The sleekly designed, lightweight Sony VAIO VGN-SZ230P/B notebook PC delivers intelligent mobile design while placing a priority on usability and performance. Coolly contemporary, it has a magnesium coating and aluminum finish on the palm rest for a great blend of the fashionable and the functional. It measures a mere 1.5 inches thin and features a superb 13.3-inch widescreen display with XBRITE LCD technology, long battery life, and a generous, comfortable keyboard. The integrated tri-mode 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN enables wireless connectivity on the fly, while the integrated wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) technology helps keep you connected and productive when away from your workstation. It also offers the revolutionary Hybrid Graphics System lets toggle between internal and external graphics chips, enabling you to choose lighter battery consumption or better performance depending on the situation.

It comes preloaded with a suite of Sony multimedia software, enabling you to create, manage and view your multimedia files with ease. Use Sony's Click to DVD software to easily create high-quality customized DVDs with the DVD+R Double Layer drive, while Sony's SonicStage software makes managing your music files and making your own audio CDs a cinch. This notebook also features a powerful 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 processor (with Centrino Mobile technology), 120 GB Serial ATA hard drive (with G-Sensor shock protection), 1 GB of installed RAM (with a 2 GB maximum), Bluetooth wireless capability, long battery life (up to 6.0 hours with included standard battery), advanced security/safety features that include a biometric fingerprint sensor, Windows XP Professional operating system, and a host of Sony multimedia software.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 120 GB hard drive is definitely above average in size for current notebooks (as of May 2006) and it offers a fast speed of 5400 RPM. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. Sony's G-Sensor shock protection offers an advantage over traditional hard drives by safeguarding the notebook's internal mechanisms to protect against impact and help prevent a loss of data.
  
• Processor: The Intel Core Duo T2400 processor is built with the Mobile Intel 945PM Express chipset, and it has a 1.83 GHz processor speed, super-fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

  The Intel Core Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the next version of Microsoft Windows, code-named Vista. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. It's more efficient, thanks to Intel's Power Coordination and Deeper Sleep, which help to transfer power only to those areas of the processor that need it. It also features Intel's Digital Media Boost, which delivers enhanced performance on floating point-intensive applications such as CAD tools, 3D and 2D modeling, video editing, digital music, digital photography and gaming.
  

• Memory: The 1 GB of built-in memory (PC4200, DDR2 SDRAM) is an excellent start for power users, and it offers a very fast 533 MHz speed. It has two memory slots that can handle up to 2 GB of RAM, enabling you to add more power to handle graphics-intensive 3D games, video editing, and multi-tasking across several RAM-hungry applications.
  
• CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+R and DVD-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It offers the following write speeds: 2.4x DVD+R DL, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 2x DVD-R DL, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 24x CD-R, 16x CD-RW.
  
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard (3mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch) and electro-static two-button touchpad as well as a wireless LAN on/off button.

Screen, Graphics and Sound
The VGN-SZ230P/B has a 13.3-inch LCD screen with anti-reflective coating has a widescreen 1280 x 800-pixel resolution. This XBRITE LCD provides higher brightness levels than standard displays, resulting in deeper blacks, brighter whites, true-to-life color, and razor-sharp detail. This notebook uses Sony's exclusive Hybrid Graphics System, which lets you set your graphics performance with a simple flick of a switch, enabling you to toggle between an internal graphics chip for optimal power consumption with excellent performance or an external graphics chip for even more robust performance. You can choose either the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (with up to 128 MB of dynamically shared video RAM) and the installed Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics card (with 128 MB of dedicated video RAM).

Nvidia's TurboCache feature increases the performance of this thin and light notebook PC without increasing its size or draining its battery. It's coupled with the PowerMizer 6.0 advanced power management technology, which significantly extends your notebook PC's battery life while minimizing the amount of heat it produces.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The Intel PRO wireless LAN 3945ABG provides a tri-mode network connection (supporting 802.11a/b/g), with throughput up to 54 Mbps at 5 GHz (802.11a) and 2.4 GHz (802.11g). The Intel Wireless Coexistence System helps reduce interference with certain Bluetooth devices. Speaking of which, this notebook also offers Bluetooth wireless connectivity, which enables you to synchronize and transfer files between the PC and peripherals such as cell phones and PDAs as well as use Bluetooth-enabled headsets for online audio chats. With the wireless WAN, you can access the Cingular Wireless national EDGE network to extend your wireless coverage beyond LAN access networks and hotspots, giving you the freedom to go farther, do more, and stay connected.

