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.