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Sony laptop breaks the 2-pound barrier

Uses carbon fiber to make model with 12.1-inch screen

Mike Yamamoto Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Mike Yamamoto is an executive editor for CNET News.com.
Mike Yamamoto

Sony has always been obsessed about its weight, going back to the days of its tiniest transistor radios, and that self-consciousness persisted as it got into the computer business. And in its crowning anorexic achievement to date, the company just announced the first laptop of its kind to break the 2-pound barrier.

The Sony G

Sony has dropped poundage with full-featured notebooks in the past, most notably with its 505 series, but those first machines had only 10-inch screens and smaller keyboards that were often difficult to use. The new Vaio G series, however, sports a 12.1-inch LCD while dropping about a pound from that earlier line. The secret is an advanced carbon fiber, which Sony says is lighter and more durable than such alternative materials as aluminum or magnesium alloy.

The specs of the first model aren't anything to write home about: 1.2GHz processor, 1.5GB memory, 80GB hard drive and a battery that supposedly lasts for 6 hours (good luck with that). An optional DVD burner will add a few ounces too.

The non-felonious G, which will be available next month in Japan, can also be pre-ordered in other countries. But at a base that's estimated to exceed $1,800, we'll wait for Sony to break another sub-barrier--on price.

(Photo: Sony)