The guys over at Sony Style have started to accept pre-orders for the sexy compact 1.4 pound PC that runs a full version of Windows Vista, despite the fact that it can fit in (or at least stick out of) your pocket.

At the heart of the Type-P is it compact 8″ display, offering an amazingly crisp 1600 x 768 resolution LCD screen with a bright, power-saving LED backlight. I think that’s better resolution than my old 15″ laptop has. There’s also a built-in webcam and microphone for live video and audio chat.

Wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n networking and Bluetooth connectivity are built in. The Type-P also includes on-board GPS navigation with turn-by-turn directions. Run time for the included Li-ion battery pack is rated at appx. 4 hours under normal usage, but you can upgrade to a larger battery for up to 8 hours on a charge.

The VAIO Type-P is available in Crystal White, Garnet Red, Onyx Black, and Peridot Green for those of you looking for a bit of color in your UMPC.

Prices for the Type-P start at $899.99 (USD) for the VGN-P530, with an Atom Z520 1.33GHz CP, Vista Home Basic and a 60GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM. The VGN-P588 ($1199.99) adds Vista Home Premium, and swaps the hard drive for a 64GB SSD (solid state drive). The top-of-the-line VGN-P598 ($1499.99) bumps the drive up to a 128GB SSD. If you’re looking to fully customize your Type-P or add a faster processor, check out the pre-order Japanese P90 over at GeekStuff4U.

Now I just need to find a pair of pants with bigger pockets.

The new MacBook Air features a striking aluminum case design, and is skinny enough to fit inside of a standard manilla envelope. To put it’s size in perspective, the iPhone is about 0.45″ thick, so the average thickness of the MacBook Air is virtually the same as the iPhone.

In addition to its gorgeous exterior, the Air features a 13.3-inch widescreen (1280×800) display with LED backlighting, which minimizes power consumption, as well as providing an instant-on picture when the lid is opened.

Despite its slim form-factor, the MacBook Air manages to include a full-size keyboard, with solid tactile feedback. What’s super-cool is the fact that the keyboard offers backlighting which automatically turns on in darkened locations. There’s also a huge trackpad that’s the first to offer multi-touch capabilities similar to those found on the iPhone. Apple also managed to squeeze in a built in iSight camera for online video chat sessions.

The system runs on a brand new Intel Core 2 Duo processor, available in either a 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz speeds. In order to cram all those brains into such a tiny body, Apple worked with Intel to shrink the size of the processor by about 60% from previous models. Both models include 2GB of RAM, which does not appear to be expandable at this point.

Battery life is rated at 5 hours, with Wi-Fi active, but in order to keep things thin, the battery is built in and not user-replaceable (let’s hope these batteries last a really long time). Connectivity includes 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), a single USB 2.0 port and a micro-DVI connector for hooking up an external monitor. Apple also left out the DVD drive to help lighten the load. If you must use CDs or DVDs, you can either pick up a $99 external DVD burner (the Air SuperDrive), or mount discs wirelessly from another computer.

Pricing for the MacBook Air starts at $1799 for the base model with a 1.6GHz CPU and an 80GB hard drive. For an additional $1300, you can upgrade to a 1.8GHz CPU and a super-speedy 64GB solid state drive, but the $3098 price tag makes that model cost-prohibitive. Apple is taking pre-orders now, and they should start shipping orders by 1/31/2008.

The Sony VAIO G series of ultra-portable laptops weighs just 1.98 pounds and measures just 10.9″ x 8.5″ x 1″. The little portables feature a 12.1-inch TFT LCD screen (running at a respectable 1024×768 resolution). Powered by a Celeron or Core Solo 1.06GHz or 1.2GHz U1400 CPU, 40, 60 or 80GB hard drive and up to 1.5GB of RAM, the VAIO G should be more than sufficient for all but the most intensive business applications. The laptops also feature an on board fingerprint sensor for added security.

Battery life is up to 6 hours, and an optional 12.5 hour battery is available, but increases weight by about half a pound. Initially slated for launch this December in Japan, the base model runs 164,800 (appx. $1403 USD), with well configured systems around 220,000 yen (appx. $1872 USD).

[via engadget]