Sony gives VAIO P options for Win XP, 2GHz Atom
updated 08:05 am EDT, Tue May 26, 2009
Sony VAIO P with Win XP
Sony on Tuesday showed rare conservatism by giving its VAIO P netbook an option for Windows XP. The P50 variant lets the mini notebook skip Vista for the faster, less demanding older OS while trading few features. It loses only Sony's in-Windows media software but still gets access to the instant-on OS for media playback and other basics outside of Microsoft's platform. It also boosts the minimum storage from 60GB to 80GB.
Specs remain mostly the same beyond these changes with a 1.33GHz Atom, GPS and access to NTT DoCoMo's FOMA network for 3G data; RAM appears halved to 1GB to meet Microsoft's artificial limits on XP-based netbooks. Pricing should remain virtually in step with the American model at an equivalent of $895. It's not certain if Sony will ship the P50 to North America, though it may cost less if so.
Sony has also added a handful of customization options made possible through newer technology. The company now gives buyers the choice of a 2GHz Atom (up from 1.86GHz) or a 256GB solid-state drive (up from 128GB). It also has a new champagne gold color option for the outer shell and lets buyers of black models opt for a more color-matching dark brown hue on the palm rest and keyboard. Prices for these aren't known. [via Impress]
