New Sony VAIO X Series Announced

German site here:
http://www.netbux.de/sony/sony-vaio-x-unvollstaendiger-kurztest/

Just some bits which I roughly translate:
For the same price you can buy 3 or 4 netbooks.

The procesor is an atom - which they can't say, its not yet on the market and running pretty quick.

Chipset - secret.

Sony blocked all tings like device manager etc.

Pressing your ear to the underside reveals no noise indicating a SSD.

A slot for a Sim card, Bluetooth and WLAN too.

Another German site:
http://www.computerbild.de/artikel/...nes-und-leichtes-Carbon-Notebook-4671227.html

claims it should sell at the end of the year

Edit 2:

http://www.mini-notebook-laptop.com/sony-vaio-x-serie/comment-page-1/

2GB RAM are claimed...

 

So that translates to:

Z Atom >2GHz
or Pine Trail

I guess the latter.
I can't wait to see the graphics performance of the new platform. Including the GPU and memory controller on the processor's die should give a noticable boost, being 45nm helps too.

Edit:

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Good info by Notebookcheck:
http://www.notebookcheck.com/IFA-2009-Sony-Vaio-X-im-Hands-On-Test.20314.0.html

In German, Google can translate.

 

An English video:

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Im sure they will have a low end model and a high end.

Low end model:

Matte
2gb ram
1.8ghz processor?

High end model

Carbon fibre
4gb ram?
2.0ghz processor?
Sim card slot

 

Also have a look at this photo

http://www.netbux.de/wp-content/myfotos/09-ifa-sony-vaio-x-hands-on/sony-vaio-x-ifa-5.jpg

Does this mean Sony are going back to PCG models?

 

any sony VAIO will have these PCG codename.

btw nice vids guys. feel tempted by its look.

 

After watching those videos I kind of want to get one, even though I don't need one since I have a TT? Unless some one can give me a good reason to get one?

 

It's a beaut.

 

looks sexy but if it's just a glorified netbook then I'm greatly disappointed. They need a MBA killer, not an underpowered wannabe

 

why MBP killer, they already have a bunch of laptops that are better than that.

they "need" a macbook air killer, thou this can be debatable, sincer air is pretty much useless.

I cant believe how many people are negative about this new VAIO, cmon folks, get real, we are talking about a normal laptop with 11" panel that weights 700 grams and normal battery of 5 hours, and with extended battery (total weight will probably be around 1.2 kgs) we will have a machine for 20 hours of work. Cant you see how awesome this is??

 

Then what do you call the Vaio Z? It has the weight of the MBA, but comes with features that equal or better the MBP. Not sure how the Nvidia 9300gs compares to the 9400M but they should be fairly equal. I don't see a HDMI, express card slot and a WWAN on the MBP, something the Z has. Heck you can say weight wise it is in the same category as the MBA.

 

I meant MBA killer

obviously even the SR is a class above the MBP

 

Why do you guys compare Sony Vaio products to Apple?

 

Because many hold Apple products to be some form of benchmark that everybody else is trying to meet, like they are some form of market leader.

Why people are so well...annoyed about this?
Because Apple products get held up on much a pedestal that in many ways is simply not justified. Plus they are constantly associated with innovation and being cutting edge. When in reality their laptop range in many ways is actually behind the times and is playing catch up. Mostly its just frustration that Apple gets so much unjustified attention and prestige.

 

When I first saw an apple product I changed my mind, but before that, I thought apple are superb...i was not impressed at all and since then i dont get what people see in apple...

but this is a bit off topic, try to stay on track here guys.

 

Getting back on track would be good, I think I answered the DetlevCM's question sufficiently anyway.

How about to different versions of the X, one with Atom and one with the Core solo? With all the effort into making this a relatively premium product already an Atom processor as the only option would just kill it. If you got the cash to pay for the Atom version of this, you can probably afford the core solo version.

 

Yes, I think you did.

I am just thinking...
I saw a comparitively cheap Acer laptop with a Core Solo - it looked nice (small 13,3") - relatively thin.
I'm not sure if it had a fan.
But it was a few hundred € - much less than 1000 - so in terms of price a Core Solo would be possible.

 

Let's get real, this is impossible. If you want a core solo, you need the chipset too. There is no way to design a fanless notebook with a core solo.
Pine Trail as a whole has the TDP of a core solo alone.

 

if ultra low voltage CPUs would be possible without fans, then TT would already be there - IMO.

 

before finding my next notebook, i was aiming for portable notebook. at first, i was thinking to get the TT series, but end up with Z since its balance in all aspect.

about the X series, its really a nice machine, but seeing if this machine will be equip with atom, i think its not really worth. they already have alot of atom series notebook release, P and W. aside from other manufacturer (most of them using plastic casing tho).
if only this beauty equip with core solo, it would be decent. unfortunately the machine is too small for core solo i guess for fanless.

so guys, next T series soon? haha

 

The only negative think, that unfortunately is very important, is that most probably it will be Atom based. That's why we are so negative about this X series. Of course is a Vaio, so is amazingly beautiful but this doesn't mean that I will pay 1000-1500 euros for an Atom laptop, are we crazy? Even if the battery will last 3 days. In the other hand if it carried a CULV or a Core Solo would be great.

