Sony's mainstream VAIO NR series of laptop computers combines a reasonable price with impressive performance. These VAIOs aren't traditional thin-and-light laptops, like many Sony portable computers, but they feature the same eye for style that for which the company is known. (We looked at the baseline model -- the VGN-NR290E -- in this series.)

These laptops are available in three different colors (brown, silver and white) and are built around Intel's powerful Core 2 Duo processors. The NRs feature 1.66GHz T5450 processors and a healthy 2GB (1GBX2) of swift 667MHz memory, which makes them suitable for handling intensive applications. They also support up to 4GB of RAM, so you can add plenty more memory if you need it.

Storage space is excellent at 250GB on a 5,400rpm hard drive. This gives you lots of room to house multimedia files and install large applications. The optical drive is also impressive -- it is a multi-format DVD writer that can burn to CDs, DVDs, Dual Layer media (which can house up to 8.5GB on a single disk) and DVD-RAM, which allows for repeated backups.

The NR's 15.4-inch widescreen display delivers bright colors and crisp text, thanks to its deep 1280X800 resolution. These laptops also feature an AV mode that lets you play DVD movies or listen to music without having to fully boot up Windows. Graphics are integrated on these laptops and share video memory with the main system RAM, so these computers aren't gaming powerhouses.

The standard trio of modem, network interface and 802.11b/g wireless provide Internet connectivity, so you can access the Web from almost anywhere. Peripheral connectivity is even more robust; these laptops feature four USB ports, a FireWire port and an ExpressCard /34 port for hooking up high-speed devices.

There's no Bluetooth for wireless peripheral hook up, but there is a Memory Stick and an SD slot, so you can pop in the media card from your PDA or digital camera for easy file transfers.

These laptops ship with Windows Vista Home Premium edition, with all its multimedia tools and applications. You also get Sony's Click to Disc software, which lets you author your own DVD movies. Sony also includes a one-year warranty on these laptops, which is about standard for the industry.

As previously mentioned, this VAIO isn't a thin or light; weighing in at around 6.2 pounds, it falls right into the middle of typical mainstream laptops in terms of size. The standard 6-cell battery provides a respectable battery life of 2 to 5 hours, depending on your usage.

On the other hand, this laptop is a lot less expensive than Sony's ultra-portable models, so if you're looking for an affordable VAIO that offers great performance and comes with Sony's inimitable style, the company's VAIO NR series is an attractive option.


Pros: Sleek design, fast processor
Cons: Integrated graphics, no Bluetooth

Warranty
1 year, limited