While Sony has never been one of the biggest players in the desktop computer market, their notebook and laptop computers have been popular - often because of their stylish design. Even that "VAIO" logo looks cool. Today's VAIO notebooks range from the "ultra portable" TX series up to the mighty AR series, featuring a 17" monitor and your choice of the latest Core 2 Duo processors. Most of Sony's portable computers are priced significantly above what we'd consider "bargain" computers, but their N series - in the $900-$1000 range - aren't too bad. But you get what you pay for: the N series models have a more "utilitarian" design that lacks some of the "cool factor" you'd get with their pricier models.
Some more "cool" things you'll find in some of the current Sony VAIO models: The SZ680 comes in a carbon-fiber case...the CR series can be had in Sangria Red, Indigo Blue, Cosmopolitan Pink and Dove White...several models have both WiFi and Bluetooth built-in...the top-of-the-line AR series has a Blu-ray disc option.
We have an old VAIO N505VE (10.5" x 8" x 3/4" - 10.5" diagonal screen) that we fire up occasionally just to marvel at the size - it's still the smallest fully-capable notebook we've seen. Today's VAIO's are just as cool, if not quite as small (although the "TX" series, with an 11.1" monitor comes pretty close).
