Preview Sony is a company that never ceases to amaze me. Every time I think that it can't produce another groundbreaking product, it does just that. When I looked at the Sony Vaio X505 ultra-slim notebook earlier this year, I was amazed at how small and light it was, while remaining a usable mobile tool. But with the Vaio Type U, Sony has created a mobile computer that makes even the X505 look big, writes Riyad Emeran.

The Type U is about the size of that ill-fated PDA pioneer, Apple's Newton MessagePad. Its exact dimensions are 16.7 x 11 x 2.8cm, with a weight of 550g. However, whereas a PDA is a device that's designed to do some of what a PC can do, the Vaio Type U actually is a PC. Despite the small dimensions, there's a complete set of PC components hiding inside that brushed silver and black chassis.

For starters, there's a 1GHz Intel Pentium M CPU backed up by 512MB of RAM, although the integrated graphics use will use a minimum of 8MB of that. There's a 20GB hard disk, which is small by modern notebook standards, but you've got to remember how much Sony has had to squeeze into such a small casing.

Dominating the front of the Type U is the 5in TFT screen. With a resolution of 800 x 600, it's a little low by notebook standards but very high by PDA standards. The screen is bright and vibrant, and the viewing angle is surprisingly good, considering that the device is going to be directly in front of you when you're using it. The screen is also touch-sensitive which is pretty handy.

Pointer control comes courtesy of a thumb stick that brings back memories of the Toshiba Libretto, which used a similar device imbedded in its lid. Pressing the thumb stick inwards is equivalent to pressing the left mouse button, while at the top left corner of the fascia is a group of three buttons that represent the left and right mouse buttons, along with a scroll-lock button. The latter is particularly useful when you're scrolling through web pages. Above the thumb stick is a four-way rocker pad that serves as your cursor keys, while there's a button in the centre that selects the highlighted option.

The bottom right corner also houses three buttons. One of these controls the brightness of the backlight, another takes you into a hardware set-up menu populated with volume control, brightness, mute etc. The third button fires up a rather strange handwriting recognition/text entry utility that I couldn't quite get the hang of. Now, before you think that I shouldn't be reviewing a PC if I can't figure out the applications, let me point out that the Type U is only available in Japan, so everything on this device, including Windows XP, is Japanese.

The final two buttons are in the bottom left corner, and are labelled Zoom and Rotate. The Zoom button will change the resolution of the screen - you can drop it down to 640 x 480, or push it up to 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024 or 1600 x 1200. Of course the higher resolutions present you with a virtual desktop that you have to scroll around. The Rotate button spins the display into a portrait format, which can be very handy when you're reading a long document.

On the left side of the chassis is the power switch, a hold switch to stop any buttons being pressed inadvertently, and a headphone socket. The headphone socket also accepts a Sony type remote control and thankfully one is supplied in the box, complete with backlit display. On the right is a single USB port, a hardware switch for the integrated 802.11b wireless adapter and a control+alt+del button - absolutely imperative for any Windows-based device.

On the top you'll find a standby button, a MemoryStick slot and a CompactFlash slot. It's good to see that Sony is giving you the option of using a different memory card format from it's own MemoryStick. Here you'll also find a couple of clips that hold the battery in place - the battery takes up the whole back of the device.

The Type U also comes with fully featured docking station that angles the screen perfectly for working at a desk. Integrated into the docking station are four USB ports, a four-pin FireWire port, a D-SUB for connecting the Type U to an External monitor, an Ethernet port and the power socket.

Also bundled is a cute little fold away USB keyboard, that's a perfect partner for the Type U when it's in the docking station. Despite being completely flat, the action on the keyboard is pretty good, although the selector buttons are too close to the Spacebar and I found myself hitting them by mistake. There's also a trackpoint mounted at the centre of the keyboard. Finally, there's a padded case that the Type U slips into, to keep it warm and toasty when you're carrying it around.

When you consider that the Type U is a full PC, the potential uses are limitless - why synchronise your PC Outlook with a PDA when you can carry it with you in it's entirety? You could use it to give presentations via a projector with Wi-Fi functionality, or you could just while away a long flight watching DivX movies.

Of course, although I say that the potential uses are limitless, there is nothing that I could honestly say that I need the Type U for, nothing that I currently can't do with another device with relative ease. But ultimately that's what makes a product like the Type U different from so many others, it's not about need, it's about want.

Absolutely everyone that I showed the Type U to wanted it, although no one had any real need for it. It's one of those devices that just elicits completely irrational desire - logic and common sense go out the window, and you're just filled with the desire to own one of these miniature marvels.

If you are overcome with desire for a Type U, you're going to have to find a retailer that will ship you one from Japan. Then you're going to have to completely nuke it and re-install an English version of Windows so that you can use it properly. That said, there are rumours that sales of the Type U in Japan will be coming to an end soon, and that production of a US version may start. If this is true, you'll find it easier to get hold of one and you won't have to re-install the operating system.

As far as I'm aware, there are no plans for the Type U to come to Europe officially, which is a shame. I can understand why Sony is reluctant to invest in a European roll-out, since the cost of language and territory customisations would be prohibitive for a low volume product such as this.

However, it's important for a company like Sony to keep showing the world that it can design ground breaking products that its competitors can't compete with, and with the Vaio Type U, it has done just that.

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