Size zero rules

Say what you will about Sony -- their premium product pricing often leaves most industry watchers amazed at Sony's audacity -- but their design team clearly knows how to turn out a slick, sexy notebook.

Unbelievably thin, the new Sony VAIO X series is the company's new ultra-slim `size zero' netbook. And much like its brand ambassador Kareena Kapoor, the VAIO X makes the competition look fat. But does it pack enough inside to blow them out of the water? Let's find out.

So yes, this is without the shadow of a doubt, a netbook. So, it packs more gusto than most netbooks on the market, including its own Sony siblings, via a slightly higher spec processor and twice the RAM.

Oh, and the solid state memory storage certainly helps its case, but it is a netbook any which way you look at it. It's also one of the first to sport the brand new Windows 7 operating system, which it runs smoothly enough if you're not planning to give it too much to think about (read: run too many programs simultaneously, or commit machine harakiri by running Photoshop on it etc).

The screen, a 1366 X 768-pixel, 11.1-in LCD screen, is LED-backlit, so it looks good both indoors and out. Image quality is crisp and clear, and colours are well saturated. In fact, at this resolution, you could even try and run high definition video on it, but your mileage may vary -- the processor just can't keep up throughout, and results are jerky.

Netbooks do have to make compromises to keep power consumption down, a fact we're fast getting used to.

But then again, that's not why you'd pick the VAIO X up, or for that matter, the reason you'd be drawn to it in the store. Sony touts the VAIO X as the world's lightest notebook, and at 655gm (without the base battery), it is. Even with the optional extended battery on the VAIO X, the weight is still a lot lighter than most 10-in netbooks. And it's slim, in case you haven't heard --at 0.6-in (without the extended battery), the VAIO X rivals the MacBook Air in terms of thickness. You cannot deny being impressed by the X's design -magnesium alloy chassis and carbon-fibre lid.

The style quotient is high when you open it up as well, with decent sized keys and an excellent touchpad, which is capable of recognising multitouch gestures, such as pinch and zoom. Two mouse buttons below are also small but responsive. And despite its size, Sony's managed to cram in most of the connectivity options (see Quick Specs) seen on almost every other netbook, including memory card slots and draftN wireless connectivity. I was a tad surprised at the omission of an HDMI port, although since this netbook isn't designed to output HD content, it's not such a big loss.

Aside from its dimensions, the other defining feature of the VAIO X is its endurance. If you believe Sony's claims, the netbook can get upto 14 hours of runtime with the extended battery, and even with our heavy usage over Wi-Fi, we managed a decent nine hours with the VAIO X, which blows past the netbook average.

Much like the P-series, this is a notebook with only one foot in the netbook camp. Its extreme design could command its price, if the performance didn't let us down. It's in a class by itself though, with its over-the-top price tag that screams, "CXO only need apply!" To be honest though, I've seen lots of netbooks and I greatly enjoyed the VAIO X experience, if only because a smidgen of luxury, a touch of pampering and attention to detail goes a long way in a market dominated by price-cutting and me-too clones. Is the VAIO X good value for money?

Hell, no! Is it brag-worthy? Without a doubt.

Quick Specs

VAIO X (VPCX113KG/B & VPCX117LG/B)

Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium / Professional
Processor: Intel Atom Processor Z540 (1.86 GHz) / Z550 (2GHz) with Intel System Controller Hub US15W Chipset 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 64 GB(PATA)/ 128GB (SATA)
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
Display: 11.1in wide (WXGA: 1366 x 768) TFT colour display
Connectivity: 2x USB 2.0, Gigabit LAN, 1 Analogue RGB, mini D-sub 15 pin, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, Wireless LAN b/g/Draft n
Memory card slots: Memory Stick Duo, SDHC
Camera: Front facing, 640x 480 pixels
Inputs: Keyboard (Approx. 17 mm key pitch/1.2 mm keystroke , 82 keys), Intelligent touchpad
Battery: VGP-BPS19 Li-ion upto 3.5 hours / VGPBPL19 upto 6.5 hours
Dimensions: 278mm x 13.9mm x 185 mm
Weight: 655gm (incl. 3.5 hour battery)/ 760gm (incl. 6.5 hour battery) l VAIO Software: Control Center, Recovery Center, Update, Transfer Support, Data Restore Tool
Rating: 7/10
Price: VPCX113KG/B: Rs 64,990, VPCX117LG/B: Rs 84,990


Graphiti