Sony re-established itself as the leader in ultra-mobile PCs with its announcement of the VAIO P series Lifestyle PC (VGN-P500). Its mere 1.4lbs total weight is appealing, and design distinguishes it from competition. Expected to ship in February with a starting price of $899, the VAIO P can be seen today in Sony Style stores in Las Vegas and New York.

The VAIO P features an 8" extra-wide screen in a compact clamshell, which is reminiscent of Sony's popular VAIO PictureBook of 2001. The bright screen is easy to see from multiple angles, as you can see from photo on the left. Plus, you can align two applications side-by-side for convenience.

I accidentally touched the display several time as if I could navigate with my fingertip. My error - this does not have a touch screen, but that would be a welcome improvement for future versions and complete the premium experience.

Sony is offering the VAIO P series with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium and has a 2.7 Windows Experience rating with 2GB SDRAM and a 60GB hard drive. Solid-state drive may yield a different rating.

Even though Sony has taken a step toward fashion with its VAIO P, it is designed to be a classic. Sony hasn't forgotten about helping blend PC technology into your everyday life, with carry case accessories and mice. I'm not sure that women will want to carry these particular bags, which don't have pockets or much room to also carry phone and wallet. That said this is a better effort than previous efforts and perhaps these envelopes slip into larger bags well.

Below are a series of photos showing the accessories, as well as close-ups of keyboard, pointing stick, I/O ports, and Instant Access. Also, a few photos compare the Sony VAIO P to familiar products, so you can grasp how small this PC really is.

Crystal White Sony VAIO P Lifestyle PC series (VGN-P500)

Sony VAIO Lifestyle PC VGN-P500 with green case.

Spacing between rows on keyboard

Slim profile. Just 0.78" with lid closed.

Front: SD card slot, Memory Stick Duo media slot

Look past the Kensington cable lock to see the USB 2.0 port and Display adapter port.

Bottom of PC is simple. You can see this battery in black. Yes, Sony offers white. 

Sony VAIO P with Apple iPhone sitting on top. Both are thin, though the VAIO P is a full PC.  

Sony VAIO P sitting on top of Lenovo IdeaPad U110 notebook. The U110 has an 11.1" display.

Apple iPhone 3G (top), Sony VAIO P (middle), and Lenovo IdeaPad U110 (bottom) 

 

Control the cursor with the pointing stick and 3 buttons.

View of keyboard.

Integrated webcamera is called "Motion Eye".  

Close up of Delete and Backspace key

Beautiful red Sony VAIO P with matching mouse.

Navigate through Instant Mode, which is a Linux-based quick boot option

Restore Default Settings	Access files located on Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Videos, and other folders
Accessory Settings	Playing a video via Instant Mode

 

Accessories

 

Sony VAIO P Series (VGN-P500) Specifications

• 8" LCD display
  • LED backlit
  • XBRITE-ECO Technology
  • 1600x768 display resolution
• Intel Atom processor (1.33GHz, 512MB L2 cache)
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
• 60GB SATA HDD, 64GB SSD, or 128GB SSD choices
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM (1 slot)
• Intel High Definition Audio Sound System
• Built-in Motion Eye webcam and microphone
• 82 key QWERTY keyboard with 1.2mm strike and 16.5mm pitch
• Pointing stick
• 1 Memory Stick PRO media slot with MagicGate functionality
• 1 MMC card slot
• 1 SD card slot
• 802.11 b/g/n Atheros wireless
• Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth technology
• Integrated 3G wireless mobile broadband and GPS, which is independent of internet access
• Instant Mode for quick boot up
• Up to 4 hours of battery life with standard Lithium-ion battery or 8 hours with 4-cell battery
• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium
• 9.65"(W) x 0.78"(H) x 4.72"(D)
• 1.4lbs
• 4 color options: Crystal White, Emerald Green, Garnet Red, Onyx Black

OQO has been leading the way on ultra-mobile PCs for several years now, with its release of the OQO model 1 in 2004. During CES 2009, OQO officially launched its third version: OQO model 2+. Just like its predecessors, the OQO model 2+ is a full PC, so you can run all your standard Windows applications and be productive anytime, anywhere.

In addition to adopting Intel Atom Z540 (1.86GHz) or Z520 (1.33GHz) processor, the OQO model 2+ features a 5" WVGA OLED display, which offers a beautiful viewing angle and rich colors. It also has a touch screen, which supports stylus and finger entry.

Size comparison of the OQO model 2+ with the Apple iPhone. Though these two products compliment each other, as the OQO model 2+ can run iTunes and be the PC to which you sync your phone, they are also similar in size.

The keypad, which slides behind the display for compact travel, offers full number pad, cursor joystick, and standard QWERTY keys.

  Full specifications on OQO.com

Are mini-notebooks an indicator of shift in innovation versus simply an emergent price category?

When Microsoft launched Windows XP Media Center and Windows XP Tablet PC Editions in November 2002, the PC industry was infused with a level of excitement and hope that people involved had not experienced in the prior 18 months. Tech companies were strapped for cash flow, change was minimal in stationary PCs, premium performance ruled the PC ecosystem at the high end, $299 and $199 PCs bottomed out desktop profits, and a few were ahead of the technology trying to force desktop processors into notebook form factors.

To some, Media Center and Tablet PC were simply new and perhaps would help pick up ailing sales. To others, the platforms offered potential for innovation and new tools. By Microsoft infusing over $400 million into Tablet PC development alone and Intel developing Centrino technology that eased wireless connectivity and power issues, confidence in the future of mobile PC technology was reinforced unlike anything prior.

Since 2005, we have seen continued improvements and introductions in ultra-portable, mobile PCs. With the coordination of hardware changes, such as lower powered chipsets, processors, and solid state drives we've seen acceptance of miniaturization of classic notebooks and a pop in excitement.

Yes, the ASUS Eee PC, Acer Aspire One, Gigabyte M912V and dozens of mini-notebook models that are or about to be available hit the sweet spot for users: an affordable balance of price, portability, and practical performance. Growth rate is good. Sales are strong.

However, profit margins are minimal, sales are skewed, quality is passable on the top selling models, and return rates are higher than average. These factors are likened to the previous $199 PC race. It is reasonable to expect an adjustments in business decisions relatively soon. These issues are easily addressed, and should be handled with attention versus cuts.

Even though mini-notebooks aren't the most creative implementation of technology, I do hope that it is an indicator of change the industry - a willingness to advance it, with major innovation to follow.