There is something else about This device (That I'd love to see covered): It came with an everything-mediaplayer-browser-appmanager called Microsoft Origami, which had a touch UI. By 2007 it had many Windows 8 features such as the Picture password, lockscreen, and live tiles, as well as an android-like app UI, and a touch keyboard. I'm sure copies of Microsoft Origami exist somewhere online.
I was severely tempted by one of these back in 2006. I was 20, serving in the Army, and stationed in South Korea. I got extra income from not being able to bring my family with me (haha, I was single) and to feed myself, instead of eating at a dining facility. The Post Exchange had one on display, and I had cash to burn. I never quite justified it, I had a PSP and a Viao laptop. But it was portable to a guy who mostly wore Pants with cargo pockets, lol. Watching this brought back memories of the year overseas, and makes me wish I had one to play around with now.
I saw the OQO model one on a museum once, came home and order one for around 200 dlls and I still have it, it works great except for the battery but the computer it self has AutoCADand it works great!! I love that lil one!
That would be insane. Price inflation would bring it up to $3000 for a base model and to be honest sony would not risk putting out a product that expensive and very few people buying it
@@cssplayer91 Maybe not to this particular form factor, but there has been a pretty good solution. Check out the GPD Win 2. Sans cameras, this has been my daily portable driver. A remarkable machine.
2006: make PC smartphone size, so we can work in vacation time! 2019: make smartphone PC size, so we can work in vacation time! 2029: no vacation anymore, Problem solved!
I used this as my main computer for a long long time. I had external monitors at the university and at home. I would do my programming homeworks on this. I was able to compile programs pretty well. Also having a computer open with you during class was really useful.
I did the same with an ultra slim laptop (I just plugged in external monitor/keyboard and mouse). It ran fine for years and then I sold it. Laptops tend to get hot, so I just put a racquetball racquet on my desk and then placed the laptop on top of the racquet, it gave it more more air circulation underneath the computer.
I actually had this exact model back in 2008. It was amazing! I actually used it to play WoW at the time. There was actually a guy online who was offering to upgrade the CPU to a Duo (dual core!) and upgraded memory. He was a repair guy who was able to re-solder the board. I'd love to see a new version of this.
Every once and a while on eBay someone is selling the modded version. I almost snagged one but the guy wanted 750$. Since I bought my 3 UX380Ns for 200-250$ each I couldn't do it.
The upcoming GDP Win 3 seems to use this design, but i like the design of the older GPD Wins more: liliputing.com/2020/11/gpd-win-3-handheld-gaming-pc-has-a-sliding-display-qwerty-keyboard-and-intel-tiger-lake.html
Indeed it is! Of all the Sony things I have, the only one that failed beyond usability is my DCR-DVD108 camcorder. It first started randomly saying that the DVD door was opened (without it actually opening) and screwing up my DVDs and the screen progressively failing until it completely died and now, because the touch screen doesn't work, I can't finalize DVDs, and thus, can't use it properly.
Just found my PS1 in the loft and it’s the first time I’ve seen it and turned it on in 10 years. The console is from 1995 and still works. My PS2 from 2002 is still in perfect condition and works just as well as the first day I bought it!
@Samuel Thompson say, how did Microsoft try to bridge that gap with Nokia? From what i understand they just tried entering the phone market instead of bridging the gap between handheld and PC.
one phone that was well ahead of its time, this thing was a beast, i remember one of my friends having this thing and i was in absolute shock when i saw this thing, it was remarkable, comes to show sony still makes beast mode products.
It’s funny that you say that because I was similarly thinking about when I was a kid I saw I think it was Tom from MySpace post from mobile and I was thinking “wow, he must be rich as hell to afford that”
Had this thing back in the day. Remember putting in Ubuntu Linux on this and carrying a wireless bluetooth keyboard, playing snes on the train. Carrying it in a tiny satchel bag to University, it was very impressive back in the day.
I had a VAIO UX (Japanese name: VAIO type U). I had a small finger so I could use the keyboard. It had low memory, so I didn't install Vista and continued to use it on XP, but the CPU is powerful and always makes a fan noise. I took it outside and shot a live video. (There was no RU-vid Live at that time) A few years later, I switched it to some smartphones.
Sony was always ahead of its time. I remember while ppl were playing with the ipod, sony brought out a better device that I could do a lot more than just play songs, then samsung did something similar and then I noticed the iphone came out.
Huh? The iPhone was literally a “pocket size” computer. The iPhone was TOUCHSCREEN. This is not even close to the technology we first saw in the iPhone. Apples and oranges.
Yeah, sometimes their products were just slightly out of sync with the hype by a few months or a year or two, but they always had solid stuff and pushed the boundaries. People credit iPods for portable music but most people know Walkman was the OG.
