While the jury’s still out on the idea of portable Blu-ray, Sony’s not taking any chances. It’s announced the new NW series of notebooks, starting at $800 and equipped with a Blu-ray drive at $880.
The six-pound notebook features a 15.5-inch “high-resolution” widescreen display (no mention of actual resolution), 2.10GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, Vista Home Premium, 4GB of RAM, up to a 400GB hard drive, and a 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4570 GPU. There’s also HDMI out and a handy instant-boot web browser that you can access without booting up into Windows.
No firm release date except for “this month,” so you won’t have to wait all that long.
VAIO NW Series [SonyStyle.com]
Full press release:
NEW SONY NOTEBOOK DELIVERS STUNNING BLU-RAY ENTERTAINMENT AT ENTRY-LEVEL PRICE
SAN DIEGO, June 19, 2009 – Sony today unveiled the VAIO® NW notebook– a new line of PCs that provide a powerful high-definition experience while starting at just $800 for the standard model and $880 equipped with Blu-ray Disc™ technology.
Part of a series, the NW notebook features an optional Blu-ray Disc ROM drive making it ideal for viewing pristine HD content on-the-go. It also has the added convenience of DVD and CD read/write functionalities.
The model features a high-resolution 15.5-inch widescreen display (diagonal), making it easy to view two full web pages– no side-to-side scrolling necessary. Sony’s XBRITE-ECO™ LCD technology has also been added so movies and photos can be enjoyed in brilliant clarity and razor-sharp detail.
For those who prefer to watch content on a big screen television, the PC has an HDMI™ output connector so it can be connected to a TV set for a larger viewing experience in high-definition.
“This notebook sets a precedent in the industry merging powerful Blu-ray technology with a portable, head-turning design– all for an unheard of low price,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the VAIO business group at Sony.
Gracefully thin, the notebook has a wavy textured finish and is available in three colors: walnut brown, birch white, and rattan silver.
The NW notebook features an isolated keyboard making it comfortable while reducing typing errors. Its translucent, textured touchpad enables you to smoothly control mouse movement.
The model is equipped with a “display off” button so you can turn off its screen while the notebook continues to run in the background. This lets users conserve power while enabling them to quickly resume PC functionality without waiting for it to boot back up. An instant internet button launches directly into the web without having to wait for the Windows® operating system to load.
The series comes with three Sony entertainment software applications. Offerings include VAIO Movie Story software– an easy way to produce your own high-quality home movies, VAIO MusicBox software– a fun and automated way to enjoy music based on one’s mood, and Click to Disc/ Editor software– for easy video editing and creation.
Easily transfer data, such as photos from your digital camera or music from an MP3 player, to and from the PC with a multitude of connectivity options including three USB ports and ExpressCard®, SD card and Memory Stick PROTM slots.
A built-in webcam and microphone lets users video chat with family, friends and colleagues. A third-party internet service provider is required.
The PC incorporates an Intel® Core™2 Duo processor for fast processing speeds and multitasking. An optional dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4570 graphics card makes it perfect for watching movies. It comes pre-installed with Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit.
ENERGY STAR 5.0 compliant, the NW notebook comes in packaging comprised of 98 percent recycled content. Sony will also recycle your old PC. (www.sony.com/green).
The VAIO NW notebooks will be available online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/nw. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and authorized retailers nationwide starting this month.