Vizio impressions at MS Store

Guys I really think this is the best ips screen I have seen on a laptop, I really don't know what other computer your going to buy that has a better one.

 

Seconded. Anyone have any data on the screen? Even a part # would be helpful...

 

HP Dreamcolor IPS screen is phenomenal and is arguably the best screen on the market what sucks is the price. If the Vizio IPS screen can at least cover the sRBG color space and have a great delta E of ~1.5 or less I would be all over it....

 

Yes, I got the same email with 8/17 date. Trouble is, the date on the email is 7/17. So they just did +30 days instead of their usual +7 days. I'm afraid this is going to be just as bogus as the previous 1 week delays...

 

No store knows the date because vizio is not releasing them they are just guessing. Who knows what vizio is doing right now with these. Doesnt make a lot of sense.

 

Just received my brand new Vizio CT15-A2! Mostly just loving it so far. The trackpad is a little wonky, but I'm getting used to it (seems to work better after enabling gestures, actually). I'm going to buy a bluetooth mouse to use regardless though so it's not a big deal to me. I'm planning on repartitioning and dual booting Windows 7 and Ubuntu (or Linux Mint), so I can let you guys know how that goes if anyone is curious. I'm a little concerned by my WEI though:
Calculations per second: 7.1
Memory operations per second: 5.9
Desktop performance for Windows Aero: 5.9
3d business and gaming graphics performance: 5.1
Disk data transfer rate: 7.9

Why is the 3d business and gaming graphics performance score so low? Is this what others have been getting?

 

Very possible. I just hope if Vizio was correct with the beginning of August date, this date will be correct as well.

 

Yeah what do you guys mean by wonky, what are your issues with it. Also your scores are dead on with the other A2 on here. Whats weird is why my a1 scores higher in some areas. here is mine

 

My issue with the trackpad is probably the same as what other people have been referring to as "stickiness." It's hard to glide my finger easily across it and have the cursor move smoothly across the screen. I'm adjusting to it a bit though.

Question: Has anyone reinstalled Windows 7 on this computer & does a clean installation take up less space? I know it already has a supposedly bloatware-free installation of "Windows Signature" due to coming from the Microsoft Store, but there's nearly 30 GB taken up already and that's ridiculous! Alternatively, is there a way to free up some space? I'm also wondering what the impact of deleting the recovery partition will be... I'm hoping to ultimately partition the hard drive into 40 - 50 GB for Windows (but I hear Windows runs a lot slower with 20% or less free space so I'll have to keep the installation and any programs I install under 32 - 40 GB), 10 - 20 GB for Linux Mint, then the rest (155 - 175 GB) for my files.

 

I believe the c://windows/winsxs folder is not using the space it reports, you might be able to use that disk space

Mine is identical except my Desktop... is 5.8

I've had my i7 for about a week and a half and the trackpad is growing on me, a lght touch is required.

 

You know windows x64 takes up like 25gb and if you want to get the space back just delete the other partitions. There really isnt a need to reinstall it's a clean install already. Anyway the drivers are in the C drive.

 

Wow, I haven't used Windows on a personal computer in years, so I guess I just got used to the tidy small Linux installations (where 10 - 15 GB is an excessive amount of space)! I'm realizing now that this really is a clean install here, and I'll just have to live with Windows taking up a ton of space.

I've managed to copy the entire recovery partition over to a 16GB flash drive, but I can't figure out how to use it for a system restore - once I figure that out, it won't matter if I blow away the recovery partition. Any suggestions? Under "Advanced Recovery Methods," there are options for "Use a system image you created earlier to recover your computer" and "Return your computer to factory condition" - when I try the first one, it can't locate my flash drive to read the system image on it, and when I try the second one, it automatically uses the recovery partition.

