Sony Vaio Duo 11 Video

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Sony Vaio Duo 11
Created: 10/11/2012
Video description: While there are certainly things to like about the Sony Vaio Duo 11, the design gets in the way of enjoying it.

Sony Vaio Duo 11 Video Transcript

-Hi. I'm Josh Goldman, Senior Editor with CNET and this is a look at the Sony Vaio Duo 11. Now with Windows 8 basically having 2 different interfaces, the familiar desktop from Windows' past and the new touch-friendly Windows 8 styler were likely going to be seeing a lot of devices like the Duo which give you both a tablet and laptop in one package. Hopefully though they won't be executed exactly like the Duo because its design misses the mark. So here you have this 11.6-inch tablet with edge to edge glass ready to take full advantage of Windows 8. It's a full HD display with in-plane switching technology so viewing angles are very good and it's nice and responsive. But it's also a little awkward to hold because of the wide screen and the weight of the body which is nearly 3-lbs. Using it on the table or lap is fine though and Sony includes digitizer stylus for writing or drawing or navigation. The Duo could then be transformed into somewhat of a laptop but it's more like having a tablet attached to a media or keyboard. The keys are small, there's no touch pad, just this optical pointer and it's not very easy to open either. Plus, once it is open, you can adjust the screen angle at all and it looks kind of cheap with hinges and springs and cable showing. It just looks unfinished, but if you don't care about any of that, inside is a vert capable ultrabook with a 3rd Generation Core i5 processor, 6 gigs of memory and a 128 gig SSD. Battery life is good too at nearly 5 hours, so basically what you end up with is a good computer with a compromising design. I'm Josh Goldman and that's the Sony Vaio Duo 11.

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Sony Vaio Duo 11 Review

The good: The Sony Vaio Duo 11 has a fine set of specs for an ultrabook and an excellent full-HD touch screen on which to take advantage of the Windows 8-style interface.

The bad: The Duo's design misses the mark for use as a tablet and a laptop, feeling like too much of a compromise.

The bottom line: While there are certainly things to like about the Sony Vaio Duo 11, the design gets in the way of enjoying them.

Read full review

Sony Vaio Duo 11 Specs

Manufacturer: Sony
Part number: SVD11215CXB

Product Specifications
  • Product Specifications

Read full specs