First Look: New Sony R505 Notebooks

Sony Electronics introduced today two additions to its SuperSlim Pro line of VAIO R505 notebook computers. Featuring 1 GHz and higher processors, the new R505DS and R505DL ultralight models offer integrated IEEE 802.11b wireless capabilities.

The new thin profile R505 PCs weigh less than four and a half pounds and feature Mobile Intel Pentium III processors. The R505DS model comes with the Mobile Intel Pentium III processor 1.13 GHz-M, 256 MB SDRAM, and a 40 GB hard drive while the R505DL features the Mobile Intel Pentium III processor 1.00 GHz-M, 256 GB of SDRAM, and a 30 GB hard drive.

Both include a SlimDock docking station with a floppy disk drive and a CD-RW/DVD combo drive for users who want to watch DVD movies, listen to music CDs or burn CDs on the road without adding a lot of weight or plug-in peripherals. Mirroring the ports built into each R505 unit, the SlimDock also features two USB ports, a serial port, printer port, a 10Base-T/100Base-TX integrated Ethernet port and VGA-out for direct hook-up to projectors or monitors.

The R505DS model will be available for about $2,300 next month. Consumers can have the option of purchasing R505DS models with either Windows 2000 Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Pro preloaded. The R505DL model will sell for approximately $1,700 and will be available next month.