@@sharonb.9128 True but the iPhone did come out later than this and despite it being admittedly a huge leap in terms of whole package portable computing (usability, capability, form factor combined together etc) it wasn't perfect, it did have some limitations that weren't fixed until later iterations. The mid 2000's saw massive leaps in the tech world, within each year so much would get updated, processors grew in power, costs went down for electronics in general, battery life got much better, screen resolutions improved dramatically. Doesn't mean Sony were beaten by Apple, and it doesn't mean we're trashing Apple. I myself in 2009-2010 had a Vaio P series for proper computing work like typing documents and real web browsing, while my iPhone 3GS was the perfect accompanying device for playing music, watching videos and playing games.
@@G1NZOU you’re missing the point with both the iPhone AND iPod. What’s so starting is that BOTH of these issues are SETTLED! The tech industry itself acknowledges these devices were revolutionary. Awards, accolades and honors to boot. They both WILL be in the Smithsonian. The zombie fantasy that other products existed, but were overlooked has been debunked over and over, but here we are in 2021. What made the iPod revolutionary was not that it played music like the Walkman, but it’s technology and the integration with the iTunes Store. Similarly, Touch technology and I would argue, the App Store also put the iPhone in a different stratosphere. The iPod and iPhone were AMAZING for there times. Any attempt to rewrite history with all the information written about that era and the significance of those two machines is ridiculous. Google is free (ish)
@@sharonb.9128 I don't think I'm missing the point, iPod was great, hell I had an iPod an and iPhone and even though I've switched to a Google Pixel now I still miss the fantastic usability of iTunes, especially the ease at which I could rip my own bought CDs and organise them by filling in the artist/album info myself and easily create playlists. My point is how some people act like iPod is the only achievement worth remembering, not that everyone thinks that, smart people recognise both.
It's literally what a phone is nowadays A phone is just a pocket-sized PC orders of magnitude more powerful than anything humanity could build a decade ago
I swear I didn't know too. I think it's because lack of marketing strategies. Now electronic companies should make these things again I really need it.
The Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P looks like a cool little gadget! Thank you for showing us the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P because I really enjoyed the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P. Hope you can find the camera software for the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P too so we can see how powerful the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P’s camera really is! Hoping for more of the Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P. Keep it up Sony Vaio VGN-UX28... I mean, Science Elf!
It's even weirder when you compare it to tech from 25-35 years ago and realise by comparison to today's tech, it feels similar in a sense just how dated it feels. To think in 15 years what we use now will probably feel the same as stuff from 20+ years ago.
@@Getbent97 I guess for me, tech that is 20+ years old just seems retro. But 15 years ago is that sweet spot when I was in high school, the technology from that time feels just like yesterday, still fresh in my mind.
For me (who grew up on XP) there is a big threshold between PCs with GUI and without. GUI is what I would consider the mark of the "modern" family of computers, those without are in the same family as 50s computers
personally, I HATE how the market moved away from this. it's mostly my fat fingers not working too well with touch screen, but at this point, people bringing extra batteries and power bank where back then they used a separate music player or a pda, is justa shame smartphones are everything there is...
the reason i hate modern equipment is it's boring. EVERYTHING you could possibly need is in a phone. And all phones look the same! And nothing new is being introduced to them, like the newest "advancement in technology (ik i spell that wrong)" is a camera that's blocking your screen real-estate, called a love. Sure, some companies are trying for phones that are oriented for gaming, with gamepad's that attach to the phone, it's of no use if you can't play PC games on it.
@@lonttugamer2939 NOW that's what we want,PC games on portabel gadget with present hardware...(yes i know there's GDP but that's not enough for fair competition)
@@oceanman505 yeah but have you actually played one? I tried GTA San Andreas on mobile with a controller and it was total garbage, you can't aim like in the console versions because it forces the touchscreen autoaim bs on you. Also most games do t support game pads on the phone even to this day. I guess emulators are a good argument, but doesn't fully make up for it.
@@oceanman505 that is very true, Ive seen threads on the internet saying that it's a complete hell developing games for Android because of the way openGL is handled. Basically most phone manufacturers have modified openGL for their own purposes, meaning if you make a game from scratch for a huawei phone, you need to optimise it seperately for every other brand phone. This is handled way better on pc, where there are only 3 main versions of openGL, or one if using directx.
This device is awesome. I'm only 17, but it still gives me This future-of-the-past feeling. This Is what I dreamed of when i was like 8 (well This and penny's computerbook and smartwatch from inspector gadget). The things me and my sister would make paper versions of, for pretend computing. Have You tried running OneNote on it? It should be kind of well-suited.
Even don’t beat Nintendo to that with the psp go which had a first party dock you could buy. Like the guy above said though, it was the nomad that was the first.
game gear did it before this i do believe. had a tv cart that plugged in and I remember using one, dad's friends, at an auto race for replays and what not. crap screen but was good at the time.
@@Thisisnotanid45 oh I'm no longer silly. I will never buy a Mac again. The competitors offer way more for way less. I was just staring my current situation
ThisIsNotAnId I’ve owned Samsung’s, Lg, htc. I got my first iPhone (xr) just to try something different this last upgrade. I actually really like the iPhone. It has its strong points and downsides coming from an s9
That docking station transition was actually amazing. If you put the UX in the dock while it is turned off and the sceen closed, can the dock start it up? (so it only uses the large monitor)
Still more useful than a smartphone to me outside Instagram and KIK. Sony doesn't get enough credit for making truly portable hardware, no matter what industry its in.
