IP: Tokyo Journal # .4

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

I just got back from Tokyo. I had a brief visit to the Akihabara and the gadget of the month, maybe the 1/2 year, was 
the new Sony Vaio PCG-C!. I had a chance at a friends house to use it and it was very good. Not slim (more the depth of 
the Libretto ) but compact and light.  The price in Japan is ~ $2100 with Windows J VERSION and in short supply. I took 
the specs from http://www.dynamism.com/ .I have dealt with Doug Krone and was happy  Tokyo was its usual self HECTIC!!. 
I will give a more complete report after I recover from time zonk.

Dave


SONY VAIO PCG-C1        
        Widescreen 8.9" XGA TFT         
         1/6" 270,000 pixel 180 degree CCD              
         iLINK (IEEE 1394) and USB ports                
         2.42 lb (1.1 kg) 9.4 x 5.5 x 1.4"              
         P233MMX, 3.2g, 64mb, 56k modem         

Sony's latest Vaio offering is the Sony Vaio PCG-C1. With a 
magnesium-encased, ultra-compact form-factor even smaller than the Sony Vaio 
505, the Sony Vaio PCG-C1 offers a dazzling array of multimedia power and 
capability. The 8.9" widescreen XGA (1024 x 480) is backed up by NeoMagic's 
AV 2.5mb VRAM video chip and SoundBlaster Pro compatibility. For future 
expansion, iLINK (IEEE 1394), USB port, and Type II CardBus/ZV PCMCIA slots 
are integrated. Despite being only 9.4 inches wide, the keyboard has a 17mm 
pitch. The Sony PCG-C1 is an unmatched portable powerhouse even if you never 
turn the camera on.
But if you do, its 270,000 pixel CCD can capture live video and audio as 
well as still photos, all of which you can instantly email to friends and 
relatives over the built-in 56k fax/modem. The built-in CCD is an industry 
standard computer video camera, so you can use your own videoconference / 
video capture software of choice. The Sony Vaio PCG-C1 also includes Sony's 
SmartCapture software. It allows you to take photos (as .jpg images) or 
movies with sound (.avi movies). It works with the built-in SNAP button and 
issues a pleasing "camera click" upon capturing the image. The "Smart" in 
SmartCapture senses when you have rotated the camera to face outward, and 
flips the image appropriately!
The Sony Vaio PCG-C1's ability to capture live video and audio as well (as 
still photo) offers almost limitless applications. Take clips of yourself 
(for your family), your travels, business contacts, business cards; take a 
second to think about the various applications that fit you, personally. The 
PCG-C1's photos and movies are easy to share with anyone from anywhere on 
earth. All you need is a standard internet connection--the PCG-C1 has a 
built-in 56k modem.  Of course, video conferencing is a snap. Windows 98 
includes its own video conferencing software (MS Netmeeting is included with 
the PCG-C1) that allows you to conference with anyone on the net; all you 
need to know is their IP address.               

This is a data sheet on the Sony Vaio PCG-C1.   A friend of yours (or 
something claiming to be) visited our site and had this email submitted to 
you.  We hope that this service, which we feel can be very helpful, does not 
turn into some sort of SPAM.  We are testing it and will discontinue it if 
we receive complaints.  If you want it to stop, please mail web () dynamism com 
and say so.  Thank you.  You can find the information below and more at 
http://www.dynamism.com

The PCG-C1 offers much more than just a built-in camera. It has tremendous 
power in an unbelievably small package, a ZV PCMCIA slot, a widescreen XGA 
TFT, and a built-in video out port for giving presentations. From left to 
right, you see the i.LINK (1394) port, USB port, video out port (small 
dongle adapter to full size is included), mic (PCG-C1 also has a built-in 
mic), headphone (PCG-C1 also has built-in speakers), and high-speed IrDA        
Since there is no room for a touchpad, the Sony Vaio PCG-C1 has a built-in  
eraser-head pointer and the Windows 98 scrolling third button. This allows 
you to scroll through documents by simply holding down the bottom  button 
and applying pressure on the pointer. The more pressure you apply the faster 
the document scrolls. 
                Sony Vaio PCG-C1        
CPU             P233MMX 
HDD             3.2gb HDD       
RAM             64 mb RAM (MAX 96mb)    
Level 1 cache   32kb    
Level 2 cache   256kb   
Size            9.5 x 5.5 x1.4 in (240 x 140 x 37 mm)   
Weight          2.4 lb (1.1 kg) 
Video card      NeoMagic 256AV 2.5mb embedded VRAM      
Display         8.9" XGA widescreen TFT 1024 x 768      
                1024x480 @16.7m int (1024x768 @16.7m ext)       
Sound           SoundBlaster Pro compatible     
                3d Sound        
                Built-in Speaker, Microphone, speaker, mic jacks        
Keyboard        17 mm key pitch 
I/O             USB port        
                4 Mbits / sec IRDA      
                iLINK (i.EEE 1394)      
                video out monitor port  
PCMCIA          1 Type II (Zoomed Video, Cardbus)       
Modem           internal 56k fax/data/voice modem       
Battery Life    1.5-2.5 hrs (4-5 hrs using enhanced)    
recharge time   2.5 hrs 

The Sony Vaio PCG-C1 includes Windows 98 English, universal AC adapter, and 
a USB floppy disk drive. It is backed by our Worldwide FedEx Warranty. *All 
our prices already include all duty and customs fees for the United States!
Item                            Price (US$)     
Vaio PCG-C1                     2595.00 (credit card 2695.00)   
Vaio PCG-C1 enhanced battery    295.00  
Vaio 20x PCMCIA CD-ROM          375.00  


_____________________________________________________________________
David Farber         
The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems
University of Pennsylvania 
Home Page: http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~farber