The latest VAIO from Sony isn't merely an ultraportable with good looks; the VGN-T350 also boasts integrated WAN connectivity courtesy of EDGE support.
Becoming the first major brand name to include built-in WAN technology in its notebooks, Sony today announced the introduction of the VAIO VGN-T350, an ultraportable for the U.S. market which integrates GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity. Having teamed with Cingular Wireless for the offering, owners of the new laptop can choose between all-you-can-eat plans and usage based billing out of the box.
Available as either the VGN-T350P/L with Windows XP Professional or VGN-T350/L with Windows XP Home, the new ultraportable relies on a 1.2 GHz Pentium M 753 processor backed up by between 512 MB and 1 GB of 333 MHz DDR RAM. Of this, up to 64 MB of RAM is shared with the Intel 855GME graphics chip powering the 10.6" WXGA display with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels and featuring Sony's Xbrite technology.
Potential buyers don't have much choice when it comes to hard drive sizes, as the VGN-T350 is exclusively delivered with a 60 GB Ultra ATA drive running at 4200 RPM. Meanwhile, optical storage support is versatile with a combo drive supporting DVD+R Dual Layer and DVD+/-RW formats.
The centerpiece of the VGN-T350, however, is its ability to connect to Cingular Wireless' EDGE network for packet-based data transfer. Averaging speeds of 100 Kbps, EDGE connectivity offers an wider-reaching alternative to the built-in Bluetooth 1.2 and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g options also present in the notebook. Also, the 82-key keyboard of the VGN-T350 features dedicated keys to let users rapidly switch between the three modes of wireless.
Initially, wireless plans provided by Cingular for the VGN-T350 include a one-year $79.95 USD per month option with unlimited data access and 30 days of free service; a similar two-year agreement on the unlimited plan with 60 days of free service; and a $49.99 USD per month plan which includes 50 MB of data per month.
For not quite-so-wide-ranging connectivity, the VGN-T350 also includes dual USB 2.0 ports, 10/100 Ethernet, an IEEE1394 (FireWire) jack, a 56K V.90 modem, PCMCIA Type II expansion slot and a memory card reader supporting Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro formats. Also provided is VGA out and several analog audio in/out options.
Weighing in at 3.04 pounds with vital measurements reading 10.7" x 8.1" x 1.3", the Sony VAIO VGN-T350 will ship in June starting at about $2200 USD.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Archive