Maybe the standard Sony Vaio P is a bit pedestrian for your taste. It’s just not enough, right? Well then, how about one covered with crocodile skin? It’s supposed to be a digital clutch anyway.

Pricing info isn’t available, but it’s not going to be low-cost. The model’s spec’d out with the Atom Z560 Intel US15X chipset, 256GB SSD, and optional 12-hour battery. Plus all that crocodile skin can’t be cheap. [SonyBrands via eeepc via liliputing]

Sony Europe today unveiled their newest version of the “ultra-mobile PC” VAIO P, which was teased by the company late last month. And apart from a new design and fresh colors, Sony added quite a number of interesting features and functions.

For example, there’s an accelerometer now, which allows you to browse through websites, pictures or PDF pages by tilting the device to the left or right. Turn the VAIO on its side to view that content in portrait mode, “turning pages” with the trackball, mouse buttons and an additional touchpad.

And it has quite a few other nice specs (model name: VAIO P11S1E):

• Intel Atom Z540 processor (1.86 GHz)
• 8-inch screen with 1600×768 resolution
• Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit) OS
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
• 64GB SSD Flash Drive
• Two USB ports, one SD card slot, one Memory Stick Duo slot
• GPS, digital compass
• WLAN 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 3G built-in
• stereo speakers and microphone
• webcam
• weight: 632g, size: 120×19.8×245 mm
• 5 hours of battery life

The new Vaio P will be available in five colors (orange, green, pink, black or white) starting June, at least in Europe (Japan gets it on May 22). Sony hasn’t said anything yet about pricing in the US or Europe. But Japan is to get a model with an Atom Z530 (1.60 GHz) for $1,080, which means Sony plans to roll out a number of different versions of their new PC.

Note: As of this writing, neither Sony America nor Sony Global are mentioning the new Vaio P on their sites.

Remember when the first VAIO P came out and everyone was like, “I can’t believe it has Vista! That angers me! I am currently outraged!” – something along those lines? Well now it has Windows 7 and comes in four different models ranging in price from $850 to $1900.

The base model features a 1.33GHz Atom CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium, 2GB of RAM, and an 80GB 4200RPM hard drive for $850. Then there’s a model for $1000 that features a 1.6GHz CPU and 64GB SSD, followed by a $1500 model with a 1.86GHz CPU and 128GB SSD. The top of the line offering features Windows 7 Professional, a 2GHz CPU, and 256GB SSD for $1900.

VAIO P Series Lifestyle Notebooks [Sony via Electronista]

This is still a rumor at this point, but Phone Arena is reporting that Verizon may soon be offering Sony’s 8-inch “not-a-netbook” VAIO P for $300 with a two-year data contract.

The model in question would apparently feature an 8-inch 1600×768 screen, Windows 7 Home Premium, 160GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, and a mobile data chipset capable of working all over the world. There’s no release date yet, and I wasn’t personally able to load up the product info on the Verizon page that Phone Arena links to but the site points out that Verizon may have more info this Thursday at a planned holiday line-up event in New York.

There’s also loose talk of a $100 mail-in rebate but it’s not clear whether that’d make the price $300 or if it’d be $300 out the door plus a $100 mail-in rebate. Given the VAIO P’s relatively high price tag, though, I’d plan on $300 and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

This is still a rumor, though. More info as we get it.

Sony VAIO P Series Netbook coming to Verizon [Phone Arena]

It normally sells for $1500 but use coupon code VAIO500P at checkout to get $500 off. The deal’s good until October 13th – available in black or red.

Still too expensive even after $500 off?

VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC [SonyStyle.com via Pocketables]

Since the new line is coming in the fall, it’ll almost certainly run Windows 7. No word on a price tag yet but, knowing Sony’s penchant for premium pricing, I’d guess that it’ll likely be near the current level of $899 and up — especially since Sony will have a $500 netbook by then to fill the lower price bracket.

The new VAIO P computers are scheduled for late fall — October or November.

[via Tech Radar]

This model comes with a 1.33GHz Atom CPU, Vista Home Basic, 2GB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, and an 8-inch screen with a 1600×768 resolution. The entire weight is just a pound and a half, which shouldn’t weigh anybody down too much at all.

