Sony has recently released its own entry into the growing tablet wars, yet its netbooks are also excellent products. Indeed, these devices were a great step for laptop computers, and there are a few models which are worth investigating for people who want something highly portable and affordable.

The Sony M Series netbook is an excellent option for business users. It has a 10.1 inch screen, which is small yet more than adequate for most tasks, combined with a 250GB hard drive that is certainly beefy enough. The processer runs at 1.66 GHZ alongside 1GB of RAM – this comes with a perfectly adequate built in webcam. This product is by no means new, yet it executes a variety of tasks with speed and efficiency – business people will find it much easier to work on than a tablet.

The Y Series (Ultraportable) is aimed more at regular consumers with a slightly larger screen (11.6 inches) and a weight of just 3.2 pounds. There is more space on the hard disk and it generally has the increased performance that you would expect from a newer model. 2GB of RAM is certainly a welcome addition and the battery appears to last for at least three and a half hours.

These two Sony products are cost-effective solutions for people on the move – they perform quite well and are much cheaper than getting a tablet. Indeed, these Sony laptops might give you cause to think twice before buying something flashier.

If Sony’s original netbook was too overpriced for you, then the good news is, Sony are releasing a new netbook model at a lower price of £300. While still not really a budget netbook it does make owning a VAIO netbook more realistic. The VAIO M is due to be launched at the end of the month in the UK for £300. Tesco currently have the netbook listed on their website and their new catalogue, with an end of March release date. The netbook is available in both white and black but, Tesco are charging an extra £30 for the white model.

While in the US, the VAIO M11M1E is available for $380 in the white. Online retailers TigerDirect and J&R currently only have the white model listed but, hopefully the black model will follow shortly.

Specs of the VAIO M netbook include a 10.1 inch display but, Sony have trimmed down the resolution to 1024×600, the traditional netbook resolution, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD and Intel Atom N450 processor. Apart from the change in resolution from the previous VAIO netbook (1366×768), the island style keyboard has been replaced with, again a more traditional netbook layout.

Search Results « Previous Entries Sony VAIO M goes on sale in US Monday, March 22nd, 2010 Sony’s latest netbook offering, the VAIO M is now being stocked by US retailers.  Listed as the VPCM111AX/W, it’s currently available to order from TigerDirect for $379.99, who have it in stock ready to ship. J&R also have the netbook listed for pre-order at 99 cents less. Both companies only have the white model but, hopefully the black model will follow soon. J&R currently have the VAIO M listed with a display resolution of 1366 x 768, which is incorrect and should be amended soon. The VAIO W on the other hand does feature that resolution, for a not so budget friendly price. via Posted by: QuBic in 10-inch, Netbook, competitor, sony | tags: sony, sony vaio, sony vaio m, u.s., vaio, Vaio M | Edit | No Comments » Sony Officially Launches the Vaio M Netbook Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 Following our coverage of the unboxing of the Sony Vaio M by Stuff.tv, we now found the official Sony announcement courtesy of CrunchGear. Although it may already be a little late coming in, still it’s worth noting that Sony finally got it right when it comes to manufacturing a netbook with the Sony Vaio M.  Well, that is if its rumored price is true or even lesser at around $450. Specs-wise, everything seems to be what a netbook should be right now. The Sony Vaio M is loaded with Intel Atom N450 CPU, 250GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, and Intel GMA 3150 GPU, 10.1-inch LED backlit display, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Windows 7 and a 6-cell battery. To be available in black or white color, the Sony VAIO M is slated for a release by end of March. Posted by: Arnold Zafra in 10-inch, Netbook, sony | tags: sony vaio m | Edit | No Comments » Unboxed: Sony Vaio M Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 It seems Sony finally flinched and got off its high horse and released a “budget” netbook. Stuff.tv from UK got a hands-on and unboxing of the new Sony Vaio M. From what I can see, the island keys that Sony laptops are known for have been replaced by an older early MSI Wind-like keyboard. Actually, come to think of it, it does look like a matte version of the MSI Wind 100, even just a little bit. Sony Vaio M 10.1″ 1024×600 LED-backlit screen 1.66GHz Intel Atom with GMA 3150 1GB RAM 250GB HDD 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, built-in Camera The feature set sure is boring and at the price of this thing (US$455), you would expect a bit more for a netbook. Better get one of the newer Pine Trail netbooks, maybe one of those with ION 2 already. source Engadget Posted by: Shinrai in 10-inch, Netbook, sony | tags: Vaio M | Edit | 1 Comment » MSI Wind U100 modded into an iPad lookalike Monday, March 15th, 2010 Sure this tablet mod isn’t the first one with seen, with a rebadged MSI Wind U100 most recently turned into a slider, like the VAIO UX. This time around, one modder has hacked his U100 to resemble the upcoming iPad from Apple. The keyboard was removed from the netbook, a touchscreen added and what really makes it look like more of an iPad than the regular tablet mods, is that alexbates, founder of InsanelyWind added OS X to it with customisations. He also cites that, not only does it look like an iPad but, the specs of it, far exceed that of the iPad with it having “10 times the storage, twice the speed, external video (VGA), webcam, USB ports, and built-in multi card reader.” via Posted by: QuBic in 10-inch, MSI Wind, Netbook, apple, competitor, tablet | tags: hack, iPad, mod, MSI Wind, msi wind u100, os x, tablet, touchscreen, u100 | Edit | No Comments » Sony Vaio W12S1E1 unboxed Monday, March 15th, 2010 While the Sony Vaio W12S1E1 may have been out for a couple of months now, over in the UK the netbook, according to SonyBrands has been hard to find in stores. The Vaio W netbook has been released in several variants, including a 160GB model, a 250GB model, an Intel Atom PineTrail model and an eco friendly version. SonyBrands have got hold of the VAIO W12S1E1, the second model to be announced, which features a 250GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, Windows 7 Starter and Intel Atom N280 processor. The VAIO W12S1E1 is available in white, pink, brown and charcoal, with the model unboxed being the white version. It has a 6 cell battery, which is shown on the netbook and sticks out but, looks like it will allow sufficient airflow. You can view the unboxing photos after the jump. Read the rest of this entry » Posted by: QuBic in 10-inch, Netbook, competitor, sony | tags: sony vaio, unboxing, vaio, vaio w, w12s1e | Edit | 1 Comment » « Previous Entries

After finally seeing the Sony Vaio netbook in the flesh, I fell in love with it immediately. The VAIO W netbook has been released in two varients, the W11S1E and the W12S1E. The difference between the two are the hard drive size, operating system, battery and price, while the rest of the specs remain the same. The W11S1E has a 160GB hard drive, Windows XP and is available for £300 with a 3 cell battery, giving 2.5 hours battery life. While the W12S1E is equipped with Windows 7 Starter, 250GB HDD, a 6 cell battery providing 7.5 hours battery life and retails for £350. So naturally, I went with the W12S1E. Both models are hard to find in most shops within the UK, with only one store in my area having the netbook (W12S1E) on display. Both models are available in white, pink and tan/brown. Although Argos also lists the W12S1E available in charcoal.

Other specs of the netbook include an Intel Atom N280 processor, 10.1 inch display, with an impressive screen resolution of 1366×768, which really does make a difference, 1GB RAM, web camera and an SD and Memory Stick card reader. Connectivity wise, it features WiFi b/g/n and bluetooth.

You can view my unboxing photos of the netbook after the break.