Sony aims not to pull any punches in the high definition notebook market by unveiling the Vaio AW Series. This relatively large notebook (a whopping 18.4″, mind you) is no lightweight performer, and it packs more than enough punch to offer you the best in portable entertainment long after you’re done with number crunching and reports on it at the office. Tipping the scales at slightly more than 8 pounds (should be a good way to give all you office-bound folks a good workout each day as you tote it to and from work), the AW Series targets the multimedia enthusiast or photographer who has a penchant for editing or viewing high-definition content on-the-go.

The 18.4″ widescreen LCD display is enhanced by Sony’s very own XBRITE-FullHD LCD technology, delivering nothing but vibrant colors in stunning 1080p clarity. There is no question about its high definition pedigree since it will come with a Blu-ray disc optical drive – no two ways about it, allowing you to enjoy Blu-ray movies on the go. In addition, depending on the configuration you choose, certain units are able to record, store and play back personal content on high-capacity BD media. Folks who still think that there is nothing quite like a big screen TV can always use this as a portable Blu-ray player, thanks to the HDMI output which allows you to enjoy a larger viewing experience, although you will need to pick up your own cable beforehand.

Other features include an integrated CompactFlash memory card slot for fast and easy transfer of photos to your computer directly, a maximum of 1TB of storage space, and is powered by Intel’s Centrino 2 technology. You can choose from three operating systems – all of them Windows (Windows Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate). Depending on your budget, prices of the new Vaio AW series start from $1,600 upwards.

Press Release