Sony has issued a product safety recall for Sony VGP-AC19V17 AC adapters for certain Vaio desktops and docking stations.

In conjunction with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the voluntary recall concerns adapters supplied with the VGC-LT series and VGC-JS2 series all-in-one Vaio desktop PCs and the? VGP-PRBX1 and VGP-PRFE1 Vaio docking stations.

"Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately", says the recall notice, that's thought to cover about 69,000 units.

The issue with the adapters is that the "insulation inside the AC adapter can fail over time, posing an electrical shock hazard to consumers" and there's been four reports of adapters short circuiting.

For more information, customers in the States can contact Sony toll-free at (877) 361-4481 anytime, or visit esupport.sony.com/ac19adapter.

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Tags: Hardware Sony Recalls Chargers Vaio

Sony recalls 69,000 Vaio AC adapters in the US originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:19:03 +0000

Sony today launched the colourful line-up of CW laptops to replace the CS line and we were on hand to grab some shots.

Available in blue, red, pink and white (with a hot black Blu-ray model in the UK too), the CW series is designed to fuse portability and power, with a touch of colourful class.

The keyboard response was great from our brief play, with individual keys poking through the pink chassis.

The Vaio button under the screen will launch the Splashtop Linux OS, allowing you almost instant access to the Internet and saving you from having to start-up Windows 7 proper.

A Display Off button does exactly what you expect it to, letting you kill the screen when you don't need it, perhaps during lectures or whilst just listening to music.?

With a 14-inch 1366 x 768 display, these aren't the slimmest notebooks around, but you do get an optical drive and all the connectivity you'd expect – including the HDMI.

The Sony Vaio CW line will be hitting stores from 22 October, prices yet to be confirmed.

Related links:

• News - Sony Vaio CW Series due 22 October

Tags: Hardware Laptops Sony Sony Vaio CW Vaio Photos

PHOTOS: Sony Vaio CW originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:27:18 +0100

So, Sony is the latest to be breaking records today with the official launch of what the company considers is the world's lightest notebook. Naturally, that all rather depends on whatever woolly boundaries there are between net and notebooks but the fact remains that an 11.1-inch screen, 0.72kg and 13.9mm is pretty damn ultra portable. Naturally, not everyone's going fancy the Vaio side of the equation, so here are five other options for computing on the go.

MacBook Air (19.4mm, 1.36kg, ?1349)

Yes, it's an obvious one so let's get it out of the way now. The Air was one of the first laptops to tell optical media that it just didn't care any more and whatever you say about the machine and the annoying envelope ads, it does have a lovely form factor. Unlike the Vaio X, it comes with a proper processor - an Intel Duo Core 2 - at either 1.86 or 2.1GHz, integrated 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, 2GB of DDR3 and a 120GB SDD if you want to go for the top end model. The full dimensions are 227 ? 325  ? 19.4mm and even though it's still a squeeze of a little backpack, you do get the benefit of an LED backlit screen with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.

Dell Adamo (16.5mm, 1.81kg, ?1899)

Until the Adamo came on the scene, it was Apple who held the crown for the thinnest. The luxury branded Dell has now set the bar at 16.5mm thick. Again, there's an Intel Core 2 Duo at the heart with a 1.6GHz clock speed and up to 4GB RAM to back it up. Keeping toe-to-toe with the Air, it has a 256GB SSD and a larger 13.4-inch LED backlit screen with 1366 x 768 resolution. Dell has obviously had complaints about the Adamo just not being thin enough, damn it, so, the company has being showing off the next generation in the saga. It's the truly size zero, 9.9mm Dell Adamo XPS. There's very little else known about it either because the Texas company can't work out how to fit anything inside it yet or because there's a long campaign of photos with it next to pencils planned. Again.

MSI X340 (19.8mm, 1.3kg, ?720)

For those who aren't made of cash, one good option of a similar size is the MSI X340 - the current best combination of power and size that the company does. It houses a 1.4GHz Intel CULV processor, just the 2GB RAM and rather than an SSD, gives you 320GB of the old spinning disk kind of storage. It's no frills on the screen with a straight forward 13.4-inch LCD but the real weakness is probably the battery pack, which only offers 2-3 hours away from the wall. There's always the option of an 8-cell battery that's obviously going to add to its vital statistics.

