standard Netbook, with a 1024 x 600 screen, ironically enough manufacturerd by Netbook-king Asus.
All a bit cynical, but it is a desirable product. Be interesting to see how well it sells.
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adam_hartley
January 15th
7. hi Andrew,
Okay, you got me there, lightning is most probably provably faster than the Vaio P-series of miniature personal computers. Though I'd rather not test that out scientifically myself. However, I spent as much of the press day yesterday playing and messing around with it as I could and it is definitely noticeably faster for completing basic tasks than most laptops I use regularly - hence the mention of the speed. And the fact that my geek heart fell for it... :(
I think the problem - obviously - in the UK and Europe at least, is going to be marketing the device at that price point (£850 + the many desirable and costly extras). With all the bits and bobs you need to make it a nice package (bag, desktop add-on, extra battery) you may as well buy a MacBook Air - if a 'trendy check-me-out' laptop is what you are in the market for.
(It seems particularly cheeky releasing such an expensive, aspirational device in the midst of a global recession - but hey! I suppose Sony's imaginary consumer for Vaio-P is not one that is counting her or his pennies right now...)
That said, I found that I caught myself wishing that I had one and missing having it on occasion today. I use an MSI Wind when I'm out and about (best netbook out at the mo IMO) and I realised its limitations more so than I have before today. If I had a lot of cash and I wanted a portable PC I'd buy one of these, no question. If I were a rich man lalalala...
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andrew.tiney
January 15th
6. Fast as lightning?!
With an Intel Atom processor, windows Vista Ultimate and 10GB of Sony trial bloatware..
Perhaps be wanting to rephrase that. All the journalists I spoke to on that trip complained about how slow it was - with McAfee virus software taking 5 minutes, FIVE MINUTES, to load on startup.
That is not lightning fast. This product, although gorgeous, usable, well thought out, with an unbelieveable screen, is SLOWER than the average Netbook. Please consider this when reviewing the full production model, or I'll be reading reviews elsewhere.
But yes, I still want one.
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zoydwheeler
January 14th
5. I predict you will get one on eBay in 6 months for around £400-£500, once the fanboys have grown bored of them. At that point, I may well invest. (Unless Apple comes up with yet another magic miniature computing wonder beforehand of course).
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zoydwheeler
January 14th
4. Are you insinuating that Sony has a small *****?
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blueskythinker
January 14th
3. Does the P in P Series stand for pricey? Seriously, this does look like a fantastic laptop for those who don't think that size matters.
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