Vaio

Update [3/21/08 1:40PM EST]: Sony's Jon Piazza tells us, "Sony has decided to remove the $50 charge. Fresh Start will be free of charge."

Holy crap(ware), Batman! If you've ever gotten a new laptop or desktop, only to turn it on and had time to make a sandwich while it slowly boots up, you know that PC makers can shovel a lot of bloated software onto their systems. From trial versions to advertising links to proprietary media players, these apps can make a brand-new laptop run like one that's several years … Read more

LAS VEGAS--As a computer, the Eee PC from Asus is intended to be the opposite of intimidating--it's made for children after all. But its potential as a market force is apparently giving chills to its larger industry peers.

Here at Sony's annual Open House event, the senior vice president of Sony's IT product division said the tiny $299 notebook could potentially shift the entire notebook industry.

"If (the Eee PC from) Asus starts to do well, we are all in trouble. That's just a race to the bottom," said Mike Abary.

He means that … Read more

Amid the parade of Sony products announced this morning, it might be easy to get lost in the crowd--unless you happen to be clad in floral patterns of bright pink and blue.

That's how Sony's Vaio laptops tried to stand apart, anyway, in the latest iteration of its "Graphic Splash Expression Collection." Despite the ornate names of the newest crop--which include "Victorian Lace" and "Flora"--it's actually quite subdued compared with earlier releases that boasted leopard prints and giant polka dots.

The patterns and colors can be mixed and matched, and … Read more

There's a reason that Sony's been around as long as it has, even with all the problems it's suffered over the years. It's all about design.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the ultraportable Vaio TZ series pictured with this item, adorned in subtle tones and patterns worthy of a SoHo boutique. Inside, these 11-inch-display models have been upgraded to a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo chip and 2GB of memory.

Akihabara News says it's unclear whether the laptops with these designer skins will extend beyond Japan, though various colors are available on the … Read more

Just after Dell and Microsoft introduced a line of crimson PCs for (Product) Red, Sony is using the same color for its own limited-edition laptops--but for Valentine's Day instead.

Despite the unfortunate juxtaposition of the two campaigns, Sony can hardly be singled out for the superficial marketing ploy of its "Red Collection." February is barely a week away, and companies will be coming out in droves to peddle their wares as Valentine gifts. (Apple announced its own entry with a new Nano, albeit pink instead of red.)

Sony's offering is a $1,000 package that comprises … Read more

Sony doesn't sell as many laptops as, say, Dell or HP, instead focusing on high-end systems that are among the slickest-looking out there. While they offer pretty much the same parts as the competition (usually for somewhat inflated prices), we rarely get as many comments or stares from onlookers as when we're carrying around a Vaio laptop.

Sony isn't starting off this year with any radical new designs (in fact these system look identical to the current versions), but is instead offering up some well-timed updates to its current line, adding the latest Intel Penryn processors and … Read more

Sony announced updates to its two home desktops lines this afternoon, the VAIO TP2 Living Room Desktop, and the VAIO LT29U high-end all-in-one. If they look familiar, it's because each is an update to systems released in 2007. A quick rundown of the new models' specs, and we come up with more or less the same opinion of these systems as we had of the originals. The all-in-one is an expensive, if well-equipped niche product, and the diminutive TP series remains a shockingly bad deal when you hold it up to the competition.

In our review last year of … Read more

We have to hand it to Sony: the company latched onto the notion of computers as fashion accessories well before colorful Inspirons were even a glint in Michael Dell's eye. We weren't exactly surprised, consequently, to receive an invitation from Sony to attend a launch party for MTV's Rock the Vote campaign, hosted by Christina Aguilera, at hipster West Hollywood boutique Kitson.

As tech journalists, we rarely rub elbows with bona fide celebrities (Wil Wheaton notwithstanding). But while the paparazzi and star-struck teenyboppers fawned over a gang of pubescent boys who we can only assume were in … Read more

Whatever laptop you're using to read this post, throw it in the trash and go buy one of the latest eco-inspired Sony Vaio Graphic Splash editions. It's for the environment!

OK, maybe that's a bit harsh. It's just hard for a cynic like Crave to swallow the green pill that Sony's pushing with its new Vaio FZ Eco Edition laptops, particularly when the touted environmental benefits look an awful lot like a sales pitch. "Slim design for minimum use of natural resources"? The FZ series isn't that much thinner than its competitors, … Read more