BIOS: Technology Means Business

If you’re after the ultimate ultra-portable laptop PC, you may not need to look any further than Sony’s astonishing VAIO TX-Series (from £1498 ex. VAT) - it redefines the meaning of world class in mobile computing. Built from carbon fibre that’s twice as strong, a third lighter and four times more rigid than normal plastics, it contains some of the most advanced technology ever to feature in the VAIO range.

Sony’s new TX3-Series laptops offer an impressive mix of cutting-edge technology, eye-catching design and hardware-based security. One of the most technically advanced and adventurously styled laptops Sony has ever created, the TX3 sports Intel’s Core Solo Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) processor so you can work on the move for an impressive 9 hours on battery power.

With its greyish-blue tint (other colours available) and VAIO logo centred on the carbon fibre chassis, the TX3 (272x195x29mm, 1.25kg) even features a super-slim, fully integrated DVD±RW optical drive, complete with double layer (DL) technology for massive extra capacity. The system uses a rock-solid combination of fingerprint recognition (excludes VGN-TX3HP/W) and hardwired, chip-level Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security (excludes VGN-TX3HP/W and VGN-TX3XRP/B) to prevent anyone but the owner ever getting in.

TPM even prevents malicious software from harvesting vital information like passwords and encryption keys by storing sensitive data on the chip itself. The TX3’s hard disk drive is also physically guarded by G-Sensor Shock Protection, which automatically parks the drive heads safely if the laptop is dropped. All this makes the TX3 a very tough nut to crack indeed.

Despite being pleasingly compact and eminently portable at a mere 1.25kg, the TX3 is exceptionally robust. This derives from a choice of construction material more familiar in the aerospace industry and the world of Formula One - the carbon fibre laminate engineered to form the case surpasses the strength of magnesium alloy yet actually weighs less. The keyboard isn’t quite full-size and doesn’t have the feel of a ThinkPad, but our typing experience was still very pleasant, thanks in part to the comfortable palm rests, responsive touchpad (and quiet mouse buttons), and large Return, Space and Ctrl keys. The system runs surprisingly cool too, so the base won’t burn your lap.

The same high-tech laminate gives the 11.1-inch WXGA (1366x768 pixels) widescreen display its great strength while allowing the designers to reduce it to an unprecedented - and stunning - 4.5mm wafer. Sony’s X-black LCD enhancement boosts brightness and contrast, bringing the picture vividly to life, so however you look at it, this slice of a screen is another stand-out TX3 highlight. Sony’s X-black technology makes it ideal for in-flight movies or managing photos. But if you want to minimise glare, the matte screen on Lenovo’s ThinkPad X60s might be a better choice.

The VAIO VGN-TX3XP ships as standard with Intel’s Core Solo U1400 Processor (1.20GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB), 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM, 80GB Ultra ATA (4200rpm) HDD, built-in dual-layer DVD±RW burner, and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (shares up to 128MB of Dynamic Video Memory). There’s also a pair of built-in stereo speakers - those these are pretty useless for music due to lack of bass - 4-pin i-Link (FireWire), two USB 2.0, 10/100 Ethernet, Memory Stick/SD card slots, Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g), and Bluetooth.

In addition there’s a docking station interface on the underside of the laptop, front-mounted headphone and microphone jacks, dedicated switch to toggle wireless comms on/off, VGA-out port, Type II PC Card slot, 56Kbit/s modem, and dedicated media control buttons. The latter is great for the instant-on feature, allowing you to view DVD movies and playback audio files without booting Windows.

Sony hasn’t forgotten about software either, and the TX3 ships with one of the most impressive collection of media titles we’ve seen. Sony’s self-branded applications include Click to DVD 2.4, DVgate Plus 2.1, PictureGear Studio 2.0, SonicStage 3.2
VAIO Media 4.1, Recovery System HDD Recovery (hidden partition) VAIO Recovery Utility 2.5, VAIO Edit Components 5, Sonic Stage Mastering Studio 1.4, VAIO Zone 1.4, VAIO Update 2.1, Image Converter 2.1 and Memory Stick Formatter 2.4.

Third-party software comprises Adobe’s Acrobat Reader 7, Photoshop Elements 3, Premiere Standard and Elements 7, WinDVD for VAIO 5.0, Microsoft’s Works 8, Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition (limited updates), Norton Password Manager Installer 2004, Google Toolbar 2, MoodLogic 2.5, Microsoft’s Office 2003 SBE (trial version), Roxio’s Digital Media SE 2.3, Skype, Ultimaco’s Private Disk Easy 1.0 (Try & Buy), and Yahoo!’s Messenger 6. To be fair there’s quite a lot of trial versions, but Sony’s own software and the few Adobe titles are excellent.

Sony’s TX3-Series is exceptional. The level of engineering behind it puts it in a class of its own, which is instantly obvious when you first see, let alone use one. And heavyweight security makes this versatile and utterly distinctive machine perfect for the business user who is uninterested in the ordinary. However, the VGN-TX3XP comes with only two USB 2.0 ports - all laptops at this stage should really have at least three ports - is available with single-core processors only, and the system fan gets relatively noisy.

[9] - Editors’ Choice

[Best Laptop Pricing UK]
[Best Laptop Pricing US]