Sony showing some VAIO P love, new model passes through FCC
With all the excitement over small clamshell UMPCs like the Fujitsu UH900 and the upcoming Viliv N5, it's hard to believe that it's been almost 18 months since the Sony VAIO P series was hinted at, and over a year since it came out to play at CES 2009. Initially severely crippled by Windows Vista, once users were able to "upgrade" to Windows XP or even Windows 7, things smoothed out dramatically. But Sony has been quiet on the upgrade front, with it almost seeming like the VAIO P was left to fade away.
Today we get news that a new model, PCG-11111L, has been unearthed from within the FCC, where it is undergoing the various certifications before release. Little is known except for the Gobi2000 WWAN broadband module running on CDMA frequencies, so it could be a special version slated for Verizon. With the lack of WiMAX, it would be an unusual fit right now for Sprint, mainly because they're clearly moving in another direction and they have never shown an interest in subsidized notebooks.
Continue after the break for a few of the FCC documents and the links to the entire set of filings regarding the newest member of the VAIO P family.
Whatever happens with the PCG-11111L, we should know by mid-May since the confidentiality status expires on May 14th. Just maybe, those of us here in the States will finally have access to the 2GHz Z550-powered version of the VAIO P that the rest of the world has been enjoying. Worst case scenario, Sony has a bunch of left over stock, and they are packaging up a special model for Verizon to heavily discount with a new two-year mobile broadband contract, which they have tried before.
[Engadget | FCC documents for PCG-11111L]
