PHOTOS: Sony VAIO Z series hands on

2 February 2010 17:19 GMT / By Chris Hall

If you want it all in a small package, you'll probably be looking at a Sony VAIO Z series. This is the carbon fibre and aluminium number that, at the top of the range offers you an Intel Core i7 processor, 6GB RAM and 255GB SSD memory.

The screen may only be 13.1 inches, but it boasts Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) and LED backlighting - it has a backlit keyboard too. Not content to offer a mere integrated graphics solution from Intel, the Z series sees the Nvidia GeForce GT 330M GPU onboard too, so it will handle the latest games with ease.

The previous iteration of the Z series featured switchable graphics and the new Z series has a switch, but there are three positions - speed, stamina and auto. By some magic, the VAIO Z will auto-detect the graphics demand and switch from integrated to discrete graphics automatically and seamlessly.

Sony didn't have any details about what they are calling the "Dynamic Hybrid Graphics System", but it sounds like the Optimus technology that Nvidia hinted at in a blog post earlier in the year.