SOURCE: Sony Europe

September 30, 2008 02:00 ET

New Notebook and All-In-One PC From VAIO

WEYBRIDGE, UK--(Marketwire - September 30, 2008) -

-- NS1-Series notebook brings Sony's distinctive style to everyday multimedia computing

-- JS1-Series all-in-one PC combines bold design and a big screen with a small footprint perfect for the home

-- Both systems ideal for everyday home use

Commenting on the launches, Hidetoshi Takigawa, Marketing Director for VAIO Of Europe said: "These products make Sony's overall quality and distinctive design available to a wider audience than ever. The focus is on ease of use and the specifications and features that people need at this level, and that means excellent overall value. They are a great introduction to the VAIO brand and all it stands for."

VAIO NS1-Series

With the VAIO NS1, Sony has brought together superior design values and quality to create a notebook that is well balanced and accessible for casual everyday users. The NS1 Sony VAIO laptop is easy to use, attractive to look at and features technologies that people want and use.

All models are distinguished by an excellent X-black LCD widescreen display which brings pictures and video vividly to life, and there's a built-in Motion Eye webcam for video chat and blogging. The flagship VGN-NS11Z/S has a Blu-ray drive for watching the latest High Definition movies, and the whole range supports the latest, super-fast 'Draft-N' wireless networking.

As everyone knows, the screen is a vital part of any notebook, which is why VAIO has put so much effort into developing X-black LCD enhancement technology. The X-black LCD screen used for the VAIO NS1-Series has a generous 15.4-inch diagonal which combines with the 1280 x 800 resolution to deliver plenty of space to view applications and photos, as well as delivering great-looking widescreen movies. Colours are rich and lifelike and the display is bright and sharp, giving the VAIO NS1 instant appeal.

This is a Sony VAIO laptop that looks good even when it's switched off thanks to the understated sophistication of its design. The edges and corners are gently rounded, soft tones are used for each element of the colour scheme, and the surface bears a subtle and delicate texture as pleasing to the touch as the colours are to the eye.

Original VAIO software uses built-in intelligence to make simple work of organising rapidly growing -- and potentially chaotic -- collections of music and digital photos and video clips. VAIO Music Box uses a powerful '12 Tone Analysis' system to categorise music into different genres and moods, then automatically builds playlists that you can select to match the moment.

VAIO Movie Story takes the work and complexity out of managing photos and video by vastly simplifying the task of arranging your pictures, adding effects and judicious editing to show them at their best, then synching the images to music. The result is a quality slideshow to enjoy and share -- a long way from the original mass of pictures on the hard disk.

Sony's trademark quality and attention to detail is evident wherever you look, from the X-black LCD enhanced screen to the clear tone of the integrated speakers and the provision of four USB ports for maximum connectivity. Along with the peace of mind that comes with the global status of the brand, this makes the VAIO NS1 hard to beat in its class.

VAIO JS1-Series

The VAIO JS1-Series all-in-one PC seems to offer buyers the impossible: it has a large, high-resolution screen, yet it takes up less desk space than most notebooks. It achieves this apparent contradiction by virtue of its sleek and stylish design. The compact keyboard can be slotted underneath the main unit when not in use, leaving only a modest footprint on the desk. Even when the keyboard is out, the JS1-Series takes up remarkably little room.

Despite its modest space requirements, the JS1's main unit incorporates a generously sized 20.1-inch screen complete with multiple lamp technology for exceptional brightness. The display runs at 1680 x 1050 resolution, delivering a huge Windows workspace as well as an imposing widescreen presence when a movie is playing.

All this makes the VAIO JS1 all-in-one PC an excellent choice for anyone wanting a rather special home PC. It looks good in almost any room, takes up surprisingly little space and offers an adventurous design a long way away from the standard desktop box. Internally there's raw power for audio-visual applications thanks to the Intel Core™ 2 Duo processor, plus a performance-enhancing 3GB of memory and a roomy 500GB hard disk providing plenty of space for music, pictures and video.

While the large screen is ideal for photo editing, the JS1 also scores well when it comes to the audio side of things. Movie soundtracks are enhanced by Dolby Home Theatre® technology which creates an impressive virtual surround sound effect, and audiophiles can take advantage of the special features offered by Sony's Sound Reality signal processor chip built into the system.

This can handle Super Audio CD (SA-CD), allowing the JS1 to record, edit and play music at SA-CD quality, and even upgrade older recordings to the new standard.

Sound Reality can up-convert conventional CD-quality music into uncompressed Direct Stream Digital (DSD) format. Using the pre-installed SonicStage Mastering Studio software, the DSD signal can be re-mastered into 5.1 Super Audio CD, revitalising the original.

As with the VAIO NS1-Series, JS1 comes with VAIO Movie Story and VAIO Music box for easy, largely automated slideshow and playlist creation. The software package also includes the popular and highly regarded Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6 for powerful but easy to use photo editing tools plus Adobe Premiere® Elements 4 for video editing.

To round things off the VAIO JS1 all-in-one PC has an integrated Motion Eye webcam, making it perfect for video chat or blogging. With its versatility, eye-catching design and big screen, the JS1-Series is the perfect blend of form and function.

Model              VGN-NS11Z/S
Processor          Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5800
OS                 Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Memory             4096MB (2x2048MB)*
HDD                320GB
Others             WLAN 802.11a/b/g/Draft n, Motion Eye webcam
Screen             15.4" X-black LCD WXGA (1280X800)
Optical            Blu-ray Disc™ Combo drive
Graphics           ATI® Mobility Radeon™ HD 3430

Model              VGN-JS1E/S
Processor          Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E7200
OS                 Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Memory             3072MB (2048MB+1024MB)
HDD                500GB
Others             WLAN 802.11b/g/Draft n & Camera
Screen             20.1" X-black LCD with multiple lamp technology
                   WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
Optical            DVD+/-RW/+/-R DL/RAM
Graphics           Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD

* A portion of the system memory over 3GB may not be available to the operating system

Environmental Information: 3Ps

[product]
--   The following VAIO NS-Series models are ENERGY STAR® Computer
     Specification version 4.0 qualified: VGN-NS11Z, NS11S/S, NS11E/S,
     NS10L/S, NS10E/S, NS12M/S and NS12M/W
--   VAIO NS-Series models consume only 0.9W in Standby mode.
--   All cover/housing plastic parts >25g are halogen-free.
--   The main printed circuit boards (without components) >25g are
     halogen-free.

[process]
--   The stand for VAIO JS is manufactured using recycled plastic.
--   Plastic parts >100g are made of one single material or of easily
     separable materials.
--   Recycled paper or certified paper (eg FSC) is used for product
     packaging.
--   Extended user documentation is provided electronically on the hard
     disk drive to reduce paper use.

[planet]

Sony is determined to lead the way as a responsible manufacturer, and as a result we are focussing on three key areas of investment:

1.  Reducing CO2 gas emissions
2.  Increasing the percentage of renewable energy used in manufacturing
    facilities
3.  Minimising the resources used by our factories in manufacturing

"Sony" is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.

All other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

About Sony:

Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be one of the world's leading digital entertainment brands. Sony recorded consolidated global annual sales of EUR 55.44 billion (yen 8,871 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 160.0 to the EUR. It employs approximately 180,500 people worldwide.

In Europe, the Sony Group recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 12.73 billion (yen 2,328 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. Sony Europe, headquartered at the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for the company's European electronics business and registered consolidated sales of EUR 9.55 billion for the same period.

For more information on Sony Europe, please visit http://www.sony-europe.com and http://www.sony-europe.com/presscenter