Sony shows VAIO A500 17-inch notebooks in style

Boosting the specifications of its VAIO A series desktop replacement series, Sony has introduced the VAIO A500 series to replace the existing VAIO A400 series. As with its predecessors, the A500 series falls under the umbrella of Sony's desktop replacement notebooks, and offers the largest screens and most powerful specifications available the Japanese maker's line-up.

Ranging in processor choices from Intel's Pentium M 740 up to the M 760, the A500 series offers speeds of up to 2 GHz in combination with up to 2 GB of 533 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. Hard drive sizes range from 80 to 120 GB in the shape of SATA disks spinning at 5,400 RPM, with the A500 series also offering a DVD±RW Dual Layer drive.

A 17-inch display is standard across all models, sporting a WXGA+ resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels and Sony's X-Black technology and being powered by a 256 MB ATI Radeon X600 graphics card.

A range of connectivity options are available including 10/100/1000 Ethernet and a V.92 56K modem; three USB 2.0 ports; FireWire; VGA and combo AV out ports; and a Memory Stick expansion slot supporting both standard Memory Stick and the newer Duo format. Furthermore, the A500 series also integrates Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g.

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