Ever since Kevin found that Sony "netbook" that leaked off the FCC website my memory glands have been working overdrive. Word is starting to move around the web that this device may be the Sony Picturebook reincarnated. This smacks of great truth to me as I owned one of the original Picturebooks and it was a marvel of its time. The photo from the FCC could indeed be a form factor like the Picturebook of old and this new one left in a comment sure looks like one:

So what is the Sony Picturebook? Read on after the jump to find out more.
The original Sony Picturebook, PCG-C1VPK, was a tiny notebook, even smaller than most netbooks today, that appeared in the early 2000’s. The official Sony specs show nothing too impressive although in 2000 they certainly were:
Long before I was writing about this mobile tech stuff I was just as crazy about it and I actually owned one of these jewels. I don’t remember how much I paid for it although I’m sure it was way too much at the time. It shipped with Windows and I got over a year’s worth of solid use out of it. In spite of the hardware components, which you have to remember rivaled most notebooks of the time, the Picturebook was a solid performer for me. It was a full laptop in every regard, just a lot smaller than anything available at the time. The 8.9" screen was prescient of the netbooks today and the integraged camera was ahead of its time.
TM5600 667 MHz1
The Picturebook served me so well that when my oldest daughter headed off to college she asked me for it as she wanted something very portable for campus work. She took it with her and not only did it suffice but she used it for the entire four years! She would connect an external monitor in her dorm room for the bigger screen and that was all. She never even used an external keyboard with it, finding the little keyboard on the Sony to work just fine for her. I suppose she still has it today, although she finished school several years ago so perhaps it’s gone away.
I can easily see Sony producing a rejuvenated Picturebook given the netbook craze today. What will be the biggest factor determining its success potential will be the pricing. Sony is not known for netbook-type pricing. Here’s a photo of the original Picturebook I found on the web. Mine was just like this one, all purple and everything.

{"source":"https:\/\/gigaom.com\/2008\/12\/02\/is-that-fcc-son\/wijax\/49e8740702c6da9341d50357217fb629","varname":"wijax_bb76c92631020a8f077a7c241c9ecef2","title_element":"header","title_class":"widget-title","title_before":"%3Cheader%20class%3D%22widget-title%22%3E","title_after":"%3C%2Fheader%3E"}