The Sony U series of

subnotebook Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, was a marketing term for laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop. Types and sizes As typical laptop sizes have decreased over t ...

computers refers to two series of

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

products the PCG-U and the VGN-U. The later VGN-U were, at their release, the smallest independent computers running

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...

and the most powerful high-end subnotebooks at the time. The VGN-U50 and VGN-U70P models are roughly the size of two DVD cases stacked on top of each other. The first models of the series to come out were the VGN-U50 and the VGN-U70P in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

model is the VGN-U750P. A VGN-U8G model was introduced for some south

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n countries.

Technical specifications

Additional specification for VGN-U series * Display: 5 in (127 mm) SVGA, 800×600, 16 million colors, touchscreen * Keyboard: 87 keys, English/Japanese layout (connects via

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad v ...

, does not attach to unit) * Expansion ports: **Sony

Memory Stick The Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, originally launched by Sony in late 1998. In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and ...

CompactFlash CompactFlash (CF) is a flash memory mass storage device used mainly in portable electronic devices. The format was specified and the devices were first manufactured by SanDisk in 1994. CompactFlash became one of the most successful of the e ...

Type-II (can be used as 16-bit PCMCIA with proper adapter) * Soundcard: PCM 16-bit audio, mono speaker, stereo headphone jack * Mouse: TrackStik (trackpoint-like) with 2+1 buttons (left, right, middle) *

Handwriting recognition Handwriting recognition (HWR), also known as handwritten text recognition (HTR), is the ability of a computer to receive and interpret intelligible handwritten input from sources such as paper documents, photographs, touch-screens and other dev ...

software: RitePen; also compatible with third-party alternatives such as PenOffice Other: *

LCD A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but in ...

for headphone remote, time display * 1

2.0 Port * Power supply: AC 100/240 V (50/60 Hz) – DC 16 V/2.2 A/? W * Size: 167 × 108 × 26.4 mm * Weight: 550 g (incl. battery) * Hard disk drive ** 20 GB Ultra-ATA100 70p/U750/U50/U8g***Toshiba MK2004GAL (DC 3.3 V, 500 mA) ** 30 GB Ultra-ATA100 71p* Floppy disk drive: None (optional accessory) * Optical storage ** None (optional accessory) 70p/U50/U750/U71p** DVD+/-RW Drive (external slim) 8G*** PCGA-DDRW2 (Firewire – DC 10 V, 1.5 A)

Docking station In computing, a docking station or port replicator (hub) or dock provides a simplified way to ''plug-in'' a mobile device, such as a laptop, to common peripherals. Because a wide range of dockable devices—from mobile phones to wireless mouse� ...

: * 3 additional USB 2.0 ports * i.Link 4-pin

FireWire IEEE 1394 is an interface standard for a serial bus for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer. It was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Apple in cooperation with a number of companies, primarily Sony an ...

port * 10/100 Intel

ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...

VGA Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a video display controller and accompanying de facto graphics standard, first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, which became ubiquitous in the PC industry within three years. The term can no ...

port

Advanced technical information for the VGN-U series

CPU

The Pentium-M series CPU (1.0 GHz, 1.1 GHz) supports

SpeedStep Enhanced SpeedStep is a series of dynamic frequency scaling technologies (codenamed Geyserville and including SpeedStep, SpeedStep II, and SpeedStep III) built into some Intel microprocessors that allow the clock speed of the processor to be dynami ...

