Sony upgrades VAIO S with 1600x900 screen, ups VAIO F too
updated 10:00 am EDT, Wed May 25, 2011
Sony VAIO S and F get mid-cycle upgrades
Sony picked Wednesday to upgrade two of its most popular notebooks. The VAIO S we just reviewed is now getting an upgrade to a 1600x900 display that turns its 13.3-inch screen into more of a desktop replacement. It also has options for two solid-state drives in a RAID stripe to give it very fast load times.
Many of the existing options persist, including as much as a 2.7GHz Core i7, Radeon HD 6630M graphics, and Blu-ray for storage. WiDi support is standard, and Blu-ray and the signature 15-hour sheet battery add-on are optional. Blue and pink colors are joining the black, brown, and silver from before.
Pre-orders start today for an asking price of $1,350; the sheet battery costs an extra $150.
The new VAIO F has been modernized to take advantage of newer hardware itself. The 16.4-inch systems now regularly use new Sandy Bridge-era 2GHz and 2.2GHz quad Core i7 processors as well as either GeForce GT 520M or 540M graphics depending on the system. Sony casts it as a home theater replacement with a 1080p screen, virtual surround audio from S-Force and support for linking the VAIO F to a PS3 as a remote input device.
The system is up for sale today and has options for up to a 750GB hard drive. Base systems using the new hardware should start around $1,100.
VAIO F
