Acer Review, Asus Review – Netbook 10

Kudos to Sony with their latest addition to the Vaio W line of netbooks. They upgraded the Vaio W to the power-efficient Intel N450 process0r as most netbook manufacturers did. But instead of stopping there as everyone else did, they decided to really run with the power saving, go green! bit. And good on them for it!

At the same price as the older Sony Vaio W (Intel N280, 250GB RAM, Windows 7 Starter) started with (it’s now available for $425), the Sony Vaio W Eco is available for pre-order at $480.

Here’s the green juice the Sony Vaio W Eco packs inside:

• 20% of the netbook chassis is made of recycled CD & DVD cases
• 100% of the netbook carrying case is made of recycled plastic PET bottles
• No page after page of product info in different languages – everything is burned to disc and provided along with a small pamphlet with the bare essentials
• No extra packaging – which really, is something every retailer should start adopting. The Sony Vaio W Eco comes shrink wrapped in the carrying case. Genius.

Not to sound too picky because Sony is the only company taking the green initiative seriously on a consumer front. But these are really things they should be doing for all their products, “ECO” or not (maybe except for #1 – building the device out of recycled materials). But opting for shrink wrapped carrying cases over extra packaging is something they can definitely do for all their devices that come in carrying cases.

Sony Vaio W Specs

• Processor – 1.66GHz Intel N450 processor
• Chipset – GMA 3150
• OS – Windows 7 Starter
• Memory – 1 GB RAM
• Storage – 250GB HDD
• Display – 10.1″ LED (1366×768)
• Connectivity –802,11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1
• Ports – 3USB, SD card reader, memory card reader – NO HDMI
• Battery – 8 hours of battery

Sony Vaio W Eco Bottomline – You’re buying it for the package

Apart from the green juice and the Intel N450 processor, there’s nothing different about the Sony Vaio W Eco. It still has a cramped keyboard, still doesn’t play HD video smoothly (even at 480p), and is still far more expensive than other top netbooks.

So why then should you buy it? Because it’s time you start investing in the environment. Because it’s a sturdy tough netbook that can take a fair share of beating. Because it looks spectacular even in the white/green color scheme. Because at the end of the day, you’d shell out $425 for acheaper netbook with the same specs and another $30 on a neat carrying case, and can’t you really just shell out another $25 for an actually eco-friendly Vaio W Eco?

Photo of the bag after the break.

Related posts:

1. Sony Vaio W Goes Green with Eco Edition
2. Sony Vaio P accessories
3. Sony Vaio W Price Cut from Amazon
4. Sony VAIO W in Pink for a Cause
5. Rumor: Sony Vaio P for $300 from Verizon?

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