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The Sony Vaio VGN-UX390N (known as VGN-UX1XN in the UK) is an exciting laptop - a full copy of Windows Vista Business squeezed into the teeniest space (95x150x32mm; 450g). Unfortunately, its minuscule size is also its biggest weakness, making this ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) difficult to use ...unless used as a secondary laptop or in place of a PDA.
The Vaio VGN-UX390N sports a clever design, hiding a sliding QWERTY keyboard behind the 4.5" LCD and using a trackpoint-like device for a mouse. Beneath the mouse is a zoom button that allows for screen magnification (1.5x, 2.0x, 2.5x and 3.0x zoom).
Despite the tiny size, Sony has managed to pack in many features like a fingerprint reader for secure logins and two cameras placed above the screen.
The laptop runs on an Intel Core Solo U1500 (1.33GHz) CPU and 1GB RAM, while the 4.5" (1024x600) LCD is powered by an Intel 945GMS chip with 32MB dedicated video memory. The laptop uses a 32GB solid-state drive with non-movable parts, essentially an enormous memory card. This makes the laptop more resilient to bumps and shocks, and allows for faster file access times, e.g. Windows Vista takes only 48 seconds to start up.
Connection-wise, the Vaio VGN-UX390N has only one USB port, an Express Card slot and a Memory Stick Duo card reader. Ethernet, S-Video and D-Sub outputs are provided in the form of a dongle or via the bundled port replicator. There is also built-in Bluetooth, 56K modem and 802.11 a/b/g wifi.
The Sony Vaio VGN-UX390N performs smoothly when running everyday tasks and on a wide variety of applications - an achievement considering its size. However, the laptop falters when it comes to games, although its good enough for Windows Vista's Aero. The other big weakness is its poor battery life - almost 3 hours for normal use and half that when watching a DivX movie.
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