, which allows the processor to slow down when not under load, using less power and prolonging battery life. The 1.1 GHz is a

Dothan Dothan is a place-name from the Hebrew Bible, identified with Tel Dothan. It may refer to: * Dothan, Alabama, a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties in the U.S. state of Alabama * Dani Dothan, lyricist and vocalist for the Israeli rock and ne ...

generation processor, and has a 2 MB cache, whereas the 1.0 GHz is a

Banias Banias or Banyas ( ar, بانياس الحولة; he, בניאס, label=Modern Hebrew; Judeo-Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew: פמייס, etc.; grc, Πανεάς) is a site in the Golan Heights near a natural spring, once associated with the Greek ...

generation CPU with only 1 MB of cache. The 900 MHz Celeron-M does not support SpeedStep, and has only 512 KB cache. Despite the Celeron-M's performance shortcomings, benchmarks show the arithmetic performance difference is marginal. Much of the performance increase seems to result from having a total of 512 MB of memory. Battery life of the Pentium-M series is said to be anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes over the Celeron-M model as a result of having SpeedStep.

Display

The internal display has a resolution of 800x600 pixels. The integrated i855gm graphics card can display a maximum of 16 million colors. Connecting an external monitor to the VGA port of the docking station enables a maximum resolution of 1600x1200x16m. The graphics supports display cloning or extended desktop when using an extended monitor, and also supports

OpenGL OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardwa ...

and

Direct3D Direct3D is a graphics application programming interface (API) for Microsoft Windows. Part of DirectX, Direct3D is used to render three-dimensional graphics in applications where performance is important, such as games. Direct3D uses hardware a ...

hardware acceleration, with a performance approximating that of a

Radeon Radeon () is a brand of computer products, including graphics processing units, random-access memory, RAM disk software, and solid-state drives, produced by Radeon Technologies Group, a division of AMD. The brand was launched in 2000 by ATI Tech ...

7000 or a

GeForce GeForce is a brand of graphics processing units (GPUs) designed by Nvidia. As of the GeForce 40 series, there have been eighteen iterations of the design. The first GeForce products were discrete GPUs designed for add-on graphics boards, inten ...

1. With updated drivers from Intel, the ability to rotate the screen in 90, 180 and 270 degree modes is enabled. The brightness of the internal display is adjustable. The brightness control has nine levels, and also the ability to turn the backlight off in direct sunlight. The display is very small, roughly 5 inches (127 mm) diagonal; it may cause some eyestrain if it used for prolonged periods. The high

DPI A Daytona Prototype International (DPi) was a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the International Motor Sports Association's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as their top class of car, acting as a direct replacemen ...

resolution offers excellent viewing of images and video.

Keyboard

Sony VGP-KBC1 Foldable Keyboard, The compact USB keyboard resembles a laptop keyboard. It folds in the middle, and has a TrackStik mouse pointer in the center. When folded, the unit is approximately the same width and height of the U-series unit, and about half the thickness. Original U50 and U70p units had a faulty Synaptics driver which sometimes caused USB HID input device conflicts. Recent driver updates have resolved this issue.

TrackStik and mouse buttons

The pointing-head is on the right side of the unit below the directional pad. The mouse buttons are on the left side of the unit, no matter what orientation it is used in. When rotated into portrait mode, the options key, brightness, and onscreen keyboard button are remapped to the mouse buttons, and the previous mouse buttons become the new modifier buttons. The TrackStick has a rubber tip that can be worn out after repeated use. You can get a replacement tip from Sony parts.

CompactFlash slot

This slot will accommodate a Type-II CompactFlash device, provided there are Windows XP drivers for such a device. It will accept all valid CompactFlash memory cards. Some memory cards pulled from sealed MP3 devices such as

iPod The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes ...

s have been crippled as so not to be fully compliant as a regular memory card, and may not work.

Memory Stick slot

The Sony Memory Stick slot is underneath the CompactFlash slot. It will accept only Memory Stick memory storage cards;

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

and

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...

cards will not work as there are no Windows XP drivers for any such Memory Stick IO devices at this time.

Headset connectors

There is one headset connector on the left hand side of the unit, above the button-hold switch. It also has an extended port for a headphone remote control unit, which allows one to control audio playback and read current track information. There are a couple extensions available to allow Windows Media Player and Winamp to display output to the controller unit.