Wow...I still have mine somewhere in the basement lol I loved this thing! What's even crazier is that this was 14 years ago lol Damn man, I'm old as hell. My kids weren't even born yet. But that's probably why I could spend $1800 on a handheld PC.
Woah! Are you kidding? That looks absolutely amazing to me! I would love a device of that form factor today, although would prefer a better keyboard. If there was a way to upgrade it to 4GB of RAM, I would seriously consider using one of those today, because I really prefer desktop interfaces to mobile ones, and it also has lots of ports and amazing convergence. Even on Android, I use Hacker's Keyboard to emulate a full-size PC keyboard, and even occasionally plug my keyboard an mouse into it. To do that natively, and have actual portable mouse input instead of just a giant touch screen, would be simply amazing.
Mypal is my personal favorite browser for older systems with super low RAM. It runs on practically so many machines and has pretty good privacy policies. It's a Pale Moon fork which is based on Firefox. It can run Flash too.
Also, is it just me or Sony really liked putting physical switches to control wireless communication back in the mid-2000s? The PSP had a physical switch to control its Wi-Fi/WLAN connectivity features too.
Many other companies did physical switches for wireless networking as well during the Windows Vista era and a small number of business oriented laptops still do. Though, I have only seen Sony use a HOLD switch to turn off any physical input.
I would of loved one of these too! Don't think I'd impress any ladies with this device, but I wouldn't be wasting xp. Those trees don't chop themselves!
When I was younger I set up remote desktop so I could play on my ipod at the time. Now it's available on android (and I think iPhone?) natively. Would have love it back then so much.
0:51 That unit in the middle is like something I had back in 2002-2002, called Pocket PC Phone Edition by T-Mobile. It was a smartphone that ran Microsoft offerings [Word, Excel, etc.], and it even had Flash. I customized my own ringtones, and had a tarantula crawling over the screen, in some video-to-Flash conversion. It was powerful.
Samsung fans didn't bully they were just stating that samsung still has the headphone jack and samsung actually includes a dongle unlike apple and comes with a 25v fast charger while apple has 5v slow charger
Own a gpd win 1 and its a pretty fun machine though I still long for a modern reboot of the VGN-UX line with a soc like what the rumored win max will use
@@T_TanksTinkers1066 i too own a GPD win 1, and i love to play fallout 3 on it, iT especially works well for classic point and click games like fallout 1, 2 and tactics.
I worked at Costco in 2004-5 and we had a Sony Vaio that, at least looked, 10 years ahead of these devices. It was essentially a tiny laptop running XP with an UW HD screen. I saw 60fps video on it and it blew my mind back then. Id say it was about 8-10 inches wide, 4-5 inches deep when folded closed (5-6 when open), and only 1.5 inches high when folded. Ive never seen this device again but its the most "ahead of its time" device Ive ever seen, and Im one that was really into WinMo starting at a Motorola Mpx200.
Have you tried useing "Pale Moon"? It's a fork of a pretty old version of Firefox, and I think that it may run way smoother on this PC than any other browser.
They are like a new iteration of the same concept but yea they have made a comeback in recent years. I wish I could afford one but then again Im not sure what I would do with it.
@@Mabidemonstrations I use mine to play emulators and my very expansive steam library while traveling. The built in game controls are perfect for that.
@@Mabidemonstrations same here.. as tech nerd i really want have one.. but again, i don't really know what i will do with that when got one.. (tbh is kinda same with tablet device for me, i have one but barelly use it for anything.. because there's laptop, smartphone and pc)
Sony has always been ahead of it's time when it came to gadgets back in the 2000s. Wish they had carried the legacy of digital revolution. Their cameras, laptops, music players and phones. I was in love with the P900i- though bulky it felt like a phone from the future.
Very impressive. I was amazed when you started to slide the screen, and unveiled the keyboard. I've got a Sony Clie PEG UX50/u (2003) and i can say from experience that the device is amazing but the keyboard was OK, it was still a way to make it fast enough... Hope this was the upgraded version of this keyboard.. And it's just awesome that by 2006 people could load WXP in their pocket... just.. awesome... with 3g, BT n' WF boy.. that's one piece of device. This was the era where electronics companies were brave enough to take this kind of "RISK" to innovate. Now a days we see a coward companies just releasing products to sell not to innovate... that's the reason i feel these kind of gadgets so warm in my hands
And I thought the Steam Deck was a tech feat. This thing was so ahead of its time and stayed that way for so LONG. I feel you never see that especially in todays day of diminishing returns for tech advances
I have the black version UX390. This device was 10 years ahead of his time and I am happy that GPD took inspiration from Sony to make the GPD Win 3 alive. Nevertheless, it would have been awesome if Sony could make a new Sony UX. Do you imagine a Sony UX with the technology we have today ?
Probably the most coolest retro? portable device I've yet seen. I love learning the history of these handheld PCs. Sucks that one couldn't do much productive work on them.
