Best Netbook/Mini-Notebook

Sony VAIO P Series

Like other minis, the Sony VAIO P sports a low-power Intel Atom processor, but that’s where the similarities end. The 1.4-pound, 4.7-inch deep, ultra-wide chassis is small and shallow enough to hide in your coat or slip into a clutch purse. Ground-breaking features like a high-resolution 1600x768 8-inch screen, built-in GPS, integrated mobile broadband, a power brick that doubles as a port replicator, a button that places windows side-by-side, and a pointing stick combine with an instant-on mode to create a new kind of netbook. 

With a starting price of $899 that balloons all the way up to $1499 with the 128 GB solid state drive, the VAIO P is pricey compared to the competition, and the performance under Vista could be faster, but we were simply blown away by the P’s ability to offer this level of functionality in a system this size, while still providing a comfortable keyboard and a beautiful, high-res screen. We hope and expect to see other vendors pick up Sony’s gauntlet by producing their own systems with a similar form factor and advanced feature set.

Read more » Sony VAIO P Full Review, A Closer Look at the Sony Vaio P