Sony Vaio P features and reviews

Vaio_p_pocketables

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Sony Vaio P WiMAX edition expected this month
Despite what that excessively veined hand in the image seems to suggest, the message in this Sony Vaio P ad isn’t that the mini notebook is impervious to destruction by crushing or squeezing. No, the news here is what’s written in that little white circle on the right: WiMAX…

Sony release XP drivers for Japanese Vaio P models
Following Sony Japan’s recent addition of Windows XP as an OS option for the Vaio P mini notebook, the company has just made the XP software (including drivers and utilities) available for download on its support site…

Sony Vaio P gets Windows XP option
Sony continues to step up the options for its Vaio P mini notebook. In addition to all the colorful choices and pick of processors we covered yesterday, potential Vaio P owners also have their choice of operating system when customizing their dream device. Sony has added the option to select Windows XP…

Sony Vaio P in new colors with dark brown keyboard
Sony Style Japan’s Vaio Owner Made program, which allows buyers to customize their configurations to the hilt, has just added a few new options for would-be Vaio P owners to choose from when building the mini notebook that suits them best. Sure, it’ll take a moment to decide between the Intel Atom…

Non-US Sony Vaio P models can now be unlocked
Two months ago, a hack to enable HSDPA became available for US models of the Sony Vaio P that let people use AT&T and T-Mobile SIM cards for their mobile internet needs. This was great news for those in the US, but what about for users in other countries…

Review: Carrymobile Sony Vaio P leather case
Carrymobile offers several choices for Sony Vaio P owners to protect their mini notebooks. One that enables in- case use of the device is the “book type” leather case that retails for $50…

How to rotate Sony Vaio P screen orientation
A popular way to use slate- and convertible-style computers is to rotate their screens into portrait mode for reading ebooks and other long documents. These devices are designed with such usage in mind, so switching between

Benchmarks of all Sony Vaio P models (1.33GHz, 1.6GHz, 1.86GHz, 2.0GHz, SSD, HDD)
Though there are three different models of the Sony Vaio P in the US, each one runs on the 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor. In other regions, the 1.6GHz Z530 and 1.86GHz Z540 chips are available and paired with the same 60GB hard drive and 64GB/128GB solid state drive storage options offered in the US…

Sony Vaio P coming to T-Mobile Germany
T-Mobile Germany will begin selling the entry-level Sony Vaio P (1.33GHz, 60GB HDD) for 599 euros including 19% VAT with a two-year web’n’walk Connect L data contract. The retail price of the P in Germany is 999 euros, so although the…

Sony responds to misinformed Vaio P press releases
Last week, there were two press releases issued about the Sony Vaio P that announced existing features of the mini notebook as new ones, causing a good deal of confusion among users, potential buyers, naysayers, and tech blogs alike…

Sony re-announces integrated Gobi WWAN for Vaio P
Uh, did Sony forget that the Vaio P already has the Gobi WWAN chipset inside its 1.4-pound body? Because unless the company’s announcement about selecting the wireless technology for three of its ultraportable notebooks (including the Vaio P)…

How to install XP and get HSDPA on the Sony Vaio P
If you thought the Sony Vaio P was taking over my life, you should see what it’s doing to the Pocketables Forum. In just two weeks, discussion of the long and lean mini notebook has not only tripled forum traffic, but spawned some excellent tutorials as well…

Sony Vaio P battery life: Standard vs. Extended
When it comes to testing battery life, I’ve always been a bit of a masochist. A few years ago, I spent over 150 exhausting and boring hours draining/charging the standard and extended batteries for my Sony Vaio UX180P and an external DAP charger…

Quick look: Sony Vaio P extended battery (VGP-BPL15)
The easiest (and least affordable) way to dramatically increase the runtime on any mobile device is to buy a higher capacity battery. The Sony Vaio P isn’t setting any records with its standard 2-cell battery, so the extended 4-cell battery (VGP-BPL15) is most likely a must-have accessory for mobile users…

One week with the Sony Vaio P
Since it’s now been a full week since the Sony Vaio P came into and began dominating my gadget life (and this site), I think it’s time to share some of my thoughts and early impressions on the Atom-based mini notebook…

Review: Sony Vaio P leather case (VGP-CKP1)
When Sony unveiled the Vaio P at CES 2009, the company also showcased several different cases to go along with it. My favorite among the four choices was the leather protective case (VGP-CKP1) because of its simplicity, craftsmanship, open top for quick insertion/removal, and compatibility with the extended battery…

Video: Sony Vaio P typing test
One of my favorite features about the Sony Vaio P is its aluminum keyboard (1.2mm stroke, 16.5mm pitch). With absolutely no practice on the first day of my P life, my net typing speed was 85 words per minute (wpm). Today, after four days of regular use, I’m seeing speeds of about 100 wpm…

Sony Vaio P (VGN-P588E) performance and benchmarks
How well Windows Vista runs on the 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor isn’t a new topic of discussion, and the Sony Vaio P isn’t the first device to be an example of the combination. The Kohjinsha SC3 and Willcom D4 UMPCs have both been home to the OS/CPU duo for the past six months…

About the Sony Vaio P’s 3G SIM card slot
Even though it’s a known fact that the Vaio P is locked down to Verizon Wireless in the US because Sony “decided not to fully utilize the opportunities of Gobi,” the WWAN chipset that supports both EV-DO (Sprint/Verizon) and HSPA (AT&T/T-Mobile), a common question about the P is still whether or not it has a SIM card slot…

Sony Vaio P size comparisons
You didn’t think I would unbox and set up my new Sony Vaio P (VGN-P588E) and then not round up my other gadgets for the requisite size comparison photo shoot, did you?…

Setting up the Sony Vaio P
After getting my new Sony Vaio P out of its box and fully charged this morning, I spent the rest of the afternoon getting it set up. Well, okay, that’s a lie. I actually only spent a fraction of that time setting it up; the rest of the day was spent customizing and playing…

Unboxing the Sony Vaio P
Behold the power of imagination! My Sony Vaio P (VGN-P588E) arrived about an hour ago and while it charges and awaits its first boot, which I’ll chronicle and share, have a look at the first few moments of the mini notebook’s out-of-box existence…

Imagining the Sony Vaio P as my own
I saw this enormous advertisement plastered on the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) just about every day of CES last week. Whether it was while riding the free shuttle from the Sands Expo, the monorail from the MGM Grand, or the long escalator down to the LVCC parking lot…

Hands-on with the Sony Vaio P
After checking out the Vaio P’s Windows Experience Index scores, I spent some time using the 8-inch mini notebook that has gleefully broken the 7-inch device rule here at Pocketables…