Sony Debuts Hybrid Ultrabook, Mobile Tabletop PC, More
Sony has revealed its new Windows 8-ready devices including a new "Mobile Tabletop" PC and a hybrid Ultrabook.
With Windows 8 just around the corner, we're starting to see a huge wave of devices gearing up to flood the retail channel later this month. Sony is the latest to reveal its goods, introducing its first mobile Tabletop PC for the U.S. market, the VAIO Tap 20 PC, and its slider hybrid, the VAIO Duo 11 Ultrabook.
The company has also injected new models and features into its other VAIO Lines of PCs, as well as introduced the phrase "VAIO Touchworld" which spans its collection of touch-based notebooks, Ultrabooks and AIOs. Here's a general list of features for each series, as provided by Sony:
VAIO Tap 20 Tabletop PC
* Can lay flat like a tablet or sit up like a desktop PC (AKA it's a big tablet form factor with a kickstand mounted in the back)
* 20-inch 10-point multi-touch screen
* Removable Battery
* Powered by Sony's Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
* Incorporated stereo speakers utilizing Sony’s "audio fidelity expertise" including Dolby Home Theater v4 Audio Technology
* App: Sony Entertainment Network’s Music Unlimited
* App: Fingertapps Organizer, a calendar app for family members to communicate via to-do lists, recorded messages and videos
* App: ArtRage Studio offers natural painting tools such as oil paints and watercolors, along with utilities to make painting easier
* App: My Daily Clip application, a fun movie trivia game for up to four players
* NFC for sharing content across compatible devices
* COST: VAIO Tap 20 $879.99 and up in Black; White
VAIO Duo 11 Slider Tablet/Ultrabook Hybrid
* Durable Surf Slider mechanism switches between keyboard and tablet
* 11.6-inch LCD touchscreen with scratch-resistant glass
* Latest-generation Intel Core processors
* Slim and light, weighing approximately 2.84 pounds
* Pressure-sensitive digitizer stylus for writing directly on the touchscreen; swappable pen tips
* Backlit keyboard
* NFC for sharing content across compatible devices
* Incorporated stereo speakers utilizing Sony’s "audio fidelity expertise" including Dolby Home Theater v4 Audio Technology
* Functional I/O port connectivity
* App: Active Clip for cropping photos and graphics
* App: Sony Entertainment Network’s Music Unlimited
* COST: VAIO Duo 11 $1099.99 and up in Black
VAIO T Series
* New T13 Ultrabook comes with a touch display
* T13 made with an ultra-smooth brushed aluminum shell
* New T14 Ultrabook incorporates the same port connectivity as the T13 model
* T14 includes an optical disc drive to support Blu-ray and DVD media.
* COST: T Series 13 $669.99 and up in Aluminum Silver.
* COST: T Series 14 $669.99 and up in Aluminum Silver.
VAIO E Series
* 11-inch, 14-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch models
* New aluminum 14P model with touchscreen and signature diamond cut VAIO logo
* New 17-inch E17 model with a Full HD Display (1920 x 1080) and a Quad Core processor
* Backlit Keyboards (14-inch, 15-inch)
* Latest Intel Core processors (14-inch, 15-inch)
* Clear high contrast displays
* Optional AMD Radeon graphics
* COST: E Series 11 $449.99 and up in Black; White
* COST: E Series 14 $449.99 and up in Black; White; Pink
* COST: E Series 14P $689.99 and up in Gun Metallic and Gold; Silver and Blue, Pink and Pink; Black and Red; White and Blue
* COST: E Series 15 $449.99 and up in Black; White; Aluminum Silver; Pink
* COST: E Series 17 $729.99 and up in Black; White
VAIO S Series
* Crafted in tough, weight-saving magnesium, aluminum and carbon fiber materials.
* 13-inch model now available in a new Burgundy Red color
* Now available in 13.3-inch Premium and 15.5-inch models
* COST: S Series 13 $799.99 and up in Black; Silver; White; Pink; Burgundy Red
* COST: S Series 13 Premium $1199.99 and up in Black; Gold; Gun Metallic
* COST: S Series 15 $849.99 and up in Black; White; Silver
"VAIO Tap 20 is creating a new category of PC’s by combining desktop PC functionality, battery-powered mobility, and multi-angle viewing," said Steven Nickel, VP, Sony VAIO. "This along with the innovative VAIO Duo 11 and the intuitive touch solutions incorporated across our existing PC portfolio, offers consumers flexibility to optimize their Windows 8 experience. Through the combination of compelling applications, Sony’s network services, and cross device connectivity, VAIO is leading the way in developing a new Touchworld experience. We expect when consumers think of touch PCs, they’ll think of VAIO."
The new touch enabled VAIO line will be available at the end of October at Sony retail stores (www.store.sony.com) and other authorized dealers nationwide.
Aren't all notebooks mobile tablettops?
fad? probably. is it useful? sometimes. do you have to use it? no.
at least now there will be a reason for all the fingerprints on my desktop, it's not touchscreen but for some reason someone always touch it!
Its not really a fad. Its an inevitable feature which is here to stay. Will it be useful for every purpose? Obviously not. But there is no point making an operating system which does not offer it for people who want to use it, even if it is not for everyone.
Additionally adding touch to screens is simply the right thing to do. Eventually the cost of a touch screen will be about on par with an old dumb screen. It is just a matter of time.
I can see many uses for touch besides just tablets and phones (which is a big use), such as a media pc for the wall, or a store display. I also envision a time when every person has a small touch screen linked to their PC for added utility (including uses in gaming). Think of it as a HUD display in a fighter jet, for example. There is a lot you can do with all of this. It is just a matter of bringing it to the market place. I do not see this as a challenge to the traditional PC, but rather a way to make the PC better.
And finally from what I have read, Windows 8 is even more efficient than Win 7 so you can't blame touch for bogging down the system.
Who thought this was a good ideal? Will a pay over a grand for a 11.6" netbook with a low power CPU and 64Gb storage? Not me.
Guys, let's release a crappy laptop, add a touchscreen and call it a "hybrid"! Those suckers will think they are getting two awesome pieces of hardware and pay through the crapper for it when instead they get left over parts from last year in a "cool" new design!
No wonder they are losing money.
Another thing about them:
My next door guy bought a cool $400 Sony 5.1 sound system(1000W RMS) from all the money he had earned from a small summer job. Only a few days later he discovered that sound system doesn't have a 5.1 aux-in but stereo only. He had downloaded a ton of BR movies to watch with this sound system. And the crappy DVD player that came with sound system doesn't even accept single one of those movies. I felt really sad for him.
Sony sucks when is comes to providing the things that really matter. I feel providing more info about processor/ram/gpu matter more than what colors the laptops will come in. Same goes with the sound system. 5.1 input was more important than how cool those speakers look on the wall.
Maybe it's just me, when I see at a sony product I see a sacrifice of an important aspect of that product for the sake of other unnecessary stuff that was cramped in.
These kind of things work well with Apple but then they have a long line of followers. Sony doesn't. If they think, they can be an Apple too then they will suck even more.
I was quite shocked to get what I thought was a reasonable price on a Sony product; as I had always thought they were very over-priced. Came with a free PS3 which I promptly sold for nearly full price
That is a good start for those with long long flights. I have 3 batteries that I carry with my Samsung flagship phone. The one in the phone will do in the course of a normal day, but if I have a long trip I can easily go through 2.