Is this the next Sony VAIO Z?

[Ink]

Lo and behold, we're now seeing photos of what purports to be the next-gen Z series and, as always, we're left wanting more. In these pics, you've supposedly got the Z -- sometimes with a black lid, sometimes gold -- sitting next to an external dock housing what appears to be an optical drive. If you drop in on the gossip circles in NotebookReview's forum, you'll read some speculation that there's an external GPU baked in there, too -- a compelling idea, though even "Eddie," the guy who leaked these photos, doesn't seem completely confident as to what that peripheral actually does.

Source: Engadget

More Image(s):
http://benyouhui.it168.com/thread-1675661-1-1.html

 

[Ink]

Sony's new VAIO Z ultraportable laptop with Power Media Dock hands-on (video) (source)

Photos:
Vaio Z Detailed Hands-on
Vaio Z Hands-on
Vaio Z components

Now that we've seen Sony's new VAIO Z in its luscious press shots, it's time to face reality and lay our itchy hands on this 13-inch ultraportable laptop, along with its eccentric expansion dock that packs both a Blu-ray drive and an AMD Radeon HD 6650M graphics chip (with 1GB of video RAM). ...

Spoiler

...Anyhow, here's a quick recap: what we have here is a 1.18kg feather-light machine packing a 256GB SSD and 1.3 megapixel webcam, plus a matte LCD display with resolution at 1600 x 900 or an optional 1920 x 1080. Oh yes, for an extra cost, you get some sweet full HD action at just 13 inches. ...

... The rest of the VAIO Z feels solid all around, with carbon fiber used to reinforce the screen and chassis, along with a layer of aluminum for the palm rest. ...

...As with most ultraportables, the VAIO Z only packs a grand total of two USB ports, and only one of them is USB 3.0-compatible. But here's a surprise: the latter port is also where Light Peak is implemented: the fiber optic cables feed data to and from the media dock, which we will touch on later. ...

...Don't worry, we haven't forgotten the Power Media Dock. Obviously, this add-on is designed to stay at home while the VAIO Z is out and about with you road warriors. Aside from providing a Blu-ray drive and discrete graphics, the dock also adds an additional USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports, along with the ability to connect two more monitors. The VAIO Z's chief designer confirmed to us that this allows the laptop to drive up to four displays -- including the laptop's own LCD -- simultaneously! Understandably, the dock must be powered externally, but it does pass on power to the notebook for recharging.

 

[iPanik]

That laptop looks better than any mac!
If that external graphics card/ blu-ray drive works as intended, this has made it to the top of my must-have list.

 

[Gnosis]

I see Japanese characters. That is worth something.

 

[MetalShaun]

It looks very nice. I bet the retail price will be astronomical. I think the media box thing is a great idea. Desktop performance for when you are at home, and the portability of a laptop. I wonder what GPU they will be running in it.

 

[Jack]

It looks very nice. I bet the retail price will be astronomical. I think the media box thing is a great idea. Desktop performance for when you are at home, and the portability of a laptop. I wonder what GPU they will be running in it.

Sony’s UK site now has the VAIO Z up for pre-order with pricing starting at £1,434 (that’s $2,294), with the dock running an additional £400 ($640).
Here you can configure you VAIO Z and get an estimated price. I've used the configurator and got a Price of : £ 3,772.98 ($ 6 057) inc. VAT. (lol),added the best available hardware.

 

[MetalShaun]

Just Wow.I am a sony addict, pretty much all my electricals are sony. But I really do think sony sometimes price themselves out of the market. This is a great laptop by the looks of it but there is no way I could justify spending 2 grand on a laptop, and that is the entry level one.