The release of Windows 8
has heralded a host of new stylish tablets that make a pleasant change
from the bland anonymous slates which have come to represent the Android
market.
Almost daily there's a new innovative tablet-laptop
hybrid device, designed to suit every user need and bag size, and this
strange looking Sony Vaio Duo 11 offers more than meets the eye.
The 11.6-inch Sony Vaio Duo 11 embodies a sliding tablet design not unlike the Asus Eee Pad Slider of 2011.
It's a departure from the majority of manufacturers who have opted for docking 'transformer' style devices, such as the Samsung Ativ Smart PC and Asus Vivo Tab.
Both of these have detachable keyboards so you can choose whether you
want to travel light with a tablet, or increase the bulk (traditionally
around 1.3kg/2.9lbs) to have the keyboard as well.
The Sony Vaio Duo 11 is different. Instead of the ARM-based processors you'll find in the iPad, Android tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 or Windows RT tablets such as the Microsoft Surface, this runs a full Intel Core processor.
This means you can run full Windows programs as well as apps such as Angry Birds and TV catchup apps from the Windows Store.
It's
not just the processor that's different. Instead of being a bland black
slate, the screen lifts and slides back to reveal a keyboard. It's held
together by a weighty hinge, meaning that wherever you go, the keyboard
comes with it. The
lack of detachability indicates that Sony is aiming at the more
professional end of the market. Being able to lose the keyboard means
that people are more likely to use their device for playing games and
browsing the web.
The Sony Vaio Duo 11, on the other hand, is
built for 'doing', and the inclusion of a stylus pen puts creative types
and business users in its sights. But, with a full price of
£999/AU$1,499/US$1,199.99, how does it rate?
Specification
The main difference between the Sony Vaio Duo 11 and the rest of the
tablet market is that x86 processor. It's an Intel Core i5 3317U chip
clocked at 1.7GHz - the same low power variety found in Ultrabooks.
While 1.7GHz may seem low, it can Turbo Boost itself to a whopping
2.7GHz under heavy strain, which means it's no slouch.
The Sony
Vaio Duo 11 packs the power of a leading laptop into the body of a
tablet. This means that advanced photo and video editing are more than
within its capabilities, and you can multitask apps to your heart's
content.
Buying Guide
Windows 8 positively flies, and you can zip around the operating system using swipe gestures that never leave you waiting.
Unfortunately,
all that power comes at a cost, and the Sony Vaio Duo 11's pay off is a
noticeable increase in bulk and weight. The super svelte iPad or
Samsung Ativ Smart PC it is not, and the Sony weighs a muscle-testing
1.3kg (2.9lbs), the same as a modern ultra-portable laptop.
To
make it easier to hold and use away from a flat surface, Sony has
tapered the edges, which does make a difference, but we still feel that
the Sony Vaio Duo 11 is destined for use at a desk or on the sofa. While it may lack the portability and sleekness of its rivals, it's not just power that makes the Sony unique.
The
Sony Vaio Duo 11 packs an 11.6-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS panel, which looks
glorious. Not only is Windows 8's new interface sumptuously represented,
but also apps, games and movies too.
And it's touchscreen, which
negates any need for a mouse. That's a good job, since there's no
trackpad included, so you have the option of using Windows 8's
touchscreen interface, the awful optical 'nipple' on the keypad that
harks back to a 1990s ThinkPad, or a USB rodent. The screen is an IPS panel that provides generous viewing angles, should you have people congregating around your screen.
The
only downside is the extremely reflective coating, and like all
tablets, the Duo is a magnet for fingerprints. This combination meant we
were regularly reaching for a cleaning cloth.
Of course, the
added bulk makes way for plenty of storage space. While a tablet may
come with 16GB space and in the case of the iPad no room for expansion,
the Sony is a completely different beast. There's
a 128GB SSD drive supplied as standard, as well as an SD card slot,
which can offer up to 64GB more. On top of this you'll find two USB 3.0
slots, which can be used for portable hard drives that could offer 10x
the capacity - and at lightning speeds, too.
While on the subject
of connectivity, there's also Ethernet, HDMI and VGA ports. This gives
the Sony Vaio Duo 11 an advantage over the likes of the Samsung Series 9 and the MacBook Air,
where the decision to relegate Ethernet to a USB or Thunderbolt dongle
has frustrated thousands of people who have had the displeasure of
walking into a meeting only to find a wired connection. PerformanceIf
the Sony Vaio Duo 11 is fighting for its place as your main PC,
performance will be a key consideration. At more than double the price
of the new iPad or Microsoft Surface RT, we'd expect the Duo 11 to pack serious punch.
And we're pleased to say that the Sony Vaio Duo 11 is a heavyweight trapped inside a welterweight's body.
The
Intel Core i7 processor racked up a score of 9,579 in our Cinebench 11
tests, which is staggering for an 11.6-inch tablet, ranking it among the
most powerful laptops we've seen.
To put that in context, the HP Envy Spectre 14 Ultrabook
managed just 7,336 on the same test under the same conditions, which
shows that despite its form factor, the Sony Vaio Duo 11 offers
Ultrabook power.
Thanks to the x86 Intel Core processor at the
heart of this hybrid tablet the Sony Vaio Duo 11 can run Photoshop, Word
and any PC app in all their glory. This puts it in a different league
to iOS and Android tablets, which are limited to their own app store.
However,
the extra power doesn't do the battery life any favours, and the Duo 11
hit the canvas after 2.5 hours of HD video playback. That's less than most laptops, and way behind mainstream tablets - a black mark against the Sony's portable credentials.
As
you might expect from all of the power onboard, HD video played
seamlessly without stuttering or stopping, which is the least you should
expect from a PC priced at £999/AU$1,499/US$1,199.99.
Unlike the
iPad and Android tablets, using Windows means it plays nicely with
every kind of file format, meaning you can watch movies in any manner
you please, and you also get a valuable extra inch of real estate to
play with.
If
you are sitting back to enjoy a movie, however, you will need to invest
in a decent pair of headphones. The built-in speakers are woeful,
creating a tinny din that is barely audible.
Like many Windows
tablets, the Sony Vaio Duo 11 ships with its own stylus, which can be
used to enter text free-hand and be more creative with apps. In time we
expect there to be more apps that support pen interaction, but it worked
a charm with OneNote MX on the Windows Store.
The pen has a
reassuring weight and two function buttons that enable you to cut out
elements from a page and paste them into notes, before annotating and
scribbling all over them. The accuracy is excellent, and Windows 8 does a great job of turning even the most illegible handwriting into editable text.
If you're serious about using a stylus, then the Samsung Ativ Smart PC with its excellent S-Pen technology is worth a look first, having borrowed a bucket load of tech from the fabulous Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
However, the Sony Vaio Duo 11 is a close second place. Benchmarks Cinebench: 9,579 3D Mark: 3,684 Battery life: 163 minutes
PerformanceIf
the Sony Vaio Duo 11 is fighting for its place as your main PC,
performance will be a key consideration. At more than double the price
of the new iPad or Microsoft Surface RT, we'd expect the Duo 11 to pack serious punch. 
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