When a Blu-ray version of a high-end laptop is unveiled, could a Blu-ray-less version be far behind? 'course not, assures Sony, in announcing the Sony Vaio VGN-AR50B, the little brother of VGN-AR70B. This one comes with a 17" widescreen LCD offering WXGA+ resolutions.

The VGN-AR50B packs in an Intel Core Duo T2300 (1.66GHz) processor and a 160GB hard drive. Standard attachments include 1GB RAM, wireless LAN (a/b/g) and Bluetooth. You get an NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 with 128MB on-board graphics memory.

While this laptop misses a Blu-ray disc, it does provide a much-needed DVD+/-R/RW. Oh, and like the other version, this also includes HDMI capability for truly high-definition entertainment on television.

Priced at JPY 280,000 (US $2,500), the Sony Vaio VGN-AR50B will be available in Japan starting July 8. Access Sony.