Posts Tagged ‘behind-the-scenes’

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The Making of the VAIO X Series: Part 3 and 4

By: | Posted: 11/06/2009

From the drawing board to final QA testing, the Making of the VAIO X Series takes you behind the scenes and offers you an inside look at the development of the world’s lightest notebook.

Last week I introduced you to Hayashi Kaoru, Chief Project Manager, who reviewed Sony’s long history of miniaturization, including the x505, why this X Series was developed and why the project was so important to him.

You also met Shibata Takashi, Lead Project Engineer, who discussed the amazing engineering challenges Kaoru-san’s project presented and the unique solutions his engineering team had to devise to overcome them.

This week I reserved for what I think are some of the most interesting stories behind the development of the X Series.

For example, in part 3, Lead LCD Engineer Fujita Kiyohito discusses the incredible challenge his team encountered trying to fit an LCD and its components within an extremely thin 0.07 inch (2mm) thin display case without affecting picture quality.  To help save space, he and his team had to go to such great lengths as developing a new glass polisher that could mill down display glass a hairline-thin piece at a time.

His team also had to design and engineer the LCD’s motherboard from scratch so that it would fit within the tiny confines of the display case.  Discover more of what went into the design and engineering of the LCD in the video below.

In part 4, Lead Mechanical Engineer Saito Kenji offers an interesting look at the amazing detail and thought that went into the construction of the X Series’ chassis.   Because of the inherent thinness of the materials, his team had to examine every aspect and minute detail of the frame to uncover ways to enhance rigidity, durability and overall strength.

For example, Kenji-san’s team incorporated miniature arcs into the walls of the chassis to increase the frame’s strength – giving the overall notebook a more solid feel.  Discover more of what Kenji-san’s team did to overcome the challenges presented to them in the video below.

Want to discover more?  Uncover answers to questions not covered in these interviews?  Post your questions below and I’ll hunt down the answers for you.  In the meantime, check back next week for more in this series.

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The Making of the VAIO X Series: Part 1 and 2

By: | Posted: 10/30/2009

As many of you have probably already heard, Sony recently unveiled the World’s lightest notebook in the VAIO X Series.

In addition to the detailed information we passed along at the announcement in NYC, I wanted to share with you a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the X Series.

In this 7 part series, you’ll learn about the unique engineering challenges, surprising design inspirations and innovative technology used to transform the VAIO X series from concept to notebook directly from those who worked on the project.

The series kicks off with the following two installments:

Part 1:  Hayashi Kaoru, Chief Project Manager, offers an overview of the project and answers why the VAIO X Series was developed and what he hopes customers take away from it.

Part 2:  Lead Project Engineer Shibata Takashi provides insight into the engineering technology used to make the VAIO X series an incredible ½ an inch thin.

Want to discover more?  Uncover answers to questions not covered in these interviews?  Post your questions below and I’ll hunt down the answers for you.  In the meantime, check back next week for more in this series.

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Inside The VAIO7 Experience in NYC

By: | Posted: 10/16/2009

There’s no doubt that last week’s VAIO event in NYC was packed with exciting news and one amazing performance.  Guastavino’s was the perfect location for the event.  Located in Midtown, the unique facility is incorporated into the foundation of the Queensboro bridge.  Stunning 13 foot windows and massive cathedral-like mason archways span throughout, creating a dramatic backdrop for both Cirque Berzerk’s performance and the new VAIO PC announcements.

As the event began, we rolled out the red carpet for special guests such as Twilight’s Peter Facinelli, Mischa Barton, Samantha Cole and Nigel Barker, among others.  As Sukhjit mentioned in her post, it was so much fun to see all the different celebrities pose with the new VAIO models, especially with the whirlwind of screaming paparazzi elbowing for space and to snap the perfect shot.  Get a feel for the excitement from the red carpet in her clip below.

Once everyone had arrived, Mike Abary, Senior Vice President of the VAIO business group kicked off the night with some exciting news – the announcement of 3 new VAIO models including the X Series, L Series and CW Series.

Xavier Lauwaert, VAIO Sr. Product Manager, offers demos of both the exciting new touch L Series All-in-one (my favorite) and the CW Series in the videos below.

Following Mike Abary’s announcement, Sukhjit caught up with both Mike and Microsoft’s David Fester to ask a few questions about the breaking news.  Watch their interview below.

As the night progressed, I wanted to take a moment to discover what our favorite guests thought about the latest VAIO models and Windows 7.  Check out their reactions below.

