While Sony isn't exactly the first PC vendor to integrate a Blu-ray drive within a notebook computer, you knew it had to come around sometime anyway. But does its new top-of-the-line Vaio deserve the "Z" moniker?

NEW YORK (BetaNews) -- Sony's new Vaio Z Series ultra-portable PC, launched at a media event here yesterday, offers options for Blu-ray, solid state drive (SSD), and Sprint Mobile Broadband, along with built-in features ranging from a fingerprint sensor to a "switch-on-the-fly" graphics system.

The three other other Centrino 2-based Viao notebooks presented here last night don't have Blu-ray drives, even though Sony invented the technology. Yet Sony has included HDMI in all of them for high definition "video in" laptop viewing from an HDTV or external BD.

The big difference, however, is that you can use a Z Series notebook configured with the Blu-ray option to play back high-definition video on a plane, in the park, or just about anywhere else, without needing to hook up to an external video source.

A base-model Z Series notebook tips the scales at only about three pounds, but that is without the additional weight of a Blu-ray drive, said Nobuyasu Nozawa, senior product manager, in an interview with BetaNews at the event.

The senior product manager told BetaNews that Sony plans to offer Blu-ray drives on other notebook PC models, too, but that no firm date has yet been set.

What's taken Sony so long? Price could easily be one factor. Although pricing has come down some on the costly-to-produce Blu-ray, the BD option still adds about $800 to the Z Series' base price of $1,800. Moreover, if you want to attach the unit to an HDTV for playback, for example, an HDMI cable is required, which is sold separately. In contrast, the SSD option for the Z Series adds $500.

A need for high enough resolution to support HD video on the laptop screen probably also came into play. The Z Series' LCD does offer full 1080 HD resolution, according to Nozara. Some models come with a high-res 1600-by-900 widescreen display, for a 40 percent wider workspace on the same screen.

Through the Z Series' built-in switch-on-the-fly graphics system, you can set graphics performance to support your needs at the moment, whether these include watching a video or a business presentation or extending the life of the cylindrical battery inserted underneath the unit's hinge. Sony also stressed that the Z Series includes LCD technology known as XBrite-DuraView, combining capabilities that include full color saturation and scratch resistance.

Like the entry-level Vaio SR models, also unveiled last night, the Z Series comes with function keys located just below the screen. In the SR notebooks, these are used for software applications. But in the Z Series, the buttons -- which are different from the others - constitute fast-forward, reverse, and other controls for the Blu-ray drive, BetaNews was told.

Beyond the option for built-in wireless Sprint Mobile Broadband, the Z Series comes standard with 802.11n wireless LAN support. Other standard features include a biometric fingerprint sensor, a Trusted Platform Module compliant chip, hard drive password protection software, a Memory Stick media/SD card slot, three USB ports, an iLink IEEE-1394 port, microphone and headphone jack, and PC Card Type-II slot.

The Z Series comes pre-installed with Windows Vista, but a Windows XP Pro downgrade is available with some models, BetaNews was told. The notebook will ship with a trial version of My Memory, an online service for migrating data from an old PC to the new one.

Also last night, Sony introduced Vaio Media, a DLNA-enabled media sharing software application for streaming movies, music and digital still images from a notebook to a PlayStation 3 or Vaio Home Theater PC connected to a TV.