Sony VAIO P: gadget, netbook, or ultraportable notebook? >> GadgetGrid

Jan 21 2009

Sony VAIO P: gadget, netbook, or ultraportable notebook?

Small, low priced notebooks have been quite the rage for the better part of 2008, even going so far as to define a whole new form factor: the netbook. Most people consider a netbook to have an 8-10 inch screen, low power platform like Intel’s Atom, limited storage & RAM, and either Windows XP or a Linux variant with prices ranging from $250 to $800+. The more expensive netbooks delve into the range of inexpensive full featured notebooks, albeit netbooks are generally quite a bit smaller.

Rumors have been circulating for a while and Sony finally announced the new VAIO P…computing device at CES 2009. This device stands to be one of the most unique of 2009, with a design unlike any other. Sony designed this device around having the smallest “usable” keyboard and everything else just fell into place. Yes it sports a screen that measures 8 inches corner to corner, but it is at a 2:1 ratio with a 1600×768 resolution – that means this thing is twice as wide as it is long. Why the super high resolution on such a tiny machine? Sony is betting on people wanting to watch HD content on their VAIO P and this screen can play 720p content natively.

Well good intentions aside, what is this thing really? Is it a gadget, a mobile internet device; one of those categories that really hasn’t taken off outside of Asia? Is it a netbook, designed to primarily serve for convenient internet usage? Or is it a multimedia notebook, as Sony would have you believe?

The size really prevents it from being lumped into the notebook category – sorry, most everything below 12 inches is at least a sub-notebook or ultamobile PC, if not a netbook or MID (Mobile Internet Device). MID’s generally top out in this size range, but they are also a little more dedicated than the Sony VAIO P. They don’t have much onboard storage and are generally limited to only browsing the web or sending e-mail.

The VAIO P comes with Windows Vista and a variety of storage capacities, making it more general purpose than an MID. You will also find Intel’s ubiquitous Atom processor in the VAIO P, heart of nearly all netbooks. The only thing throwing us off the trail is VAIO P’s $900+ price tag, but it IS a Sony and you do get worlds better build quality than most of the cheap plastic netbooks. While the VAIO P is indeed a netbook at heart, as with most Sony products it is one of the slickest, sexiest, and most expensive products in its class.