Sony announces greenwashed Vaio laptops

(Credit: Sony)

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, and it seems unlikely that Sony's engineers were thinking about saving the rainforests when they designed the case.

We suspect the real meat of the announcement is that Sony has designated one percent of Eco Edition sales to go to 1% for the Planet, which funnels money to environmental organizations worldwide. And the company is using the occasion to draw attention to its trade-in program, which gives you credit toward a new Vaio when you turn in your old computer for recycling. (Again, not exactly unique.)

The truly distinguishing characteristic of the limited Eco Edition laptops: groovy nature-inspired lids--Caribbean Water, Clay Earth, Spotted Life, and Bloom--on top of the thoroughly decent Vaio FZ. Expect to see them soon at a starting price of $1,391.