Netbook showdown: The top 10 mini laptops rated

By Derek Chesterfield on 30 October 2009, 12:48pm

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Sony Vaio P-series Lifestyle PC £700

Sony rather haughtily refers to the Vaio P-series as a 'Lifestyle PC' rather than a netbook, but, as the machine is based on an Atom processor, it's really not fooling anyone. Nevertheless, it differs from most netbooks in that it has 2GB of RAM and runs Windows Vista.

Design and usability

The P-series' key feature is its unique 8-inch screen, which is much wider than it is tall, boasting an unusual resolution of 1,600x768 pixels. The high resolution is a bonus because most Web pages can be read without too much scrolling around. But the odd aspect ratio is also something of drawback, as, when you make videos full-screen, they tend to look rather strange. The keyboard is small, but very easy to use, although the same can't be said for the nipple-like pointing device, which takes some getting used to.

Connectivity

The P-series is quite thin and this has comprised its connectivity. Whereas most netbooks have three or more USB ports, this one only has two, with each mounted on either side of the chassis. It also lacks built-in VGA and Ethernet ports. Instead, these are supplied via a rather annoying USB dongle that you have to carry around with you. The P-series does, however, have on-board 3G so, with the addition of a SIM card, you can surf the Web from pretty much anywhere. There's also GPS support, so you can feasibly use it as a sat-nav device.

Performance and battery life

The P-series uses an Atom Z520 CPU. Whereas most netbook manufacturers pair an Atom processor with just 1GB of RAM, Sony has opted for 2GB instead. Unfortunately, the advantage of having this extra RAM is negated by the fact that Sony has opted to use Windows Vista Home Premium rather than plain old Windows XP. As a result, the P-series often feels quite sluggish in use. Battery life isn't all that bad, though -- you can expect to get over 3 hours of use from the P-series.

Should I buy it?

The P-series is a pretty unique machine, and its distinctive styling has won it many fans. It's very expensive for a netbook, though, and it's not quite as comfortable to use as some of the other models in this round-up.

Read our full Sony Vaio P-series Lifestyle PC review