Sony VAIO VGN-P530H/R 8-inch Netbook Subnotebook Laptop PC

Mar 5 2009 - Even though Sony doesn't like its VAIO P series systems called netbooks, that is exactly what they are. They use the same base processors and share the same size that there is no real way to say it is. Sony does make the VAIO P incredibly small and lightweight, smaller than just about any other netbook on the market. It also packs in items like a high resolution display, a spacious keyboard, trackpoint mouse and built-in GPS. Still, the system is extremely expensive and very sluggish compared to other netbooks on the market. At least it looks really good.

Mar 5 2009 - The Sony VAIO P has a very different layout from other netbooks because of its unique 8-inch screen that features a surprising high 1600x768 resolution. The screen is amazingly colorful and sharp but at such a high resolution it can be difficult to read unless you modify the font or dpi settings within Windows.

With the screen sized the way it is, the keyboard layout is also quite different. Sony decided to use the chicklet style keys found on its standard laptops and it also takes up almost the entire size of the laptop. This makes it more spacious than traditional netbooks and very comfortable to use. One big difference though is the removal of a trackpad pointing device and the placement of a trackpoint device within the keyboard. I actually prefer this type of pointer but this may bother some.

The VAIO P is certainly one of the smallest and lightest netbooks on the market. It is less than an inch thick and weighs only a pound and a half fully equipped. Most netbooks even with their smallest batteries tends to weigh over two pounds. Even with these tiny dimensions don't expect this thing to easily fit in a pants pocket.

Beyond its extremely small size, Sony has produced one of the best looking and attractive netbooks on the market. It comes in a the standard black and white colors but many people will probably find the red and green versions much more distinctive.

One of the big problems that the VAIO P has is performance. It is powered by the Intel Atom Z520 processor that is slower than the more traditional N270. Combine this with the Vista operating system and the system can be incredibly slow even though the system ships with the maximum 2GB of memory compared to the 1GB of XP based netbooks.

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