Sony's Small World

Software was also adapted nicely to the small screen.

There is an easy-to-use-once-you-figured-it-out zoom feature that enlarged applications to a maximum of three times the original size. It took some practice, but the zoom feature lived up to its name. Even my lovely but very nearsighted wife could read the magnified UX screen without her glasses. Impressive again.

Sony intelligently installed a universal serial bus adapter for peripherals. Kick in the add-on port expander/charger Sony makes for the UX, and the number of USB adapters goes to three.

There's even a monitor output. With some tinkering, I turned the UX into a full desktop, Inspector-Gadget style: A 17-inch monitor, an optical mouse, a full Kensington keyboard and flash drive. Impressive again.

And then there's the connectivity, which is where the UX really shined. Sony sells the computer with a mixed Ethernet and wireless networking package that can connect over hardwired broadband and fast wireless cellular data systems.

It can also connect using local WiFi networks or Bluetooth connections. The UX comes with a slick application that automatically searches, in real time, for the best connection between all choices.

Though cellular connectivity can be purchased through Cingular, Cingular doesn't sell the UX. So, you're free to connect as you please.

Cellular operators have a nasty habit of disabling communication features on integrated communications devices to protect their legacy products; being able to hook up the UX as I saw fit across any network was a terrific, terrific feature. Again, good work, Sony.

The Vaio UX 180P isn't for the faint of technical heart. You should have a minimum brown belt in gadget jujitsu, or at least the desire and time to achieve that status.

You should also have at least $3,000 set aside: The base unit is not enough to do what you want to do. You'll need the spare batteries, optical drives, global positioning modules -- most everything the company sells -- to make the UX really shine.

And you'll need patience; you'll be tested again and again. Configuring the unit is challenging. So are the controls. Be warned, the zoom mode can turn savage. Even I, a well-tested gadgetphile, bounced around like some virtual pinball trying to update Norton's antivirus definitions in 3X zoom mode.

Yes, using the UX can be frustrating and trying.

	The Sony Vaio UX -- It's a Handful

But if you are looking to sit your techno backside down in the middle of a crowded Starbucks or staff meeting and lay the smackdown on the poor saps who overpaid for a MacBook or who didn't have the smarts or the cash to make the UX work, then by all means, get this Sony.

The Sony Vaio UX is like a camera system from Hasselblad -- each piece is custom designed for a particular task. Sony makes great pieces, but to make them work, you'll need to know what you're doing and how you want to do it. The Vaio UX only supplies the tools. You must supply the smarts.

Now that's a Sony.

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