Sony shows summer Vaio laptops

Speed, storage bump

By Tony Smith, 3rd May 2006

Sony has announced its summer Vaio notebook line-up, boosting family members' memory, processor and storage specs. Take the FJ3 series, for example. This slimline 14.1in range now incorporates dual-layer DVD+RW support in addition to the many other recordable and rewriteable CD and DVD formats already handled.

sony vaio fj3

The range also gets 1GB of 533MHz DDR 2 memory as standard, up to 100GB of HDD storage, and an integrated webcam.

The 15.4in FE20 range has the built-in webcam too - well most of the machines; some models lack the camera, apparently. All of them have 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, a dual-core Intel Core Duo processor and an Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 with 128MB of dedicated graphics memory.

sony vaio fe20

The SZ2 series ships with an integrated Intel graphics core in the 915GM chipset and an Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 - you can flip between the two to boost battery life or get superior graphics performance. The integrated GPU is the default. Pitched at business users, the machines incorporate a Trusted Platform Module to handle data security and there's a motion sensor on the hard drive to guard it against sudden drops. Again, the line's powered by Core Duo chippery and each machine ships with 1GB of 533MHz DDR 2 SDRAM.

sony vaio sz2

Sony once again touted the SZ2 range's carbon-fibre casing, claiming the material makes for a "super-secure, super-light" notebook. Again, the machines' other specs have been beefed up too, and the 13.3in X-black screen comes courtesy of a new, slimline LCD panel with an LED backlight for better battery performance, Sony claimed.

Alas, there's no word yet on availability or pricing. ®

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