The night was topped off with an amazing acrobatic performance by Cirque Berzerk.  Jump over to our flickr page to check out all the photos from the show.  However, Cirque Berzerk wasn’t the only thing to see at the event.  Symbolizing VAIO qualities, four different sections or vignettes were laid out to showcase “performance”, “service”, “create” and “innovate”.  With a Backstage section representing “service” and Cirque Berzerk making “performance”  all their own, noted urban artist Anthony Uranga held down “create” with a little bit of spray paint and whole lot of canvas.

And grabbing the most attention throughout the night, celebrity tattoo artist Thomas Pendleton represented “innovate”.  In fact, Thomas went so far as to tattoo one lucky VAIO fan with a personalized VAIO tattoo – live!  Watch Sukhjit’s interview with Thomas below.  And don’t forget to check out the rest of the photos and videos from the event on our flickr and YouTube pages – including the finished tattoo!

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Live Update From NYC Event

By: | Posted: 10/07/2009

It’s loud, crowded and so many things happening all at once.  I’m not sure which way to turn – there are so many interviews and photos I want to bring you.

With the new product announcements behind us, the event is  in full gear.  In one section of Guastavino’s huge facility – which is incorporated into the foundation of a bridge – noted urban artist Anthony Uranga is beginning work on a giant mural, symbolizing the creativity that goes into each VAIO.

In another corner, Thomas Pendelton is preparing his artwork for a live VAIO tattoo for one dedicated fan – a real tattoo!  We’ll have more on this, including an interview with Thomas, a little bit later.

And finally, in another corner, something that everyone is looking forward to, a live performance from Cirque Berzerk.  In the middle of everything stands the large stage where Cirque Bizerk will perform.  I’ve heard they’ll be incorporating the newly announced VAIO X Series into their routine.  Sounds dangerous but stay tuned to discover just how they pull that off.

For now though back to work.  Sukhjit, Jennifer and I will be covering everything that happens tonight including Cirque Bizerk’s performance and interviews with all the celebrities – in fact I think I just saw Mischa Barton walk by.  Remember, you can follow the ongoing conversation live on twitter @sonyelectronics using #VAIO7.  You can also follow us on YouTube and Facebook.  We’ll be posting updates and live vlogs throughout the night.  Plus, if you have a question for someone, leave it below and we’ll see if we can hunt down the answer.

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VAIO Breaking News: New X and CW Series Notebooks Announced in NYC

By: | Posted: 10/07/2009

So if you caught my last post, Sony just unveiled a new touch-enabled all-in-one one.and nNow, in addition to that, two more new VAIO models have just been announced – the VAIO X Series and CW Series.

Everyone seems very excited about the X Series – including myself.  It’s unbelievably thin.  Jump over to our flickr page right now to check out all the photos.

To paint an even clearer picture for you, the VAIO X Series includes:

  • A super lightweight hybrid carbon-fiber chassis weighing just 1.6 lbs. (with standard battery) and a little over ½” inch thin
  • A large capacity battery with up to 14 hours of life and a standard capacity battery that offers up to 3 ½ hours  - both of which are included with each X Series.
  • Complete wireless freedom with built-in 3G Mobile Broadband, GPS, WiFi (802.11n) and A2DP Bluetooth®
  • An  11.1″ (diag.) LED backlit, widescreen display with 100% color saturation
  • A touchpad with the same multi-touch functionality associated with touch-enabled smartphones
  • A speedy and super efficient solid state drive (SSD) up to 128GB and Windows® 7 Home Premium

The new CW Series is equally as unique.  It comes in five high-gloss colors: Fiery Red, Poppy Pink, Icy White, Jet Black and Indigo Purple.  And unlike its predecessors, the palmrest of the CW has a unique gradient color that fades from light to dark.  It adds a cool effect to what is already a very popular line of VAIOs.  Again, here are just some of the features I think you’ll appreciate:

  • An optional Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor (2.20GHz) and Windows® 7 Home Premium
  • Blu-ray Disc™ optical drive (select models) and HDMI® ouput
  • A 14″ (diag.) LED backlit display and NVIDIA® GeForce® series graphics

The VAIO X Series will come in two colors, black and gold, will start at about $1,300 and is available for pre-order today online at SonyStyle.com.  The VAIO CW Series starts at about $780 and will be available for sale at the end of the month.

Have a question about these two new models?  Leave a comment or question below and we’ll hunt down the answer for you.  Again, you can also check out all the photos of these new models on our flicker page and check back here soon for more coverage of the event.

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