Sony Vaio G: 1.98-pounds of 12.1-inch laptop coming at ya

Oh sweet, sweet VAIO G... welcome. Weighing just 898-grams / 1.98-pounds, and sporting the same hard angles (new trend, Sony?) seen in their top-end projectors, this stealthy laptop features a 12.1-inch, 1024x768 display, a choice Celeron or Core Solo 1.06GHz U1300 or 1.2GHz U1400 processors, integrated Intel 945GMS Express graphics, up to 80GB of disk and 1.5GB memory, 6-hour battery, fingerprint reader, 802.11a/b/g WiFi and Bluetooth, and the usual array of in and outs including USB 2.0, a multi-format memory card and PCMCIA slot. A version sporting a dual-layer DVD burner and 6-cell battery sporting a 12.5-magical-hours capacity is also available but bumps the weight to a still feathery 1,145-grams / 2.52-pounds. And it's all packed into a tough carbon shell measuring 277 × 215 × 23.5~25.5-mm / 10.9 × 8.5 × 0.9~1.0-inches. Available starting December 2 in Japan for ¥215,000 (about $1,836) on up to ¥245,000 (about $2,093) full equipped. Hoozah!

[Olivier @ Nov 1st 2006 5:15AM]

Wow that's pretty cheap.
Makes those MacBook Pros look pretty darn expensive

[GorgeousGeorge @ Nov 1st 2006 2:05PM]

Pretty little thing. Too bad the specs are for sh*t, and the price tag is ridiculous for what you get.

For that kind of money you can get a Dell XPS M1210 with a decent amount of upgrades. Granted, it's a heavier 12-incher, but it's about 10 times the machine this thing is.

[John @ Nov 1st 2006 5:39PM]

Looks pretty cool but totally unimpressive specs. The sony SZ series is way better, sporting core 2 duo, gforce7400 13'' screen all at 3.7 pounds and made in Japan.

[wes @ Nov 1st 2006 5:25AM]

sweet machine, i just hope they've solved the batteryproblem ^^

i would trade it for my asus-brick anytime!

[wackybit @ Nov 1st 2006 5:32AM]

Um Olivier, this thing has only a celeron or a core solo processor, and only GMA945 graphics.
The MacBook Pro on the other hand has a Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.16 or 2.33Ghz (compared to 1.06 or 1.2, and only one core), and has an X1600.
The MacBook Pro's a lot faster, and heck the MacBook at $1099 is even faster than this VAIO!!

But if you really want a light laptop, then there's no arguing that this one is one of the best deals around

[Bad Moon Rising @ Nov 1st 2006 5:32AM]

Seems like a new incarnation of the SRX series, down to the two-tone color scheme. The stock 6 h battery and ability to get over 384 MB of RAM sound nice. Though the processor options still sound under underwhelming, even for an ultra portable.

[umijin @ Nov 1st 2006 5:52AM]

Geez, i wish Apple could make something this light. The MacBrick, errr... MacBook is faster, but twice as heavy.

**sigh**

[Sascha Kunze @ Nov 1st 2006 6:04AM]

Very simple: If this ran OS X and had an apple on the front I would buy it.

[Steiner @ Nov 1st 2006 6:06AM]

I agree with Sascha

[blackcoffeenosugar @ Nov 1st 2006 6:14AM]

As usual, Sony laptop is still the slowest you can find with the same amount of money.

[Jamie @ Nov 1st 2006 6:20AM]

Don't forget... it's also the best looking, longest lasting and lightest.
Style and convenience comes at a high price

[TZK @ Nov 1st 2006 6:24AM]

All laptops suck.

[Ebzy @ Nov 1st 2006 6:50AM]

not true check out the panasonic let's note t5 series and check out the insane battery life that baby sports

[Dustin Earnhardt @ Nov 1st 2006 7:36AM]

Typically I'd be completely thrilled with this laptop, but being only 2 months away from 2007, what is the point of a PCMCIA slot on this thing?

http://dustinearnhardt.com

[kevin @ Nov 1st 2006 8:13AM]

Funny how if this were branded Panasonic some of the opinions would have changed...

