Summary:

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Features:

  • Intel Core Solo Processor U1400
  • Wifi & WWAN
  • Bluetooth
  • Price starts from £450

PROS:

  • Ultra lightweight (just 1.2lbs), and ultra thin (1.5 in)
  • Bio metric security
  • Vibrant display

CONS:

  • Short battery life and poor camera quality

Detailed Specification:

Processor Intel Core Solo Processor U1400 (1.2 GHz)
Memory 512MB PC2-3200 400MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Chipset Intel 945GMS Chipset
Hard drive 30GB 4200rpm Ultra ATA Hard Drive
Built in Camera 2 (0.3Mp front & 1.3Mp back)
Display 4.5″ Wide SVGA LCD, Touch Screen (1024×600)
Video RAM 128 MB RAM
Weight 1.2 lbs
Dimension 5.91″(W) x 3.74″(H) x 1.27-1.50″(D)
Network type Modem, Ethernet, Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG, integrated WWAN, integrated Bluetooth
Graphics Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Audio Microphone jack, Headphone jack, Built-in microphone
I/O ports (Data) 1 USB 2.0 port, port replicator connector, DC- in
OS Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)
Price starting at £450

Expert Review:

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The Sony Vaio UX180P is a full featured Micro PC aimed at the growing ultra mobile PC (UMPC) market. It is highly portable and has most of the features for day to day computing needs.

The stylish UX180P has a 4.5″ display with sharp pictures. There are buttons on the right and left side of the screen for mouse operation, power and wireless on/off switch. On the top are the tiny speaker, biometric scanner and front camera while the bottom has status indicators for the battery, Bluetooth, WLAN, WWAN, num lock, hard drive, caps lock and scroll lock. The 64-key QWERTY backlit keyboard reveals itself when the screen is slid up.

The UX180P is powered by Intel Core Solo Processor U1400 (1.2 GHz) with 2MB L2 cache. The memory is 512MB PC2-3200 400MHz DDR2 SDRAM, which is sufficient for running Office applications and web browsing but not for Photoshop and other memory intensive applications. The display has non standard 1024×600 resolution but the quality is excellent. The hard disk is a 30GB 4200 RPM unit with shock protection. But it cannot be upgraded which is a negative point.

There are 4 ways of inputting into the Sony Vaio UX180P. Apart from the keyboard, there are mouse buttons on the right side of the display panel. There is also a pressure sensitive analogue pointing stick that controls the mouse movement. The fourth method of giving inputs is through the touch screen panel using a stylus.

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Docking to increase the functionality is another feature that the micro PC is provided with. The fully functional docking station connects to power, VGA, 3 USB ports, Ethernet, IEEE 1394 port and AV out ports. The small size of the docking station makes it highly portable.

The three types of external connectivity make the UX180P highly mobile. While the wireless LAN is powered by Intel’s 3945 card, the micro PC also has Toshiba Bluetooth stack and WWAN to connect to the Cingular data network. The integrated biometric scanner provides additional layer security at the BIOS as well as Windows levels.

As far as the audio is concerned the UX180P has an integrated microphone, jacks for headphone and mic in and a mono speaker. There are 2 built in cameras, the 0.3 Mp camera in front is meant for video chats while the 1.3 Mp camera at the back can take sharp pictures.

The Sony Vaio UX180P is run by Windows XP (SP 2) operating system and there is a host of software tools preloaded into the machine. These include camera management software, security software, power profiles, software for backup and many Sony developed software tools. The battery lasts for about 2.5 hours under normal usage and Sony gives standard 1 year warranty with telephonic support extendable to 3 years at additional cost.

To conclude, the Sony UX180P micro PC is a marvel, with a host of features for every day use but the short battery life, price and non upgradeability may be a put off.

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