 

but why would you need CULV in such a machine, what would you be doing, so you would need extra power?

 

Because Atom can't do flash hd file at this point in time(thank you Adobe) neither can a core 2 solo with out having some issues. But a faster cpu that barely uses more power than an Atom would be nice as it would really differentiate it from the other netbooks, and even other CULV devices.

 

and how would you put a CULV into a fanless design that is very thick?

 

My 4 year old Latitude X1 has a ULV processor and no fan, so I don't follow this line of reasoning. Do the current ULV processors run that much hotter than the Pentium M's that passive cooling is not possible?

 

I would wait out on the X which would be my main travel companion. I hate carrying a cord to everywhere I go.

The TT does work also but I'm really liking the design and the weight of the X.

 

Wow, I just looked that up and the Pentium M 733 has a tdp of 3-5W, the same as the Core 2 Solo SU3500. I have no idea why they can't do passive cooling with that,

 

I dont know, maybe it has something to do with GPU, which heats up too. If passive cooling would be possibl with current ULV CPU's I am sure somebody would already made it real.

 

The GMA 4500 (which would be used if culv) is way more efficient than the one used with Pentium M's.

 

This.
The northbridge even isn't 45nm, it's still 65nm.
The complete Pine Trail platform including everything has got a TDP of 7W.
A single core CULV has a TDP of 5.5W and you still have to add north- and southbridge. The chipset has a TDP of 12W so that's 17.5W total.

 

Already are coming netbooks with Ion...HP Mini 311 - New 11.6-inch model, with Atom N270 & Nvidia ION LE:

http://translate.google.com/transla...70-nvidia-ion-le/&sl=de&tl=en&history_state0=

Why Sony can't follow all the other manufactures that they use the latest tecnology? I am really curious about the GPU of the X series. If the X will have the GMA 500 like the P they have another failure in the market.

 

because goal in market is to offer what others dont have, not to offer what others have at lower price, then market dies...

so you are saying HP with N270 atom will be better than Atom Z540 ?

Dear god...this HP will weight 1.5 kg?! like sony vaio Z

 

I just want to see a little innovation from Sony. All the users of the P which weight little more than the X series, complain about the video performance. So, what is the point having a nice looking laptop in a higher price that has performance issues? Just because is light and has a good battery life we should be happy? And of course I am not speaking about playing games or anything heavy, but at least play a movie without issues? And in these prices!

So, did Sony learned from the mistakes of the P series or we gonna have another great looking machine that is practically unusable?

 

Okay, but isn't it still less than a fanless computer with a 90nm Pentium M and an old Intel chipset?

Also, a 3 photo unboxing.

 

No. Its a new boarderline in laptops - 11" screen and 700grams. whats inside i dont care that much it could even be celeron 500 and it would be enough for normal day usage.

my GF have some old barebone 15" with Celeron 1.6Ghz, 700 MB of RAM and 40GB HDD...she still uses it every day for all her tasks.

 

Pine Trail has got GMA950 afaik.

 

I can't say anything about that device.
It would be possible to cram a fanless CULV plus GS45 in there, but then you would have to cripple speeds and you would have to run in power saving mode all the time. I doubt that Sony would produce such an unbalanced device.
Also think about that small battery, no way to achieve 5h with that.

 

Ehh I'm not getting it. This thing to be released in a few months... Sony did not know what CPU they were going to use according to some sources. And now there is an unboxing?

Edit: I got it, it's chocolate

I heard GMA500 or the next gen GMA500: GMA600 iirc.

No GMA950.

 

I would have thought that they would use in-house technology and no Power VR to put on their DIE. I haven't done much research on Pine Trail, though.

 

I forgot it uses an an integrated graphics core. So CPU and GPU merged.

 

According to some sources, GPU will be "upgraded" latest GMA chipset...which is ... 950 I believe?

 

950 is like 4 years old. One of intel latest chipset would be the 4000 series i.e. the 4500hd, and 4700hd. Not sure how new the GMA500 is, but let hope this get something like a GMA600hd with lower cpu and power usage when playing HD video and at least has the ability to encode HD video, even if it is a bit slow.

 

i am still curious why people want CULV CPUs and GPUs that are capable of HD videos on an ULTRA ULTRA portable laptop?

 

I think Youtube HD is what people are after.

And it can make a difference.

 

That is one reason, at least for a better dual core type cpu. Why give us a nice screen, and leave us watching a flash video in decent quality, when we can watch it in quality that is better. If I can I try to watch all my youtube videos in HD, with HQ being the minimum quality I would accept.

 

Who will watch youtube on an ultra portable? This machine is for serious businessmen and people that wants long ultra protability with no affect on the daily usage - not like P, which is useless for this matter.

or maybe its just me..and youtube/flash videos are really popular abroad, last time I viewed youtube video was checking vaio X intro.

it seems i am just too old

 

Well, even businessmen would need to relax every now and then.

Also, Youtube also offers you a good way of listening to muic on the Go.

And HD youtube is in stereo while normal Youtube should be mono.

 

Well you never know there might be a video or something they have to watch and of course HD is better quality. Didn't know HD was also in stereo, what about HQ?

 

Isn't that the same for Youtube?