The Vaio W has a 10.1″ display, 1.6GHz Atom CPU, a gig of RAM, and runs Windows XP. it’s slightly better than a standard international netbook–there’s a 1366×768 display, for example–but it lacks 3G and SSD options. It will be $500.
If you’re wondering why Sony decided to enter this market only now, you forget that Sony takes time to move. If Sony began work on the P before netbooks became a phenomenon, for example, that would explain its frustration at people calling it one.
The W will most assuredly come in a dozen different SKUs in more colors and case designs than you can throw an abstract expressionist cat at. Gizmodo‘s Matt Buchanan offers some analysis:
When I asked what distinguishes the Vaio W from the other third wave premium netbooks–notably the Asus Eee Seashell and HP’s new aluminum and magnesium-clad Mini, which are just $430 and $450 respectively, Sony pointed at its “stunning” colors, like its “very stylish” brown. That would hold more weight if this lovely paint job and design (I dig the trackpad a lot) were applied to metal, so it came with a notably superior build quality too. But it’s plastic.
Product Page [Sony via Gizmodo]
Well its priced right and actually has a track pad. Those other Vaio netbooks are terribly priced for a netbook that doesn’t have any huge advantages.