Sony intros VAIO E 14P with new look, gesture controls

Sony has updated their VAIO E Series with a new model that rocks a striking new design. The VAIO E 14P sports a lid that wraps around to the back, eye-catching two-tone colors along the trim, and aluminum panels along the top of the keyboard and sides. While this 14-incher is pretty slim with a 0.88-inch profile it’s not an ultrabook. It’s a full-featured lappie that features a DVD drive and weighs in at a hefty 5 pounds.

Past the catchy design, the 14P is also highlighted by a backlit keyboard and a large buttonless trackpad that can open different programs by swiping left, right, up or down. The camera also supports Kinect-style gestures that let you navigate the web and your music library by waving your hands in front of the camera. We have no idea how it’s better than a mouse or wireless remote, but hey, it’s in there, whether you want it or not.

The 14P features a 2.3GHz Core i3, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive under the hood and a screen with a 1366 x 768 resolution. Sound and graphics should be above-average though, thanks to the Radeon HD 7670M GPU, xLOUD audio processing, and Dolby Home Theater decoding.

Pricing hasn’t been mentioned, but it’s going to be out first in Europe in black, white and pink.