Sony took the wraps off the world’s lightest notebook - the VAIO X Series. Housed in a lightweight carbon-fiber chassis, the X Series weighs just 1.6 pounds (with standard battery) and is just over a half-inch thin - roughly the width of a cell phone. It features a 16:9 aspect ratio which means you get a wider workspace -all packed into a compact 11.1-inch (diagonal) footprint. And not only is the scratch-resistant LCD display durable, it also provides brilliant picture quality with 100 percent colour saturation and improved brightness, thanks to its LED backlight technology.

The X Series is also supplied with both a standard and super-extended capacity battery, delivering extra-long battery life for day-long productivity - up to 3.5 hours for the standard battery and up to 14 hours for the super-extended capacity battery.

The unit’s extremely thin profile alone is enough to turn heads but its real elegance is found in its subtle details. Grooved edging traces its perimeter while a seamless sheet of lightly brushed aluminum frames the keyboard and covers the palmrest.

Its uniquely configured keyboard is designed with spacing between the keys for a comfortable typing experience. And the keystroke is firm and solid creating a user-friendly touch and feel that makes finding the keys more intuitive.

The unit’s touchpad features a multi-touch functionality commonly associated with touch-enabled smartphones. This means that you can zoom in and out, flip through pictures, rotate items clockwise and counterclockwise, and scroll vertically and horizontally without ever touching your mouse.

The X Series incorporates a solid state drive (SSD) used in place of the spinning hard disk drive found in most computers. This provides a rapid boot-up and quicker access to applications, while reducing the risk of hard drive damage - an ideal feature for those on-the-go who are in situations where sudden movements are common. It will come with Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The VAIO X Series notebook will come in black and retail for about $1,499. It will be available at www.sonystyle.ca, Sony Style retail locations and select retailers around the country starting next month.

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