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At a pre-CES 2011 event an Engadget reporter spotted, and got to go hands-on with, a new ultraportable notebook from Sony. What makes this one so interesting is that it runs an AMD processor. The specific model is the E-350 (Zacate) Fusion APU, the same used in the $400, 11-inch ThinkPad X120e.
In addition to the dual-core 1.6GHz APU this system had 4GB of RAM and 500GB of storage, making for a capable system regardless of the small size. They reported that the build quality felt solid but their admittedly unscientific battery observation had the computer lasting just over 3 hours. It was running a benchmark at the time so we’d recommend disregarding that figure and waiting a few weeks for production units to turn up.
We’ll also have to wait and see how this fits into Sony’s line-up. The company has the 11.6-inch VAIO Y and the pricey, but oh-so-amazing 10-inch VAIO X, both over the $1000 mark. Given that this VAIO runs AMD’s affordable processor we should see it selling for less, though it seems doubtful that it will be at the sub-$500 price level like the ThinkPad. You can bet that Sony is gunning for the 11.6-inch MacBook Air, not the business-focused Lenovo.
