It's something of a contradiction in terms, having Blu-Ray in a tiny 11.1in screen notebook, but it's certainly a brilliant feat of engineering. See the specs and launch pics here.
[See our photo gallery of the Vaio TT from today's launch by clicking the photos on the right]
If Sony's Vaio notebooks haven’t been on your radar, it might be time to take another look. I'm impressed with their long battery life Vaio Z Series, which I'm currently using, and now Sony has pulled another ace out of the hat with the breakthrough ultra-light Vaio TT series.
There's been a lot of buzz about the Vaio TT series on blogs, and for good reason.
The pint-size 1.3Kg Sony Vaio TT, which goes on sale October 16, sets a new benchmark in ultraportables, being the world's smallest and lightest portable to incorporate a Blu-Ray reader and burner.
Up till now, going Blu-Ray has meant lugging around a mid-size, or in some cases monster 20-inch laptop. But the Vaio TT, changes the games, cramming a Blu-Ray reader AND burner into a miniscule 11in screen unit, and at 1.3Kg.
The irony is that the high-def benefits of Blu-Ray movies are largely lost at this tiny screen size, though HDMI means you have the ability to connect to a Bravia or other HDMI-enabled big screen.
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| The Vaio TT17 - the world's smallest and lightest Blu-Ray portable at 1.3Kg |
No SSD?
The most interesting thing is the absence of SSD in the launch specs announced today. Speculation that the Vaio TT series would include massive SSD drives seems to have been off the mark, as there was no mention of SSD in the specs we received at the official launch - the Blu-Ray model (TT17) comes with 160GB HDD, while the non Blu-Ray TT15 has 120GB HDD. [UPDATE - We've confirmed this with Sony - no SSD option on the Vaio TT series]
Integrated Graphics
Also missing form the Vaio TT is the Hybrid graphics seen on the recent Vaio Z Series - allowing you to switch between integrated and discrete graphics to save battery life. In fact, the Vaio is one of the few Blu-Ray notebooks we've seen without discrete graphics.
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| the Vaio TT17 up close - no SSD, but 160GB HDD and 4GB RAM |
Vista, not XP
Both the TT17 and TT15 at today's launch were sporting Vista, not the XP we've beome accustomed to on these ultraportbles. While we're not making a final verdict till we do a hands-on test, it will be interesting to see how the 1.4Ghz Core 2 Duo SU9400 copes.
How much?
You'll also pay handsomely for the privilege - the Blu-Ray equipped Vaio TT17 retails for $3,999. The non Blu-Ray model, the TT15, is priced at $2,999.
Light Sensor
Blu-Ray aside, the Vaio TT is undeniably a class-act as far as ultraportables go, with handy features like ambient light sensors. The sensor detects how much light is in the room, dimming and brightening the screen where appropriate. (though we hope it is possible to override this, as we often find ourselves manually dimming notebook screens to milk battery life).
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| Close-up showing the light sensor on the Vaio TT17 |
Battery quickcharge
Another first for Sony's Vaios - product reps at today's launch tell us the TT incorporates the same quickcharge battery feature as found in portable Sony devices. The charger apparently works harder during the first half an hour or so of charging, giving you more battery life on less charge, though we're yet to see detailed numbers on this.
Specs
TT17
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor SU9400 (1.4GHz)
4GB DDR3 SDRAM,
160GB HDD
Blu-ray Disc Drive
Windows Vista Business
11.1” Clear Tough LCD (rich colour) Display
MOTION EYE Camera
Noise cancelling
Available in premium carbon
TT15
Intel Core2 Duo Processor
SU9300 (1.2GHz)
2GB DDR3 SDRAM
120GB HDD
DVD Drive
WindowsVista® Business
11.1”Clear Tough LCD (rich colour) Display
MOTION EYE Camera
Noise cancelling
Available in black, gold and red
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