C1X* (Second Revision)
Overview
The Second revision of the Sony VAIO PCG-C1 were released between late 1999 and early 2000. Their main improvements from the earlier generation were the stereo speakers built-in the keyboard, and the ability to create 360 degrees panorama pictures thanks to the camera and a bundled software, called "PictureGear". There is a "capture" button located above the keyboard on the right which is optimal for taking pictures outside, without using the keyboard. It came with some bundled software such as the Camera Capture Utility which allowed for taking pictures easily and adding effects to the camera. A video demonstration will be shown soon in the resources section. To the left of the Motion Eye, there is a microphone. Below the screen and Sony logo, there are seven LEDs, for indication of battery charge, power, caps/number/scroll lock and more. These lights are also visible with the laptop fully closed.
Unlike the other C1-Series laptops, this one is opened with a latch that one pulls, which is found on the front of the laptop when it is closed. The power is not turned on with a button, but with a latch located on the left of the laptop.
Another evolution from the first generation was related to accessories: many were available, including double and quad-capacity batteries and an external CD-ROM drive.
Depending on the model, they were equipped with different Intel processors, ranging from the Celeron to the Pentium 2.
Next to the latch which is used for opening the laptop, there is a "P" button, which is referred to by Sony as the "PPK (programmable power key)". This key could be used to start programs, using software called "PPK Setup". It could also be used in conjunction with other keys such as "Ctrl" or "Shift" to open other programs. One could open up programs while the laptop was closed too.
The Intel Pentium and Microsoft Windows stickers were affixed beside the top left corner of the screen. The laptop itself had a purple color with slightly lighter purple buttons. It uses a regular Sony 16V VAIO power supply as used in most VAIOs at the time, which was located at the back of the laptop, behind the display. They also included a lot of ports: modem, one USB, PCMCIA card slot, i.Link, headphone, microphone, infrared and a proprietary display signal port which used an adapter to support VGA.
The laptop came bundled with a charger, a CD-ROM drive (depending on configuration), floppy drive, VGA adapter cable, phone cable, spare pointing nubs, USB cable for the floppy drive and a battery.
The versions ranged from the earlier "PCG-C1XE" from late 1999 to the "XN" and "XS" from January 2000, which had two versions with German and Japan localization (resp. the "XD" and "XG/BP") based on the "XS".
Detailed Specs
Processor: Intel Celeron 233MHz (PCG-C1XN), Intel Pentium 2 266MHz (PCG-C1XE), Pentium 2 400MHz (PCG-C1XS, XD, XG/BP)
Graphics: NeoMagic MagicMedia256AV (NM2200) with 2.5 MB VRAM
Chipset: Intel 430TX
Memory: 64MB (Standard), 128MB (Official maximum)
Display: 8.9” TFT LCD XGA 1024×480
Storage: 8.1GB IDE HDD (PCG-C1XE), 12GB IDE HDD (PCG-C1XN, XS, XD, XG/BP)
Weight: 1.0kg (with standard battery)
MSRP: ~€2100
Problems
A problem with this series and many other older ones is the so called "vinegar syndrome", which happens when the polarizer film from the LCD breaks down. This causes some nasty looking effects on the display, as well as a vinegar smell, hence the name "vinegar syndrome".
To fix this, you must replace the damaged polarizer film with a new one. A video and polarizer replacement is linked in the Resources tab.
As with a lot of old laptops, this laptop has the problem of melting rubber feet. There is no proper solution, apart from 3D-Printing the feet with TPU plastic. The STL can be found under the "Resources" tab.
Daily Usage Today
The PCG-C1X is definitely still usable today for basic office tasks like Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. Retro gaming is possible, but with a very limited selection of games. Taking pictures with is would be fun and creative, with the nice rotating camera. The resolution is definitely not good by today's standards but it is fine to take some nice pictures, especially with the 360° panorama photo software. Any modern tasks like web browsing are pretty much impossible on this laptop, with the exception of very basic static HTML pages with no or very low resolution images.