Recently, I had the pleasure to use Sony UMPC, VAIO VGN-UX390N, for the purpose of evaluation.
The first time I saw it was at an electronic store in Las Vegas. It looked very impressive in the window. The build quality seemed to be very solid and refined. That was my first impression of Sony UMPC.
Several months later, a work related activity prompted me to purchase two UMPC's for evaluation. I picked UX390N and Samsung's Q1 for the project. I volunteered my time on UX390N, since I had such a good first impression on it.
After a few days, I was quite disappointed with UX390N. It is not as fast as I have expected, especially when starting an application. The screen and font size are not easy on my eyes. When I increased the font size, application windows would not fit the screen. The battery lasted only for two hours after each charge. From time to time the software and operating system hung. The user experience was less than satisfactory.
It is a fully functional PC in a petite form loaded with Microsoft Windows Vista Business. With build-in GPRS connectivity (provided by AT&T) and priced at US$2350, apparently it is for business users. I have doubts about the product positioning and wonder who the potential customers are. With $2000, a business user can buy a light laptop weighted at 3 lb that has a full keyboard and a screen around 11 inches, like the VAIO TZ series. The performance is better in that class and the size of the disk space will not be a problem. It dose not require build-in GPRS. A lot of 2.5G/3G cell phones can be used as modem to provide wireless data connection. Can UX390N be used for consumers at home? I think it is too pricey for that market. Besides, holding a 1.2-lb up to two hours for Internet browsing is not very pleasant. With its form factor, it has to be as light as an Apple iPod Touch (120 g) or a Nokia N810 (225 g). As for software, it suffices to say Vista is not the best fit for this type of device and Sony needs to look into another direction.
I was wondering what happened at Sony in recent years. It is still very good at building hardware of excellent quality. Now that a new generation (UX490) is available for sale, I hope Sony will realize upgrading hardware will not make the device better. After all, hardware is only half of the story.
Sony VAIO VGN-UX390N -
Intel Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz
1GB Memory
32 GB flash disk drive
MS Windows Vista Business
Weight 1.2 lb
Dimension 5.91”(W) x 3.74”(H) x 1.27-1.50”(D)
The first time I saw it was at an electronic store in Las Vegas. It looked very impressive in the window. The build quality seemed to be very solid and refined. That was my first impression of Sony UMPC.
Several months later, a work related activity prompted me to purchase two UMPC's for evaluation. I picked UX390N and Samsung's Q1 for the project. I volunteered my time on UX390N, since I had such a good first impression on it.
After a few days, I was quite disappointed with UX390N. It is not as fast as I have expected, especially when starting an application. The screen and font size are not easy on my eyes. When I increased the font size, application windows would not fit the screen. The battery lasted only for two hours after each charge. From time to time the software and operating system hung. The user experience was less than satisfactory.
It is a fully functional PC in a petite form loaded with Microsoft Windows Vista Business. With build-in GPRS connectivity (provided by AT&T) and priced at US$2350, apparently it is for business users. I have doubts about the product positioning and wonder who the potential customers are. With $2000, a business user can buy a light laptop weighted at 3 lb that has a full keyboard and a screen around 11 inches, like the VAIO TZ series. The performance is better in that class and the size of the disk space will not be a problem. It dose not require build-in GPRS. A lot of 2.5G/3G cell phones can be used as modem to provide wireless data connection. Can UX390N be used for consumers at home? I think it is too pricey for that market. Besides, holding a 1.2-lb up to two hours for Internet browsing is not very pleasant. With its form factor, it has to be as light as an Apple iPod Touch (120 g) or a Nokia N810 (225 g). As for software, it suffices to say Vista is not the best fit for this type of device and Sony needs to look into another direction.
I was wondering what happened at Sony in recent years. It is still very good at building hardware of excellent quality. Now that a new generation (UX490) is available for sale, I hope Sony will realize upgrading hardware will not make the device better. After all, hardware is only half of the story.
Sony VAIO VGN-UX390N -
Intel Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz
1GB Memory
32 GB flash disk drive
MS Windows Vista Business
Weight 1.2 lb
Dimension 5.91”(W) x 3.74”(H) x 1.27-1.50”(D)
