Is That a Laptop in Your Pocket?
Written: Sep 21 '00 (Updated Sep 21 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lightweight, digital camera built-in, easy to carry around, IEEE port included
Cons: tiny keyboard and screen take some getting used to, doesn't come with a CD-ROM
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| argonut's Full Review: Sony VAIO C1X PC Notebook |
Wouldn’t it be cool to be a spy? Get your hands on a couple fancy gadgets to let you see around corners and stand on the ceilings and hear conversations occurring a mile away and you’re in business. Sneak into restricted areas and take snapshots of top-secret meetings and return to safety unharmed. Now we’re talking!
The most difficult challenge for those of us in the spy world is that all of the exciting equipment and daring do-dads that do super-secret stuff tend to be so large and cumbersome. Just the other day, as I was clambering over a wrought iron fence, being chased by a pack of blood thirsty hounds (I am sure you’ve been their before, too) when I realized that my eight pound behemoth of a laptop was really beginning to slow down my spy-like abilities.
Sony must have had spies like us in mind when they designed their ultra-ultra-light VAIO Picturebook computer. Here in 2.4 pounds of purple and silver metal and plastic (looking more like the high-compression carrying case for the Ebola vaccine than a laptop) is a computer that keeps me connected to all of my spy buddies around the world. Whether I’m dangling from a helicopter by a string or sneaking into and out of maximum-security detention centers, the Picturebook never gets in my way.
But once I’ve reached Dr. Evil’s lair, it’s a cinch to whip out the Picturebook and get cracking (as in the code on the safe) with its 466 MHZ processor. After it completes that task, and I have my hands on the confidential plans for the building of a new stadium right smack dab in the middle of Manhattan, (how dastardly!) I can use the Swiss-army-knife-like Picturebook to quickly take a crystal-clear photograph (or even an AVI movie) with its built-in digital camera and store it on the 6.0 GB hard drive. Install a wireless Network card like those from OmniSky and you’ll be emailing your secret info instantly to your colleagues back at headquarters.
While the price tag is a bit high for the whole package, a true spy is not going to let a couple of dollars keep him from purchasing a device that may someday well… er… save his life. (Or at least add a couple of years to his back’s life.) The machine doesn’t come with a CD-ROM drive, so I had to sneak into the SONY warehouse to “borrow” one for my mission, but I recommend you purchase one separately. (Their warehouse is more heavily guarded than Fort Knox.)
In addition, I only recommend using this computer for your highly mobile missions. The tiny keyboard and half-pint screen (8.9" diagonal), while sufficient for all spying activity, will hardly suffice for: Playing Diablo II across the spy network, using in place of a desktop PC or giving to your spy children for use as a toy. In addition, don’t expect to use it in place of your regular camera for your every day photography needs, you’ll really want a much higher quality camera for that type of stuff.
Oh and one final warning, the machine is highly portable, so be careful of your spy enemies, as it is quite easy for them to pick this tiny computer from your pocket if you’re not watching your back. But then again, a highly qualified spy like yourself would never need to be reminded to watch her back. That’s rule number one of being a spy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
argonut
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Member: Jason Epstein
Location: Jerusalem, ISRAEL
Reviews written: 54
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