Sony Vaio PWith sub-$300 price tags and cute names like Wind and Eee, the cheapo laptops now known as netbooks are outselling every other kind of computer on the market.  Unfortunately, their cramped keyboards, low-res screens, and processors that can barely handle a 1993 version of Doom make most of them good for little more than basic email.

That’s why I dig Sony’s new P series: It has the svelte size and weight of a netbook (9.6″ x 4.7″ x .78″, 1.4 pounds) with the  brains of a notebook — it’s 1.33 GHz processor and 2 GB RAM provide enough muscle to run a big-boy OS (like the new Windows 7) without a hitch.

It’s eight-inch LED-lit screen is actually smaller than most of the competition, but thanks to its ultrawide 1,600 x 768 resolution, the Vaio P handles HD video.  Meanwhile, most netbooks are lucky if they can get through a YouTube video of a sneezing panda without freezing up.

The Vaio P even has a built-in turn-by-turn GPS for those times when you’re feeling a little lost.

Unfortunately, the P’s starting price of $900 will keep it out of impulse purchase territory.  But, hey, small, fast, cheap – pick two.

You can learn more about the Sony Vaio P or buy one for yourself at www.sonystyle.com.

Sony Vaio P Netbook

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