Sony does the netbook with Vaio Mini W-series

Posted by David Walker on Tue 7 Jul 2009

Sony does just another netbook.

By David Walker

We thought Sony was side stepping the netbook market, instead offering up the netbook-like, high-end Vaio P-series for al altogether more discerning crowd. How wrong we were - just months after the P Series hit the shelves, Sony is back with something more in keeping with the majority of netbooks on the market, the Vaio Mini W-series.

If you like the idea of a Vaio logo on an everyday netbook, you'll be all over this. But if you're the kind of person who likes to pay attention to what's under the bonnet, you're likely to be slightly disappointed with this 'mini notebook' offering. Why? Well, Sony can dress it up all it likes as a lifestyle accessory, but this doesn't really offer much more than is already out there.

- Sony NW laptop turns up online for £1.99

That means an above-average 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768, 16:9 widescreen display and well-spaced keyboard coupled with a very average Intel N280 Atom processor, 160GB hard disk drive, 1GB RAM and web cam, plus the expected Windows XP operating system. But what it lacks in functionality, it makes up for in style, with the colourful W-Series selling itself as a fashion accessory, complete with colour matched carrying case, a 'designer' touchpad and dimpled palm rest.

How much will the Vaio Mini W-series set you back? That bit isn't clear as yet, although with a shelf date of August 2009, there isn't too long to wait. But based on the estimated US price, we would guess around the £450 mark, which seems an awful lot of money for an average netbook with a designer bag.

Link: Sony Style Store

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