Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E

The Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E is an ultra-portable 1.4-pound 8 inch notebook that hails from Sony’s VAIO P Series Lifestyle PCs. It has a fashionable and flashy exterior that comes in five colours, each inspired by the crystalline shimmer of natural gemstones and metals, including Onyx Black, Garnet Red, Emerald Green, Crystal White and Gold.. Not only that, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E also features a smart display with an instant-on, ultra-bright 8-inch LED backlit screen that does not require any warm up. Other than that, it can also function as a GPS navigation system as it incorporates built-in GPS technology and features Microsoft Street and Trips software to help you find your current location and real-time without the need of internet connection.
Specifications
The Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E measures 9.65 in x 4.72 in x 0.78 in (W x D x H) in dimension, weighing approximately 1.4 lbs including its standard battery. It comes in a box together with a standard Lithium-ion battery, an AC adapter, power cable and a noise cancelling headphone. On its side, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E has a USB 2.0 port and a display/ LAN adapter port while there is a DC-in port, another USB 2.0 port and a 3.5 headphone jack on its left. In terms of performance, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E incorporates an Intel 1.86 GHz processor and a 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM as well as up to 256 GB of solid state drive capacity available. The Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E runs on a power requirement of 68W + 10% on its standard capacity battery, of which is able to provide up to 4 hours of estimated battery life. Not only that, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E also has a Memory Stick PRO (Standard/ Duo) media slot with MagicGate functionality SD memory card slot. As for communication, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E supports Wireless LAN Atheros 802.11 b/g/n, integrated stereo A2DP Bluetooth technology and Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband built-in. In terms of its GPS features, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E is also has capabilities including real-time tracking of your current location, the ability to search by address, keyword or points of interest, estimated drive times to your desired location, as well as points of interest such as restaurants and hotels within 50 miles of your location all via the built-in GPS technology. Not only that, its built-in wireless access feature also provides added durability, constant connection, easy management of Mobile Broadband, 802.11n wireless WiFi and Bluetooth connections, as well as eliminated the need of a wireless card. In terms of hardware, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E has a pointing stick and a QWERTY keyboard that has 82 keys, all of which have a 1.2 mm stroke and a 16.5 mm pitch. Not only that, it also has a built-in MOTION EYE camera as well as an integrated microphone. The Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E runs on a genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32 bit operating system. It comes with software including Norton Internet Security 2009 30-day trial office, and Microsoft Streets and Trips. The Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E comes with a one year limited warranty with Onsite/ In-home service and one year of toll-free 24/7 technical telephone assistance. There is also a screen that is measures 8.0 inches when measured diagonally with a resolution of 1600 x 768 pixels as well as LED backlight. As for audio features, the Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E incorporates Intel High Definition Audio. Besides that, it also incorporates Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500 for graphics. The Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E is 100% ENERGY STAR 5.0 compliant. It also comes with a power management control center that allows you to manage the energy efficiency of your Sony VAIO P VGN-P588E via the power management settings in the VAIO Control Center in order to optimize power consumption.
Reviews

“After years in the ultraportable market, Sony has gotten it just about right: it’s all about the keyboard and the display. The Vaio P series offers the best keyboard on an ultraportable or netbook, and enough screen resolution to do serious work with no side-to-side scrolling and room for toolbars and application palettes. In fact, the display’s resolution is higher than most full sized notebooks up to 15 inches! Caveat: that means you’ll need good eyes to read text. Its features target those who need more than a basic netbook: it adds WiFi draft n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, EVDO, a GPS and large SSD drives (relative to the small flash drives on the Eee PC). Likewise its extreme good looks, thinness, small dimensions and high quality materials cater to the high end ultramobile market rather than the budget conscious. The only area where the Vaio P doesn’t exceed the budget netbook competition is processor speed, but that does help to keep the price and power consumption down. Vista runs decently on the P, especially the SSD P, and Windows 7 really sings.” (MobileTechReview, 2009)

“Still, the Vaio P is a solidly built notebook that is great for running simple apps and ¬surfing the Web.” (Star-TechCentral, 2009)

“We wanted dearly to love the Vaio P based on its lust-worthy form factor, which make all the other bland netbooks the market is awash in right now look like garbage. But after putting it through its paces, we just can’t possibly recommend it for anyone who hopes to do anything more than typing e-mail and surfing – both at a snail’s pace. Sony could be excused for charging three times as much as a netbook for this system if it delivered acceptable performance, or excused for releasing it with its existing level of performance at a reasonable price level. But paying a hefty price premium for a good-looking slab that won’t do anything just doesn’t fly. We have high hopes for the 1.86GHz variant that’s kicking around Japan, and even for a Windows 7 version in the future, but right now, this notebook simply doesn’t justify its price. Unless you value looks above all else, a $400 netbook makes an infinitely better purchase for basic productivity.” (DigitalTrends, 2009)