You guys are silly. :/

[michael @ Nov 1st 2006 8:22AM]

looks pretty sweet, but how sturdy does that screen casing look to anyone? Vaios have notoriously easy-to-crack screens.


//hand angles anyone?

[anawrahta @ Nov 1st 2006 9:24AM]

HEY APPLE.....are you listening?!?! BUILD THIS LAPTOP.

Sooo many people want an ultra portable like this, so what are you waiting for?!!?!?
Don't make us buy the sony and put OSX86 on it.

[kevin @ Nov 1st 2006 9:32AM]

Sony America's laptops are garbage. Sony Japan's laptops are fine. It's kinda funny because they're the same lines of models but the ones in Japan seem to last a hell of a lot longer.

[patsy @ Nov 1st 2006 10:22AM]

I'm sure there are takers for this, but AFAIAC this is the entirely wrong price point for a low- to medium-spec notebook today. Why spend $2K on a Sony when you can get something not a heck of a lot larger and heavier from Averatec for $800? These things obsolete so fast I consider it crazy to spend that sort of money on one.

[Stan M. @ Nov 1st 2006 10:43AM]

Actually the design of this VAIO G reminds me more of VAIO VX model, especially the LCD placement. Check out the JP site for this model and the G Test Room, pretty impressive!
@ Kevin: As for the US and JP made VAIOs...most VAIOs used to be made in Japan for the US market, and some were made in the US (like G, GRX series). Now it seems like only a few are made in Japan (TX model, TXN, UX), a number of them are made in China (K series, N series, AR, etc), as they opened a new factory there which is probably cost effective.

[explodin' sonys @ Nov 1st 2006 11:26AM]

Looks nice.... until it explodes.

[jron @ Nov 1st 2006 11:34AM]

less shrapnel when it blows up.

[Jacob Magnusson @ Nov 1st 2006 11:42AM]

Anyone remember the masterpiece Vaio X505? This one looks just like it except it doesn't get thinner at the wrist rest, has a touchpad instead of a stick and the keyboard has been moved up.

I think the specs look great though the XGA resolution kinda turns me off.


By the way this site brings my overclocked Core 2 Duo @ 3.6GHz to it's knees. Bad coding?

[John from Buffalo @ Nov 1st 2006 11:43AM]

Does it come with the optional explosive battery? Man, I need one of those for my trip to Iraq.

[ashaffer @ Nov 1st 2006 11:57AM]

Sure it looks all pretty and razor-thin, but you have to remember one thing people, it's a sony computer. The hardware really only functions 'properly' on the version of 'doze that ships with it, and functioning properly on 'doze doen't mean jack.

I still prefer the TX series from a few months back, stock battery gave 13+ hours of battery :)

[M. Rod Von Hugenstein @ Nov 1st 2006 1:01PM]

Please, please, Sony can you name your laptops in a way that we can understand what VGMTJY-324RTY means? Apple is nice and easy, MacBook, MacBook Pro. Why Sony must you confuse us? Or at least confuse me?

P.S. Don't buy Dell's D620 it has the most worthless display of any laptop on the market today.

[Nadir @ Nov 1st 2006 1:15PM]

12.1 inches? 1024x768? is that a 4:3 aspect ratio screen on a vaio? it better be, cos if its a widescreen and the 1024x768 is jsut a mis-print this almost canibalizes the tx. cheaper, same specs, bigger screen, lighter, almost same better life. hmmm..somethings not right here...

[crzyjamaican46 @ Nov 1st 2006 2:27PM]

If only it had an ultra low voltage core duo processor and intel 950gma integrated graphics then it could easily run premium version of vista with aero enabled. It would also be nice if sony put back in the integrated webcam. they did that 1st not apple. a hybrid harddrive would also be a plus boosting battery life even more. make it a convetable tablet with both active and passive digitizers, wwan, backlit keyboard, and a slot loading dvd burner and this would be my dream machine becuz it already has everything else I would want. Ultalightweight under 2 lb ultaportable laptop with a finger print scanner. Someone please make this machine. We have the technology. There is a market for it. I wont be mad if its 3 lbs im given you an extra lb to work with sony. BUILD IT NOW!