Sony VAIO VGN-P530H/Q Netbook PC [Staples via dealnews]

Good to see that, sometimes, even the biggest tech companies can come to their senses. Today Sony in Japan announced a new Vaio P model, the Vaio P50 [JP], which comes with Windows XP SP3 instead of the hopelessly problematic Vista Sony shipped their Ps with so far.

The P50 features an ATOM Z520 processor (1.33GHz), 1GB memory, an 8-inch screen with 1,600×768 resolution, a 80GB HDD, Wifi, Bluetooth, WWAN, an SD card/MMC interface and two USB slots. As an option, a 256 GB HDD or a 2GHz CPU is available as well.

The new Vaio P is available in green, white and red. Japanese buyers can get one starting June 6 (price: $895). No word from Sony yet concerning a release outside Nippon.

If you’re going to drop the coin on a Sony VAIO P, you better get a case. And it should be one of these from Vaja.

These will not only protect, but also, enhance your expensive Sony VAIO P. As I’m sure you can surmise, the case stays in place when the netbook is open or closed. It seems to sort of snap on, which provides exclent protection and class. It better be classy with a $120 price tag.

Vaja via Giz

Sony’s “don’t call it a netbook” VAIO P may be getting an internal makeover by the summer according to the all-things-Sony blog, Sony Insider. The current VAIO series model numbers have naming conventions such as “VGN-P530H/G” and Sony Insider was able to dig up six mysterious model numbers that look similar to the current ones, but place them in the 700 series instead of the 500 series.

Four fairly straightforward models – VGN-P710T/B, VGN-P710T/R, VGN-P710T/G, and VGN-P710T/W – would seem to indicate one configuration in various color options (black, red, green, white) while two additional models — VGN-P730A/Q and VGN-P730T/Q – leave a bit more to the imagination.

The whole “coming in summer” idea is pure speculation by Sony Insider at this point, and they seem to think that the new models “won’t be a total redesign, but a specification update” to include stuff like a faster processor, more RAM, and larger hard drive and SSD options.

New VAIO P Coming? [Sony Insider]

Well hello there, Lenovo. Who knows what in the hell this thing really is, aside from the fact that it looks an awful lot like Sony’s don’t-call-it-a-netbook VAIO P. According to a translated version of Engadget Chinese, “A friend in Beijing in Beijing greeted the IBM Lenovo office. I think it is the concept of Lenovo machine, or even just a model can not be changed. The appearance of skin texture are” Ah, that’s much clearer now.

So shall we go with prototype for now? When closed, the unit appears to be ensconced in leather. It looks like a little purse or a restaurant bill!

Details are non-existent, so speculate away.

[Engadget Chinese via SlashGear]

Outstanding. The Sony VAIO P has a knockoff in the “VAINO” – a name which seems to suggest someone beginning to say “VAIO” and then interrupted with a “No, it’s not.” Don’t be fooled with the tricky camera work here, either, because the VAINO is the size of a standard 10-inch netbook and has standard 10-inch netbook specs.

If there’s one feature that would have been a welcome knock-off, it’d be the VAIO P’s 1600×768 display. Sadly, the VAINO gives us the same, boring, “nothing-fits-right” 1024×600 resolution as the rest of the netbook marketplace. Add to that a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive, and you’ve got a regular netbook (is a netbook, is a netbook).

Here’s an actual size comparison:

The VAINO is apparently available at Chinese e-tailer M8COOL for 2599 Yuan (about $380 US). Aside from that, I can guarantee that we’ll never, ever see the VAINO here in the US due to all those fussy “laws” that we have.

[via SlashGear/UMPC Fever]

Sony’s foray into the growing netbook market with the Vaio P (which Sony itself doesn’t call a netbook) caused considerable interest in the blogosphere, especially in Japan. And it’s the best netbook in that country. This is at least what a report by Japan’s biggest business newspaper, The Nikkei, suggests.

The newspaper conducted a study to find out which netbooks were the best in Japanese electronics stores between January 1 and February 8 (based on factors such as performance, price, design, portability and ease of use).

The result:

1. Sony Vaio P (solid hardware, slow OS)
2. Acer Aspire One AOD150-B73 (easy to use)
3. Lenovo Japan Ideapad S10e (good cost performance)
4. Asus EeePC 1000H-X (long battery life, bad design)
5. Onkyo Sotec C102 (beautiful design)

What do you think? Does this ranking make sense?