 

any review for the screen?

contrast ratio, delta E value?

how is this screen compared to zenbook ux32vd? (don't say everything will look smaller on zenbook , it's obvious)

 

So I received the CT14-A2 on 7/18, a week earlier than what was quoted, and here's my verdict. I must be one of the (un)lucky ones because michaeljean has it spot on with the trackpad issue (which I'll get into detail with in a little bit). First off, the machine is beautiful for the price point. I'm sure everyone has gawked over the photos and specs on the vizo website, so you should know what you're getting by considering this ultrabook. I personally find that the specs very respectively meet my requirements for light office work and entertainment ... excel, outlook, browsing, netflix, ... I don't plan on running D3 on it or any graphic intensive game. It zips through programs quite readily. And I love the Microsoft Signature package .... more vendors really need to sign up on this. As for the keyboard, it's honestly not bad at all. I'm used to a thinkpad laptop (which IMO is the best I've come across), and this certainly has a unique feel with the flat keys and shallow depth, but overall it feels good. The screen is not matte, but more of an anti-reflective, glossy coating.

Now about this trackpad ... ugh. There are 2 makes on these laptops according to the Vizio service tech, and I have the Sentelic (the other is Synaptic). When I tap on the middle of the trackpad, there is a definitive "clacking" noise that I hear, and I thought it was strange that it caught my attention b/c I've never noticed it on other machines. When I went to left and right click, that's where things really fall apart. As I started to load the machine up with my business software, I thought I was cracking up because it wasn't registering my clicks correctly. Then I went to the desktop and tried to right click and it only worked like maybe a little better than half of the time. The left click was not really much better, as it was having a tough time catching and highlighting text. The real issue is that there is literally no-click in the corners of the trackpad. If you push on the bottom left or right corners, it sinks in and has a mushy feel to it. When I pushed the middle section along the bottom, THEN there was finally the clear "click" that we're all used to. I had to check out the manual because I thought there was a third button ....nope. Only two.

So then I tried an experiment after messing around with it for an hour ... I applied a little bit of pressure dead-center on the trackpad (in my mind, closing the distance between the 2 internal surfaces within the trackpad that are creating the "clack" sound), and then tried the left and right clicks. All I can say is that it made a night and day difference! It felt the way it's supposed to feel, registering every time. The only problem is that this is not practical or natural when you're navigating and doing work. But the real problem is that this is a mechanical issue, and no driver update or bios mod is going to solve a physical clicking problem. I've been in touch with the Vizio rep, and they had me update the driver (which I did, and I gave them props for trying), but it didn't make a difference with usability.

Here's my guess on what's wrong with design ... either the sub-surface internals are cambered, or there is an adhesion issue with layers of materials, because when you flatten the irregular bowing or compress the loose layers together (into the natural plane that they were intended to be in), then the left and right corners can properly pivot to contact the micro-switches (which is the "click").

Bottom line is that I CAN'T STAND THE TRACKPAD ... and if I can't stand the trackpad, then I can't use this computer ... it just doesn't feel natural to use. I'm getting a return label and it's going back this week for repair since there are none available as replacements till the end of Aug (so they said). I really hope this is not a mfg issue, because other than trackpad, it's a really nice machine ... BUT, if it comes back the same way, sorry Vizio, I'm getting something else.

I'm really curious if others are experiencing this .... if you have one of the new Vizio laptops, try pushing the bottom left and right corners and let me know if it clicks or not for you.

 

Thanks for the great write-up. Can you talk a little more about aspects other than the trackpad? I use a mouse so the trackpad quality is rather irrelevant to me.

How's the screen quality? Is there much glare? One of my biggest hangups about the CT14 is the glossy screen. I'd really rather a matte one, so I'd be curious to hear how the Vizio's is.

What else were you considering and why'd you go with the Vizio?

Any problems other than the trackpad? Backlight bleed, etc.

 

Yeah if you have the sentellic your trackpad probably sucks but you can get used to it if you just do everything light touch. I'm shocked to hear now there is a synaptics I really hope there is one for the ct15. I really think vizio is changing the trackpad. But I have found ways to work with it, it's not enjoyable but it's ok now.

