Sony Unveils Vaio L Series Desktop PCs

Sony Wednesday unveiled its new mid-year PC line-up for Japan, including a new product family, the Vaio L desktop series.

The total line consists of 41 models. Absent are the Blu-ray Disc-based machines that are expected to go on sale in the middle of this year.

The new Vaio L desktop machines are all-in-one models in which the computer circuitry is built behind the monitor so the whole thing looks similar to a flat-panel television.

Sony debuted two main types: the LA series has a 19-inch widescreen display and wireless keyboard and the LB series has a 15.4-inch widescreen display and attached keyboard. The keyboard on the latter model is attached to the main body on hinges just under the display and can be folded up to cover most of the display when not in use. This is reminiscent of the Vaio W and M machines that Sony has sold in the past.

Available Configurations

The LA machines are available in two hardware configurations. Both include a TV recording function, 512MB of memory and a 200GB hard drive. They differ in the choice of processor: One features an Intel Core Duo T2300 processor and the other an Intel Celeron M 420 processor. The basic configuration for the LB machines has Celeron M 420 processor, 512MB of memory, and an 80GB hard drive--but no TV recording function.

The Intel Core Duo LA machine will cost around $2110, the Celeron M-based LA machine will cost about $1860 and the LB machine will cost about $1520. All three will be available in Japan from April 22. Sale of the machines overseas is still under consideration, said Sony.

None of the 41 machines supports the Blu-ray Disc format that a group of companies led by Sony is championing as a replacement for DVD for high-definition movies. Sony said at the Cebit show in Germany last month that it hopes to put Vaio desktop and laptop computers with Blu-ray Disc support on sale worldwide in the middle of this year. On Wednesday the company said the machines would be available in the U.S. in the "early summer" and wouldn't comment on a launch time for other markets.