Pros: Very portable, beautiful display, functional keyboard, SD and MS Duo card slots, typical Sony quality
Cons: Tiny display, mediocre battery life, poor video playback, high price, Kensington lock port is too small
For those with money to burn and a traveller lifestyle, this is the netbook to get. I say “netbook” and not “laptop” as I feel the Vaio P doesn’t measure up to a laptop’s abilities, but offers solid performance within the netbook crowd. The thin and light design makes it a breeze to tote anywhere and everywhere. I find the display to be among the best I have seen from the netbooks available.
Photos are bright and sharp, and despite the small 8″ size, words are fairly easy to read because of how sharp and crisp they appear. Unfortunately, video playback isn’t as nice with occasional slowing and frame skips if played in full-screen mode. Most YouTube videos played just fine, but some skipped when played in HD mode.
The keyboard is probably the P’s strongest point. Despite being as small as it is, the keyboard is very easy to type with and easy to adjust to. They keys are significantly smaller, but Sony wisely spaced them apart to avoid accidental hits of adjacent keys. The touchpoint is easy to use and I adjusted to it in a few minutes, having never used one before.
I like the inclusion of both SD card and Memory Stick Duo slots. For people on the go, files are often stored on these cards and not having to pack along an external card reader is a blessing. With a couple of 32GB SD and MS Duo cards, you can easily bump up storage by 64GB.
The P has a AC power port, 2 USB ports, a headphone port, a Kensington lock slot, and a proprietary LAN/video out port. The proprietary port requires the use of Sony’s LAN/video out dongle that can be smartly attached to the AC adapter for ease of carrying about. Personally, I would have preferred the ports already be installed on the netbook itself as external adapters are always a hassle when out and about. But given the size of the P and the handy attachment feature to the power brick, it’s not a big deal.
Battery life is mediocre compared to the rest of the crowd. I averaged about 2hours and 40 minutes with the brightness to 3/4 max and wi-fi on. Some of the netbooks can get upwards of 7-8 hours with the standard battery and at half the cost of the Vaio P. I haven’t tried the extended battery yet.
The Kensington lock port is a mystery to me. When I attempted to secure my Kensington cable to it, I found the port on the P’s chassis to be too small. I tried a few different cable brands from co-workers and nothing would fit. Perhaps it requires the Sony-branded cable lock, and if so, is a pretty dumb move from Sony in my opinion. But being as small as it is, I found it easy enough to put in a lockable desk drawer or even take with me if I had to take a restroom break or visit the coffee shop.
Overall build quality is what I would expect from Sony. The unit feels solidly built without any creaking or rattling of parts.
My unit came with Windows 7 installed and has a 1.6GHz Atom processor and 64GB SSD. Performance is fairly snappy with programs opening up in a few seconds and the P waking up from a sleep in less than 5. No doubt the SSD contributes to the speed. The P has an Instant-On feature that brings up the Xcross Media Bar when the designated button is pressed if the P is hibernating or off. Since the P wakes up from sleep so quickly, I find I never have a need for the feature.
I like the Vaio P and think it is a great netbook for those needing the ultimate in portability. It does have a “cooless” factor to it and got some curious glances from people passing by at coffee shops and bookstores. The price is the biggest killer in my opinion. 10″ netbooks can be had for less than 1/2 the price and boasting similar specs. I feel the Vaio P is very much a niche product that is best for a certain group of users and little else. I would recommend it only to a friend who has the cash to burn, is exacting is their need for the ultra-portable, and demands the best in build quality.
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