Sony VAIO FW, SR leaks show MB Air styling

Sony's VAIO FW and SR have been spotted and reveal a design reminiscent of aluminum MacBooks along with additional specifications for at least European models. The VAIO FW is both confirmed to be one of Sony's first notebooks with a 16:9 ratio display and has a 16.4-inch, 1600x900 LCD sharper than the 1440x900 screens found on some 15.4-inch portables. It also has the same through-tray keyboard design as the VAIO TZ, the MacBook Air, and some other systems.

Several configurations should be available that come with Intel's upcoming low-power, full speed Core 2 Duos ranging between 2.26GHz and 2.53GHz, either 3GB or 4GB of memory, and an ATI Radeon HD 3470 or 3650 for video. Certain trim levels also carry over the Blu-ray support from the earlier VAIO FZ series while models carry either 250GB, 300GB, or 320GB of hard drive space.

The VAIO SR series is once again said to be a replacement for today's 13.3-inch SZ but should be stylistically identical to the FW, giving it a look like that of the MacBook Air. The Sony system is nonetheless treated as a performance system with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo and a higher end model with a Radeon HD 3470 for graphics and a 200GB, 7,200RPM hard drive.

Other previously leaked systems, including the unusual 13.1-inch VAIO Z and speed updates to existing models, aren't mentioned in the leak. Sony is believed to be readying all of the new computers for updates in late summer and the fall. [via NotebookReview]

Filed under: computers
Other story tags: Intel, sony, MacBook, Core 2, Centrino, VAIO