ULTRA PERSONAL COMPUTING IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND

Sony VAIO U-Series Notebook Combines Power of Full-size PC with Portability of PDA

According to Sony, at a shade over 1 pound, Sony's new VAIO® U Ultra Portable PC has the heart of a PC but the soul of an entertainer.

Doubling as a portable media player, this "pocketable" PC allows you to download entertainment content and enjoy it virtually anywhere you go. Integrated 802.11 b/g wireless LAN connects you to thousands of hotspots across the country and helps you stay in touch with the Internet, email and your favorite digital content download services.

Multiple input modes contribute to the PC's extreme versatility. Using the stylus and virtual keyboard on the unit's touch panel screen, you can compose email messages or navigate files even while standing up. Handwriting recognition software simplifies note-taking or annotating documents. Users can also quickly launch programs or execute common commands with thumb-controlled action buttons, or draft longer text files with the included foldout keyboard.

"The U-Series expands the usability of portable PCs beyond the realm of even the lightest traditional notebooks," said Mike Abary, general manager of VAIO PC marketing for Sony Electronics' IT Products Division. "It fits a full-fledged Windows® operating system, Intel® processor and all the entertainment capabilities that make it a Sony, into a `go-anywhere' package that's smaller than a paperback novel."

The unit's 5-inch display with XBRITE™ LCD technology brings movies and photos to life with crisp, high-contrast playback. Memory Stick® and Compact Flash media slots make it easy to import files or digital photos from a variety of digital still cameras. With intuitive thumb controls, users can change the display orientation on the fly, from landscape to portrait mode and back, for optimal viewing of virtually any content.

Whatever, Wherever

Included accessories make the PC even more effective in a variety of different environments. The inner-ear headphones and remote control make digital music and movies a joy whether you're on a plane or on the run. The mobile AC adapter, foldout keyboard and VGA/Ethernet adapter combine for an ideal road package. At home, the port replicator facilitates charging while connecting the PC to a variety of external devices such as a mouse, display, hard drive and/or optical drive.

An Intel® Ultra Low Voltage Pentium® M processor and Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional operating system ensure that the power and the platform for general computing tasks exist on the VAIO U notebook. And exclusive applications, such as SonicStage® software, allow users to take maximum control of their digital content, reinforcing Sony's commitment to entertainment.
 

See spec sheet

The VAIO U Ultra Portable notebook will be available next month for about $2,000. Buy from Sony Style

Shop at SonyStyle