Sony's New VAIO AX
Is unfamiliarity with Mac OS X stopping you shelling out for a new dual core Macbook Pro? "Boot Camp" beta software enables you to install Windows XP on an Intel Mac. This flexibility should make Macs more attractive to windows lovers who have been considering Apple hardware.
Sony istaking its stand in the midrange multimedia machine market. The new VAIO AX Digital Studio laptop is a mixedbag of potential, with the power of a desktop PC, the creativejuice to rival Apple, and thesecurity to match any locked-down businessnotebook.
Sony's VAIO AXboasts a built in 0.3 mega-pixel camera, and offers data securitytighter than a Glaswegian's wallet, thanks to the a built-infingerprint reader. The tech cherry topping the hardware cake isa 17-inch widescreen display with XBRITE LCD technology and WXGA+resolution. This should bring to life any of your photos or homemovies. Combine the screen with the DVD+R Double Layer read-writedrive, and you'll have the power to duplicate crisp and clearimages at will.
Or watch television on the Vaio withthe removable TV tuner and Windows CP Media Center Edition 2005.Both the DVD drive and the tuner fit into the VAIO's versatilemulti-function bay. Swap one bay unit for the other, or take bothout and slip in the 80GB HDD bay unit or HDD Adapter bay unit,both optional.
To be a true multimedia station, the VAIO AX notebook also wouldneed the software to turn an amateur into an artist, and anartist into a genius. And the Sony laptop indeed has it. Formanaging and editing your music collection, there's theSonicStage Mastering Studio. For video, high-def and otherwise,there's the DVgate Plus software.
Sony made the new Vaio AX evenmore flexible and compatible with other multimedia devices with avariety of standard but essential interfaces. The IEEE 1394interface is the i.LINK, or for a more slow-mo connection, tryone of the two USB 2.0 ports. For data transfer, Sony providesa Memory Stick and Secure Digital media slots.
Sony has an awful lot of notebooks on the market right now, andit's difficult to make a choice between them all. However withall these features, the new AX Vaio willprobably interface with laptop buyers when it's released inNovember.