Rechargeable battery

There are two

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

batteries available, and now some aftermarket enhanced models. The stock one that comes with all units lasts approximately two to three hours, depending on usage. An extended battery is available as an option, is about twice the thickness of the stock battery, and lasts approximately twice as long as the stock battery.

Power supply

The iGo Juice and other third party adapter manufacturers make power supplies that are compatible with the U series. The power tip is compatible with many other

models, including the Z505, and possibly some

Fujitsu is a Japanese multinational information and communications technology equipment and services corporation, established in 1935 and headquartered in Tokyo. Fujitsu is the world's sixth-largest IT services provider by annual revenue, and the la ...

models. Please check voltage, current and power ratings to ensure maximum compatibility.

RAM & upgrading

On all models, the memory is on a proprietary daughtercard manufactured by Sony. This card has a proprietary interface, and is incompatible with all currently known memory cards. The memory is DDR 266 MHz. On models with 512 MB, the memory is maxed out. On models with 256 MB, the memory card can be removed and replaced with a 512 MB card, currently only available in Japan, but occasionally rarely found in the United States, and usually at extremely high prices. Since the U series uses a proprietary memory module and not a standard SODIMM, if a vendor claims to have U-series RAM for sale and it is a SODIMM, it will not fit in the U series. There are various vendors claiming to sell U-series RAM but the vast majority are selling incompatible DDR SODIMM. There has been no report of modules larger than 512MB as of August 2014.

i.Link Firewire port

i.Link is Sony's name for

IEEE 1394 IEEE 1394 is an interface standard for a serial bus for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer. It was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Apple in cooperation with a number of companies, primarily Sony an ...

; the port is compatible with 4 pin

cables, and is unpowered. 6 pin firewire cables will need an adapter. The i.Link port on the docking station additionally has a power jack next to the 4 pin jack, used only for Sony compatible CD and DVD drives. Only drives compatible with this extended power jack are capable of booting CDs and DVDs on the U series. Other drives may work once booted into the OS, but will not boot setup CDs or DVDs. There are at least four Sony drives that will work: PCGA-CRWD2, PCGA-DVRW1, PCVA-DRW3, and PCGA-DVD1/A. (Note that the Sony DRX-510UL drive can be used to read/write discs once Windows has booted, but the red text halfway down the page says specifically, "The DRX-510UL cannot handle .e., be used forsystem recovery (the reinstallation of the OS).")

Models and prices

The VGN-U70p was produced in 2004 in Japan. It was not available outside Japan, but it was available via import retailers. Only Sony Japan sold the VGN-U70p version directly, while both Sony and other Japanese vendors sold the lower model VGN-U50. A memory upgrade for the U50 is rumored to exist in Japan at an extremely high price. As of approximately January 2005, Sony Japan had discontinued the U70p, and introduced a new model, VGN-U71p. The upgraded features include a 1.1 GHz CPU with 2 MB of cache, and a 30 GB hard drive. In December 2004, Sony USA introduced an American model, the VGN-U750. It is identical to the U70, but has an upgraded CPU of 1.1 GHz with 2 MB of cache. It forgoes the Japanese Sony DoVaio media application for an English version of Sony VAIO Media as its media player application. In mid-February 2005, Sony USA's website stopped selling the U750. In

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, and a few other south Asian countries, Sony had introduced a regional localized model, the VGN-U8G and VGN-U8C. The U8G is identical to the U50, except it came with an external DVD+/-RW i. Link drive.

Availability

All models of the Sony Vaio U series have been discontinued in lieu of the new UX series. For a limited time, models U50/U8G/U8C/U70p/U71p/u750p were available from the following vendors (listed alphabetically): As all U models preceding the UX have been discontinued as of 2006, availability of any of the aforementioned U series models on the following websites is either nil, scarce, or sporadic. Due to their unique design and still-considerable computational power the U series remains in high demand, evidenced by the numerous internet fan communities and the consistent high prices they fetch on online auction sites.