The ultra-compact Sony VAIO G1.

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If you’re looking for a tiny, full-featured notebook to take on the go – look no further than the Sony VAIO G1. There is one catch, the G1 is not sold in the US. However it can be purchased through Dynamism, an importer that takes some of the coolest products from Japan and sells them in the states.

The VAIO G1 consists of an Intel Core Solo 1.33GHz processor, and can be configurable with up to 2GB of RAM. The G1 packs a nice, bright 12″ XGA TFT display and a massive 100GB hard drive which is great for storing all of your digital photos and music. Also built-in is a full DVD burner, and all this at a svelte 2.17 lbs! A fingerprint reader is built-in for extra security as well as 802.11b/g wireless networking.

At it’s heart, the Core Solo isn’t the fastest available processor, but it gets the job done for basic web browsing, email, and Microsoft Office tasks. Performance inside of Windows Vista was speedy, but there were noticeable slow downs. Our unit had 2GB of RAM which, under our recommendation, is the minimum for running Vista. If you’re thinking of running games on this notebook, you won’t be able to due to the underpowered Intel GMA950 integrated graphics card. Basic games will do, but 3D games won’t perform great.

The keyboard isn’t all that great either, the keys were tiny and cramped together. What makes the G1 so light is it’s carbon fiber casing, making it light and durable. The screen was somewhat flimsy though, and flexed when opening and closing the lid.

Wrapping it all up, battery life was decent – getting about 2 1/2 to 3 hours when playing a DVD. Wireless networking was also excellent, getting a strong signal everywhere we went. The G1 doesn’t disappoint. It’s Core Solo processor is fine for most basic tasks and is a great companion PC to take on the go. The G1 is available now at Dynamism starting at $1999.

Pros