Sony today confirmed leaks by introducing the VAIO NR, the company's least expensive VAIO notebook since the line began but also one of its most stylized. The outer shell includes a unique, fabric-like textured surface that adds a sense of quality to entry notebooks, which are often dominated by hard plastic. Systems even ship in designer colors such as wenge brown, the company says. Similar to the MacBook, the edges are also rounded off to make it easy to hold without catching on a bag. With a 15.4-inch screen, each system is large enough to be truly functional and holds an ExpressCard/34 slot as well as Memory Stick and SD card readers.

Sony offers four different models for the American release. The cost-conscious NR110 model ships with a 1.46GHz Pentium dual-core processor, 1GB of memory, a 120GB hard disk, and a DVD burner for $750. Systems scale up to the NR160, which adds a 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo and a 160GB hard disk. Most systems should be available in granite silver, silk white, and wenge brown when they reach shops and the Sony online store in October.