First, an apology for the delay since my last blog posting.

The Sony VAIO UX series of UMPCs were at the top of my list of those gadgets I had always wanted, but I could not justify the cost. So I jumped at the chance for an extended look at one. The Sony VGN-UX380N is not one of the later Sony UMPCs with a Solid State Drive instead of a Hard Drive, but the specs are still impressive:

Intel Core Solo processor running at 1.33 GHz, 1 GB RAM, integrated Intel 950 graphics and a 40GB hard disk drive. It also has Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and two small cameras. There is also a biometric fingerprint reader, one USB port, and a Memory Stick slot. All this in an UMPC that would fit in a large pocket. It is 6 inches wide by 3.74 inches high by 1.5 inches at its thickest points. It weighs 1.2 pounds.

The Sony VAIO UX380N runs Vista Business Edition, making for a very portable fully powered PC. One thing I did find some getting used to was the 4.5 inch widescreen with a native resolution of 1024 x 600. Although the text is clear, it is difficult to read. Fortunately there are two buttons on the right hand side which come in very useful: zoom in and zoom out.

MobileTechReview.com has an in-depth review of the Sony VAIO UX380N.