Remember how we told you the Sony Vaio W was no longer available from PC World? Well it may be because Sony are releasing an updated model. Like we previously told you, the VAIO W11S1E is still available on Amazon for £330-£332 but now, a new model, the W12S1E is also showing up at Amazon.
The W12S1E features pretty much the same specs as the previous model with a couple of changes. The new model will run Windows 7 Starter instead of Windows XP but, the main change and probably the reason for the new model number, is the hard drive size. The W12S1E will feature a 250GB HDD instead of 160GB. The extra hard drive space and newer operating system will cost you an extra £70 though. The netbook is available to pre-order for £399 in white, tan and pink. Release date is November 10th.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Sony are releasing their netbook, the Sony Vaio W in a two tone pink to raise money for the cause. The netbook will come with a matching carry case and mouse. The netbook will be available to purchase until the end of this month. Sony are also releasing their eReader in pink for the cause. The company will donate $110,000 of profits into the cause. The Vaio W is already available in pink but, if you haven’t picked one up yet, now is the time to pick one up, as not only will you get a brand new shiny netbook but, you’ll also be supporting the cause.
Sony’s first official netbook, the Vaio W had previously been spotted for pre-order Stateside on both Amazon and Best Buy. However at the time, neither site had a definite release date for the netbook. As of now, the netbook is available from both retailers. Best Buy have the netbook in white, pink and brown for $499.99. All models are available online but not for store pick up. Amazon on the other hand only have the pink model available to order but as of writing they only have two available.
In the UK it’s pretty much the same. PC World has the Vaio W netbook in all three colors but, likewise, the netbook is only available to order online and not collection from store. The price ranges from £374.97 for the white, to £381.26 for the brown and pink. Amazon UK appear to have all colors in stock for around the same price.
If you didn’t get the chance to pre-order Sony’s real netbook – the Sony Vaio W when Amazon offered it for pre-order recently, well here’s another chance for you to get a crack on this expensive Sony netbook once it is released. Bestbuy has currently put up a pre-order page for the Sony Vaio W.
As expected BestBuy’s Sony Vaio W takes a rather expensive price tag if you are to compare it with other netbooks of similar specs. The price tag is at $499 a poof and it is expected to ship between August 12 to 18. The Sony Vaio W will be available in pink, blue or brown color design.
If you already forgot, the Sony Vaio W is equipped with Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB RAM, 10.1-inch screen with 1366×768 resolution and some other standard netbook features.
If you’re in the U.S., you may find the price of the Sony Vaio W a little bit on the expensive side. That is with the expected price range of around $499. But you’re still lucky for you are not located in Manila, Philippines where the Sony Vaio W will be available in the market for around $890!
Yup, Sony Philippines has just launched the Sony Vaio W yesterday. In case you’re wondering if there’s any difference in the specs of the Manila version of the Sony Vaio W, well actually there is none. For that whooping price, you’ll get the same specs such as:
Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
Intel GMA 950
10.1″ screen @ 1,366×768 pixels
MS Windows XP SP3
3-cell battery
The Sony Vaio W will start hitting the Philippine stores sometime in August.
Our kudos to Netbook Italia for getting up close and personal with the Sony Vaio W. And we couldn’t help but envy these guys because judging by how the Sony Vaio W looks, Sony might be up to something good this time.
Anyway, on display at some event in Milan, Italy is the sleek and sexy looking Sony Vaio W in Pink and White color. And boy, do they look so good?
Here’s how Netbook Italia describe the Sony Vaio W’s look:
Soft, rounded design with pleasing colors on the bottom;
Resistant materials and free from ditate;
Resolution of the display more comfortable;
Comfortable keyboard island, ergonomic and easy to use even for the ladies who have long nails;
Touchpad with high quality and fitted with surface decoration;
Chassis built and assembled with the aim of quality;
Multilayer bright colors and bright;
Vaio Media plus.
Don’t you just love it? Even more cooler than its design is the Sony Vaio W’s DNLA software which would allow the netbook to communicate with other Sony products that support DNLA like the Sony Bravia TV
Want some more Sony Vaio W goodies? How about watching this short video?
When Sony announced the Vaio W, it was very clear in the announcement that it will only have a 3-cell battery. This translates to only around 2.5 hours of usage and could probably be the reason why Sony is marketing the Vaio W as a home mobile computer. But why would Sony release a netbook like this when all the other netbook manufacturers are packing their units with batteries lasting up to 10.5 hours?
But anyway, we learned that there will be an extended battery option for the Sony Vaio W, a 6-cell battery option to be exact. So, that’s good news for those who are eyeing the Sony Vaio W but was disappointed by the 3 cell battery option.
In a related note, if you’re excited to see some more materials regarding Sony’s first foray into the netbook scene, here’s a video from the machine’s developers:
That was quick. When we reported about the Sony Vaio W, we were still citing Japanese sources and thought that it won’t be available elsewhere until quite some time. But wait, here comes Sony officially announcing their first “real netbook” Vaio W’s availability elsewhere. In fact, the pre-order page at the Sony Style store is now ready. Interestingly, Sony may have learned its lesson about netbook pricing as it will be selling the Vaio W for only $500. Still pricey for a standard netbook donning the Sony style and logo but at least cheaper than it’s previous attempt at mini-netbook via the pricey Sony Vaio P.
The Sony Vaio W will be available in 3 colors – pink, brown and white. It comes preloaded with the following Sony VAIO software:
VAIOStartup Assistant
Click to Disc Editor
VAIO Movie Story
VAIO MusicBox
VAIO Media plus Multimedia Streaming Software
While its specs and feature may seem all too good to be true, there seems to be one problem with this netbook – battery life. The specs says it’s good only for two hours usage. Are they kidding?
To be honest, this news almost made me laugh. After coming out with the Vaio P which the company refuses to call as a netbook, here comes Sony releasing the Vaio W “internet book.” Unlike the Vaio P which had a “not so netbook” size, this time around there is not mistaking that the Vaio W is 100% netbook.
Sorry Sony, you may call the Vaio W whatever you like, but at the end of the day it still is a netbook.
So, what does the Sony Vaio W has to offer? Pretty much the standard netbook specs actually:
10.1-inch LCD (1366×768)
Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
GMA 950/W-LAN
webcam
Bluetooth
Windows XP Home Edition
3.5-hour battery pack
267.8mmx27.5mx179.6mm
No pricing and international release date yet. But knowing the price of the Sony Vaio P when it first came out, the Vaio W would probably price almost the same. Well, then good luck to Sony.
The Sony VAIO W Series will be available in UK, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Russia from mid August, it is also available online for pre-order from Sony Style Store.
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