Sony VAIO VGN-TX37GP

Writing a love poem for a laptop isn't normal behavior, but then the VAIO TX series aren't normal laptops. These 11-inch wonders have looks to die for and their petite dimensions give you a legitimate reason never to venture outdoors without them. If you're looking for a laptop that's genuinely designed for life on the move, is attractive, and you have about RM 8,000 (US$2,289.73) burning a hole in your pocket, the TX37GP could be the one.

DesignLike the virtually identical TX27GP, the VAIO TX37GP is significantly smaller than an A4 sheet of paper. Its petite 1.25kg chassis is built around an 11.1-inch display, which makes it perfectly practical for taking on the move, yet almost intolerable as an everyday office machine. Lift the lid of the VAIO TX37GP and you'll be amazed at how thin the screen is--less than 5mm. Also impressive is the keyboard section.

The keys and the palm rest have an attractive slate-blue finish, while the mouse touchpad has a dotted grid pattern that's almost reminiscent of Braille. Unfortunately, the mouse section is slightly cramped. Sony doesn't have much space to work in, so the ultra-thin selector buttons sit too far towards the front lip of the laptop, making them difficult to press. Above the keyboard, along the hinge of the laptop is a set of shortcut keys--which are accessible whether the screen is open or closed.

One, labelled AV Mode, can be programmed to launch an application of your choice, including Windows Media Player, or programmed to activate a feature such as maximum screen brightness, standby mode or multiple monitor support.

Unlike the VAIO TX27GP, the TX37GP features an integrated fingerprint reader tucked to the far right-hand side of the keyboard section. Just below this are headphone and mic ports, volume adjuster buttons, and a switch for enabling or disabling the wireless capabilities--which could come in handy during a flight. To the left front section of the laptop there's an SD memory card reader and Memory Stick Pro slot, but no sign of readers for other popular card types.

On the left there's an exposed USB port and another hidden behind a plastic flap next to a modem port. At the rear are LAN and four-pin FireWire ports. Finally, there's an implausibly thin DVD rewriter drive on the right hand side, just in front of a D-Sub VGA monitor port.

Processor and Chipset

Intel Core Solo Ultra Low Voltage U1400 (1.2GHz with 2MB L2 cache)

Intel 945GMS Express + ICH7-M
Chipset

533MHz PSB

Operating System	Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
BIOS	Supports CD-ROM and USB boot
System Memory	1GB DDR2-533 (512MB onboard) 1 x DDR2 SO-DIMM Slots (occupied; upgradeable to 1.5GB max. memory)
LCD	11.1-inch WXGA widescreen TFT LCD panel Single Lamp Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
Video	Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Up to 128MB Shared Memory Analog VGA output
HDD	Toshiba 1.8-inch PATA (MK8007GAH) 80GB 4200RPM 8MB Buffer
Optical Drive	Matsushita UJ-832D CD-ROM Read: 24x CD-R Write: 24x CD-RW Write: 10x DVD-ROM Read: 8x DVD±R Write: 4x DVD+RW Write: 2.4x DVD-RW Write: 2x DVD+R DL Write: 2.4x
Communication	Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Adapter HDAUDIO Soft Data Fax V.92 Modem with SmartCP Bluetooth
Audio	Realtek HD Audio CODEC Stereo Speakers
I/O Port	2 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x Mic-in 1 x Headphone jack 1 x RJ11 modem jack 1 x RJ45 Ethernet jack i.Link (IEEE1394) S400 (4 pin) 1 x PC Card (Type I/II, CardBus support) VGA analog output Port Replicator connector
Card Reader	SD Memory Card Slot Memory Stick Slot
Dimensions & Weight	272.4 x 21-28.5 x 195.1mm (W x H x D) Expected weight of 1.25kg (with battery)
Bundled Software and Accessories	Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 Click to DVD 2.5 DVgate Plus 2.2 Image Converter 2 Plus Infineon TPM Professional Package 2.5 Norton Internet Security 2006 Roxio DigitalMedia SE 7 Protector Suite QL 5.3 PictureGear Studio 2.0 SonicStage 3.4 SonicStage Mastering Studio 2.2 VAIO Control Center 1.1 VAIO Edit Components 6.0 VAIO HDD Protection 1.1 VAIO Media 5.0 VAIO Recovery Utility 2.6 VAIO Update 2.1 VAIO Zone 1.4 WinDVD 5.0 for VAIO
Security	BIOS (Password Security-Supervisor Password/User Password) Fingerprint Sensor Kensington Slot