Sony VAIO TX Series
Sony announced the newest line in their T-series subnotebooks. Dubbed the TX-series, the new line brings a new design and further refinements (and a few firsts for Sony) to the series.
The screen is now 11.1†(half an inch larger than the previous series). The new resolution is a 16:9 1366x768 resolution. The screen now uses a LED backlight system instead of a CCFL (Cold Cathode Flourescent Light) which should allow it to be 30% brighter than current Sony screens while consuming less energy. Additionally, the use of a LED backlight allows the screen to be 50% thinner than previous designs.
The top lid uses “multiple layers of carbon fiber†for less weight but twice the strength. As you can see from the photos, the screen thickness is ridiculously thin! Overall, the size has been trimmed down and the notebook is lighter than ever. The size goes from 21mm (.83 inches) to 28.5mm (1.1 inches) and it only weighs 1.25kg (2.75lbs).
The processor remains the newer Sonoma Pentium M 753 1.2GHz Ultra Low Voltage CPU with an optional Celeron model for budget buyers. It’s coupled with the 915GM chipset which integrates video (Intel’s GMA900 which uses up to 128MB of system memory) and the new High Definition Azalia audio.
The memory now only goes up to 1.5GB maximum since 512MB is built-in onboard and there’s only one expansion slot. The good thing is that Sony is using a standard SO-DIMM DDR2.
60GB is the maximum hard disk size that’s shipping. This leads me to believe that it’s still 1.8†HDD. I suspect 80GB models will be available next year once those are produced in volume by Toshiba.
The new multiformat burner supports the following formats at the corresponding burn speeds. DVD+R DL (2.4x), DVD+R (4x), DVD+RW(2.4x), DVD-R (4x), DVD-RW (2x), DVD-RAM (2x), CD-R (24x), and CD-RW (24x).
Due to the energy enhancements and newer (possibly larger) battery capacities, the standard battery life is now 9 hours with the extended battery lasting up to 14.5 hours!
The keypad pitch is 17mm (no change here) and it uses the familiar trackpad for navigation. Below the screen on the spine there are media buttons. There are now direct volume buttons located on the front of the notebook near the headphone/microphone jacks.
A welcome change for most people and probably a shocker is the inclusion of a SD/MMC memory slot in addition to the usual Memory Stick (DUO/PRO) slot.
In terms of wireless connectivity, the TX offers 802.11a/b/g (likely Intel’s 2915ABG chipset) and Bluetooth. The Bluetooth specification has been upgraded to 2.0 and it seems to offer direct Bluetooth headset support so you can use it with Skype (which is preinstalled) and heavily hyped on their website.
The new AC adapter is super small only weighing 180g with dimensions of 86 x 21.7 x 58.4 (WHD).
Other notable specs not already mentioned:
2 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x iLink (4-pin) Firewire
1 x Ethernet 10/100 RJ45
1 x Modem RJ11 jack
1 x Stereo headphone mini-jack
1 x Microphone input jack
1 x External VGA DB15-pin
Type II x1, Cardbus slot
Port Replicator available
Available in White, Black, or a limited edition Premium Blue, the TX looks to continue the family line since the creation of the venerable TR series.