Also you might want to check out the ct15 the trackpad is bigger and the screen is matte and it makes a difference.

 

Yeah you probably don't even need to save the recovery partition if you have the drivers it's just better to install your own version of windows 7 x64 ultimate which should not be hard to get. Then drivers and your set.

And I have no idea why there is a seperate partition for hibernation must have something to do with windows sig install. Either none of it's needed. Clean windows will be the same as this.

Also when I used to login I had the black vizio theme and now it's gone don't know why must of done something.

 

For anyone interested, you can get a legal copy of the Windows 7 .iso in this thread. You can then transfer it to USB using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, found here.

 

FINALLY a review from a tech site: Vizio 15.6-inch Thin + Light ultrabook review | The Verge

They aren't too impressed with it.

 

Thats false.

 

Hmm, according to the Verge review - the keyboard and battery life are the worst things about this laptop. Three hours is abysmal =/ I guess I'm getting a MBA

 

Yikes, not great.

Thanks for posting. I can't believe it's taken 3 weeks for a review. I'm really most interested in the CT14, so hopefully they get a review up of that soon. But most of the problem areas will likely be repeated in the CT14 anyway.

In this review and on NBR, Vizio's getting pounded over the keyboard and trackpad, two areas they claimed they were working "extra hard" on. That's pretty discouraging. I tried the CT14's keyboard in person and it didn't seem that bad, but I didn't use it as long as this reviewer did. I did find the exact same problems with the trackpad that the reviewer did.

The battery life is most surprising - in addition to being abysmal, I hadn't heard on this thread of the battery life being that poor on the CT.

Ugh. It seems like Vizio might be out, and I may be back to looking at the Samsung Series 9 for quite a bit more. But if I have to pay more to get a more solidly built computer without these issues, then so be it.

 

guys i told you all this before anyway i really think you should still give it a shot. I get about four hours of battery and the trackpad you can work it with it if you want. The main thing is what else is there to buy besides this in the 15 inch form. Everything is else is more expensive and not as good. The series 9 screen suck compared to this. It's not even close.

I knew the reviews were going to slam it because everything they said has been my experience. In my book there are no other good choices. The all in one is fine just get your own keyboard and mouse and the notebook I don't know why you would go for this one. The 14 inch to me is pointless because the screen is glossy and the trackpad is smaller.

 

I've been using a MacBook Air for a little over a week now, with an i5, 8GB RAM, and 256GB HDD, and I'm liking it. Performance is excellent across the board, the keyboard is the best I've used, and the trackpad is so good that I _stopped_ using the mouse I would take to work to use with the HP Envy that the Air replaced. I run Windows 7 via Parallels, and I can't tell a difference from running it on bare iron.

It was expensive at $1599, but honestly I think it was worth it. And what surprises me the most is just how much I'm liking OS X Lion. I really didn't like Snow Leopard, and have always been a huge Windows fan, but I'm liking having the option. Running Windows this way gives the same battery life (about 6.5 hours real world use) and trackpad performance as running OS X, without any real downsides that I can see.

I bring this up ONLY to say that if you've just automatically discarded an Apple machine, as I did for so long, maybe you should at least check it out. I was really hoping that the VIZIO machines would be the best choice, but the delays and lack of reviews and initial issues made me wary. In the end, I decided I'd rather invest a little more and get a machine with 8GB of RAM (which most Ultrabooks don't offer) and the flexibility to run OS X. I don't regret my decision.

 

Michael, I joined just for you buddy. Just got my CT15 today, and have a work around for your problem with click and drag, and it has to do with your tap theory. My work around:

Double-tap the selection you want to highlight and drag. Double tap that, and it should be able to move ALMOST wherever you want it to. When you release from your movement, it'll stop moving, and then you won't be able to move it more (on a web page, it'll just be stuck in a word doc, which is my concern to begin with as I am writing a thesis). It should work for, again, ALMOST everything you need it to.

