The new VAIO is not just an eye catcher, but also delivers on the performance front

Think about thin and light laptop computers, and Japanese electronics maker Sony?s VAIO lineup springs to mind. They tend to be expensive, but they also offer a lot of features. At a time when PC makers are debuting stylish and more powerful ultrabooks in order to capture people?s attention, Sony has refreshed its laptop range with a fast, slim and light machine called VAIO E14A15. It has also debuted its VAIO T ultrabook, but we?ll talk about it some other time; this week?s spotlight is on the new VAIO laptop. To counter to the usual trend of Sony VAIOs being more expensive devices, the E14A stays at the affordable end of the spectrum: it costs R55,990-a-piece with a good set of features.

Sony is aggressively looking at the lucrative Indian IT market for selling notebook computers, tablets and its recently launched ultrabooks. It is leaving no stone unturned to grab new opportunities in the marketplace. Efforts are on to sell a whopping 6.5 lakh VAIO units in FY12, up from 5 lakh units in FY11. The contribution of VAIO is also expected to rise from 20% to 25% to the overall sales of Sony India by FY12. Sony will also consolidate its distribution network by adding 500 more channel counters, taking the total count to 4,500 in FY12. Towards VAIO marketing, the company will invest a sum of R90 crore in FY12, starting with ?Spark a Trend? campaign with brand ambassador Kareena Kapoor.

Truth be told, Sony has packed some alluring features and impressively hard-hitting muscle under the hood in the new VAIO E14A15 machine. The device stands out from the crowd with its soft, discreetly reassuring wrap design and is available in five fresh colours?white, black, pink, silver or gun metallic?accented with complementary colour flourishing around the notebook?s edge, touchpad and keyboard. A diamond-cut finish VAIO logo on the lid is also something to show off. It also comes with personalisation kit which includes matching keyboard skin and Bluetooth mouse.

Not the most portable choice here, but this laptop really is very good all-rounder. The keyboard is a model of comfort, with large keys that offer you the ideal type of action. The wide island-style keyboard has generous key spacing with backlight for error-free late-night typing. The touchpad is large and responsive, rounding off a wonderful interface.

The laptop is equipped with 3rd generation Intel Core i7 CPU1 with AMD Radeon HD 7670M discrete GPU (VRAM: 1GB). It comes with battery life of up to 5.5 hours. For less intensive tasks VAIO automatically switches off the discrete GPU to boost battery life. Endurance is stretched even further by the efficient VAIO display and energy-efficient processors, plus an on-board optical drive that shuts down to zero power consumption when it?s not needed.

The new ?Rapid Wake + Eco,? energy saving mode puts VAIO into an ultra-low power deep sleep, keeping all your data safe for up to ten days. This feature basically means that the laptop resumes from the sleep mode instantly, letting you get back to work right away.

I played several movies from my DVD collection and the machine didn?t disappoint at all. Unique to Sony, xLOUD and Clear Phase technologies enhance volume levels without distortion for an immersive audio experience. Alternatively, switch to Dolby Home Theatre V4 for rich, cinema-style audio?whether you?re listening through built-in speakers, external loudspeakers or headphones. Video chats too are clearer and crisper with built-in high definition Web camera. I

also played a couple of intensive games without any problems and all the multimedia applications that I tested were found to be running with ease. For those who carry a lot of devices around and periodically look for charging stations, the VAIO E14A helps in charging USB devices, even when the PC power is off.

I was impressed with this Sony VAIO laptop, especially with its audio and video performance. My piece of advice: buying a VAIO is usually worry-free.

Estimated street price: Rs. 55,990