Sony launches VAIO SZ3 series with HSDPA
Sony have announced that their new SZ3 VAIO notebook computer will feature high-speed mobile broadband technology in partnership with T-Mobile. Whilst the HSDPA service is only just beginning to take hold, the 3.6Mbps from T-Mobile is expected to be in widespread use early next year.
Sony say their SZ3 series notebooks are the ultimate business VAIOs, with users able to choose between extended battery life or the use of both inbuilt graphics cards. High-speed mobile broadband is courtesy of the ExpressCard hardware coupled with a T-Mobile SIM card.
It’s designed to find the fastest service available, and switch automatically, whilst on the move.
Other features include integrated Motion Eye webcam, fingerprint recognition, TPM security and hard-drive drop protection. It features the Intel Core 2 Duo processors and 2GB of memory.
It sounds like a good system for those on the move that want the convenience of broadband without much additional equipment, but I’m wondering if users will get caught up with vendor tie-in, or whether other mobile operators can provide their own SIM cards for use with the system. It’s based on standard technology so I don’t see why not – it wouldn’t be great to be tied in to one UK mobile operator – and what happens when you go abroad and want to use it?
Is this a good solution or is it better to get a separate HSDPA-enabled mobile phone to connect up to your notebook?
Sony
T-Mobile
