Sony PCG-X505/SP

Introduction

Since we deal with high-end consumer electronics on a daily basis, it usually takes a revolutionary product to really get our attention here in the office. Every once in a while a product comes across the proverbial review desk that catches us by surprise.

Throughout 2003, we saw notebook computers gain in power and shrink in size; from the large 6lb Gateway MC675S workstation notebook with the 17” display to the tiny and elegant JVC 7310 Interlink sub-notebook that is striking in many respects.

Nothing we've seen in the last year could have prepared us for what Sony had in store for us. Weighing in at just around 800 grams (around 2 lbs), The Sony PCG-X505 series laptops are most likely the thinnest and lightest laptops in the world. Featuring Nickel Carbon and Carbon Fiber construction and packing a 1GHz Centrino processor with 512MB of memory, these little notebooks set a new benchmark in sub-notebook design. Of course with innovation comes a price but those willing to pay for cutting edge electronics will be handsomely rewarded by the Sony X505. The Nickel Carbon model has a price of $3,499 while the Carbon Fiber costs more at $3,999.

Design and Features

Earlier this year, we made the decision to review laptops designed for the Japanese market and imported here in the US. There are a couple importers such as iCube here in the US that will take a Japanese model and slightly convert it over for the US market. This includes installing an English version of Microsoft's Windows operating system, remapping some of the keys and adding English characters to the keys. This gives computer and electronics enthusiasts a slight technology edge over the average consumer that buys his or her products in the U.S. market.

Demand for these Japanese products has increased in America and we set out to provide reviews for these products. The first thing we noticed in regards to the Japanese notebook systems is that there is a much stronger emphasis on design and size, and less of an emphasis on price than in the U.S. We saw the first flip open CD/DVD ROM drive in the Panasonic W2 and a piano black paint finish on the JVC 7310 Interlink. Sony's TR1A notebook gave us performance and features in a system smaller than anything we had every seen at the time. Well this time around, Sony has gone over the top by developing the PCG-X505 notebook computer.