Sony has unveiled a new VAIO Y Series notebook PC designed to slip easily into a briefcase or bag. Weighing less than 1.5kg, each of these models is easy to carry and come with eye-catching chassis and cylindrical hinge design.

Boasting a 6-hr battery life, the new notebook PCs are fully-featured and come with:

• A high contrast 11.6-inch (29.4cm) real-wide VAIO Display
• A full-pitch isolation keyboard
• An ergonomic touchpad for better gestural control
• Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 and supported applications
• Built-in MOTION EYE webcam
• Built-in microphone for video conferencing and web chats
• A dedicated ASSIST button to launch VAIO Care software and troubleshooting problems
• Three USB ports complemented by Bluetooth for cable-free file connectivity

The new series is available with a choice of CPU and system configurations:

VAIO YA portable notebook: Styled in a black finish, the VAIO YA is suitable for business travellers. It touts an Intel Core i3 processor and to 500GB of HDD storage as well as a maximum of 8GB RAM for multitasking with Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit installed. The VAIO YA portable notebook PCs will be available from end January 2011.

VAIO YB portable notebook: It’s more affordable of the two and features the brand-new VISION Technology from AMD. It combines the AMD processor technology and discrete-class DirectX 11 graphics on a single chip. It comes in a satin silver finish and is loaded with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, offering discrete-class graphics power too. The VAIO YB portable notebook PCs will be available from end of February 2011.

Here’s a closer look at the two devices:

Processor

VPCYA1V9E/B: Intel Core i3-380UM 1.33GHz
VPCYB1S1E/S: AMD Dual-Core Processor E-350 with AMD Radeon HD 6310 Discrete-Class Graphics
 
OS

VPCYA1V9E/B: Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
VPCYB1S1E/S: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit)
 
Memory

VPCYA1V9E/B: 4GB DDR3 800Mhz SDRAM (Max. 8GB)
VPCYB1S1E/S: 2GB DDR3 1066Mhz SDRAM (Max. 4GB)
 
HDD

VPCYA1V9E/B: 500GB Serial ATA 5400rpm
VPCYB1S1E/S: 320GB Serial ATA 5400rpm
 
Screen

VPCYA1V9E/B: 29.4cm (11.6”) 16:9 VAIO Display (1366×768)
VPCYB1S1E/S: 29.4cm (11.6”) 16:9 VAIO Display (1366×768)
 
Graphics
 
VPCYA1V9E/B: Intel HD Graphics
VPCYB1S1E/S: AMD Radeon HD 6310 Discrete-Class Graphics
 
Weight and size

VPCYA1V9E/B: 1.46kg (with supplied battery);
202.8 x 25 x 290 mm (D x H x W)

VPCYB1S1E/S: 1.46kg (with supplied battery);
202.8 x 25 x 290 mm (D x H x W)
 
Others

VPCYA1V9E/B
WLAN 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1; Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (x3); HDMI; MOTION EYE digital camera

VPCYB1S1E/S
WLAN 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1; Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (x3); MOTION EYE digital camera
 
Specifications and features vary by model.