From the trenches at CES, Michael Oryl reports on a device that deserves special attention: Sony's Vaio VGN-U750p, a Windows XP-powered PC that fits in your hand.
As is the case every year, Sony had a huge presence at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Stashed within a myriad of camcorders, cameras, televisions, and notebook computers was one of my favorite devices of the show: the Vaio VGN-U750p, the English version of a previously Japan-only tiny touch-screen PC device.
Perhaps 2 to 3 times larger than your typical PDA, the VGN-U750p packs far more punch than any PDA on the market. The device makes use of a large 5" LCD display with a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, and runs Windows XP Pro on a 1.1 GHz Pentium M processor. That's a lot of power for a device that weighs only 1.2 pounds and is just barely over an inch thick.
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Contrary to what you might expect, even though the VGN-U750p makes use of a stylus for input and is fully capable of handwriting recognition, it does not run the Table PC version of Windows XP. The Sony rep that was on hand said that the mini-PC was running a Sony modified version of Windows XP Pro. Regardless, the handwriting recognition seemed pretty accurate, though probably not quite as much so as the latest service pack of Tablet PC 2005. Unlike a traditional laptop, the VGN-U750p has a number of thumb-accessible buttons that can be used for quick-launching applications when the unit is being hand held. It is also worth mentioning that the device can be used in both landscape and portrait display orientation modes.
When it comes to connectivity, the VGN-U750p also offers a lot more power than the typical PDA. The device comes with an included folding USB keyboard, for one. I found the keyboard to be a bit cramped since it was not quite full size, but after a couple of minutes I was getting used to it. The USB connectivity means that you can also make use of a USB mouse, which I did while the VGN-U750p was attached to its included port replicator.
In addition to the port replicator and folding keyboard, Sony also includes a remote control, headphones, and an adapter for using the VGN-U750p with external displays and networks.
You aren't tied to using that LAN adapter, though, since there is built-in WLAN support for connectivity. The system did not appear to have built-in Bluetooth support, though it should be quite easy to use add a Bluetooth adapter to one of the USB ports.
Sony expects the VGN-U750p to be available in February of 2005 for a list price of about $2000 USD.
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