Actually, Sony has this “P-series” VAIO on their notebook section in the SonyStyle store, so maybe netbook isn’t the right term. Just ask Psion, if you don’t believe me. Eagle-eye reader Jose was browsing Sony’s online storefront and caught the new P hiding unsuccessfully at the front of the VAIO line. Not much to go on, but more than we had before although the picture is a TT-device placeholder. Looks like a 1.33GHz Intel CPU which could mean an Atom (dual core perhaps?), but might also be a variant of Intel’s Core Solo like the Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC. She’ll come with Windows Vista Home Premium or Home Basic which is unlike most netbooks out on the market today.
Typical of Sony portable computers, the P will have a high-resolution screen. This one is eight-inches with a whopping 1600×768 res. That means you won’t have nearly as much scrolling as the typical 1024×600 netbook display. Of course, that’s assuming your eyes can handle the strain. I suspect many would-be owners will boosting up the DPI and font sizes. Storage comes in the form of a traditional hard drive up to a measly 60GB but you can opt for a 128GB SSD drive, which will likely bump up pricing a few hundred dollars.
First impressions of the limited specifications tell me that this isn’t a netbook in the traditional, expected sense… if you can call a first year product “traditional”. It doesn’t appear that Sony’s offering will compete on price in the netbook market as I’d expect a base starting price near the top-end of fully loaded netbooks. With options, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this small notebook command over a thousand dollars. That fits in with the “fits in a pocket” claim, because you won’t just need big pockets to afford this “netbook”, you’ll need a deep one to tote that 8-inch screen as well. I’m still convinced the form-factor is akin to a clamshell like the old HP Journada. Thanks Jose!
http://jkontherun.com/2008/12/25/sonys-netbook-fits-in-a-pocket-might-not-fit-netbook-category/
