Sony FW And BZ Vaios Get Priced And Dated For Oz

Remember those Sony Vaio notebooks from last week that featured the same keyboard style as the Macbooks? They’ve been priced and dated for Australia.

While this generally isn’t the most exciting news you’re likely to come across on a Friday, it does help me cope with a fairly slow news day.

Prices start at $1,999 and reach the lofty heights of $3,399. But all the juicy bits are lying in the press release which can be found below the fold.

Of course, if you have something a little bit more exciting for us here at Giz AU, don’t forget to send us a tip!

New VAIO series lets you work and play without compromising style
Sony launches two new notebook models
Sydney – 25 July, 2008 – Sony Australia announces two new models to its range of VAIO notebooks – the FW series, a Blu-ray enabled notebook for those seeking serious entertainment technology and the BZ series for business users who want to work in style.

“The VAIO range is designed to merge beautiful form with intelligent design, so whether you need a notebook for work or play, you don’t need to compromise on style,” said Jun Yoon, Channel Marketing Manager for VAIO at Sony Australia. “The new FW and BZ series uphold the VAIO principles of AV / IT convergence, mobility and style with a host of design and performance features.”

VAIO FW series
Sony’s new VAIO FW series was created for the next generation of High Definition (HD)
entertainment. It combines the must-have features of a true 16:9 (aspect ratio) widescreen display with integral Blu-ray capability on both the FW16 and FW17, and thanks to a potent mix of Intel® Core™2 Duo Processors and ATI graphics is hugely powerful.

Fully experience HD movies with a widescreen image that goes right to the edges of the screen – you no longer have to sacrifice your viewing pleasure or lose your picture with two
blank strips above and below your widescreen content. The new 16.4″ LCD display also delivers strikingly vivid colours and exceptional detail, through trademark colour purity and
resolution – screen quality now synonymous with Sony, through both VAIO and its BRAVIA range of televisions.

Surprisingly compact, you can slide the VAIO FW series into most 15.4″ notebook bags. This thin and lightweight A4 notebook comes in three neutral colour options to complement the interior decor of a modern living room, bedroom, study or office. Designed with functional beauty in mind, its distinct cylinder form hinge houses the core components of the notebook, including battery, power button and AC adaptor terminal. The surface of the black and white models is finished with a new powder coating technology which provides a slimmer, lighter and tougher exterior that also reduces fingerprints.

The FW17 comes with an inbuilt Blu-ray Disc drive (player and burner) so you can edit and store up to 50GB of personal HD video content onto a single disc. Powerful software including Adobe® Premiere® Elements® 4.0, VAIO Movie Story and Click to Disc/Editor is pre-installed on all models so you have the tools you need right out of the box. Dolby Sound Room technology recreates the immersive quality of a small home theatre on the notebook’s own speakers or headphones.

VAIO BZ series
The new BZ series lets you work in style, with features ideal for those who use their notebook as an integral business tool. The 15.4″ wide screen is perfect for those who need to present directly from their notebook to colleagues or customers, with WXGA resolution (1280 x 800) and anti-glare coating.

The BZ series also comes with VAIO Presentation Support, so the 16:9 LCD display that is not required during a presentation can be used for taking notes or checking reference materials, while an image of the external monitor is visible in the corner of the notebook screen. The large screen and security features, including easy login with fingerprint sensor, ensure you can comfortably work in or out of the office.

Other business functions include the new Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology, a 200GB hard disc drive, hard disk protection and dedicated buttons that can be set to your most used
applications.

The BZ unit has been seamlessly designed so that it is lightweight, clean-looking and robust. The thin and light magnesium body makes it incredibly mobile and its powder painted coating prevents fingermarks.
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Pricing and availability
Model Description Price (inc GST)* Availability
VGNFW17GU/ H
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53GHz),
4GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320GB HDD, Blu-ray Disc™
Drive, Windows® Vista® Ultimate with service
pack 1, 16.4″ wide (WXGA++: 1600 x 900) TFT
colour display (Clear Bright LCD [Rich Colour] ),
MOTION EYE Camera (1.3MP), ATI Mobility
Radeon™ HD 3470, Bluetooth 2.0
* Available in grey
$3399 July

VGNFW16G/ W
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4GHz),
2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250GB HDD, Blu-ray Disc™
Combo Drive, Windows® Vista® Home Premium
with service pack 1, 16.4″ wide (WXGA++: 1600 x
900) TFT colour display (Clear Bright LCD [Rich
Colour] ), MOTION EYE Camera (1.3MP), ATI
Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470, Bluetooth 2.0
* Available in white
$2499 July

VGN-FW15G B/W
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz),
2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250GB HDD, DVD±RW/±R
DL/RAM Drive, Windows® Vista® Home Premium
with service pack 1, 16.4″ wide (WXGA++: 1600 x
900) TFT colour display (Clear Bright LCD Lite),
MOTION EYE Camera (1.3MP), ATI Mobility
Radeon™ HD 3470, Bluetooth 2.0
* Available in black and white
$1999 July

VGN-BZ15GN Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz),
2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 200GB HDD, DVD±RW/±R
DL/RAM Drive, Windows® Vista® Business with
service pack 1, 15.4″ Wide (WXGA: 1280×800)
TFT Colour Display, MOTION EYE Camera
(1.3MP), Mobile Intel® Graphics Media
Accelerator 4500MHD
* Available through VAIO distributors Ingram
Micro, Multimedia Technology, IT Wholesale,
Electronics Concepts and Edsys Computers
$1999 July