CES 2009: Sony launches tiny P-series portable PCs

Rumours suggested Sony would be launching a netbook of it's own this week, but instead it's unveiled the ultra-portable Sony VAIO P-series.

"There are other ultra-portable computing solutions but what I'm about to produce trumps them all," declared president and chief operating officer of Sony America, Stan Glasgow.

He was speaking at the device's launch at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, attended by our sister title PC Pro, which reported the UK price for the shiny new device will hit 849 despite the US price being just $900 (598).

Click here for pictures of the new PC.

Not just more expensive than netbooks, the P-series will be tinier than them too, weighing just 638g. Indeed, Sony claimed the portable computer is just slightly larger than an office letter envelope, so it can be carried in a purse or pocket everywhere you go. Despite this, the screen is 8in with a resolution of 1,600 x 768.

It will come preloaded with a full version of Microsoft's Windows Vista and features embedded 3G and Xross Media Bar for quick access to key applications. The P-series offers 2GB of RAM and a 1.6GHz CPU, with a 128GB solid state drive.

Available in the US from February, pre-orders are being taken now.