Asus UX30 (19.6mm, 1.45kg, ?999)

Asus has come up with a very similar proposition to the X340 with another CULV machine using the same Intel chip. It's a 13.3-inch machine - this time LED backlit and with a full 4GB RAM compliment to keep it running. Still, no optical drive but it does have a very decent array of ports on offer and up to 500GB of HDD which probably accounts for the added weight. Lovely simple form factor going on with a brushed aluminium finish. The only downside is that it's quite expensive given the lack of power on the graphics side. Just an integrated Intel GMA 4500M to play with.

Toshiba Portege R500 S5007V (19.6mm, 1.08kg, ?950)

Not the world's snappiest name and perhaps not quite as stunning as some of these other models but for size and weight, it's up there with the Adamo and Air. That said, it is a smaller screen device and at a more comfortable 12.1-inches with an LED backlit screen. As a slightly older computer it comes with just 2GB of RAM and a 1.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7700 processor. However, the real bonus here is that you also get the benefit of optical drive that'll re-write DVDs and anything easier.

If that lot doesn't tickle your fancy, then you,re probably after a netbook. That or a desktop PC.

Related links:

• News - Sony Vaio X Series announced

Tags: Hardware Sony Vaio Laptops Laptops Dell Dell Adamo XPS Adamo MSI MSI X400 Apple MacBook Air Toshiba Toshiba Portege Asus Asus UX30 Features

Five ultra thin, ultra light and ultra portable notebooks originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:11:22 +0100

Sony has announced the launch of the new Vaio CW Series notebooks that will offer Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system pre-loaded.

With a 14-inch widescreen display with a 16:9 aspect ratio in a thin-and-light chassis available in five colours (four in the UK - blue, red, pink and white), Sony is angling the new range as a "perfect mix of performance and style".

Specs include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, DVD drive, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and webcam.

An option available to those that want to pay more than the $780 base price includes a Blu-ray disc drive as the laptop also offers HDMI output and Nvidia GeForce graphics.

The CW Series will go on sale in the UK on 22 October.

Tags: Hardware Laptops Sony Vaio Windows 7 Blu-ray Sony Vaio CW

Sony Vaio CW Series due 22 October originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:06:03 +0100

In the States Sony has take the wraps off what it says is the world's lightest notebook - the Vaio X Series.

With a lightweight carbon-fibre chassis, the 11.1-inch X Series weighs in at 1.6 pounds - about 0.72kg - and is just over half an inch thick, although it loses both an optical drive and USB - both functionalities are taken care of with an external option.

The 16:9 display is LED backlit, the touchpad gets multi-touch capabilities, there's GPS and an SSD drive instead of hard disk.

Running Windows 7, power-wise, the standard battery is good for 3.5 hours, while the super-extended capacity battery claims 14.

In the US the X Series will come with 3G from Verizon Wireless, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Available in black and gold, pricing for the X Series starts at about $1300 with retail availability due in November. It will be available in the UK from November as well.

Related links:

• Feature - Five more ultra thin, ultra light and ultra portable notebooks

Tags: Hardware Sony Laptops Vaio Netbooks Windows 7

Sony Vaio X Series announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:48:20 +0100

Sony has unveiled what it calls a new "touch-enabled, multi-media machine" the Windows 7 Vaio L Touch HD PC/TV.

With a 24-inch WUXGA 1920 x 1080 widescreen panel, the unit displays Full HD with some models offering a Blu-ray disc drive.

Some models will also come with a built-in TV tuner while HDMI input is an optional extra to expand the HD entertainment capabilities.

Specs-wise, there's up to 1TB of storage, Intel Core 2 Quad processor, b/g/n Wi-Fi, Nvidia GeForce graphics, "loads" of RAM and a dedicated Vaio button to access Sony's Media Gallery software.

"The L Series is the ultimate multi-media hub - it's your PC, HDTV and DVR in one compact, stylish device", says a Sony bod.

Complete with a wireless keyboard, mouse and remote control, the VAIO L Touch HD PC/TV will start at about $1300 in the US.

Tags: Hardware Sony Desktop PCs Windows 7 Vaio

Sony Touch Vaio L Series PC/TV announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:27:09 +0100