Sony shows off new entry-level Vaio
Sony has unveiled its new entry-level Vaio laptop, the 15.5-inch E-series.
The E-series, which replaces the NW series in Sony's laptop line-up, uses Intel's new dual-core range, with the lowest specification including a Core i3 processor. Core i processors have integrated high-definition graphics capabilities, but E-series laptops also include ATI Mobility Radeon 5000 series dedicated graphics cards.
The machine's ports include HDMI output, three USB ports and a fourth eSata/USB port. The E-series is also the first Vaio to include a numerical keypad alongside its standard keyboard.
As with all new Vaios, the laptop includes a Vaio Assist button, which Sony marketing manager Robbie Duncan described at Tuesday's launch event as a "one-click care mechanic". The button triggers four stages: a diagnostic check, a troubleshooting guide, system restore and recovery, and information on how to get in touch with customer services.
At the same event, Sony also showed off the other new laptops in its Vaio line-up, which are shown on the following pages.
Sony has updated its W-series netbook with Intel's new N450 Atom chipset. The company is also touting the ecological credentials of the new netbook, which it calls the W-series Eco Edition.
The netbook uses recycled plastic parts and has a mercury-free 10-inch display.
The Vaio Y-series is Sony's first laptop to use one of Intel's ultra-low voltage (CULV) processors, in this case the SU4100.
The 13.3-inch Y-series weighs 1.78kg, comes with 4GB of RAM and has a 320GB hard drive. It has an HDMI port alongside the usual USB ports.
Sony also showed off its Z-series notebook, which has four solid-state drives for fast parallel data-writing.
The 1.45kg laptop has a full-HD 13.1-inch screen that offers 96 percent Adobe RGB colour, and runs on a Core i7 processor.
Sony has done away with its AW and FW ranges of multimedia laptops, replacing them with the new F-series.
The F-series has a full-HD 16.4-inch screen with full Adobe RGB colour, and is Sony's first quad-core Vaio, using a Core i7 processor.
Nvidia GeForce GT330M graphics are included, as is Blu-ray.