Sony Announces Lightest Notebooks With VAIO X Series

Sony has announced what they’re calling the world’s lightest notebook - the VAIO X Series.

Housed in a lightweight carbon-fiber chassis, the X Series weighs just 1.6 pounds (with standard battery) and is just over a half-inch thin - roughly the width of a cell phone.

It features a 16:9 aspect ratio packed into a compact 11.1-inch (diagonal) footprint. The scratch-resistant LCD display has LED backlight technology.

The X Series is also supplied with both a standard and super-extended capacity battery, delivering extra-long battery life for day-long productivity-up to 3.5 hours for the standard battery and up to 14 hours for the super-extended capacity battery.

“It’s one thing to make a notebook thin but when you consider the fact that the X Series also boasts industry-leading battery life and wireless WAN - you now have a game changer-altering the way people use and think about their PC,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the VAIO business group at Sony.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

The laptop’s uniquely configured keyboard is designed with spacing between the keys for a comfortable typing experience. The keystroke is firm and solid creating a user-friendly touch and feel that makes finding the keys more intuitive.

The unit’s touchpad features a multi-touch functionality commonly associated with touch-enabled smartphones. This means that you can zoom in and out, flip through pictures, rotate items clockwise and counterclockwise, and scroll vertically and horizontally without ever touching your mouse.

The X Series integrates wireless 3G Mobile Broadband technology provided by Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In, Wi-Fi (802.11n), and Bluetooth wireless technologies-so you will always be connected. For 3G Mobile Broadband technology, a separate Verizon service subscription is required.

The model also incorporates real-time GPS functionality. Destinations can be found by simply typing in an address or keyword and then following the turn-by-turn directions. It even includes estimated drive times to let you know how far you are from a destination (United States or Canada only). No Internet connection is required in the United States or Canada.

The X Series incorporates a solid state drive (SSD) used in place of the spinning hard disk drive found in most computers. This provides a rapid boot-up and quicker access to applications, while reducing the risk of hard drive damage-an ideal feature for those on-the-go who are in situations where sudden movements are common. It will come with Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The VAIO X Series notebook will come in two colors, black and gold, and start at about $1,300.

Stay tuned for the info on the India launch.