We live in an interesting world, where portable computer systems have become more popular than desktop PCs and people prefer smaller devices, as they can provide a very basic computing experience in an ultraportable form factor. While netbooks appear to have been last year's craze, it now looks that the majority of users are looking for PCs that are a bit more performance-capable, but can still deliver the portability factor that netbooks are known for. This is how the market for ultraportable PCs grew, giving us a choice for a number of new platforms from both AMD and Intel.

On that note, we start off our review of the famous VAIO X ultraportable, a system that Sony launched back in late 2009 as the “world's lightest notebook.” The claim alone put the Japanese giant in another battle with Cupertino, California-based Apple, which is famous for their MacBook Air laptop. But that was probably Sony's intention, namely to develop a product that could seriously compete with Apple's pride and joy, in the market for the world's most portable computer system. However, looking for the lightest design and the most compact form factor took Sony on a different path than the one Apple chose for their Air.

The way the Japanese giant tackled the issue of lightness and portability was by developing a laptop based on one of the most efficient x86 platforms on the market, namely that of Intel's Atom. Now, for most users, Intel's Atom is synonymous with small, low-power, computer systems primarily good for one thing: Internet browsing. That puts Sony's VAIO X in a different category, most likely one of its own.

With the VAIO X, the PS3 creator really pushed the limits of their design capabilities, developing a product that bridges the gap between smartphones and portable computing systems. In addition, the X-series is also a confirmation of Sony's expertise in the ultraportable segment, as a company that has always been looking to promote new form factors and slim-line designs, even as back as when the Pentium chips were on the market, for those that remember the VAIO PCG-505 model.

Basically, the VAIO X is an evolution from a line of products that Sony is very fond of and makes use of all of the company's experience in that field. But also, dare we say it, it's a very nice-looking piece of machinery. But before we draw any conclusions, lets us continue with the review and go through all the necessary steps.