Sony adds W-Series mini notebook to VAIO line

Sony has released a netbook to slot in between the P-Series and TT-Series of its VAIO notebook line. The VAIO W-Series is designed as a secondary PC for those that need to do some basic computing on the move – whether it be around the house or around town. Available in white, pink and brown, the W-Series sports a 10.1-inch display and is powered by an Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM and an Intel 950 Graphics Accelerator.

The 10.1-inch wide-screen LED backlit display boasts a resolution of 1366 x 768 and utilizes Sony’s XBRITE-ECO LCD technology, which relies on one backlight to cut down on power usage. Other key specs include a 160GB HDD, SD and Memory Stick PRO Duo card slots, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, webcam, two USB ports, VGA out, microphone and Ethernet.

There is an Electro-Static touch-pad and the QWERTY keyboard is 86% full size and of the ‘chiclet’ variety. That should be fine for shooting off emails, but could prove tiresome for extended typing sessions - although the roughly two hours of battery life afforded by the standard included battery should help ensure that your typing sessions don’t stretch out too much.

The W-Series measures 10.54” x 1.28” x 7.07” and weighs in at 2.62 lbs. Windows XP Home Edition comes pre-installed, while the included VAIO Media plus software lets you stream content to DLNA–enabled devices such as a PS3.

The Sony VAIO W-Series will be available from August for USD$499, £429.00 and €449,00, with Sony taking pre-orders now.