GADGET BURNER

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Sony must not have listened when it was designing its new model ultraportable notebook, the Sony VAIO G1. And they shouldn't. In the world of ultraportables, less is more.

Powered by Intel's ultra low voltage Core Solo processor, this new Sony notebook weighs in at a dainty 2.1 pounds. I've eaten hamburgers that have weighed more. In any event, you won't be asking "where's the beef?" with this laptop. Though it's petite, it is still loaded with enough features to make it a functional companion on any business trip. There's the 12.1 inch display, which works just fine for word processing and spreadsheeting with its matte finish.
(No Xbrite technology, though, so Web sites and DVDs may look flat.)
Speaking of which, the ultraportable VAIO G1 manages to contain a DVD burner too-with enough room to spare for a VGA port, two USBs, Ethernet, a PC Card slot, and two Wi-Fi antennae for respectable wireless capabilities. Don't forget a battery. Sony estimates put battery life at 6 hours, though smart money is four hours being more likely.
So how can the new Sony manage all of these features and still weigh less than my favorite hamburger?
The beauty is in the carbon fiber body. Most laptops contain aluminum or magnesium of some alloy or another, but the carbon body of this ultraportable Sony makes it lighter and stronger, and better at not burning your lap.One downside of this little guy-it only comes with 512MB of RAM for starters.
It's upgradeable to 1.5GB, which you might consider if you're going to switch to Vista when it eventually comes out. Another downside: no cutting edge gaming capabilities with only an Intel Graphic Media Accelerator card. The price tag hurts too: $2,599, partly explained by the fact this Vaio notebook has to be shipped to the United States by importer Dynamism. It is not sold on the shelves here in the U.S.