Pocketables

Low-clearance power plug straightens Vaio UX

One of the most annoying design flaws of the Sony Vaio UX Micro PC series is the power port, which is inconveniently located at the bottom of the unit. The placement is not a big deal when the UX is docked or resting on its back, but it's definitely an issue when the UMPC is propped up with the stand supplied with all models except the UX180P or used with a portable keyboard. Since the port can't be moved, the real culprit of the lopsided problem lies with the "tall" AC plug.

That's why a fellow named Shane took it upon himself to make the UX Right Angle Low-Clearance Plug, a 5-inch extender that "accepts the AC plug on one end, then plugs into the UX on the other end."

Sony Vaio UX missing from Sony Style website

Though Sony still hasn't commented on or even acknowledged the existence of the 8.9-inch VIA OpenBook bearing its name in the netbook's properties at Computex and expected to begin shipping in Q3 of this year, the Vaio UX Micro PC—the company's flagship mobile device since 2006—is now absent from Sony Style.

The UX has always been erroneously placed in the Vaio Notebooks category on the site, which currently showcases the 11.1-inch TZ and 13.3-inch SZ series as the ultra portable computers, but now it appears only as a refurbished outlet product (even the most recent model).

The 4.5-inch slider series received its last US update over seven months ago with the UX490N/C, so either a new UX is standing by or Sony's jumped the shark and is replacing the series with a netbook. I sure hope it's the former.

Thanks, Jose!

Sony Vaio UX490N/C heads to Korea as UX58LN

The title pretty much says it all.

The Vaio UX490N/C Premium Micro PC that's been available in the US since late last year is on its way to South Korea. The only thing that will change when the 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo unit (Vista Business, 48GB SSD, 1GB RAM, black casing) reaches the country is its name. Since assigning seemingly arbitrary model numbers to the UX's regional counterparts is part of Sony's MO, I guess it makes sense that what the US calls the UX490N/C and Japan sells as the UX92 will be known to Koreans as the UX58LN.

Confused? Check out the UX series comparison table to keep it all straight.

[AVING USA]

Sony Fresh Start back to being just for Vaio TZ

What do you make of this?

Yesterday, I sent an email to Sony's Media Relations Specialist asking whether the newly announced Fresh Start option would ever become available to the UX series of Micro PCs. That same afternoon, the company's Senior Public Relations Strategist (Jon Piazza) responded to my message with what I thought was a pretty cut-and-dry answer: "Fresh Start will be rolled out to the entire product line by the end of this summer."

Considering the information to be worth sharing (it's good news, right?), I put out yesterday's "Sony giving Fresh Start to Vaio UX Micro PC" post. Today it got picked up by the likes of Gizmodo, CrunchGear, and Engadget (who has since pulled the story) . . . and then I got a message from Mr. Piazza.

Sony giving Fresh Start to Vaio UX Micro PC

Update: Sony Fresh Start back to being just for Vaio TZ

The bloatware-free Fresh Start option that Sony recently made available to Vaio TZ notebooks running Vista Business will soon tire of its exclusivity with the series and opt for an open relationship.

Sony Vaio UX390N Micro PC for $1299

Buy.com currently has a limited stock of Sony Vaio UX390N units that they're selling for just $1299, the same low price offered by Woot last month.

Originally listed at $2500 when released last year, the fifth U.S. model in the Micro PC series is no longer available brand new at Sony Style, which sells refurbished units for $1530, and still priced at $1999 from retailers like B&H. So although $1299 isn't exactly what most would consider inexpensive, taking into consideration that 1) it's one of the most powerful UMPCs around, 2) it has a 32GB SSD, and 3) it's a Sony, it's actually a great deal.

It isn't enough of a steal for me to upgrade my considerably lower spec'd UX180P, which was $1850 when I bought it in July 2006, but for first-time buyers who've been waiting for the SSD-based Micro PC to become more affordable, it doesn't get much cheaper than this. The only other UX with a flash drive (in the U.S.) is the recently announced UX490N/C, and that one's still $2500.

Sony Vaio UX series kit

Just days after unveiling the UX490N/C Premium Micro PC bundle, Sony Style has added the Vaio UX Series Kit to its website.

Priced at $1850 and $2350, the kits include the silver UX380N (40GB HDD) or black UX390N (32GB SSD), respectively, as well as some extra accessories: the VGP-CCUX1 leather case, an extra stylus, and a screen protector. Though not as impressive or as much of a value as the Bluetooth GPS receiver and extended battery supplied with the UX490N, it's still a savings of about $80, which isn't too bad when great deals are no longer available.

[Sony Style]

Sony announces Vaio UX490N/C Premium Micro PC

Trailing Sony Japan's announcement of the UX72 and UX92 series of Core 2 Solo Micro PCs by about six weeks, Sony Style in the U.S. has added the UX490N/C Premium model to its lineup.

Nothing about the new model has changed since it first appeared on Amazon and B&H in mid-September, so we're still looking at a 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo U2200 processor, 48GB SSD, and 1GB of RAM tucked into an all-black casing. In addition to being the first U.S. model with the Core 2 Solo and an SSD of this size, it's also the first to have 251MB of video RAM. Previous Vista models have 224MB and the older XP models have just 128MB.*

The UX490N/C is priced at $2500 and includes both the standard (VGP-BPS6) and extended (VGP-BPL6) capacity batteries, Bluetooth GPS receiver, and all the regular supplied accessories (including the detachable stand that has shipped with every model except the UX180P).

*I've added the UX490N/C to my chart of all the UX models known to man (okay, known to me).

[Micro PC Talk]

Sony Vaio UX380N Micro PC for $999

Featured in Buy.com's regular technology specials and hot deals email today are brand new (not refurbished) UX380N Micro PCs for the unbelievable price of $999.99.

Based on the $1849.99 price currently listed at Sony Style, that's a savings of $850! And judging from the way the unit shot up on Buy.com's What's Shakin' list, from a sales rank of 1692 yesterday to a rank of 4 today, it seems that lots of people are taking notice.

Whether the retailer has slashed prices to make room for the new Core 2 Solo UX model (possibly called the UX490N/C) or to just get rid of old stock because it won't carry the product anymore is unknown.

[Product page]

Sony adds Core 2 Solo CPU to Vaio UX series

Although there's no official sign of a U.S. counterpart yet, Sony Japan has just added three new models to its Vaio UX Micro PC lineup.

The UX72 and UX92 series, scheduled for release in mid-October, sports the same hardware as all previous units but swaps the old Core Solo processor for a 64-bit Core 2 Solo CPU running at 1.06GHz (U2100) and 1.20GHz (U2200). As with other UXs available in Japan, the new group will be customizable through the "VAIO Owner Made" service with casing color, HDD capacity, and SSD options depending on configuration (keep track of all the models with my UX series chart).

The non-configurable U.S. version, already listed at Amazon and B&H as the UX490N/C, will reportedly feature the U2200 processor and a 48GB flash drive.

[Micro PC Talk]