June 22 - 11:45am EDT   Sony in a low-key move has quietly updated the VAIO P with its first performance upgrade in the US since launch. The P698E moves from the original 1.33GHz processor to a 1.6GHz part and also doubles the capacity of the solid-state drive to 128GB. Both are currently available together in a single, red model that costs $1,500. [full story]

June 18 - 9:25pm EDT   Sony at a Blu-ray focused event tonight launched the VAIO NW, a major overhaul of its entry-level notebook. The system has the distinction of being one of the least expensive systems with Blu-ray and has an unusual 15.5-inch, 1366x768 display that can show most HD movies at their native ratio. A textured lid and a translucent trackpad also lend it a designer look. [full story]

May 26 - 8:05am EDT   Sony on Tuesday showed rare conservatism by giving its VAIO P netbook an option for Windows XP. The P50 variant lets the mini notebook skip Vista for the faster, less demanding older OS while trading few features. It loses only Sony's in-Windows media software but still gets access to the instant-on OS for media playback and other basics outside of Microsoft's platform. It also boosts the minimum storage from 60GB to 80GB. [full story]

March 26 - 8:40am EDT   Sony is likely to be launching a significant update to its VAIO P mini notebook based on a leak of new model numbers. Six system IDs obtained by Sony Insider point to the model numbering jumping from the 500 series of today to the 700 series while keeping the same black, green, red and white colors. While four of the models share the same P710 naming scheme, two P730 models hint at higher-spec versions. [full story]

March 9 - 7:45am EDT   Apple is gearing up suppliers to build a touchscreen netbook that would ship in the summer of this year, according to Taiwan's Commercial Times. Following a confirmation by local display maker Wintek that it's developing touchscreens for new Apple products, the Times said that at least some of these panels are destined for a netbook that would ship sometime during the summer. A regular supplier of Apple, Quanta, would manufacture the netbook itself. [full story]

February 27 - 8:25am EST   Sony on Friday continued efforts to improve its business and said (registration required) that it would launch a major reorganization of its electronics groups. Under the new plan, company CEO Sir Howard Stringer will also become president of the electronics business; simultaneously, the company's key PlayStation, VAIO and Walkman divisions will be united. The moves take effect at the start of April and put current electronics president Ryoji Chubachi in a vice chairman position, while consumer products VP Katsumi Ihara leaves his position and will instead have just a board position at Sony's financial group. [full story]

February 16 - 3:50pm EST   At Mobile World Congress on Monday, Sony and Qualcomm announced that the former's VAIO notebooks will be the first to feature the latter's Global Mobile Internet Technology (Gobi), letting the PCs access 3G mobile broadband networks regardless of type. Sony will make Gobi standard fare in some of its ultra-portable VAIO notebooks, including the Z, TT and new P series. Apart from built-in mobile broadband capabilities, the Qualcomm chips also feature an integrated GPS sensor. [full story]

January 27 - 4:20pm EST   After leaving its VAIO G notebook line-up alone for nearly two years, Sony has finally announced it will update it with four new models with the third-generation G3 range. All four share a 12.1-inch, 1024x768 resolution LCD, with the entry-level model sporting a Centrino 2-era, ultra-low voltage 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo CPU; it also comes with 2GB of RAM, 120GB hard drive and Wi-Fi. A mid-range model receives a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo chip and a 64GB solid state drive. [full story]

January 14 - 2:35pm EST   An FCC filing has surfaced today that suggests Sony has been developing a new ultraportable that would skew towards the budget range. Badged as the VAIO GS, the system would a rare modern example of a 4:3 ratio Sony notebook and would near netbook territory with a roughly 12-inch screen size. While slim, the computer will be thick enough to have an optional built-in optical drive. [full story]

January 7 - 7:45pm EST   Sony tonight at its CES pre-show conference unveiled its long-expected VAIO P. The frequently leaked device is Sony's approach to netbooks but also explicitly takes on tablets and smartphones through a unique, extra-long design with an 8-inch 1600x768 screen and pointer-only mouse control: the system is small enough to fit in many pockets, Sony claims. The wide design has the side benefit of giving the mini PC a much larger keyboard than most systems its size. [full story]

January 6 - 5:55pm EST   Sony's VAIO P has been spotted in its entirety today ahead of its expected debut at Sony's press conference on Wednesday. Displays seen by Engadget at the CES setup confirm an extremely wide, shallow design which drops the traditional trackpad in favor of a pointer. The views confirm few technical details but do reveal a built-in webcam to the side of the display as well as Memory Stick and SD card readers. [full story]

January 3 - 10:05am EST   Sony's VAIO P netbook may contain hardware that renders it twice as expensive as many rivals, according to additional hardware leaks from NetbookNews. The system is now believed to have a 1.33GHz Atom after all but may also have extra features that boost the price; the 3G modem and a GPS receiver are now potentially standard rather than strictly optional. Previous reports have also pointed to a unique eight-inch, 1600x900 display. [full story]

December 30 - 11:45am EST   Sony Japan has posted a teaser page for what is believed to be the VAIO P, an upcoming netbook. Shown briefly in the page's Flash montage is a new keyboard, with raised keys similar to those on the VAIO TZ and TT. The updated keyboard has a trackball in the middle however, which may indicate that that the P is too small to fit a conventional trackpad. [full story]

December 25 - 11:25am EST   Sony on Christmas has unintentionally confirmed its netbook model through a placeholder on its VAIO homepage. Now officially labeled the VAIO P, the "revolutionary" system is described as small enough to fit in a pocket yet having a full notebook-level resolution: the 8-inch, LED-backlit display has an extremely wide 1600x768 resolution that covers much more area than the 1024x600 displays of typical netbooks. It also carries full notebook storage with at least a 60GB rotating hard drive and up to a 128GB solid-state drive. [full story]

December 24 - 7:50am EST   Sony on Christmas Eve stoked anticipation for CES with a new teaser for a new system on its Japanese website. Calling it only the "VAIO New Mobile," the site shows a wrapped computer that has the width of a netbook but a considerably shallower design, resembling almost identically the dimensions of the PCG-1P that has surfaced at the FCC in the US but without revealing additional details. The system is known to carry Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and the option of 3G Internet access and is believed to be Sony's promised netbook equivalent. [full story]