If you don't want a laptop or desktop PC cluttering up your living room, but
miss the emotional tech attachment, then Sony may hold the key.
It has designed a PC specifically for the living room, but one so, well, un-PC
that it's sure to put bums on sofa. Running on Windows Vista Premium, it
combines a 1.83GHz Intel Core2 Duo CPU, 2GB of DDR2 memory, with a clock-speed
of 667MHz, Intel's 945 GM chipset and a 300GB hard drive.
The machine can be connected to your HD display via HDMI and also has interfaces
for DVI-D and VGA out. Wireless connectivity is provided over 802.11 versions b
and g, while an optical drive supports a variety of formats, including DVD+RW
and CD-RW. But there is no mention of Blu-ray support, which is surprising given
Sony's fondness of the HD format . A curved slide-away panel on the machine's
front hides a myriad of additonal ports, including 4 USB 2.0 ports and an
SD-card reader. A slot to support Sony's Memory Stick Pro and Duo is also
built-in. The machine also comes with a number of added extras, including a
matching white wireless keyboard, with electro-static touchpad, and a remote
control, for that true living room feeling. Sony's Vaio VGX-TP1 is available now
in the US for around $1,600 (L788/1,172 euros), but there is no word yet on a UK
release.
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