Lemme know how that works.

I will post a more detailed review later. For now, adult beverages are calling my name.

 

Really so my windows folder is not 21GB right now. What is false and do you even know what your talking about.

 

Yeah thanks I have been doing that since day one. I gave up on clicking a long time ago. Once in a while I do it to see if some how magically it improved.

 

I was in a similar position as you (although I was not looking at a Vizio for my ultraportable) in that I wanted a very portable machine with 8gb of RAM. I looked at many of the options from Samsung, Asus, HP, etc. before finally settling on the Sony Vaio Z (which I got on sale for $1375). Pretty happy with my purchase as well. However, the 35w proc (vs 17w ULV in most ultrabooks/Macbook Air) was a big draw for me as well.

I was looking at getting one of these vizios for a desktop-replacement-ish semi-portable media box (due to the screen being highly regarded) but after reading that review I'm not so sure anymore. The price is still pretty good - I may just wait until version 2 to buy, though.

 

Vizio should of really had these available by now to buy because all this waiting is just going to lead to lost sales. It's better people buy before the reviews now people are already thinking this computer is crap when it's not. It is the best 15inch ultrabook.

 

Based solely on in-store experience with both machines, I'd say it is 2nd best behind SS9 15". That said, there just aren't that many 15" ultrabooks period.

 

No the SS9 is over priced and the screen is beyond horrible. Then they put in really bad ssd drives. If the samsung was better I would own it.

Now the 13 is good

 

Grr... I really do notice the battery life myself.

Kind of makes me wish I had bought the Notebook instead of the ultrabook version...

 

How do you like Vaio Z? Is it Ivy Bridge?

Given the Vizios aren't getting great reviews for consistent reasons, I realized I may have to move up in price to get what I want, which puts the Vaio Z in play.

Where/when did you get it on sale? And do you know where I could see one in person? That's really been the biggest thing holding me back on the Z - the fact that I can't find it anywhere to try in person.

 

Yes, I got an ivy bridge one. I got it on the sony "outlet" store. They are running a deal (unfortunately it ends the 25th) where any customized laptop is 20% off. These are new, not refurbished, and come with full warranties and everything. This page ( Sony Outlet & Refurbished Products ) will have all the laptops with 3rd gen core i5 or i7 laptops on it. There are about 4 Z's near the bottom. The 20% discount should knock around 400 dollars off whatever price it is showing (but again, only until tomorrow).

I like it a lot, although part of that is the fact that it has a full 35w proc in a smaller-than-ultrabook formfactor. The one major thing it may be lacking is battery life, as I'm seeing about 5 hours normal usage. Mine came with the extended sheet battery, which I will likely utilize for flights and other situations where I need it to last longer. The SSDs are VERY fast, with speeds (read) breaking 1000 megabytes/sec by some peoples benchmarks (see the Sony Vaio Z owner's lounge forum for some screenshots.)

I also was having trouble finding one in person. The only place you can is at a Sony Store, which they don't have in my area. Luckily I happened to be traveling to an area which had a sony store a few weekends ago and got to see it in person. The major concerns I had after seeing it (and still do, somewhat, after receiving it) are the keyboard and the trackpad - however, you won't find any laptop this powerful in this size range. The keyboard is VERY shallow - think Zenbook or SS9 levels of shallowness. Also, the trackpad is small, although it's a synaptics and is doing a great job at recognizing all the difficult gestures, even pinch-zoom.

 

I'm currently leaning toward the Series 9 but many people recommended I look at the Vaio Z for a variety of reasons, one of the major ones being the Z keyboard. However, if the Z's keyboard is just as shallow as the Series 9's, then that pretty much knocks out the main reason I'd consider paying the premium for the Z.

If I'm using my computer almost 100% for web browsing and Office applications (word processing and Excel), will I see any noticeable difference between say a ULV i7 and a full-voltage i5?

