Hands-on with Sony Vaio CR20, TZ20 and AR50 laptops

The TZ20s are the smallest laptops in the line-up, with 11.1-inch wide-screen displays, and up to 2GB of RAM and a 100GB hard disk. The super-attractive SSD model replaces that clunky old-fashioned platter-centred hard disk with 32GB of non-volatile flash memory. Coupled with a Core 2 Duo chip, this is an attractive ultraportable series, but with prices averaging at around £1,800, its portability comes at a similar price to having a Z-list celebrity whacked. We prefer the laptop option.

With our hands firmly placed upon the TZ20, we appreciated that size and weight have been of critical importance -- the build quality is good, but the laptop feels distinctly more susceptible to accidental damage thanks to its less robust construction. The screen is super-sharp and the built-in HSDPA and WAN connectivity will keep you plugged into the Web wherever you are.

Other features include a fingerprint reader, on-board Intel graphics, Bluetooth and a DVD-RW drive.