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If you're after a small, powerful and stylish notebook PC, the Vaio PCG-SRX41P could well be for you. It weighs under 2kg and incorporates some of the latest mobile technology, including Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11b.
The PCG-SRX41P is a reduced form factor notebook measuring just 25.9 by 2.78 by 19.4cm, making it the ideal size to fit inside a bag or briefcase. In fact it's light enough even to be held in one hand and used by the other quite comfortably.
In common with the rest of Sony's Vaio range, it has silver coloured plastic around the outside of the chassis and black surrounding the screen and keyboard, which is also black. The trackpad is the trademark Sony lilac colour with silver coloured mouse buttons, which include a scroll wheel, which can also be used with Sony's JOG Launcher, and a Back button.
The PCG-SRX41P is based around the low voltage version of Intel's Pentium III-M, which operates at 800MHz. This is a specially designed chip that uses less power than the regular Pentium III and III-M, in order to improve the notebook's battery life. It also incorporates Intel's Enhanced SpeedStep technology, featuring what Intel calls Deeper Sleep.
This is a dynamic power management mode which is enabled whenever the system is inactive. Intel claims that this can even be between keystrokes, therefore delivering far greater battery life.
As with other Pentium III-Ms, this comes with 512Kb of Level 2 cache and a 100MHz system bus. To accompany this, the PCG-SRX41P contains 256Mb of PC100 memory.
Because of its small size, the PCG-SRX41P has a 10.4in. XGA display with a native resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. This is powered by an integrated Intel 815 Em graphics chipset, which shares 11Mb of system memory. The screen housing doesn't have a catch in the same way as most notebook PCs, but has a lock that slides across manually.
The current trend with notebooks PCs is that they're enabled for wireless technology, which is especially useful if you move around the office and need to connect to a network. The PCG-SRX41P has both Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11b built-in.
By using 802.11b, you can connect to any compatible wireless local area network (Lan) device and, in conjunction with Sony's BlueSpace software, you can connect with any Bluetooth device, such as a phone or other Bluetooth-enabled PC. Activating either connectivity option is a simple case of flicking the on/off switch on the left-hand side of the system.
When pressed, it launches a window where you can choose which of the two technologies you want to use, or both if desired.
To show that they're connected, the software places icons in the System Tray and displays a blue LED for Bluetooth and a green one for wireless Lan on the front edge of the chassis.
The PCG-SRX41P is a single-spindle device with a built-in Toshiba 30Gb hard drive. An optional PC Card CDRom drive is available for £189.99 (ex. VAT), a CD-RW drive for £339.99 (ex. VAT), as well as a USB floppy disk drive for £59.99 (ex. VAT).
As the unit is so slim, there's no room for legacy ports such as serial or parallel. It does, however, have one USB port, one i.LINK (IEEE 1394) port, one Type II PC Card slot and a MagicGate Memory Stick port.
In addition to its excellent wireless functionality, the PCG-SRX41P also has a built-in V.90 modem and an Intel Pro/100 VE network adapter. Next to the Sony DV accessories port is a DC-Out port, which is used for powering i.Link. This is needed because the proprietary four-pin i.Link port can't power external devices.
Like most Vaios, the PCG-SRX41P comes with a wide variety of software to accompany Windows XP Professional. These are primarily titles that allow you to manipulate images, such as PictureGear, DVgate, MovieShaker, PictureToy and Smart Capture. Other bundled applications include Music Visualizer and Sonic Stage.
Despite the notebook PC's reduced size it still has room for a 3600mAh battery which, when combined with the Intel low-voltage Pentium III-M gives it an outstanding battery life of over three hours, even with the enhanced SpeedStep disabled.
This is a very impressive system. For its size and weight, it offers a comprehensive selection of features and performance in a stylish package and is a great choice if you want the ultimate in mobility.
Price: £1,574 (ex. VAT)
Specifications:
OS: Windows XP Professional
Processor: Intel Pentium III-M 800MHz
Memory: 256Mb of PC100 SDRam
Graphics chipset: 11Mb Intel 815EM
Hard disk: 30Gb
Optical drive: Optional
Display: 10.4in. XGA TFT
I/O: USB, four-pin IEEE 1394 port, V.90 modem, 10/100Base-T, MagicGate Memory Stick.
Contact: Sony 08705 424 424
www.vaio.sony-europe.com
See also:
It's JVC's first attempt at a notebook - and from where we're standing, this minute model shapes up well. 30 Oct 2002
JVC's first foray into the notebook PC market is a pretty impressive product. 29 Oct 2002
Microsoft's Tablet Edition OS transforms the Travelmate 100 into a notepad. 06 Sep 2002
If you're looking for an ultra-portable notebook PC, this is the one to go for. 21 Aug 2002
A Pentium 4-based notebook that's ideal as a desktop replacement system. 21 May 2002
All Notebooks & Tablets PCs
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