Sony Unveils the VAIO C Series Laptops

Today Sony announced the new VAIO C lineup of entertainment notebooks, each equipped with a second generation Intel Core i5 processor. Select models will come built with a Blu-ray player drive with HD video playback and DVD/CD read/write and a 1GB AMD Radeon 6630 hybrid graphics card.
A glowing light will run around the edges of the neon-colored notebooks, and also around the VAIO logo and the touchpad. Each model will also feature a backlit keyboard. The 14-inch VAIO CA and 15-inch VAIO CB series will be available in neon orange and green, white, and black. Both notebooks will have LED backlit widescreen displays with 1080p resolution.
Each model will also come with three quick-launch buttons on the keyboard: one button to launch media applications, one for Sony VAIO Care, and another to quickly launch your web browser.
Each notebook will have both an HD camera with an Exmor sensor; according to Sony, the camera will work well even when the lighting is low in the room. The camera also includes face-tracking technology (when you move, it moves).
Sony Imagination Studio Suite 2: VAIO Edition Features (included)

• Vegas Movie Studio Platinum, film-editing software
• Acid Music Studio, audio-editing/mixing software 
• Adobe Acrobat Standard
• "Remote keyboard" option -- pair the VAIO C keyboard and touchpad with other Sony devices wirelessly

The VAIO C 14-inch and 15-inch models are expected to be a direct competitor to other similar-sized consumer notebooks such as the popular Dell Inspiron 14R and 15R. 

The VAIO C series will be available for pre-sale on March 13, 2011 through Sony's online store at an MSRP starting at $880.

Motorola i335 (Nextel)

It's been so long since we've reviewed a Nextel cell phone (the last was the Motorola i580 in July 2006) that we almost forgot they existed. In the wake of the 2005 Next/Sprint merger, the carrier announced it was phasing out iDEN-only models in favor of dual-mode handsets like the Motorola ic902 and ic502. But with its new Motorola i335, iDEN is back. Sporting Nextel markings only (you won't find "Sprint" anywhere on the handset or its packaging), the i335 combines traditional Nextel design with a dose of modern style. Its candy bar body is tough and durable, but the i335 is the thinnest Nextel handset to date. It lacks a camera, but of course it offers Nextel's standard array of push-to-talk (PTT) services. The i335 will put a crimp in your wallet if you pay full price ($249), but you can get it for as low as $49.99 with service if you buy it online. To find accessories for this phone, see our cell phone ringtones and accessories guide.
Design
Nextel loyalists will be pleased to know that the Motorola i335 has everything they've come to love in cell phone design. The sturdy candy bar model looks like it could take quite a beating, and the interface, while far from flashy, is functional and reliable. But as we mentioned earlier, the i335 is the first Nextel phone to make a play for the thin handset trend. At 4.7 inches by 1.8 inches by 0.5 inch, it sheds much of the bulk that plagued the carrier's earlier models though it remains slightly heavy at 3.7 ounces. The design succeeds not because it's fashionable, but rather because it's simple and practical. Clad in black with a few silver touches, it's unassuming as well.