This notebook includes a next-generation ExpressCard/34 card slot, which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. comes with a basic selection of connectivity options, including:

• 2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 PCMCIA (Type II/Type I) card slot with CardBus support
• 1 port replicator connector
• 1 headphone jack
• 1 microphone jack
• 5-in-1 memory card adapter (compatible with Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Secure Digital, MultiMedia, and XD formats; also supports Memory Stick DUO with MagicGate functionality)
  It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Gigabit Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

  Preloaded System and Software
  This system comes with the Windows XP Professional Edition (which adds Microsoft's IIS Web server, back-up and recovery utilities, Remote Desktop, and other enhanced business features) with Service Pack 2 featuring Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes loaded with a bevy of Sony multimedia software: Click to DVD (DVD creation), SonicStage (digital music), Vaio Media (network file sharing), DVgate Plus (digital video), and Image Converter (for PSP transfer). Other preloaded software includes Quicken 2006 New User Edition, Microsoft Works 8.5 (with word processing, spreadsheet, and calendar), Norton Internet Security (with 60-day subscription), Roxio DigitalMedia SE, InterMedia WinDVD, and TrendMicro Anti-Spyware (30-day trial).

  Dimensions and Weight
  This notebook measures 12.5 by 1.5 by 9.3 inches (WxHxD) and weighs approximately 4.07 pounds with the standard battery (included).

  Power
  It's powered by the VGP-BPS2C rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which provides 2.5 to 6.0 hours of battery life (depending on usage).

  What's in the Box
  This package contains the VGN-SZ230P/B notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty, and Sony offers 1-year of toll-free telephone technical assistance.

  Security & Safety Features
  Sony's line of VAIO SZ notebooks take security seriously, employing a biometric fingerprint sensor and proprietary hard disk drive protection software to ensure your data is protected from unauthorized use as well as accidental damage. Fingerprint biometrics is a convenient and secure way to protect your computer and the information on it with a simple swipe of your finger. It also stores passwords to secure web sites you visit, so authentication and access are quick and easy--you only need your fingerprint.

  The G-Sensor Shock Protection feature makes your data even less vulnerable to loss or damage. When the built-in 3D acceleration sensor detects a risky movement like being dropped, the HDD-head will lock up to secure its position and protect the disc from scratching. An intelligent algorithm, unique to VAIO PCs, judges whether or not a movement is risky, activating disk drive protection only when your hardware is at risk.

  Built-in Camera
  This VAIO notebook features an integrated camera with a microphone. Enjoy this feature to easily chat and video mail with family and friends. And the handy privacy filter masks the environment around you, so you can video chat without giving away your location or how disorganized you keep your desk.

  Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN)
  If you're the ultimate road warrior, you need to access the Internet and check e-mail without having to plug in your Sony Vaio notebook PC, and without cables to boot. Welcome to the world of WWANs (wireless wide area networks). With WWANs, you can access critical network resources and home office files from the front seat of your car, the airport, the local coffee shop, or your recliner at home. Sony Vaio computers use SmartWi technology to access the Cingular Wireless national EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) network.

  A WWAN uses long-range wireless connections -- the same networks as cellular phones -- to provide access across a large geographic area. In comparison, a WLAN (wireless LAN) covers only one or more buildings located close together. The use of wireless connectivity on a WLAN is simply an alternative to the PSTN (public switched telephone network), which you may have used -- or still use -- to dial into your ISP (Internet service provider) or reach your company's network. On a WWAN, however, you use wireless connectivity to reach your carrier's data network instead of plugging into a phone jack and dialing into your ISP. Each mobile device communicates with the public carrier's base station, providing coverage across entire states, regions, and countries via cell phone towers.