14 DAY TRIAL // Sony, a leading vendor of consumer electronics and computer systems, has just announced the expansion of its line of Vaio laptops with the introduction of the new Vaio NW model, a 15.5-inch system that is surprisingly affordable. The new machine packs a Blu-Ray optical drive, high-capacity memory, increased storage, a fast processor and a discrete ATI Radeon Mobility graphics card, all within a configuration that starts at only US$880. This is somewhat of an innovation for Sony, which is known for its line of high price tags.
According to the fellows over at cnet, the basic configuration will provide users with a 15.5-inch WXGA display featuring XBRITE technology, a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 processor, ATI's Mobility Radeon HD4750 graphics chip with 512MB of VRAM and a 400GB 5400RPM hard drive. Additional features include 2GB of DDR2 memory, wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, webcam, a 4x BD-ROM drive and a Li-Ion battery that is said to be capable of providing its users with up to 5.5 hours of battery life.
On the connectivity side, the laptop has been equipped with the standard VGA and increasingly popular HDMI, as well as a Memory Stick Pro, ExpressCard and SD card slots. The chassis features a textured, wavy finish and will become available in three colors, namely walnut brown, birch white, and rattan silver. In addition, according to Sony, the system's packaging is made out of 98 percent recycled content and it is EnergyStar 5.0 compliant.
The price can get even lower, if you decide to ditch the Blu-Ray drive. This will save you US$80 on the system's overall pricing. For those of you who have already set their eyes on the new system, we should mention that the Vaio NW will be made available by the end of June.