.jpg "VAIO Duo 11 Ultrabook Review")
Sony’s Vaio Duo 11 offers the best of both worlds to its users. It’s like a full HD laptop and touch-screen tablet integrated into one. The Vaio Duo 11 features a full HD 11.6 inch display and a smooth slider design which pretty much looks like the Asus Transformer Slider.
The device looks like an Ultrabook when opened fully, though it functions like a tablet when the chunky keyboard is hidden.
Weighing about 1.3kgs, the device is not as light as a standalone tablet but matches the weight of an Ultrabook. The most highlighting feature of Sony’s VAIO Duo 11 Ultrabook is the 11.6 inch user-friendly full-HD touchscreen.
It is appreciably big and bright, responsive and consists of 10 touch pins. It’s easy to navigate through Windows 8, the icons respond quickly to gentle taps, and it’s quite easy to swap multiple icons on the screen.
It’s very easy to switch the device between the tablet and Ultrabook mode. All you need is a firm push to slide out the keyboard and click on the buttons. The design is sturdy but the device is exposed to hinges, so you need to handle the device carefully.
As the Duo 11 is powered by Intel architecture, it is able to support legacy applications and is compatible with Windows 8. There are two main specifications on offer:
• the entry-level model: comprised of the Core i5 chipset, 128 GB SSD, and 4GB RAM
• the top-level model: upgraded up to the Core i7 chipset, 256 GB SSD, and 8GB RAM
During the initial stages of inspection, I found the selection of ports to be a salient feature of the device. Sony has jam-packed the hardware features with a couple of USB 3.0 ports, VGA and HDMI to take care of all your graphic and multimedia needs, and an SD card to enhance the internal storage capacity. So all your connection needs are pretty much taken care with a power-packed hardware section. Some of the most important features that power Duo 11 are:
Processor: Intel core- 1.7GHz, Core i5-3317U
Graphics: Intel HD 4000
Memory: 6GB, 1,333MHz DDR3
Chipset: Intel HM76 Express
Operating system: Windows 8 (64-bit)
The keyboard appears to be a weak link though. The letters are too small when compared to what we see in normal keys. This could hamper your typing speeds especially when you are going to type on a full size keyboard.
I felt that a small nub isn’t the ideal replacement for a touchpad. So I would recommend you plug in an external mouse if at all you want to access the icons and apps faster. However, I found the keyboard backlight to be a positive aspect of the Duo 11. The screen too is a great feature. It automatically changes its orientation to the way you hold it.
So, there are some great pluses yet, some unwelcoming minuses. I suggest you head to the stores and check the device before buying it rather than just ordering it online.
Nicole Wilson