Behold Sony's not-a-netbook
Spotted at Sony's Japanese Vaio site is this device, which resembles the computer partially revealed by the FCC. It's a pretty but indistinct image that feeds its promise to "change the way you look at laptops" next month: no screen, keyboard or other features are even clear. There's just a hint of a crease, which morphs into an envelope's flaps in the teaser ad.
What do we know of Sony's new machine? According to the FCC filing, its 9 inches long, runs Windows and has high-end connectivity options. It could be a "mobile internet device" such as Intel originally imagined its Atom processors would power; a modern iteration of its much-loved Picturebook series of subnotebooks; or yet another high-end Sony ultra-portable, in the tradition of its T- and U-series.
What's for certain is that it won't be a clamshell netbook with a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 92% size keyboard and Windows XP ULCPC edition: One Sony exec's already asserted it won't make a netbook like the ones that are currently out.
Sony Japan [Electronista]
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Maybe that's just the case for a tablet and not part of the computer itself?
Ooo, good point.
Actually, it's just a plain white plastic block. Sony is challenging our notions of what a laptop is supposed to be by releasing one that can't actually be interacted with.
In that same vein, it may just be an envelope. Sony could be trying to ape the Air manila envelope ads.
Suppose (as I do) that it is a netbook with all the familiar specs: its size alone would warrant a new name like an UN-UMPC or, for those that actually like to pronounce things, an UMnetbook. Totally revolutionary product.
(Don't we all know that markets are "revolutionized" by renaming things not reinventing or superseding them?)
Thus, when the Sony exec said that it is "not a netbook like the ones that are currently out," what he meant was, "with my Jedi powers I will show you visual images of the only thing that makes this product 'revolutionary,' imply that I've done nothing of the sort, and let your imagination do the rest. Go out and let your mind boggle socially and publicly."
yipes, Xmas spirit full breach in T +10 seconds.
Hmm,
an oversized netbook for an oversized handbag.
People are gonna love it.
The only thing that I might consider changing about netbooks would be the size of the keyboard, not the size of the netbook i.e. try for some sort of foldable keyboard or maybe one that swings out or whatever. Anything that increases keyboard real estate without changing the form factor too much would be ok.
I'm hoping it doesn't have a screen and just beams the image directly into my head. that is the only way it would change the way i "look" at a laptop, well a built in projector of any sort would actually count, or a braille output type device,..
A folding screen? That'd be kinda neat.