Sony Vaio A617M

Huge SSD hard drive; slick, high-end design.

Switchable graphics, but no Nvidia Optimus; middling battery life; very expensive.

Sony's super-high-end Vaio Z is an enviable status symbol, but probably out of your price range, especially with its optional 512GB SSD.

High-res display; cool color combos; typical high-quality Sony construction and design.

Poor battery life; better display adds a $100 premium; smallish keyboard; loud fan.

Attempting to create a premium-priced version of a Netbook, Sony has added an HD display to the Vaio W. It's an attractive step-up package, but the internal components are the same as are in cheaper models.

Blu-ray drive for less than $1,000; discrete graphics; excellent keyboard and touch pad; attractive design.

Lacks top-of-the-line Core 2 Duo processor; mediocre speakers.

Although it's expensive for a 15-inch multimedia laptop, the Blu-ray and game-playing capabilities of the attractive 15.4-inch Sony Vaio NW160J make it a worthy portable entertainment system.

VESA wall mount compatible out of the box; dedicated HDMI input lets you input video from other devices; strong application performance.

Not a great multitasker.

You can find more-cost-effective large-screen all-in-ones for general productivity, but Sony's Vaio LV250B is our favorite for home entertainment. Loaded with unique features geared toward digital media convenience, this system will meet the needs of...

Blu-ray drive a rarity at this price; best selection of features-per-dollar among Windows-based all-in-ones.

Not as fast as an iMac; puny mouse.

Instead of succumbing to the latest fads, the Sony Vaio JS250J all-in-one PC stays the course pioneered by its models from last year, delivering capable performance and best-of-breed home entertainment features at a better price than its all-in-one...

Competitive performance; lengthy battery life; great keyboard and touch pad; receives Webcam and Gigabit Ethernet in latest upgrade.

Loud, clacky mouse buttons; no media control keys; AV Mode button is largely useless.

Thanks to its low-cost, solid construction, roomy and comfortable keyboard, and current Intel platform, the Sony Vaio VGN-NS140E is a 15-inch mainstream laptop worthy of your consideration.

Typically excellent Sony design; handy media control buttons; Blu-ray drive and HDMI output.

Loaded up with adware and bloatware; no Bluetooth; not configurable.

We can't imagine the market for a 15-inch home theater laptop with Blu-ray is very large, but the Sony VAIO FZ180 certainly fits the bill--even if it's preloaded with unwanted come-ons for other Sony products.

Improved battery life; solid-state hard drive; multiple interface options.

Nontactile keyboard; some navigation keys are hard to use; expensive.

The pocket-size Sony VAIO UX390 makes solid improvements over the first generation of UMPCs, but its target audience is unclear.

First Blu-ray burner we've ever seen inside a PC; typically slick VAIO design; HDCP-compliant video card.

No Blu-ray movies available yet; slow Blu-ray burning speeds; hard to access internal components.

If you absolutely must be the first on the block with a Blu-ray device, the Sony VAIO RC310G is your pick by virtue of it being the first Blu-ray PC to hit the street. Slow burning speeds and the high cost of blank media, however, dampen our enthusiasm.

Gorgeous, 20-inch-wide screen; robust DVR and media-center features; fast enough for modern games; built-in Wi-Fi; ideal keyboard for couch computing; lots of software.

Inconveniently placed drives and ports; no HD capabilities; has slot for Sony Memory Stick media only; overly complex Media Center software; you have to burn your own recovery discs; pricey.

You'll have to overlook a few design flaws, but if you can, Sony's new all-in-one media PC will reward you with a beautiful screen and a feature-packed chassis.