Sony VAIO VPCW221AX Review – Versatile Mini Laptop Packed With Features

The Sony VAIO VPCW221AX, priced at just under $400 is one of the most interesting mini laptops we have ever tested. Its ergonomic design is full of style and good taste, while its capabilities are far from being low or unnoticed. It managed to pass our exigent performance tests and we can definitely say that this mini notebook is very versatile. Let’s see what the guys at Sony managed to fit inside this 10.54 by 1.08 by 7.07 inches notebook, weighting less than 3 lbs.

First, the Intel Atom Processor N470 processor, working at 1.83 GHzon an L2 cache of 512 kB and on a Front Side Bus (FSB) of 667 MHz is quite potent, although not as good as some of its competitors. However, it managed to pass our tests quite well. The Sony VAIO VPCW221AX mini laptop comes with just 1GB (1 stick of 1 GB) DDR2 random access memory, working at a frequency of 667 MHz is a bit less than what we have expected but users can always upgrade to 2 GB, which should be quit enough. The Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 integrated video card behaves well and manages to output clear bright images to Sony VAIO VPCW221AX’s 10.1 inch LED backlit display, at a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

The Sony VAIO VPCW221AX comes with a large 250 GB hard disk drive that will satisfy most users’ need for space. However, this Serial ATA hard drive spins at just 5400 rotations per minute (RPM), decreasing the overall performance of the laptop. The good part is that it consumes less power than most of its more powerful competitors and the Large Capacity Battery manages to keep he laptop powered on for up to 8 hours on default brightness mode and up to 7 hours in maximum brightness mode. The standard Intel® High Definition Audio system is good enough to satisfy most music enthusiasts and the Bluetooth stereo A2DP technology is a great addition.

The Sony VAIO VPCW221AX mini notebook has a few other useful features, like the memory stick Duo slot (featuring the MagicGate technology), Secure Digital (SD) slot, 802.11 b/g/nWi-Fi interface, fast Ethernet on RJ-45, integrated camera with face tracking technology + microphone, and electrostatic touch pad (unfortunately without multi-touch support). Users also receive the following free software with their new Sony VAIO VPCW221AX: original Microsoft Windows 7 copy (Starter edition), Sony’s proprietary Creativity Suite, high security with Norton Internet Security 2010 antivirus, and Microsoft Works SE 9 (just 60 days of trial).

By: Nadav Snir

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