The hand-held gadget called 'type U', a new product in Sony's VAIO series, weighs only 550 grams (19.3 ounces) and measures 167 millimeters (6.7 inches) in width and is 108 millimeters high, the company said.

Priced at 209,790 yen (1,873 dollars) including Japanese sales tax, the type U will hit the local market at the end of May.

Its standard memory capacity is 256 megabytes and hard-disc drive capacity is about 20 gigabytes. Input can be done by either a stylus -- a pointed instrument used on pressure-sensitive screens -- or a collapsable keyboard.

Sony also launched a range of other VAIO (Video Audio Integrated Operation) brand products Monday, including a desktop computer with high quality screen called 'type V' and the portable music player 'VAIO pocket' equipped with a hard-disc drive that can store up to 13,000 songs and a color crystal display.

"These new entertainment-driven devices offer a glimpse of Sony's vision of enabling users to enjoy a personal network of high-quality audio and imaging," Sony said in a statement.

SPACE.WIRE