WHAT'S HOT: The VAIO PCG-VX88 has a roomy 14.1-inch screen, but it weighs a svelte 4.4 pounds (not counting its bundled external optical drive). The black-and-silver case slopes from 1.6 inches in height at the hinges (including its built-in rubber feet) to a sleek 1-inch in front.

The PCG-VX88 is wireless enabled. A switch on the left side of the case lets you prolong battery life by turning off autoscanning when you don't need the notebook to look for an access point. Another plus: The PCG-VX88 lasted almost 3 hours on one charge in our battery life tests. For even longer battery life, Sony sells a $499 double-capacity replacement battery it says can provide up to 12 hours of cord-free computing (we did not test it).

WHAT'S NOT: Unlike most other notebooks its size, the PCG-VX88 has no internal media bay (having one would help reduce the number of peripherals hanging off the case). The PCG-VX88's external DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive plugs into the notebook's FireWire port and a nearby DC-out port. A USB 1.1 floppy drive costs an extra $80.

The PCG-VX88 lacks parallel, serial, and PS/2 ports. It is not unusual for a small notebook to feature a legacy-light design, but Sony does not offer a docking station or a port replicator to replace the missing connections.

The notebook's memory slots are a hassle to reach. They're located on the bottom behind a large panel that's held in by numerous screws. The manual does a poor job of identifying which five screws are the correct ones to remove (a Sony spokesperson identified them as being marked by a combination of arrows and dots), and the screws are so tiny and deeply inset that we stripped them, after which they were almost impossible to extract.

WHAT ELSE: Aside from the usual extras found on most Sony notebooks--a slot for the company's proprietary Memory Stick media and a jog barrel to aid the touchpad in its pointing and selection duties--the PCG-VX88 offers a fairly typical set of connections. A USB 1.1 port sits on each side of the case, with the FireWire port (Sony's I.Link) and one PC Card slot on the left. Sturdy flip-down doors protect the ethernet jack and monitor connection on the left as well as the headphone and microphone jacks on the right, where the modem jack is also located. To access the hard drive you take out a couple of screws and remove a panel on the bottom of the notebook.

The light-purple touchpad, mouse buttons, and jog barrel of the PCG-VX88's keyboard are artistically arranged in a square metallic frame. The keyboard itself was a bit disappointing, however: Although the keys are adequately spaced, it felt a bit shallow and we had to concentrate to hit the alphanumeric-size Tab and right Shift keys.

The PCG-VX88's speakers emit fairly loud sound from a long panel just beneath the last row of keys. Combination keystrokes raise or mute the volume, but oddly, the only way to lower the sound is via software settings.

Equipped with an 850-MHz Pentium III-M processor and running Windows XP Home, the PCG-VX88 turned in a lackluster PC WorldBench 4 score of 81--about 20 percent behind new 2-GHz Pentium 4 notebooks we tested. The only printed documentation is a quick-start booklet that helps novices get their feet wet. A thorough electronic user's guide on the hard drive in the Windows Help and Support Center covers everything else.

UPSHOT: Though its worth a look if you like to travel with a lightweight notebook with a big screen, this VAIO also comes with a long list of compromises. It could be a good choice for owners of Sony digital cameras and digital camcorders.

SUMMARY

Sony VAIO PCG-VX88 PC WorldBench 4 score of 81, 850-MHz/500-MHz Pentium III-M CPU, 256MB of RAM, Windows XP Home, 14.1-inch active-matrix screen, Intel 815EM graphics using main memory, 30GB hard drive, external 8X DVD-ROM and 8X/4X/24X CD-RW combination drive, built-in V.90 modem and network interface, touchpad pointing device, 6.5-pound weight (including optical drive, AC power adapter, and phone cord); Quicken 2002 New User Edition, Microsoft Word 2002. One-year parts and labor warranty; free toll-free 24-hour technical support. $1899 888/315-7669 www.sony.com/vaio