Posts Tagged ‘innovation’

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VAIO News: First Look at the New P Series

By: | Posted: 5/10/2010

Since we first introduced the P Series back in 2009 at CES, we’ve been hard at work behind-the-scenes brainstorming ways to make the P even better.  Don’t worry though, all the things you love about the original P Series remain – like it’s unique, business envelope-sized form factor, built-in mobile broadband and GPS (select models only), vibrant 8” (1600 x 768) LED backlit display* and bundled noise cancelling headphones.

So what is new you ask?  The majority of differences are in the details.  First, we made some changes under the hood by upgrading the processor to an Intel Atom Z550 processor (2.0GHz) (select models only) and we’ll continue to offer up to a 256GB solid state drive (select models only).  Additionally, you’ll also find that the design of the P Series has been refined.  From a profile point of view, the new P Series features what I think to be much smoother and naturally curving lines that allow it to look less rigid and square than before and really enhances its overall look and feel.  To illustrate the point, compare the two photos below – the photo on top is the new P Series.

Now for my favorite part.

The P Series also includes an all new touch pad that’s actually built into the LCD bezel, offering a fresh alternative to the traditional track pad.  Plus, with an integrated accelerometer that can detect the display’s orientation, you can now turn the P Series on either side and automatically change the view from landscape to portrait mode.  I find this feature perfect for reading long e-mails, documents or web pages that I would otherwise have to constantly be scrolling through.  And due to popular demand, we’ve also included our instant access WEB and ASSIST buttons that have been featured on other recent VAIO models.

Sound interesting?  Check out Sukhjit’s unboxing video below to see these new features in action.

Last but not least, the new P Series comes in five new vibrant colors – electric orange, neon green, hot pink, icy white and classic black.  And yes, in case you were wondering, there will also be an array of perfectly color coordinated carrying cases, wireless mice and other accessories to match.

The new P Series Lifestyle PC will be available for sale in the U.S. at SonyStyle.com and select retailers starting June 8th for about $800.  I’m sure you probably have a lot of questions so be sure to leave them below and I’ll be sure to dig up the answers.

*Viewable area measured diagonally.

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Reinventing the Z: Part 1 and 2

By: | Posted: 2/26/2010

We all have our favorite things.  Mine: evening baseball games, ski trips and movie night.  When it comes to my favorite VAIO notebook, it’s the Z Series hands down.  I use a Z Series both at work and at home.  And when I got my first sneak peak at the newly redesigned Z Series – as you did at CES last month – I couldn’t have been more excited.

And now, with the new Z Series available for presale on SonyStyle.com, I wanted to offer you a behind-the-scenes look at the year long project to makeover the Z Series.

What could possibly be so different from the original 1st generation Z Series?  Surprisingly a lot!  From carving the chassis’ core from a single, solid piece of aluminum to adding a backlit keyboard and engineering the world’s first quad SSD configuration in a notebook, there’s so many things to discuss.   So, in this four part series – Reinventing the Z – you’ll uncover the innovations, upgrades and detailed thought that went into giving the Z Series a new look – both inside and out – and why it remains my favorite VAIO Series.

To begin, I’d like to have you meet Product Planner Kaya Kanamori and Chief Project Manager Masahiko Suzuki.  Both highlight their roles and the team’s mission to develop an all new high-performance, ultra-mobile notebook and why in the end they choose the 1st generation Z Series as their starting point and ultimately, their champion.  Check out  the video below for the complete story.

In part two, Designer Shimpei Hirano and others open their sketch books to offer you a candid look at the stories behind the design themes of both the original and the new Z Series.  They also highlight the unique attention they paid to often overlooked features to enhance usability, look and feel – like removing port covers that feedback proved to be an inconvenience and carving the chassis’ core from a single, solid piece of aluminum to reduce parts and enhance durability.  Check out the video below to uncover all the details.

Want to discover more?  Uncover answers to questions not answered 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 and visit SonyStyle.com for complete model details.

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The Making of the VAIO X Series: Part 5 and 6

By: | Posted: 11/20/2009

This week we wrap up the Making of the X Series with our last two installments.

Throughout this series I’ve introduced you to some of Sony’s best engineers and designers.  They’ve taken you behind-the-scenes to offer you a unique glimpse into the many challenges their teams had to overcome to make the X Series possible.  And today you’ll uncover two new stories.  One takes a look at arguably the most important component of a notebook.  Any guesses?  The other story follows an inconspicuous engineering team to discover why they were so intent on destroying as many X Series models as they could.  And interestingly, they still work for Sony.

First, let’s meet Kataoka Tatsu, Lead Battery Engineer on the X Series project.  As you can imagine, the battery is arguably one of the most important components of a notebook – without it, all you have is a desktop.  Tatsu-san’s team was tasked with what seemed like an impossible goal – engineering a standard capacity battery to be less 0.5 inches thin and weigh less than 1 pound.   And most importantly, all of this had to be done without sacrificing battery life.  Remember too that batteries are often the heaviest component of any notebook – which only added to the number of obstacles on this project.

What makes Tatsu-san’s story even more interesting though is that with the production deadline looming over their heads, his team wrapped up the battery project with little time to spare and just as headquarters came to them and requested an additional large capacity battery be developed.  This was a huge surprise for the team to say the least and they would have to start from scratch.  This time however the development window was much smaller.  Was Tatsu-san’s team up for the challenge?  Check out the battery they developed and discover the amazing detail that went into it in the video below.

Lastly, I’d like you to meet Kasai Takafumi who’s goal was to destroy as many notebooks as possible.  What was behind his motivation?  It wasn’t stress or anger but rather something very important.  Kasai Takafumi’s job as Lead QA Engineer is to put all VAIO notebooks to the test.  It’s his team’s job to design unique test that measure the limits of VAIO construction, design and engineering to ensure that each chassis meets the high standards of Sony quality.

With its incredibly thin profile, his tests were especially important for the X Series.  Although it has a stunning design, it was important to ensure the uniquely thin-and-light X Series could withstand the rigors of the road.  Twisting, hitting, smashing, heating and dropping were all critical to finding where the weak spots in construction were so that adjustments could be made.  Learn all about the story and the unique tests that were performed from Takafumi-san himself 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.

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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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