 

I should say that I've only used the 15" SS9 keyboard for any appreciable amount of time (typed a few sentences on a 13" but that's it), and that was in a store, but I like the Z keyboard better than that. It's difficult to tell with the travel (Sony advertises theirs at 1.05mm, I think? but other manufacturers don't put out that info as far as I can tell) but the Sony one feels nicer, even though I'm not sure it's any deeper. The keys feel like they have a bit more spring in them, and are maybe slightly more difficult to press down. I was concerned I wouldn't like it but I've adjusted fairly quickly and it's not bad.

That said, if those are the only things you are planning to do with it the ULV proc will probably be fine for you. My main reasons for buying this are the screen (~92% sRGB color gamut, 1080p), the RAM (hard to find an ultrabook with 8gb RAM and 900 or 1080p screen) and the power (for software development, photoshop, ability to run VMs, etc) I don't really have the money or the space for a decent ultraportable and a decently powered desktop, so I needed a machine which can act as both.

I was actually deciding between the 14" HP Envy Spectre and the Z when it came down to my final decision (eliminated Zenbook, SS9, and other Acer/Sony options due to limited RAM or poor screen quality) but I decided on the Z based on the portability (2.5 vs 4 pounds), the screen, and the processor.

Here's a comparison of the i5 available on the Z with the i7 available on most ultrabooks: Compare Intel® Products
As you can see, they are fairly similar except that the base clock speeds on the i5 (main and graphics) are higher and the i7 has 1mb more cache.

EDIT: The port selection is much better on the Z as well, and I've been told that the SSDs in the SS9 are slower than average, while the SSDs in the Z are extremely fast.

 

Man this forum is dead even the people that get the vizio's don't really have much to say.

 

I went to Microcenter today specifically to seek out a Vaio Z, and while I loved almost everything about it, I could not believe how much I hated the keyboard.

To say it's shallow is an understatement. The keys were unlike any others I'd used before. They didn't even seem to depress straight down to register a stroke. Instead, the center of the key seemed to stay put while an edge or corner would depress ever so slightly.

The weirdest part was how unsteady the keys seemed. If I press down hard enough on the very corner of a key on my current Vaio keyboard, or any of the other ultrabooks I tried, it would eventually depress fully and register a stroke. The key wouldn't flex or tilt in the direction of the corner I was pressing. But with the Z, if I pressed a corner down, only that corner would go down and the rest of the key would stay put. Usually it would still register a stroke, but it would feel like I didn't press it enough so it'd interrupt my typing.

Adding to this problem was that the surface of the keys was so slick and untextured that my fingers would inevitably slip from the center, either toward a corner or off entirely.

I tried this laptop back to back with quite a few other ultrabooks including the Acer S5, Zenbook UX31A, and Macbook Air, and every one had a far better keyboard in my opinion. I couldn't believe this coming from such a high-end notebook.

This was of course all my opinion, but I was surprised because it didn't seem to match with what other NBR commenters and review sites had said about the keyboard.

I found no problems like this with the Series 9 or even the Vizio's keyboard.

So was mine a defective unit or something? I really wanted to like the Vaio Z - I loved the design, the screen, the trackpad, and how light it was.

 

I've been perfecting my setup on here and loving it. The screen is really amazing, great for side by side tasks and watching videos. Ever since I got it, my boyfriend's been lusting after it and just ordered one for himself. It's really quite a sleek machine. And so clearly the best value for the money, especially if you want the bigger screen.

Think that Verge review was strangely negative - admittedly the trackpad is not the best, but I actually find the keyboard pretty comfortable (was almost immediately up to my usual typing speeds ~100wpm). To be fair, I haven't yet tested the battery life - will keep it unplugged this weekend and see how it goes.

