Sony’s Vaio Z notebook brings high performance, standard SSD drives

Tom on January 08, 2010

In a rash of notebook announcements today at the International CES, Sony have started the party by issuing a revitalised model of their business staple, the Vaio Z series. It’s a thin-and-light 13-incher that offers a choice of speed or stamina (literally – through a switch).

The Z-Series is updated from the similar 2009 model, but shares similar integral specifications. The Z remains equipped with a 13.1-inch 16:9 LED backlit display, an optional Blu-Ray drive, and user-switchable power consumption modes for choosing between performance or battery stamina.

Sony’s typically impressive design remains with the Z – it might not be as thin as some competitors, but the smart chicklet keyboard, solid construction, and the Z-hallmark power button in the hinge set it apart. There’s even a choice of colour between silver or dark grey.

Where the Vaio Z differentiates between its competitors for this year is mainly with the inclusion of a standard solid state storage drive, succeeding once-and-for-all in this model line, previous hard-drive based storage. The solid state drives available on the Z provide capacity up to an optional 512 GB drive.

In terms of connectivity, Sony is offering built-in Wireless-N spec wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and the inclusion of 3G Mobile Broadband which will be provided by Verizon Wireless in the US.

Release dates for the Australian market aren’t confirmed as yet, but the updated Vaio Z line will launch in Q2 2010, retailing for “about US$1,900″ in the USA. Australians should expect to pay at least A$2,499 when this baby hits stores later this year.