Fujitsu, Toshiba and Vaio plan to merge PC divisions
Toshiba, Fujitsu and Vaio, which was recently spun off from Sony, have entered into the final round of negotiations to integrate their PC divisions.
If the three firms can reach an agreement, they plan on establishing a joint holding company with subsidiaries responsible for running each firm's PC businesses.
Vaio's first smartphone runs Windows 10 Mobile
It has been over a year since Sony sold off its Vaio brand due to decreased laptop sales, but now it seems that the brand may be making a comeback in the form of a mobile device. The Vaio Phone Biz will be the company’s first smartphone and, surprisingly, it is running Windows 10 Mobile.
Vaio is trying to retain the design and build quality of Sony’s laptops by using high quality materials in its new handset. The Vaio Phone Biz features a very sleek aluminum build with a silver finish.
VAIO unveils beautiful business-focused 'Z' and 'S' Windows 10 laptops
While many still associate the name "VAIO" with Sony, the two are no longer linked. In 2014, Sony exited the personal computer segment by selling its PC business. This was unfortunate, as many people loved Sony's laptops. Sure, they were largely expensive, but they were also arguably the closest thing to Apple that Windows users could buy from an elegance and design standpoint.
Today, the company simply known as VAIO announces two new lines of laptops. The unimaginatively named "Z" and "S" computers appear to capture the magic of Sony's designs, while offering really impressive specs too. The flip variant of the Z in particular features an amazing hinge that allows the screen to fold flat without spinning it around.
Vaio laptops return to US, but are consumers interested?
Vaio, the computer business formerly owned by Sony, is taking its first steps outside of its native Japan.
Sony sold the PC business back in February, and although it does retain a minority five percent stake, as a result of the declining laptop market, it opted to focus on smartphone sales.
Sony won't have Windows 10 drivers ready until October or November
If you have a Sony VAIO, you might want to hold off upgrading to Windows 10 for the time being. The company has revealed its schedule for updating drivers and applications to bring Windows 10 support, and there's going to be a wait of at least a couple of months.
Just when your Sony computer becomes Windows 10-ready depends entirely on the version of Windows that was pre-installed. Systems that came with Windows 8.1, Sony aims to push out Windows 10-related updates by October, but if it came with Windows 8 pre-installed, you will have a slightly longer wait on your hands.
VAIO makes a comeback with two new hybrid laptops
VAIO might not have the market presence it did ten years ago -- especially with the recent sale by Sony -- but it is still an exciting brand to look out for in the laptop market.
The two new hybrid laptops are the first from Japanese Industrial Partners (JIP), the new owners who acquired the VAIO brand late last year.
Vaio launches its first laptops without Sony
Sony agreed to sell Vaio earlier this year, but the latter has wasted no time in getting back into the laptop market.
Vaio has said it will continue to be a "small" PC maker after the sale and will have to alter its output accordingly, but the first two laptops that have been revealed look very similar to the Pro and Fit ranges that were launched 12 months ago under the Sony brand.
Sony sells VAIO, cuts 5,000 jobs and exits PC manufacturing
Sony is pulling out of the PC business and is selling the VAIO brand to Japanese investment fund Japan Industrial Partners (JIP). The announcement came after industry speculation about what might be happening in Sony's future after the company responded to rumors that it was in talks with Lenovo about a possible sale by saying that it was looking to "address various options for the PC business". No details about the fees involved have yet been revealed, but it is hoped that an agreement will be reached by the end of March.
Citing "drastic changes in the global PC industry", Sony's announcement came as the company revealed its financial results for Q3 2013. Analysis of the results showed that the "target of returning the TV and PC businesses to profitability will not be achieved within the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014", hence the need for reform. This means that Sony will now concentrate "its mobile product lineup on smartphones and tablets". An estimated 5,000 jobs will be lost.
Sony VAIO goes flipping smaller
Sony’s VAIO | Flip range of convertible laptop/tablet hybrids launched back in October last year. This week the company uses CES to release a new, smaller 11-inch model for users who want maximum portability.
The Flip uses a clever three-way design which means it can be used as a laptop, a tablet or in 'Viewer Mode' which basically props the screen up on a stand that's built into the chassis.
Here's your 20" Windows 8 tablet: Sony Vaio Tap 20
A couple of months ago, BetaNews contributor Mihaita Bamburic complained that he couldn't do his engineering work on any tablet, and what he really needed was a tablet with at least a 15-inch touchscreen. Sony appears to have met my colleague's demands with five inches to spare in a new tablet-ish PC of massive size. Sony calls it the Vaio Tap 20 PC...the first "mobile tabletop PC."
Imagine if you took a desktop all-in-one PC and slapped a battery inside its chassis. That's essentially the Vaio Tap 20. It has a 20-inch screen (1600x900) with 10-point multi-touch recognition and it has a built-in stand which allows it to be propped up and used as a traditional all-in-one PC when not being used as a pseudo-laptop-tablet thingy.
Sony announces Fall VAIO refresh
It must be Monday in Japan. Why else would Sony announce new laptops on a Sunday morning here? Today, the electronics company revealed autumn upgrades to its VAIO S & F series laptops and L desktop. The new systems are available immediately.
VAIO S series laptops come with 13.3-inch or 15.5-inch displays, with prices starting at $999. These models are thin, less than 1-inch thick, but nowhere as petite as Sony Z series notebooks. F series laptops are thicker, heavier and cheaper to buy. Prices start at $719, $749 and $799 for models with 14-inch, 15.5-inch and 17-inch displays, respectively.
Sony shows two Android 3.0 tabs, hints at Vaio-branded Windows tablet
Sony Corporation on Tuesday unveiled its first two Android-powered "Sony Tablets" codenamed S1 and S2, and referenced rumors from earlier this year about a Vaio-branded Windows 7 tablet.
Both devices will run Google's tablet-specific version of Android, "Honeycomb" (Android 3.0) and will be tied into Sony's various online media services: Qriocity for music and video, the Reader Store for e-books, and PlayStation Suite for gaming.
Sony and Consumer Product Safety Commission recall 233,000 Vaio notebooks in U.S.
Sony Electronics and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of about 233,000 Sony Vaio notebook computers in the U.S. as part of a wider-flung recall that the Wall Street Journal today said could include about 535,000 units in total.
Mike Lucas, Senior Vice President of the Vaio brand today said that the VPCf11 and VPCCW2 series of notebooks can overheat "due to a potential malfunction of the internal temperature management system, resulting in deformation of the product's keyboard or external casing, and a potential burn hazard to consumers."
Sony Vaio: first to come with Google Chrome
Google representatives confirmed yesterday that Sony will be bundling the Chrome browser into its Vaio line of notebook computers along with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. This is the browser's first bundling partnership, and follows earlier statements from Google which said that a leading computer manufacturer would ship Chrome.
Sony, however has not made any confirmatory remarks.
Sony's first netbook, the Vaio W: What goes around finally comes around
After all the noise Sony made about avoiding the term "netbook" with the release of its Vaio P ultraportable, and the statements Senior Vice President Mike Abary made about the Eee PC before that, it was beginning to look like Sony was never going to release a device in the netbook/mini-note form factor. But that has changed.
Today, Sony officially launched its first netbook. The 10.1-inch Windows XP-based Vaio W runs on a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280, has 1 GB of RAM, and a 160 GB SATA HDD. It's equipped with 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, a built-in Webcam, and offers 1366 x 768 screen resolution -- higher-than-usual for netbook screens.
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