Sony Vaio reborn for the living room
More than just a white box manufacturer
If you don’t want a laptop or desktop PC cluttering up your living room, but miss the emotional tech attachment, then Sony may hold the key. It has designed a PC specifically for the living room, but one so, well, un-PC that it’s sure to put bums on sofas.
First announced at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas in January, the machine has just begun shipping in the US. The circular Vaio VGX-TP1 PC is more than just a pretty white shell and will sit well as a bedroom or lounge PC/DVD player.
Sony's Vaio VGX-TP1, with its slide-away panel exposed
Running on Windows Vista Premium, it combines a 1.83GHz Intel Core2 Duo CPU, 2GB of DDR2 memory, with a clock-speed of 667MHz, Intel’s 945 GM chipset and a 300GB hard drive.
The machine can be connected to your HD display via HDMI and also has interfaces for DVI-D and VGA out. Wireless connectivity is provided over 802.11 versions b and g, while an optical drive supports a variety of formats, including DVD+RW and CD-RW. But there is no mention of Blu-ray support, which is surprising given Sony’s fondness of the HD format .
A curved slide-away panel on the machine’s front hides a myriad of additonal ports, including 4 USB 2.0 ports and an SD-card reader. A slot to support Sony’s Memory Stick Pro and Duo is also built-in.
The TP1's clean design works well as a TV accompaniment
The machine also comes with a number of added extras, including a matching white wireless keyboard, with electro-static touchpad, and a remote control, for that true living room feeling.
Sony’s Vaio VGX-TP1 is available now in the US for around $1,600 (£788/€1,172), but there is no word yet on a UK release.
COMMENTS
How noisy is it? - lol I had forgoten that.
The stupid format ATRAC when all you wanted to do was drop a few MP3's from your HDD onto the damm player and go out and listen to music.
Its also partly the reason why I have never got an ipod, as I do not like proprietary and Sony is a company that does like that sorta thing.
Just look at my stupid W850, just like my S750 before its got a stupid Sony Memory stick Duo, WHY!!!!!, I want a mini-SD or somthing, somthing that does not cost 50% more just because its sony!.
With that said, they tend no to mess around with there computer hardware to much, but it does seem a bit pricey this new product, but then most Sony stuff is, but they know there customers will swallow it, because 'its a sony'.
And I for one have not forgotten it was "company that thought it had a right to infect your computers?" - gits.
-sin
No Blue-Ray?
Seems a bit pointless producing a TV oriented product which as mentioned doesn't even have a high end enough GPU and then lacks support for HD via Blue-Ray, which given the fact it's a new machine should really be a feature it supports.
How noisy is it?
Well?
dek: Don't forget Sony's nasty Microsoft-esque obsession with proprietary things, like the overpriced Memory Stick. How I laughed when it had to cave in and support MP3 instead of just ATRAC.
The Best of Times, The Worst of Times
Oh yeah I have a Sony. I bought the PCG-505FX when it came out ten years ago. Wonderful then and now, especially as it runs Puppy Linux flawlessly (apart from firewire because Sony used some crappy chip). But... (pregnant pause) from the outset I begun hating Sony more and more for it's absolute disregard for after-sales support and a maze of a website that disappeared up its own backside. And dare I remind ye all that this is *the* company that thought it had a right to infect your computers? 'nough said.
Sounds good..... but
It looks nice and sounds interesting, ...... but....... wait.
Isn't Vista that DRM crippled software, especially when you are talking HD????
Yea, if any one of the components that are connected are not on the MS approved list, it degraded or stops your HD viewing.
Hmmmm, maybe I should just play it safe and get a MacBook and AppleTV and an iPod, all for the same price. ?????
Now that sounds like a plan. :-)
