New Sony VAIO VGN-X505: Sony’s slimmest, lightest ultraportable
The Sony VAIO VGN-X505: the slimmest, lightest ultraportable to be launched in Europe this summer
Brussels, 13th May 2004 – Sony is proud to announce the forthcoming launch of the VAIO VGN-X505 (VGNX505) – the slimmest and lightest ultraportable notebook the European market has ever seen.
Each Sony VAIO VGN-X505 will be sold with a set of exclusive accessories, ensuring that users have everything they need at their fingertips. Sony VAIO VGN-X505 accessories include an external optical drive, a PC Card for high-speed wireless networking, and a discrete slip case for the notebook itself. Everything accompanying the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 harmonises with the overall look of the system, and is built to the same exacting standards.
Sony VAIO VGN-X505 ultraportables are exceptionally stylish, from their super-slim profile to the look and feel of the custom-built keyboard. The completely distinctive design incorporates every detail, however minor, into an integrated whole exactly balancing form with function. In fact there are no unnecessary interruptions to the lines of the case. Even the base of the machine is as smooth and seamless as the lid, providing extra strength as well as a greatly enhanced aesthetic compared to standard notebook designs.
The controlled minimalism of the look coupled with the machine’s extreme slimness only serves to accentuate how advanced the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 actually is. The wafer-like cross-section is only possible because every element of the design supports every other. The specially miniaturised motherboard for example allows the minimal overlap of components internally. This improves heat dissipation and opens the way for the silent, fan-free cooling system. The final stage is the innovative use of nickel plated carbon mouldings for the outer case. These provide great strength, but also make excellent conductors for dispelling internal heat.
Jun Koyama, Information Technology Europe Sales and Marketing Director comments: “The Sony VAIO VGN-X505 is a beautiful object, a truly integrated design. It is a visible distillation of Sony’s unique brand of expertise, which you could say was a fusion of 21st century engineering technology and an older tradition of craftsmanship. That is why it is so distinctive, and that is why we are proud of it.”
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
Inside the Sony VAIO VGN-X505:
New materials technology for strength and enhanced heat dissipation
Sony’s engineers have used a special combination of materials to create the extremely thin but very robust outer casing. Rather than alloy or plastic, the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 is sheathed in nickel plated carbon fibre mouldings which match advanced alloys for rigidity and weight yet measure just 0.8mm thick. The moulded carbon fibre core of each panel confers rigidity while remaining extremely light compared to alloy or even plastic, and nickel plating the part adds extra strength. The inner chassis of the machine is still made from magnesium alloy, but the use of plated carbon for the outer panels confers a further technical advantage over an all-metal build. The casing is an excellent heat conductor, and effectively acts as an extended heat sink, gently and evenly radiating away excess warmth generated by the internal components. Sony VAIO VGN-X505 Miniature motherboard
The Sony VAIO VGN-X505 is built around a super-miniature motherboard barely larger than a MiniDisc. The engineers achieved this tiny footprint through a very highly integrated design featuring a minimal component count and a highly specialized approach to construction where the board is built up from a remarkable ten layers of circuitry, one on top of the other.Sony VAIO VGN-X505 Fan-free cooling system for silent running
The enhanced heat conductivity is made possible with a graphite heat diffusion sheet. It enabled a radical departure from the normal fan-driven cooling system. Heat is drawn directly off the CPU and motherboard chipset by the graphite sheet, then efficiently radiated away through the plated carbon mouldings. The absence of a fan means the notebook runs almost silently, without the potentially irritating distraction of intermittent fan noise. Whirring fans also detract from the overall impression of quality, and so were not considered an acceptable part of the Sony VAIO VGN-X505’s design. No fan also means longer battery life, as a running fan is a constant drain on the notebook’s power reserve. The internal temperature is constantly monitored and controlled by advanced, software-controlled temperature regulation. The balance between temperature and performance can be fine-tuned to suit the user.* Pentium-M ULV and better battery performance
Rather than a conventional Pentium M processor, Sony’s engineers selected Intel’s special ultra-low voltage (ULV) Pentium M variant for the Sony VAIO VGN-X505. Designed specifically for ultra-portables, the 1.1GHz CPU generates less waste heat even than the standard Pentium M, and combines dynamically variable core voltage with Intel’s Enhanced SpeedStep power saving technology to extend battery life to the limit. By dropping the core voltage as low as 1V whenever possible, the ULV Pentium M can help keep the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 running for as much as 4 hours on a single charge.Sony VAIO VGN-X505 Keyboard ergonomics