[kevin @ Nov 1st 2006 3:23PM]

You know, a lot of people have problems with VAIOs, but the great thing is that's true of any company, so whatever. I haven't had any problems with VAIOs except for bad design (i.e. super tiny keyboards with no key width).

And what the hell are you guys going on about with bad pricing for these specs--you do realize that Intel is gouging the prices on those ULV chips, right?

[GorgeousGeorge @ Nov 1st 2006 5:33PM]

"And what the hell are you guys going on about with bad pricing for these specs--you do realize that Intel is gouging the prices on those ULV chips, right?"

Be that as it may, the fact remains that you can get a MUCH better laptop at nearly the same dimensions for a fraction of the price in today's market. In that frame of reference, yes, I would consider this VAIO G-35434THX1100Whatever overpriced.

When rating the price of a given product, taking into account the prices on competitive merchandise of the same class is certainly relevent and valid. I compare the price of this item to other items in its relative class, and I see that those other items are better and cheaper. Thus, I consider this overpriced.

[kevin @ Nov 1st 2006 3:24PM]

Not only that--if you're complaining about these prices, take a look at the Panasonic 5 series before you say anything else.

[Eric @ Nov 1st 2006 5:51PM]

If it only had XBrite!

[kevin @ Nov 1st 2006 6:10PM]

Yes, you can get a better laptop but don't you realize that was never the point of these types of models? These are roadwarrior laptops that must last at least 5 or 6 hours on a single battery on a single charge.

[kevin @ Nov 1st 2006 6:11PM]

And, I ask of you to name a single laptop that lasts this long that isn't priced that high. I don't think you can. Buying multiple batteries does not count, obviously.

[kevin @ Nov 1st 2006 6:13PM]

5-6 hours...no, my mistake. Rather, at least 7 or 8, since 5-6 should be the standard these days.

These laptops have to be good for long distance travel. Look, I don't think you quite understand the niche that these laptops have in Japan They will buy this.

[Marco (Griffith) Jardim @ Nov 1st 2006 6:47PM]

I honestly prefer the T series to this one.

[Dylan Nam @ Nov 1st 2006 7:28PM]

It looks like toy for teenagers. I thinks we don't have to forget what we do with this device.

[Jamie @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:33AM]

I always have to laugh at people who look at the specs of Ultraportables then whine about their price to performance ratio...
It's not very expensive to make your desktop into 1/2 the size... heck.. 1/4 the size.... but if u wanna make a laptop 1/2 its size... also making battery last 2,3 times more...
Power efficient, lighter and smaller ram, cpu, motherboard, harddisk it all doubles their price, main reason not being because they are technologically superior or hard to make, but they are low in demand.
I'm not a sony fanboy and I got a Fujitsu P7120 at start of the year and i love it for its portability not its power. Sure i could have got THREE budget dell laptops or a FAT, HEAVY, huge creen, high resolution, big speakers, desktop-matching, top-of-the-line spec laptop with the same money but they end up attached to the wall anyway... I already have a desktop for doing that, laptop is for actually carrying around. I recently added another 512 MB onto my laptop... Guess how much the DDR2 microdimms cost? twice a standard laptop ram, and 3-4 times the cost of a desktop ram.
Look at ipods's specs... apart from apple and its "prestige" cost, 40GB Ipod? Then u realise it is very small...
I'm surprised u dont say "OMFG IPODS are rip offs cuz i can buy a 40GB HDD for $10! K THNX BYE"
I think the main problem with ultraportables is the fat american geek fingers that cant press "3" without pressing "2" and "4" along with it

[Craig A @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:03PM]

if i had money for a little expencive laptop with little processing power that'll over heat it..... actually naw, i wouldn't bother buying one at all

[WetcoastBob @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:56AM]

