Solid state freaks, Sony might have your next notebook.
The newly-announced Vaio Z series contains four SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration, totaling either 128 GB or 256 GB. By spreading the load across four drives, speed is improved overall, especially with solid state drives instead of hard disks. Sony says its configuration transfers files up to 6.2 times faster than a 5,400 rpm HDD.
The Vaio Z series has plenty of other powerful specs too. There's a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 processor with turbo boost technology -- a user-friendly overclock reaching 3.33 GHz -- either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and a back-lit keyboard that switches on when the room goes dark. The LED screen measures 13.1 inches with 1920x1080 resolution.
Sony's also jumping on the trend of switchable graphics, combining an NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU with an integrated Intel graphics chip, allowing for either better graphics or more stamina. Battery life hasn't been revealed, but the existing Vaio Z gets an advertised 7.5 hours on a charge.
Sony's emphasis on function with the Vaio Z is a departure from the company's typical approach. With products like the $1,300 Vaio X, whose internals are similar to that of a netbook, the $500 Vaio Mini W netbook and 8-inch Vaio P notebook, priced at $1,000, Sony tends to build slick-looking machines whose performance doesn't stack up with other computers in their price range.
We don't know yet how much the Vaio Z will cost, and likely won't find out until they are released in late March, but the existing Vaio Z series starts at $1,800. With so much SSD capacity on board, don't expect a cheap laptop, but at least this one looks like it can perform.
