1. Professional and Multi-Use

There are several categories of portable computers. Manufacturers classify their products by the use they’re put to. So, for example, there are laptops geared for students and families (generally with 15.4- and 17-inch displays), PCs for gamers that emphasize large display sizes (since mobility is less of a factor) and ultra-portables for business users. The latter are mostly small-and-light systems that are geared for office applications. In other words, ultra-portable business laptops are essentially work computers, and they stick to their primary function. Or at least that was true a few years ago. But their range of use has widened since then.

We recently reviewed 5 business ultraportables. The Sony Vaio TT’s predecessor, the TZ, was one of them. This review can be directly compared to that roundup.

No Such Thing as Too Beautiful

Today, OEMs that offer these so-called ultra-portable business PCs, many of which have display sizes between 11 and 12.1 inches, are now broadening their laptops’ range of uses to include multimedia applications and sometimes even 3D gaming. Yet, these laptops retain their original purpose by remaining mobile and reliable while offering high performance.

While a mid-range processor is amply sufficient to handle most applications, manufacturers don’t hesitate to fit their “pro” product ranges with high-performance components. Why? To make their business customers happy, but also to appeal to a segment of the general public: those who seek high-end mobile PCs.

First impressions

With its new Vaio Z and TT, Sony fits this profile perfectly. Powerful, highly mobile and with elegant looks, these ultra-portables have what it takes to reinforce the ego of any tech lover. To get an idea of the quality — good or bad — of these two computers, we ran some initial tests on the new killer models from Sony Vaio.