 

Since vizio announced their laptop series back in mid June I really had high hope for them, and I have been following this thread for 2 weeks now. I joined this forum just to share my thought.
Purchased the Vizio 15.6 at Microsoft Store on Sunday, had it for 3 days and decided to return it today.
Not much to select from for a 15 incher ultrabook shopper like me, so the vizio was definitely my number one choice.

Good:

Excellent Full HD IPS screen.
One of the best designs for a Windows PC. (On par with Asus Zenbook Prime, HP Envy Spectre..)
Great price for the value. (Ivy Bridge i7, Toshiba 256GB SSD, 1080P..)
15.6 ultrabook form factor, which is rare.

Bad:

I tested the battery life on real time usage, I got around 3h20m~3h45m on several charges, which will make these not so great for portability, heck its even using the ultra low voltage CPUs.. if this was the quad cores I wouldn't mind.
Keyboard feeling was fine for me, but the responsive issue was the matter, sometimes it won't detect the keys I pushed, unresponsive.
Didn't care much for the touchpad since I always connect to my Logitech Anywhere Mouse. However, the touchpad was a little loose, you can feel it when you softly tap the touchpad.
Hard to open the screen from the middle, had to use both hands to flip on each side.
The main bummer was the build quality. The front corner where the black plastic and the aluminum did not fit well, in which I can press it in (along with a loud click noise) and it will popped out again when I let go. I noticed this at the very first moment since I was holding the laptop with one hand. Worst of all, the black paint on the plastic started to peal off in less than 10 "press".. I decided this laptop has to be returned once I saw the paint pealing off.

At first I thought it was only me. So today I was at Microsoft Store in Valley Fair returning my Vizio, I checked all the display models and 5 out of 6 of them had the issue, some at front left corner and some at front right, even saw the pealed off paint just like mine. This is clearly a quality or manufacturing issue..

Overall, I really wanted to keep this laptop, I didn't mind the keyboard and touchpad but the build quality and battery life really forced me to return it. I ended up buying the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A which has the same spec as vizio but only 13.3 inch and cost 250 more.. Hope Vizio can get it right on the 2nd gen laptops.

 

Visited my local Wal-Mart waiting for a friend. Walked by the PC section hoping to see the Vizio's but alas...there's STILL only empty spaces for them w/ "info cards" below where they'd be.

The cage where 2 or 3 boxes would be kept below the display system's was also empty where the Vizio systems would be.

Kinda frustrating how slow my local store is...but maybe the demo/display units are being delivered just as slowly as consumer orders?...

 

Wow, I'm starting to feel lucky that my Vizio doesn't have any build issues. In fact, the quality is impeccable, looks and feels very solid. Hate that it seems to be a crapshoot with so many of these ultrabooks.

How are you liking the Zenbook Prime? I was seriously considering it for a while, but the i7 256GB version was (is?) really hard to find, and I got scared off by the multitude of complaints about light bleed (though I even see a little on the boot screen with the Vizio - but can't see it anytime else), slow SSDs, etc.

 

That's odd, my local Walmart had a CT the first week of July. I'd call around to other locations.

Great write-up, thanks for the information. Sounds like the dismal battery life the Verge reviewer found is being corroborated by other users. 3-3.5 hours battery life from an ultraportable is unacceptable at any price.

I loved the design of the Vizio, but I did notice that there were some rough edges, both literally and figuratively. The edges of the computer were literally very sharp, and I was sure they'd get uncomfortable over time. It also just didn't seem to be as solidly built as say the Series 9.

I'm surprised though that you went with the UX31A for a few reasons. First off, you said you were originally wanting a 15" laptop. Secondly though, did you read up on the UX31A NBR thread? Apparently the Zenbook has some major build quality issues - backlight bleed, fan cycling problems, and random shutdowns have been occurring among many NBR users. Many users actually went through 2-3 units before either settling on one they weren't 100% happy with or just scrapping Asus entirely. That thread is the main reason I ruled out the Zenbook Prime.

I certainly hope your experience with it is better than theirs. I saw it in person yesterday and while I'm not crazy about the overall design (and the edges are sharp just like the Vizio's), but that screen is just beautiful.

