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Connect Me Obi (W)WAN! - New Ultralight Sony Vaio T Series Packs Wireless Wide Area Network FeatureAt first glance, you could mistake the new Sony VAIO T-Series notebooks as just your run-of-the-mill additions to the ultraportable notebook market. The new Sonys can challenge any of the other super-thin laptops out there when it comes to weight (at 3.04 pounds). But if you weigh it for cutting-edge features, the Sony clearly stands out from the pack.The main reason is WWAN. The Sony is the first notebook PC to arrive on the mass market with an integrated high-speed WWAN, or wireless wide area network. It's a form of wireless connectivity that blows the doors off Wi-Fi connections, if only because it does not limit you to set hotspots. Instead, WWAN is available wherever cellular service is available. Nowadays, that means practically everywhere. In the United States, the VAIO T-Series specifically run on the Cingular Wireless EDGE network. EDGE covers 13,000 municipalities and 40,000 miles of highway. Wherever you may be, you could be able to reach speeds of 70 to 135 kbps with the service. U.S. users will receive at least one month's free service with Cingular to test out WWAN. Afterward, however, they will be required to subscribe to a Cingular Data Connect plan for at least a year if they wish to continue. If you opt out of WWAN, or just want to connect to the Web the old-fashioned way, the VAIO's SmartWi function will help you switch between connectivity modes. As simply as you would turn up the volume on your notebook, you can hop onto WLAN to access a Wi-Fi hotspot or tap into Bluetooth for your peripherals. This featherweight notebook also packs the other heavyweight capabilities that you would expect from a Sony geared for business. The 10.6-inch wide LCD display features Sony XBRITE technology. The sound system offers Dolby surround sound for headphones. And for drives, it comes standard with a double-layer DVD burner. Add Sony multimedia software and an estimated nine hours of battery time, and you have a laptop that can keep you busy on long business flights. By Matthew Brodsky Tuesday, May 31, 2005 |
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