sony new laptops

The next criminally overpriced laptop is the 13-inch Sony Vaio Z Series ultraportable laptop (3.4 pounds). The VGN-Z590UBB model is priced at $3,899.99. Amazingly, this comes with only a one-year warranty.

Sony Vaio Z series is aimed presumably at Wall Street firms flush with stimulus-package cash

(Credit: Sony)

But first a few positives. One of the most unusual features of the Vaio Z is a discrete Nvidia GeForce 9300M graphics chip. Almost all of the newer ultraportables come with Intel 4500MHD integrated graphics only. So this is certainly a plus and echoes the Nvidia 9400M graphics in the newest MacBook Air. It also packs DDR3 SDRAM memory. This is good too.

But there is little to justify (in my opinion) a price tag approaching $4,000 (unless Sony has doubled up on gold memory connectors and isn't telling us about it). Yes, you get new Intel silicon (a P9500 running at 2.53GHz), hybrid graphics (Nvidia and Intel), a high-resolution LED display (1600 x 900), but nothing that justifies forking over $3,900, even if you're Merrill Lynch flush with stimulus-package cash.

The third up is the 12-inch Fujitsu LifeBook B6230 (3.2 pounds), priced at $1,799. Though it's listed lower than the Voodoo and the Sony, the features are strikingly unimpressive for the $1,800 list price. An archaic Intel ULV U7600 (1.2 GHz) processor (533 MHz front-side bus), 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard disk drive, 802.11a/b/g wireless (no "n" here), and a one-year warranty round out (yawn) the features.

The price of Apple's MacBook Air is less egregious than the others but still exorbitant

(Credit: Apple)

In descending order of extravagance, at No. 4 is the 12-inch Toshiba Portege R600 model S4202. Price aside, a quick glance at the features would impress most prospective buyers: very light at 2.4 pounds, standard 3GB of memory, a 128GB solid-state drive, a integrated optical drive, 802.11a/g/n wireless, and a Webcam.

What's the downside to these decent features? You guessed it, the price: $2,999--and that includes a slow Intel SU9400 (1.4GHz) processor. With full-featured Netbooks costing about one-sixth the price (between $500 and $700) and an HP Pavilion dv3 ultraportable on the way priced at about $900, the Toshiba begins to look, well, overpriced.

Finally, I must mention the Apple MacBook Air (I know I'll get slammed for this). The newest version with the upgraded Intel processor, Nvidia graphics, and a 128GB solid-state drive is certainly a vast improvement over the original. But in the age of the Netbook and seriously budget-constrained buyers $2,500 ($2,499) is just too expensive.

Apple needs to bring the high-end MBA down to about $2,000. Still pricey but probably justifiable (to the lucky few out there who sold their Nantucket vacation home before the crash).