We've seen some colourful notebooks in our time, but Sony's latest - the VAIO E series - makes your average portable look downright dull.
Despite featuring the latest mobile Intel processors - codenamed Arrandale - the 15.5in notebook's talking point has to be the array of personalisation options, including a choice of multiple colours and patterns, all of which can be mixed and matched using optional keyboard skins.
We're admittedly not too keen on the "Lava Black" and "Caribbean Green" combo, but it certainly won't go unnoticed.
Inside the $800 system, there's a 2.13GHz Intel Core i3 processor, integrated Intel graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive and an integrated DVD burner.
The 15.5in display offers a 1,366x768 resolution, and there's plenty of connectivity options as standard - including HDMI and VGA out, Bluetooth 2.1, Wireless N, Gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, a memory card reader and three USB ports.
Number-crunching users will welcome the inclusion of a dedicated numpad as part of Sony's "edge-to-edge" keyboard, but Sony's standard battery may disappoint as it promises just 3.5 hours of usage from a single charge.
The good news is that if performance matters most, there's a couple of useful upgrades on the horizon. Starting February 7th, the VAIO E series will be available with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 graphics card and a Blu-ray drive. Interested? We'll throw in one more colourful picture for good measure.
