Sony VAIO E-Series Notebooks Reach US Shores

Sony has just announced today that the E Series VAIO notebooks, that were released previously across Europe, will soon be available for purchase in the US with prices starting at $550 for the most basic model of the bunch.

VAIO E Series notebooks are available in three different form factors, ranging from 14-inch to 17.3-inch, but all of these feature pretty much the same hardware, except for the display resolution (1366x768 for the 14 and 15.5-inch models and 1600x900 for the 17.3-incher).

At the heart of the notebooks, stands Intel's second-generation processors and users can configure these systems with a 2.1GHz Core i3-2310M or with a 2.3GHz Core i5-2410M.

The Intel processors are paired together with 4 or 6 GB of DDR3 system memory and Nvidia GeForce GT 410M discrete graphics with either 512MB or 1GB of memory, depending on the user's choice.

Storage options include three hard drives ranging from 320GB to 640GB in capacity and the E-series Vaio notebooks can also be equipped with a DVD burner or with a Blu-ray drive combo.

Outside of the Intel Sandy Bridge powered notebooks, Sony has also introduced a special version of the 15.5-inch model that is based on an AMD E-350 accelerated processing unit with on-board HD 6130 graphics.

 

"The VAIO brand stands for excellent quality and standout design," said Mike Lucas, senior vice president of Networked Technology and Services Division at Sony Electronics.

"The new E Series delivers both, plus entertainment and connectivity options, at a price the everyday user can afford," concluded the company's rep.

 

The VAIO E Series notebooks will be available for pre-order starting June 19 from Sony's website and pricing will start at $550.

Finally, I'll let you take a look at more pictures of the 15.6-inch VAIO E Series notebook, which we had the change of getting hands-on with during a local Sony event.