The very slimness of the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 makes for a comfortable, natural typing posture. There is no need for a palm rest, as the case is so thin the user’s hands rest on the desktop, much as they would when using a conventional PC keyboard. With the keyboard brought forward, waste heat can be radiated gently upward from the clear area between the keypad and the screen. The specially designed, super-thin keyboard itself features a carefully spaced layout incorporating large keys where they are appropriate, notably Enter and Shift. A magnesium (as opposed to aluminium) base plate ensures the keyboard is firm to the touch and does not sag during typing.Sony VAIO VGN-X505 Key specifications
As well as its unique, multi-layered motherboard (see below), the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 features a truly tiny hard disk measuring just 1.8 inches across compared to the standard 2.5 inch notebook drive. Despite being so small, the unit still offers users 20GB worth of data storage. Adequate memory provision is essential for Windows XP platforms to reach optimum performance, which is why the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 is configured with a full 512MB of fast 266MHz double data rate SDRAM. Graphics processing is handled by components of the Intel 855GM motherboard chipset, which helps reduce the component count, and the physical size of the system board. Careful design and the use of ground-breaking new materials (see below) for the case allowed the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 to be fitted with a 10.4-inch display which delivers the same 1024 x 768 XGA resolution used by most desktop PCs.Sony VAIO VGN-X505 Optical advantages: Dual RW DVD
The Sony VAIO VGN-X505 is supplied as standard with an external optical drive unit (approximately 144 x 154 x 21mm W x D x H; 410g) providing users with the considerable advantage of dual format DVD±RW. In addition to being able to read DVDs in both formats, the drive gives users the choice of which to use for specific purposes. While DVD-RW ensures maximum compatibility with consumer DVD players, the multi-session DVD+RW format is ideal for repeatedly saving to the same disc – essential for a coherent backup strategy for example. Maximum write speeds are: DVD-RW at 2x and DVD+RW at 2x, with ±RW read speeds of 4x and DVD-ROM play at 8x.Exclusive Sony VAIO VGN-X505 accessories
The Sony VAIO VGN-X505 will be accompanied by an accessories pack containing an external optical drive matching the design of the notebook itself. A tiny but very tough magnesium alloy adapter provides connections for networking and an external monitor which were too large to be incorporated into the case itself. Fast 54 Mbps 802.11b/g wireless networking is provided by a PC Card, also styled to harmonise exactly with the notebook and the other accessories. The third key accessory is a multi-format flash card adapter which fits into the Sony VAIO VGN-X505’s PC Card slot. The adapter is compatible with Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SmartMedia, Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMediaCard formatsFor reasons of convenience and practicality, the accessory set comes in its own travelling case, which matches the one provided for the notebook. The PCGA-BP505 battery and PCGA-AC16V6 AC Adapter are also available as spare power accessories.VAIO Software and the Adobe Companion Pack
In common with all VAIO notebooks, the Sony VAIO VGN-X505 is supplied with a wide array of applications software designed to open up its full potential. The software suite comes in three parts, with Microsoft Works 7.0 providing the everyday essentials, Sony’s VAIO applications acting as a sophisticated audio-visual toolkit, and the Adobe Companion Pack for VAIO adding yet another dimension for users to explore.The Adobe Companion Pack is exclusive to Sony’s VAIO product family, and contains a special version of Adobe Premiere Standard, empowering users with a powerful but easily mastered video editing capability. The highly-regarded Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 photo editor complements Premiere Standard, and Photoshop Album Starter Edition provides comprehensive tools for managing any photo archive. The Companion Pack also makes it easy to prepare a wide range of documents for sharing with other users. The Adobe Acrobat Elements resource, included along with the latest version of the Acrobat Reader, can convert files created by Microsoft applications including Word, Excel and Powerpoint into Acrobat PDF format, ready for electronic distribution.
You make it a Sony
Sony products bring digital technology to life, offering a world of applications in entertainment and networking. Whether you are a novice or an enthusiast, you can shoot your own movies on DV or Micro MV, edit them with a VAIO and share them with friends and family with a DVD player/recorder. You can take perfect still shots every time with easy to use digital cameras such as Cyber-shot, then make quality prints, enjoy them cable free on your WEGA television or simply store your albums on your VAIO. With a Sony network audio device, you can create your own Internet-sourced music compilations and enjoy them at great quality at home or on the move. These are just some of the ways in which Sony gives you complete control over your digital environment, enabling you to enjoy whatever you want, wherever and whenever
