Sony today took the wraps off its new line of affordably-priced notebooks in new colors - the VAIO E Series.

The E Series comes in five high-gloss colors - Green, Blue, White, Pink and Black - and three matte colors - Brown, Silver White and Gunmetal. Subtle patterns can be found on the lids, of the glossy models, with the palm rest mirroring the color of the PC adding a splash of brightness to the unit.

The edge-to-edge isolated keyboard has a numeric pad built-in, and a dimpled touch pad is seamlessly integrated into the palm rest.

The E Series notebook features an optional Blu-ray Disc ROM drive with also DVD and CD read/write functionalities.

The model features a 15.5-inch (measured diagonally) widescreen display with optional HD capability.

For those who prefer to watch content on a big screen television, the PC has an HDMI output.

The E Series notebook also comes with three hardware buttons-- WEB, VAIO and ASSIST.

Quickly access the Internet, without full boot up into Windows, by simply pressing the WEB button. Launch directly into Sony's own Media Gallery software by pushing the designated VAIO button on the keyboard and create home movies. Finally troubleshoot any issues or facilitate simple do-it-yourself PC maintenance procedures by pressing the ASSIST button and launching the included VAIO Care software program.

The notebook also comes with a eSATA/ USB port and three USB ports. Select models incorporate Bluetooth technology.

A built-in webcam with face-tracking technology and microphone let users video chat with family.

Select E Series models pack an Intel Core i5 processor with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies. Up to 500GB hard drives are available. All E Series PCs come pre-installed with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The VAIO E Series notebook will retail for about $700. It is available for pre-orders today online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/e.