This came out of nowhere – a new ultraportable laptop from Sony has shown up at the FCC to undergo various tests before it’s allowed to be sold in the US (most having to do with wireless networking).
The reason why I said it came out of nowhere – it appears, as several have pointed out, that this matches the Sony VAIO Type G that came out in the second quarter of 2007 in Japan. The model numbers typically started with “VGN-G1”.
One of the biggest indicators – it has a 12.1″ non-widescreen display, just like the original 2007 G did (with a 1024×768 resolution). The original G was based on Intel’s 945GMS Express chip set (GMA 950 graphics) and features Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) CPUs, both Core Solo and Core Duo.
The G-series was one of the first to ship with the option of a Solid State Drive (SSD) – originally a 32GB, which bumped the price way up.
The one at the FCC has an optical drive (maybe optional), what looks like a PC Card slot, and typical other options.
As the comments at Engadget point out, it doesn’t make a lot of sense unless the price is radically lower than the original asking price (which was in the $1800+ range). Why Sony waited so long to introduce this is a mystery.