Sony updates VAIO notebooks, all-in-one desktops

Sony on Friday announced a series of refreshes to its VAIO portables to coincide with the upcoming launch of Windows Vista. While the company has not yet made a complete announcement, it has revealed changes both cosmetic and technical to its new line. The company is first to add a new color to the company's style-focused C-series: called Rediscovery Blue (shown), the tint is meant to evoke self-awareness and stimulation. More substantial is the update to the mainstream N-series, says Sony: to be called the N20, the new range will add Core 2 Duo processors and should have enhanced graphics performance to handle the 3D-accelerated glass interface of Vista Home Premium. The entry-level FE-series notebooks will gain dual backlight lamps and a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor.

A final known introduction scheduled for the event will be Sony's LA2, a successor to the existing LA1. Once sold in the US as the LS1, the all-in-one desktop computer and TV hybrid will retain its 19-inch widescreen and 300GB hard drive but will come preloaded with 2GB of memory for improved performance. All three refreshed VAIO models should ship by Spring.