Netbooks: what a craze from such a simple idea. Asus started the ball rolling with its Eee range and now almost every manufacturer has at least one model.

Tone has reviewed netbooks before with the Asus Eee 900 in issue 72, Dell Mini 9 in issue 75, and Harley Ogier even wrote a Tone Test Feature on netbooks in issue 74.

Now it’s Sony’s turn to join the fray. But with Sony being something of a trendsetter rather than a follower, the company has created a unique product in the Vaio P. Sony doesn’t actually class the P series as a netbook, instead calling it a ‘Lifestyle Series PC’, but its closest competition comes from the netbook market. What sets the Sony apart is its form factor and styling. Most netbooks look like miniature laptops but the Sony has a singular elongated shape dictated by the high-resolution display inside. The styling is different as well, being very thin and a showpiece rather than a staid business machine.

But the screen is what really sets the unit apart from the competition. While most netbooks have screens with a resolution of 1024 x 600, the Sony trounces them all with a very fine 1600 x 768 resolution at only eight inches diagonally. The screen is bright and very clear but can be a bit small at times with such as high resolution.

Below the screen is a keyboard that again differs from other netbooks and follows a more Mac-like layout, with definite spaces between square-shaped keys that thankfully have plenty of travel and a proper layout; none of this malarkey with strange cursor key locations. The Sony also marks the return of the pointer ‘nub’ in the middle of the keyboard, as the unit isn’t deep enough for a track pad. In all the Vaio P is a delight to use, and its weight makes carrying the unit around a breeze, while the keyboard allows fast and accurate typing.

The Vaio P uses Microsoft Vista, and although I’m not a huge fan of that operating system, the unit’s specifications, especially the 2GB of RAM, ensure everything runs well. Connectivity is good with two USB ports, SD and Memory Stick slots, webcam, built-in wireless networking, headphone socket (with headphones included) and a proprietary connector that attaches to a dongle with VGA and Ethernet ports.

Overall I really liked the Sony and having owned an Eee in the past I can say I would definitely buy one of these, even if the sticker price of $1699 places it well above most netbooks. But then again, this isn’t a netbook, is it? n Tim Anderson

Tech Specs
VAIO P
Netbook PC
from $1700

PROCESSOR: Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz)
DRIVE: 64GB flash
MEMORY: 2GB
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit (SP1)
DISPLAY: 8-inch, 1600 x 768 colour TFT
CONNECTIVITY: USB2.0 x 2, wireless 802.11b/g/draft n, SD slot, Memory Stick Duo slot, Bluetooth 2.1, stereo minijack
DIMENSIONS: 245 x 19.8 x 120 mm (W/H/D)
WEIGHT: 620g (incl battery)
Pros

    *  Distinctive Sony style
    *  Great high-resolution display
    * Good keyboard

Cons
   * Price


Verdict
    * Compared to the netbook market it’s brilliant, even if it’s more expensive than most laptops