Via The Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

Do you want to install Windows XP on your Sony VAIO P (don’t call it a netbook!)? Do you even have a Sony VAIO P yet? If you answered yes to both questions, read on.

There’s a thread over on the Pocketables forum detailing how to install Windows XP on the tiny (not a netbook!) notebook. Getting the OS up and running seems to be relatively straightforward until you get to the 3G and GPS drivers. Luckily, forum user tnkgrl has figured out how to strong-arm the machine into using the Vista drivers in XP.

As always, be sure to back up and proceed at your own risk.

How to install XP on Vaio P

Getting WWAN and GPS working in XP

[Pocketables Forum via SlashGear]

BestBuy.com has the Sony VAIO P (don’t call it a netbook!) in a rainbow of fashionable colors up for pre-order. It’s an online-only affair but let’s say, for the sake or argument, you have a Best Buy credit card and you want to take advantage of 18-month interest-free financing.

That’s, like, $50 a month. You can afford that, can’t you?! You’ve been working hard. Reward yourself! It’ll be great. Slap Windows 7 Beta on there while you’re at it. The VAIO P is listed in the “netbooks” section of BestBuy.com (don’t call it a netbook!) and comes in Garnet Red, Emerald Green, Onyx Black, and Crystal White – each for $899.

Sony VAIO P [BestBuy.com]

If the $900 starting price of the Sony VAIO P seems a bit high to you, especially if you’d otherwise be shelling out an additional $60 per month for 3G data, Verizon’s looking to take a wee bit of the sting out of the bottom line with a $200 mail-in rebate debit card.

The deal isn’t just for VAIO P owners, but for what appears to be any new-ish Sony VAIO notebook with an internal 3G chip (external USB or ExpressCard options don’t qualify). You’ll need to activate service through Verizon and wait a month until you can send the rebate form in, at which point Verizon will send you a $200 debit card.

The activation deadline is March 31st, so you still have plenty of time to hem and haw.

Rebate Form (PDF) [via Pocketables]

Netbook or not, Sony is going to sell a bunch of the VAIO P little lappies and it seems at least some early orders are being shipped. Sony is probably starting with the pre-orders and working their way from there. Originally, the P was suppose to ship sometime in February, but the FedEx man should probably drop a few of off sometime before the end of this month. Anyone order one?

To be fair, they loaded McAfee’s antivirus software onto the VAIO P — which I propose is pure insanity – but the fact remains that the decision to include Vista on such a low-powered machine is mind boggling, especially since everything from a hardware design standpoint is truly a sight to behold. The big 1600×768 resolution, the relatively usable keyboard, the take-anywhere form factor, the 3G connection – they’re all wonderful, but the whole getup is overshadowed by sluggish performance. Remember that the idea of a netbook is to be able to open it up quickly, check some stuff, maybe type a few e-mails, and then close it back down.

Broken down, Akihabara found that the actual boot time into Vista was just over one minute, plus another minute for everything to load up into a usable state. Once you start adding stuff like Office, widgets, antivirus software, and anything else that automatically starts when the computer starts, you’re up over three minutes. Here’s a video of the entire boot process:

Of course being the diligent geeks that we all are, any one of us would strip down auto-starting applications to a bare minimum, right? It’d be interesting to see how quickly the machine would run with everything cranked way, way down. It might be even more interesting to see how easy it’d be to load the thing up with XP or some version of Linux.

Sony Vaio P… Performances have a price – The Review [Akihabaranews.com]

The Sony VAIO P is only available for pre-order here in the States, but the lucky chaps at Akihabara News already have a retail model right from Sony. In true Internet geek fashion the site has a large unboxing slideshow for your gadget pr0n fetish. Go get ‘em while their hot.

If the svelte VAIO P is your next netbook computer, Sony has now started the pre-order. The company is ready to take your money even though the little lappy will not ship until February. It starts at $899 and can rocket up to $1,499 once all the little check boxes are selected. That would include the 3G wireless and GPS option along with a color palette of five hues. Anyone going to bite on the the 1.4 lbs VAIO?