Sony VAIO VGN-TX650P/B Review by LAPTOP Magazine

There are notebooks that can barely squeeze into a coach class tray table, and then there's the Sony VAIO TX Series notebook ($2,299), a miniature marvel that leaves enough room for a drink, a bag of pretzels, and the in-flight magazine. It's that small, yet this 2.8-pound beauty has a nearly full size keyboard and a built-in DVD burner. Throw in an instant-on media player and nearly seven hours of battery life, plus built-in EDGE connectivity for when you can't find a hotspot, and you have the ultimate cross-country companion.

That's not to say the VGN-TX650P/B is for frequent flyers only. Anyone who commutes long distances or who is looking for the thinnest and lightest notebook available would be wise to snatch this ultraportable up. If it's slim profile alone isn't enough to turn heads, you can take your pick of a charcoal, platinum, or slate blue cover to personalize your system.

The reason the TX is so light and takes up so little room in your carry-on is that Sony designed this system using a carbon fiber chassis. This material isn't only more lightweight than plastic, but about 400 percent more rigid. We stuffed the TX into a backpack for two cross-country flights in two weeks and it never got a single scratch.

This VAIO's durability is especially good news considering how paper-thin the display is. It's small, but at 11.1 inches this widescreen is at least a little bigger than the 10.6-inch screen found on Sony's T-350P. Nevertheless, you'll need to increase the Zoom on your Word documents and Web pages, especially if you'll be using this mini notebook for extended periods.

When it comes to ergonomics, the TX is certainly usable, but isn't quite as comfortable as its predecessor. Although the 90 percent keyboard is large enough for speedy typing, it doesn't offer as much travel as competing ultraportables. The two mouse buttons are wide enough to hit without looking, but we don't like that they're positioned on the lip of the system, which takes some getting used to.

When you want to have some fun, this ultraportable accommodates with Sony's new Instant mode, which allows you to watch DVDs, listen to music, or view photos without having to boot into Windows. A dedicated AV button above the keyboard on the hinge launches this player, and there's a set of multimedia buttons right next to it to control playback. Sony put a separate set of volume controls and a Mute button on the front of the system next to the Wireless On/Off switch.

Other than its sheer portability, the TX's second biggest strength is its epic endurance. With its Wi-Fi adapter off, this notebook lasted four minutes short of seven hours on a charge in our MobileMark test, which dropped to a still-amazing six hours when the Wi-Fi was turned on. On a flight from Newark to San Francisco, the TX backed up our benchmark results by staying alive for all but 20 minutes of our six-hour flight, and that was after playing a DVD and listening to some music between Word and Excel sessions.

Most of the credit for the system's long runtime goes to the 1.2-GHz Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M processor. The MobileMark productivity score of 170 is a little below average for ultraportables we've tested this year, but we didn't notice any sluggishness when multitasking. This system seemed to take longer than usual to boot up, however, so when possible use the Standby function.

One unique feature, at least for VAIO notebooks, is that the TX features both a Memory Stick slot and Secure Digital card slot. This means that you can transfer images directly to the machine from a wider range of digital cameras. Multimedia mavens will like the Double Layer DVD burner, which you can use with the included copy of Sony's Click to DVD software or DVgate Plus.

Now that Verizon Wireless and Sprint are becoming more aggressive in rolling out their EV-DO networks (400 to 700 Kbps) and are charging $59.99 per month for unlimited data, the fact that this notebook can tap into Cingular's slower EDGE network (100 to 130 Kbps) for the same price should be considered a mildly convenient bonus. If you really want high-speed Internet access without having to hunt for a hotspot, we suggest you leave the TX's snap-on antenna at home and plug in an EV-DO card.

At $2,299, the Sony VAIO TX650P/B costs considerably more than slightly larger 12.1-inch and 13-inch widescreen ultraportables, but this micro machine rewards your investment with long battery life and a featherweight design. It's the new executive status symbol.

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Sony VAIO VGN-TX650P/B

Strikingly compact and versatile notebook with all-day endurance.

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