Seeing how much the Vaio P costs, and how crappy the specs were, this release does not come at a surprise. The new Vaio W [which is officially called a netbook] features 1.6GHz Atom processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Windows XP, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, VGA out, two USB ports, Ethernet, webcam, and MemoryStick / SD card readers. It also features software that streams your media to your PC and PS3. These specs don't come as a surprise to us, because it features the typical netbook features. It seems that Sony may market this netbook as an "in-home" product, seeing how there is no solid state drive option or 3G.
The price may not be amusing, because it is going to be available for $499, which is very pricy considering how much competing netbooks cost.
We haven't heard much about the PS3 slim since E3, but that doesn't mean it's been entirely quiet out there -- the hot rumor today is that Sony's signed manufacturing agreements with both Foxconn and Pegatron to build the revised model in time for July delivery. That much we believe, since it's been backed up by a couple different credible reports, but here's where it gets totally insane: there's a suggestion that the slim will be the last PS3 model of this generation, and that a next-gen console based on Sony's motion controller is due in spring 2010. We don't buy that at all, since the PS3 is just entering its prime and Sony was clear that the motion controller was for the existing console, so we think this rumor is getting garbled down the wire -- it's far more likely that the slim is being prepped for an August launch to coincide with those rumored price cuts, and that new PS3 bundles that include the motion controller are set to drop next year. That's just our take on the matter, though -- we'll see how things shake out.
