Sony VAIO TZ Ultraportable’s U.S. Availability Announced

Sony Electronics today announced the U.S. availability of the Sony VAIO TZ 2.65-pound ultraportable notebook, featuring 11.1-inch screen, up to 7.5 hours of battery life, and Intel’s ultra-low voltage processor.

The “luxuriously sleek” VAIO TZ is less than 1-inch thin. It has carbon-fiber casing in a classic black, premium carbon, champagne gold, and hand-painted Bordeaux variants, with the keyboard’s keys slightly raised above bezel layer.

Currently there are two Sony VAIO TZ models for the U.S market, according to News Section at Sony Electronics’ website. The VAIO VGN-TZ170NB has Intel Core 2 Duo ULV U7500 processor at 1.06GHz and 100GB Ultra ATA hard drive at 4200rpm, while the VGN-TZ191NX features U7600 CPU at 1.2GHz and 32GB solid state drive. Both notebooks come with 2GB of system memory, which is a maximum for these systems, a built-in DVD burner, and Windows Vista Business. The TZ laptops are based on Intel’s older “Napa” platform with 945GMS chipset and the integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950, managing 11.1-inch widescreen display with 1366×768 resolution and LED backlight.

For networking and communication, there are 802.11a/b/g/draft n wireless, a built-in support for Sprint Mobile Broadband service, a Gigabit Ethernet, a 56k modem, and a Bluetooth. In addition, Sony VAIO TZ is offered with optional web camera and microphone, built into the “razor-thin” LCD panel.

The VAIO TZ has two USB ports, ExpressCard and Secure Digital card slots, a Memory Stick PRO card reader, a Firewire, a port replicator connector, and a VGA output.

According to Sony’s press release, the standard VAIO TZ notebook will start at about $2,200, while the model with solid state drive will go for around $3,200. Both will be available beginning in August.

(This article was initially published on 05/13/2007 and updated on 07/18/2007.)

So what ARE the prices. And WHY does SONY not offer a world-wide service to VAIO owners who travel a lot? DELL has it, and that is one of their GREATEST appeals.