Like VAIO SZ, the VAIO Z features an onboard external graphics accelerator. Most notebook PCs use a graphics accelerator inside their chipsets, but VAIO Z also provides a high-performance graphics chip.

Jun Otsuka discusses the advantages.

With the external graphics accelerator, VAIO Z runs smoothly even with heavy graphics that an ordinary notebook PC couldn't handle, such as presentations that use a lot of images, photo processing, or 3D software. Plus, you can turn the external graphics chip on or off. You can keep it on while in the office to get the most out of the computer's performance, and then switch to STAMINA mode when you're on the go to disable the external graphics chip and use the internal graphics chip in the chipset, which saves power. VAIO Z offers this flexible approach for whatever situation you're in.

Here the VAIO Z has been given a major improvement: the toggle switch between SPEED and STAMINA modes. With VAIO SZ, switching between these modes required rebooting the OS. Of course, this takes several minutes, which is just enough time to cause users stress.

However, VAIO Z has made it possible to switch modes without rebooting. This is what we call Dynamic Hybrid Graphics system. To make this possible, we had to develop new software, from the drivers to the OS.

Software designer Keiichi Nakayama explains the process.

VAIO SZ required rebooting because the operating system was set up to control only a single graphics accelerator. The operating system had to be restarted to switch the graphics accelerator. However, that was a limit from the manufacturer's perspective. From the customer's point of view, when they want to switch to STAMINA mode, it's a huge pain to have to wait several minutes. So the device and operating system manufactures cooperated with us so the mode could be changed just by toggling the switch. In addition, VAIO Z has been given a control that cuts power for the external graphics accelerator while in STAMINA mode, or using the graphics accelerator in the chipset, to reduce power usage. This is easy to say, but much harder to accomplish.

In STAMINA mode with Dynamic Hybrid Graphics system, the other devices of VAIO Z are also switched to power-saving mode, such as decreasing the brightness of the screen, at the same time as the graphics accelerator. From the user's point of view, many people expect longer battery life when cutting back performance, and the goal is not just turning off the external graphics. That is why switching to STAMINA mode puts the entire VAIO Z in power-saving mode.

Software design leader Hiroshi Kawada talks about the extraordinary difficulties faced during development.

Some of my colleagues who are technicians said this hurdle was impossible to clear. They said that just being able to switch the graphics accelerator without rebooting is difficult enough, but having the whole profile go into power-saving mode at the same time would be extremely difficult in terms of system performance. However, I insisted that our goal was to improve the customer's user experience and enhance the computer's benefits, so we managed to make it happen.

We have also included a new tool to assist with presentations, one of the key applications for business use. We call it VAIO Presentation Support. In presentations, users can often be seen manipulating PowerPoint with their VAIOs in hand while displaying contents through a projector or other large screen.

The LCD display of VAIO Z has a 16:9 aspect ratio. Most projectors are 4:3. In other words, when the same contents on the projector are displayed on the wide LCD of VAIO Z, there is leftover space on the sides. VAIO Presentation Support makes effective use of this extra space. Normally, the presenter standing on a platform cannot see what's on the projector without looking back. By using VAIO Presentation Support, just connecting to an external monitor or projector lets you see what's on the screen, open an editor and take notes, or display your presentation documents, all in the extra space on VAIO Z wide screen.

Offering both high performance and mobility, and also providing usability and an abundance of benefits to the user. That is VAIO Z.