X

Sony Vaio T ultrabook announced (in Europe for now)

Sony adds the Vaio T to its line of slim, upscale laptops.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
See full bio
Dan Ackerman
Sony

Sony has jumped into the ultrabook business with the new Sony Vaio T series laptop, announced May 2 in Europe (with U.S. details forthcoming, we assume).

The initial specs, reported by CNET UK, include an Intel Core i3 CPU and a 1,366x768-pixel display.

The CPU is potentially problematic because it's the previous second-generation Intel Core i-series model (also known as Sandy Bridge), rather than one of the new third-generation chips (sometimes referred to as Ivy Bridge).

The high-end quad-core Ivy Bridge chips are available now, the more-mainstream dual-core Core i3 and i5 versions are expected imminently.

According to CNET UK:

With a low-resolution screen and an older-generation processor, is this too little, too late? There's no word on pricing yet, but it's due to go on sale from June.... At 17.8mm thick, it's pretty slim, at roughly the same thickness as the stunning Asus Zenbook UX31. It's a few millimeters chubbier than the Z Series, though, and at 1.6kg, it's weightier, too. Given that ultrabooks aim to be as slim and as light as possible, it's a shame not to see Sony at least match its other laptops in the size stakes.... It's got a resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, which is a little disappointing given that the 13-inch Asus Zenbook manages to pack in 1,600x900 pixels into the same space.

Stay tuned for updates on the U.S. availability and specs for the Sony Vaio T.