Sony teases unusual new netbook in Japan

Sony on Christmas Eve stoked anticipation for CES with a new teaser for a new system on its Japanese website. Calling it only the "VAIO New Mobile," the site shows a wrapped computer that has the width of a netbook but a considerably shallower design, resembling almost identically the dimensions of the PCG-1P that has surfaced at the FCC in the US but without revealing additional details. The system is known to carry Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and the option of 3G Internet access and is believed to be Sony's promised netbook equivalent.

The company avoids committing to any particular launch information with the teaser, though a simultaneous New Zealand teaser is counting down to CES and suggests that Sony plans to release the system in many countries at once when it becomes public; no teaser has yet to appear at the US website, however.

The system has already been characterized as "revolutionary" for Sony and represents a likely move for netbooks into upscale territory largely uncovered outside of very high-end models like the ASUS S101; while Acer, Dell, HP and other companies have emphasized mid-range or entry-level models. More direct rivals to Sony, such as Apple, have consciously refrained from similar efforts and referred to netbooks as a young market.

Filed under: computers
Other story tags: sony, VAIO