In the presentation of the new VAIO products for this season we had got the opportunity to bring the review of the spectacular Sony VAIO Duo 11, an ultrabook convertible tablet that will not go unnoticed.
We could define the Sony VAIO Duo 11 as the perfect symbiosis between an ultrabook and a tablet. The Japanese company has managed to leave the table prototypes and presents one of the most impressive we’ve seen in a while. A technological achievement that, beyond trade performance and Sony repositioned at the head of the race of mobile computing.
That the Japanese insist that the Sony VAIO Duo 11 emphasize, is a product designed and manufactured in Japan for first time. To market a product like this requires many hours of work and an almost obsessive attention to detail, and Sony does not disappoint, providing one of the best-built laptops we’ve ever seen. In less than 18 mm. thick and weighing 1.3 kilos, an ultrabook Sony merges art with one of the best tablets based on Windows 8.
Clearly this is not a laptop for everyone. The Sony VAIO Duo 11 will compete in a very small market and waives lot to offer an experience that promises to combine the best of the tablets with a generation ultrabook.
With the folding keyboard, the Sony VAIO Duo 11 is a 11.6 inch tablet, somewhat thicker and heavier than usual but perfectly portable. The magic begins when the display gently slip a mechanical system and see impressive, which is responsible for move the panel and let us see an ultrathin keyboard, turning the device into a laptop.
It is worth pausing a little more in the technology needed to make this transformation, real key to realizing a team like this. Surf Slider, trade name of the solution, uses a nearly invisible metal rails, high quality plastic pipes wiring offering a solid feel that has nothing to do with what we have seen in other convertibles. Thousands of hours in testing their fault that the user perceives the movement as natural and can switch from one mode to another intuitively.
From the technical point of view Sony VAIO Duo 11 is powered with Intel Core i5 , 4 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD, running under the operating system Windows 8. The Japanese firm has incorporates its proprietary technological arsenal that begins in a display designed for outdoor use, fast boot system or solution OptiContrast that lets you use a capacitive stylus to write and use applications that require precision.
“The Sony VAIO Duo 11 maybe resignation of ultrabooks and tablets to face a major challenge: find the right balance”
Despite its small size, the Sony VAIO Duo 11 does not waive the best connectivity, users can enjoy VGA, NFC, HDMI, Ethernet, USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 without any adapter. Inherit the best sounding Sony or proprietary applications designed to take advantage to the team from the start complete the offer of the new VAIO.
Sony saves valuable space by replacing the trackpad a trackpoint, although the team invited to combine it with the use of the touch screen. Windows 8 fits perfectly into this concept and a pleasure to use applications that are ready to take advantage. Duo VAIO screen is spectacular, the sound is impressive given its size and power management system looks really good.
Sony’s bet it is still risky, especially considering the sacrifices involved a team like this. First, do not exceed 5 hours operation with standard battery (which will draw an ultra wide to 10), the screen position is fixed and, as always with these solutions, no best of the ultrabooks and tablets. Thus, the challenge of the Sony VAIO Duo 11 is finding the balance point.
Conclusions
If the philosophy of Windows 8 is through integration between different OS devices Sony is one of the best to have learned the lesson. For the first time a concept like the Sony VAIO Duo 11 has the support of the software and will gain value when applications start to exploit the potential of the new commitment of Microsoft.
Moreover, the effort goes beyond Sony hardware. We have convinced proprietary solutions proposed by the company, the support of the stylus and material quality product worthy of a premium. As always, the market will decide the success of the invention but it is still one of the year’s technological surprises. Fortunately, Sony has become the best and let’s see what will be the future of Sony VAIO Duo 11 and its price, release date yet to be announced.
