Netbooks are a great idea, but I’ve found that sometimes the screens are just too small to run certain programs. Sony’s Vaio Y series laptops fit the person who is looking for a ultra-light PC at an affordable price but needs the speed of an AMD Fusion Technology. The Vaio YB series laptop provides a larger screen and full-size keyboard on a PC with more features than the typical netbook and comes in a sleek and colorful package.
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| Sony Vaio Y Series with AMD Fusion
When Tech Savvy Daddy frequently traveled to Japan for work in 1999, he was always in awe of his Japanese coworkers’ tiny Vaio laptops. He came home talking about all the cool devices he saw both in the office and in retail stores. Sony products were seemed to make up a majority of the well designed and engineered products he saw.
Sony has always been a company who manufacturers attractive, lightweight laptops (think Japanese efficiency) especially when compared to some of the clunky laptop designs of traditional American PC makers. These days, the market is fiercer than ever, and the Sony Vaio Y series is a very competitive product on both price and performance. I recently had the opportunity review to review a Sony Vaio VPCYB14KXS, a great lightweight machine and still quite affordable when compared to the more recent and slightly more powerful Sony Vaio VPCYB15KX. |
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| Image courtesy of the Sony Press Room |
Quick Specs
At first glance, the specs are very similar to an HP Pavilion 1Z review from earlier this year. The laptop has a 11.6” LED backlit screen with a resolution of 1366×768. The screen real estate is better than many netbooks which have a barely-usable resolution of 1024×600. This laptop’s 11.6” screen that can display as much information as many other 13” or 15” laptops.
The attractive silver case has 3 USB ports, VGA, HDMI, Ethernet, a headphone, and microphone jack. It features an SD card slot as well as Sony’s favorite, a MemoryStick port.
Processor and Memory
The laptop comes with an AMD Fusion dual-core processor running at 1.6ghz. This isn’t as fast as a full-sized notebook, but typical of laptops in this size/price range.
The Vaio Y series laptops come standard with 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive, which is plenty of just about everyone. Many manufacturers skimp on RAM or hard disk space in lower-priced machines, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Graphics
For graphics, the Vaio includes an AMD Mobility Radeon HD 6310 Graphics processor. Many of the smaller and cheaper laptops use the main CPU for graphics, so a separate Radeon processor gives this system a leg up in the graphics department. This should be useful when driving a large HDTV from the Vaio’s HDMI port.
Other Features:
- Integrated Bluetooth
- 802.1n compatible WiFi
- Gigabit ethernet connection
- The battery life is listed as 6 hours, although I didn’t test it.
- VGA “Motion Eye” webcam is located above the center of the screen features an average 640×480 resolution. Not exactly what people would consider HD.
- Weighs only 3 lbs 2 ounces, 5 ounces lighter than the HP Pavilion we tested.
- Contains a full-size keyboard with raised buttons and physical separation between the keys on the keyboard despite its compact case. Again, this is a big plus from the “Netbook experience.”
- Ships standard with Windows 7 Home Premium, unlike many netbooks
It is also worth mentioning is that the power adapter for the Vaio is extremely lightweight and small. Most people don’t pay attention to this, but what good is a lightweight laptop if the charger weighs a ton?
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| Sony Vaio Y Series in silver |
Summary
This is an elegant little machine. For those who want a lightweight machine when on the go, but a more substantial “at home” experience, this laptop could be used at home with a giant 24 inch monitor and USB keyboard and mouse. The ample RAM and disk space for a machine in this class are welcome additions.
Note: Since receiving this machine to review, Sony has improved the specs and changed the model number. The Sony Vaio VPCYB15KX is the current model. Like its predecessor used for review purposes, it is also now available in silver or hot pink. Prices start at $499.
I am an AMD Mom and receive products containing AMD Fusion Technology to for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Images courtesy of Sony.
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
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Cool. I’m looking into a new lightweight laptop or tablet or work while reclined in bed – does this one run hot underneath?