Sony teases netbook fans with 'new mobile' Vaio promo

PictureBook revival?

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

24th December 2008 20:47 GMT

Sony is now teasing Japanese punters about what could be a new, tiny Vaio notebook, having begun baiting New Zealanders earlier this week.

Sony Japan's website now shows a statuesque young woman whip a long, thin package out of her handbag. The box slims down to an envelope and out slides an 'invite' for the forthcoming "New Mobile" launch.

'New Mobile' Vaio ~~unboxed~~ unbagged?

The invitation is for consumers to leave their email addresses to be spammed by Sony Vaio marketing in due course.

Netbook buffs are keen to see the promo as a sign Sony's about to launch a Small, Cheap* Computer.

Interesting form-factor

Just as likely - probably more so - is that it's going to launch a revived Vaio Picturebook, the compact notebook it launched way back in September 2000 on the back of Transmeta's first, 600MHz Crusoe processor, the TM5600.

A netbook, circa 2000

Arguably the candidate for the first netbook, the C1VN has an 8.9in, 1024 x 480 display with a 0.3-megapixel webcam in the bezel. It had 128MB of memory and a 12GB hard drive, along with VGA, USB and Firewire portage.

There was no Wi-Fi, of course, but the C1VN did have an on-board 56Kb/s modem. It ran Windows ME - for up to 5.5 hours, Sony claimed at the time.

No lightweight despite its 245 x 150 x 28.5mm dimensions, it weighed a gnat's todger under 1kg. Its price was weightier still: $2300.

*Probably not cheap, we'd say.