Sony's New Notebook PC Has Muscle and Soul

All-In-One VAIO Notebook Offers High-Speed Pentium 4-M Performance and Bass-Thumping Entertainment Experience

PRNewswire
SAN DIEGO
05/01/2002

Desktop performance, laptop luxury and a wealth of extras combine to form Sony's newest full-size notebook PC, the VAIO PCG-NV170.

The latest model offers a refreshing take on multi-purpose bays by including three hot-swappable modular devices and a convenient weight saver, in addition to an on-board, integrated CD-RW/DVD combo drive.

The notebook's bay accepts a self-contained, rumbling subwoofer that punctuates music or enhances the DVD viewing experience. It also supports the included 10-key touch pad that provides an ergonomic, full-size feel to the keyboard. The model's weight-saving storage bay holds up to three Memory Stick® media cards along with a supply of business cards. And the PC also comes with a standard 3.5-inch floppy drive.

"Home office PCs need to pull double duty and run more than just productivity applications," said Mark Hanson, vice president and general manager of VAIO PC marketing for Sony Electronics. "When the work is over and it's time to play, the NV170 becomes a portable music system."

Combining Brains and Brawn

The new notebook packs the punch of a desktop PC with a Mobile® Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 1.60GHz-M and 256MB of DDR SDRAM. The i.LINK (IEEE 1394) digital interface supports high-speed digital, audio and data transfer capabilities among compatible products. The three included USB ports allow users to hot sync a handheld device and download photos from a digital camera simultaneously. And a Memory Stick media slot gives the user the ability to connect to today's broad universe of Memory Stick compatible products, including camcorders, digital still cameras, printers, voice recorders and more.

The notebook comes standard with a suite of multimedia digital editing software (including Sony's SonicStage™, MovieShaker™, Digital Print and Smart Capture applications) which allow users to capture, mix and burn digital audio, images and presentations.

The VAIO NV170 notebook PC will ship in mid-May with Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition for about $2,200.

Mix, Match, Make it Your Own

To help users set up shop anywhere in the house, build-to-order and configure-to-order versions of the NV series will be available later this month with integrated Wi-Fi™ (IEEE 802.11b) access. Other options will include:

   --  Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or XP Home Edition operating
       system;
   --  Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor 1.60 or 1.70 GHz-M;
   --  30 - 40 GB hard drive;
   --  256 - 512 MB DDR RAM; and
   --  15-inch XGA or SXGA+ LCD display.

These options can be purchased online at http://www.sonystyle.com/ or through authorized value-added resellers and direct marketers.

                            Key Specifications

                            VAIO PCG-NV170

   CPU                      Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 1.60
                             GHz-M supports Enhanced Intel® SpeedStep™
                             Technology

   LCD Display              15.0-inch SXGA+ TFT display

   Operating System         Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition

   Dimensions               Height -- 1.7-inch front, 2.1-inch rear
                            Width -- 13.3 inches
                            Depth -- 10.9 inches
                            8.2 pounds with battery and weight saver
                            8.6 pounds with battery and floppy drive
   Included Modular
    Devices                 Floppy drive
                            10-Key Touch Pad
                            Subwoofer
                            Weight Saver (holds up to three optional
                             Memory stick media)

   Among Included
   Software Applications    Microsoft® Word 2002
                            Quicken® 2002 New User Edition
                            RealNetworks® Real Jukebox
                            RealNetworks® RealPlayer®
                            Sony DVgate™
                            Sony MovieShaker™
                            InterVideo WinDVD™ 2000
                            Sony Pico Player™
                            Sony SonicStage™
                            Screenblast™ ACID™ (Microsoft Windows XP
                             Home Edition only)
                            Screenblast™ Sound Forge (Microsoft Windows
                             XP Home Edition only)
                            Adobe Photoshop Elements
                            Adobe Premiere® LE
                            Sony DigitalPrint
                            Sony Smart Capture
                            America Online® (subscription required)
                            Skydesk Smartclone™ 90 Day Trial Version
                            Trend Micro PC-Cillin® 90 Day Trial Version
                            VAIO Support Agent

   Interfaces               i.LINK® (IEEE 1394) S400 interface supports
                             high-speed digital video, audio, and data
                             transfer capabilities among compatible Sony
                             products
                            Memory Stick® media slot
                            Jog Dial™ control
                            External volume control
                            3 USB port
                            RJ-11 modem jack
                            RJ-45 Ethernet
                            VGA output

   Standard RAM             256 MB DDR SDRAM, expandable to 512 MB

   Hard Disk                30.0 GB hard drive

   Battery                  Lithium-ion battery
                            Up to 3.5 hours with one battery

   Digital Video            4X AGP enabled ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™
                             7500 graphics chip with 16 MB DDR SDRAM

   Digital Audio            Windows® sound system compatible
                            Multi-purpose bay supports subwoofer
                            Built-in stereo speakers; monaural mini-jack
                             microphone

   Modem                    Integrated V.90 modem

   Optional Accessories     Additional standard battery (PCGA-BP2S/HI)
                            USB Mouse (PCGA-UMS1/A)
                            Large carrying case (PCGA-CCGX)
                            Notebook backpack (PCGA-CCP1)
                            Neoprene notebook & AC adapter cases (PCGA-CCN1)
                            Additional AC adapter (PCGA-AC19V3)
                            External speakers (PCGA-SP1)
                            2.4GHz wireless LAN access point (PCWA-A200)
                            2.4 GHz wireless LAN PC card (PCWA-C100)
                            5GHz wireless LAN access point (PCWA-A500)
                            5GHz wireless LAN PC card (PCWA-C500)

   Availability             Mid-May

   Estimated Selling Price  About $2,200

   Notes                    GHz denotes microprocessor internal clock speed;
                             other factors may affect application
                             performance.
                            CPU speed may be reduced under certain operating
                             conditions.
                            GB means one billion bytes when referring to
                             hard drive capacity.
                            Accessible capacity may vary.

For further information, please contact Valerie Motis of Sony Electronics Inc., +1-858-942-8016, valerie.motis@am.sony.com; or Eric Montgomery of Burson-Marsteller, +1-858-646-3078, eric_montgomery@sdg.bm.com.

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SOURCE: Sony Electronics Inc.

Contact: Valerie Motis of Sony Electronics Inc., +1-858-942-8016,
valerie.motis@am.sony.com; or Eric Montgomery of Burson-Marsteller,
+1-858-646-3078, eric_montgomery@sdg.bm.com, for Sony Electronics Inc.

Website: http://www.sonystyle.com/

Website: http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio

Website: http://www.sony.com/news