News.blog: Sony's techno-colour Vaio CR series

Forget Roy G Biv -- the rainbow according to Sony includes such colours as sangria, cosmopolitan, dove and indigo. At least, those are the shades the company offers for its new Vaio CR series laptops. (City-dwellers, take heart: they're also available in black.)

Sony has long led the laptop-as-fashion-accessory movement (see previous C series models), offering laptops in wild colours when other manufacturers were just starting to experiment with hues beyond black and grey. The CR series is no different, featuring a case that is saturated with colour, right down to the touchpad. Sony's press release also touts that each CR series laptop comes with "funky Vaio branded wallpaper" as well as the option to purchase a matching carrying bag and mouse. And proving that flashing LEDs aren't just for gamers, the Vaio CR series includes a pulsating LED beneath the laptop's trim.

Those of you who still believe that it's what's inside that counts can rest assured: the 2.5kg thin-and-light laptops will include Intel's latest Centrino Duo platform, with Core 2 Duo processors, integrated graphics and an 802.11n wireless card. The 14.1-inch widescreen display includes a fairly standard 1,280x800-pixel native resolution, and the display bezel has room for a built-in webcam and microphone.

The six new CR series models start at $1,350 (£685) in the US and will start shipping at the end of June.

Update: A full review of the Sony Vaio CR series is now live. The laptops are available online for around £1,000.