Sony VAIO W netbook now official in US, coming August for $499
Not so much of a surprise now, but Sony's bringing its 10.1-inch VAIO W stateside as well, and yes, according to the Sony reps we talked to, this time they really do mean to call it a netbook, unlike its VAIO P brethren. Likewise, with that nomenclature comes none too surprising specs, including a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Windows XP, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, VGA out, two USB ports, Ethernet, webcam, and MemoryStick / SD card readers. The three cell battery should last an estimated three hours, and like usual there's also an option for six cell. That isolated (read: chiclet) keyboard is said to be 86% the size of a normal typing surface, and the aforementioned bundled VAIO M

Sony VAIO voted best for business travellers
Praises for another exclusive product from the house of SonyMORE plaudits for the Sony VAIO Z-series laptop (already praised here), which has been voted the best business-technology gadget in the Heathrow Travel Product Awards. Some 23,000 voters registered their opinions on the microsite, as part of a celebration of the gadgets on sale at Heathrow, a shopping centre with an airport attached. As the spiel has it:When it comes to supreme performance on the go, the Z Series manages to pack the power of a desktop into an ultra-slim, lightweight 13.1in chassis. Featuring 16:9 widescreen, high-power graphics card, up to six hours' battery life and built-in mob