MA XIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2004
Handheld, lap-
top, desktop
system, and
portable media
center all
rolled into one lus-
cious-to-look-at package,
Sony’s VAIO-U series is steeply
priced, but—finally!—delivers a single,
do-everything device.TechnoFile (^) Quick takes on technology trends
Sony’s VAIO-U Series
Quick Start
Suffering from CGF (chronic gadget fatigue)? Debilitated by OSD
(obsessive syncing disorder)? Relief has just arrived from Japan,
and the therapy is so sexy, Maximum PC strongly recommends
that readers with a predilection for gadget lust use extreme cau-
tion when viewing these images.
Casually brushing aside hardware “previews” from com-
panies like OQO and FlipStart, Sony’s VAIO-U series is the first
to actually make good on the promise of a handheld device
that’s powerful enough to run the full desktop version of
Windows XP. The VAIO-U effortlessly transitions from a hand-
held (with its integrated touch screen) to a laptop (with
the included folding keyboard) to a desktop system
with a port replicating-dock attached to your exter-
nal display and keyboard.
While Sony has no immediate plans to market
the VAIO-U series outside of Japan, the good
folks at Dynamism have craftily
smuggled them into the US.
This means that if you took
out a life-insurance policy
on your PDA, now’s the
time to cash it in.
$2,000 (U50 model with
900MHz Celeron proc
and 256MB RAM),
http://www.dynamism.com.
6.5“
4.25“
11.75“
6.5“
4.5“
4.5“