Cute machine. Oliver: this does not compare to a MacBook Pro. Look up the specs on the Mac website. This is more comparible to the MacBook. It is gloriously compact and light. Processor speed is less than the mac and the screen is the "old fasioned" 1024x768 format. The 1.5 gig memory is interesting. Also it is good to see a new machine with a decent amount of memory. I find the price tag of 2 grand a little steep. The MacBook entry level is $1099.99 which includes 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo, 512MB memory(1 Gig-$100 extra), 60GB hard drive, and Combo drive. Airport extreme and Bluetooth are included.
Actually you can get into a base MacBook Pro for $1999. All this and the Macs run Windows as well.
This Sony would be a blast at $650.
Cheers:
Bob

[Jimmy @ Nov 10th 2006 9:56PM]

eh, $2,000 for something that's 1.0-1.2 GHz, isn't worth it. This would be cool, to use just for IMing and things, but I wouldn't pay over $500 for it, cause it'll be slow, it deffinately isn't worth $2,000.

[Sabeer Kibria @ Jan 16th 2007 9:03PM]

Sorry, none of you guys have even owned a Vaio G series. One of my Japanese friends actually owns this laptop, the Vaio G1. Sorry to break it ot all you naysayers, but this computer boots up pretty fast. Sure its not the ultimate gaming machine or whatever, but this laptop gets about 12hrs of battery life. It weighs a total of 2.56 lbs once you add in the AC adaptor. Plus you can drop it from about 6 feet in the air without any damage to the computer. You can also accidentally "sit" on this laptop and it'll be just the same as before. We tested the weight, and the boot up speeds and impactability.

[stim @ Jun 11th 2007 7:25AM]

i have just purchased this laptop and have been using it for a couple of days - it is a really nice bit of kit, so it's a bit expensive, it's a Sony, what do you expect. i have only just put it on charge today (Sunday) since it's last charge on Friday, it keeps going and going! (obviously not non-stop, but it is impressive). I didnt buy this machine to run Call of Duty 3 in 1600x1200 with surround sound etc etc, i'll leave that to the dual core machine with Nvidia graphics desktop at home... (for those of you interested it does run Return to Castle Wolfenstien in 1024x768 no problems) - but it's not a games machine so i'll move on. Currently i'm running it with the 1gb of ram it ships with (i am awaiting the upgrade memory but delivery didn't arrive) - at the mo it's running Vista really well, so i am expecting the extra 512mb of ram to give it a real boost. Office, Photoshop etc, all installed, working fine. Vista aero, internet, basic stuff etc, all works fine and fast. Have been watching full DVD rips (4.5-8gb) from hard drive with no probs, media player classic displays them well. Haven't tried HD films. The screen is excellent, for those worried about 1024x768 being too 'large' for res, don't be, it looks bang on, anything smaller and you'd struggle to see it. The screen is 4:3 as it's designed for office apps, however it still plays 16:9 films full screen, u just get the black bar at top and bottom. Sound is excellent for something so tiny (although i little distorted with two highest settings), WAN and bluetooth work well, i've connected to hot spots and via my mobile to get internet access, very quick and straight forward. Finger print sensor works a treat. Keyboard is not too small - i'm typing on it now, it's fine (i'm 6ft with big hands)... if u are bit of a bloater u might struggle?!

This machine is perfect for on the move stuff, but is not designed for, and therefore not suitable for, high performance gaming etc (but really, why would u want to play games on a 12.1" screen (i personally use the 46" lcd which produced much better results!!)

If i'm starting to sound like a sony fanboy, then good! this is the first Vaio i've owned and i'm VERY impressed, it does exactly what i thought it would, and wouldn't. definitely recommend for people wanting long life and super-light weight - this is one seriously light laptop.

I bought the leather slip case to give it a bit more protection and to finish off the 'look' and it does look really smart; when it's shut it could be mistaken for a book! The looks from other people (mac users and other pc users) is priceless, this little thing is definitely a head turner too...

[shang @ Sep 22nd 2007 8:56AM]

i'm considering this and the IBM Lenovo X61 series Thinkpad (regular notebook or tablet)
Though heavier (esp. the tablet), it is comparable, cheaper and maybe more reliable/sturdy?

I haven't used either. Though I have an older Sony T notebook and have used Thinkpads. The thinkpad is really durable, though maybe not as "sexy"
plus it has duo core. http://tinyurl.com/2784y4

any thoughts?