 

On my Z (admittedly brand new) no matter where you press on the key (for about 90% of the keys) the entire surface depresses (even with the spacebar - I just tested most of the keys). On some keys (some of the letters in the middle of the keyboard, maybe 8 keys or so) the opposite corner from the one you pressed may not go down QUITE as far as the rest of the key, but it makes it at least 75% down. Again, on others it goes down all the way - I'm not sure what causes the discrepancy.

I agree with you that they are relatively smooth, though. In terms of travel, the SS9 13" does not have any more travel than this keyboard (or at least not enough more to be significant, could be a difference of 5% or something). The old Zenbook (I haven't had a chance to see the Prime in person as of yet) had less travel than this in my opinion, although I've only typed on one briefly. Yes, the Macbook air keyboard is better than this one, but Apple has always had good keyboards/trackpads - it's about the only thing they do really well. I haven't even looked at an Aspire due to build quality and battery life issues.

I've actually acclimated to this fairly well - it was much quicker than I expected, actually. On the SS9 15" I noticed after a few minutes of typing it started to bother my wrists (for whatever reason, couldn't say) but this keyboard doesn't. The main problem I am having with it is that I actually have gotten TOO used to the low travel - sometimes I'll be typing and I won't press the key down far enough (and therefore miss a letter).


All that said, the keyboard is easily the worst part of the laptop, with the very-not-loud speakers coming in second. However, I'm not even sure if there is a third worst thing - the build quality is very solid, although it does feel slightly fragile just due to the material it is made of. The battery life was not great initially, but after a few cycles it seems to have picked up a bit, seems like with normal use (some videos, some web, etc) it can last 6+ hours. It lasted me all day at work yesterday (turned on at 9, lasted till 6pm, was in sleep mode for part of the day).

 

Microsoft store at VF only had the UX31A (i7, 256GB SSD) instock and with 20% off it was a pretty good deal. (Not on display tho you need to ask for it)

Too bad I started to read the UX31A thread yesterday night after I bought the Zenbook prime... I made the decision right on site hence no time to research first.

Major backlight bleed here for my Zenbook Prime. I had a large chunk of backlight bleeding on the lower right corner of the screen, so this laptop is definitely going back for return on the weekends.
This part I really give credit for the screen on the vizio, mine had very minor bleed which is barely visible. I have a feeling that I would repeat the iPad2 experience again, had to go through 3-4 to finally settle down for a minor backlight bleed unit..

In terms of performance and build, this build quality is levels higher than the vizio, very solid and well build. For the Sandisk SSD, they upgraded the firmware so now it gets a 7.5 on WEI, and so far everything performs fast and stable, boot time around 20 secs. I did not noticed the fan and other issue, I will play around this laptop till Friday before returning it.

Seems like there is no perfect laptop for me, not much for selection for a 15 incher ultrabook (only the vizio meets my requirement), and I started to feel stress looking at the small 13.3 inch screen since this laptop will be mainly using at home. I am still debating whether to live with the small screen and exchange the unit or just simply return it and wait... but I really want to take advantage of MS 20% off promo now.

 

Actually, are you sure the one you tested was an Ivy Bridge Z? As in, you went to system properties and it had a 3xxx proc model number?

I'm not necessarily suggesting that the IB keyboards are any better than the SB keyboards (although it's possible) but if it is a year-old model it may have been a very worn out keyboard. Just a thought. The display model I checked out at the Sony Store in San Fran had a keyboard extremely similar to mine, but it was also an IB model and therefore less than two months old.

 

It was marked as an IB unit and had all the new signage and such, and they indicated it had just been put out. I'm fairly certain it was IB, but it of course could have been SB and they just put it there as a placeholder. I'm hoping to find another location I can try out a different Z at just once more before I decide to make sure the issue wasn't anomalous.

I'd really like to try the S9 and Z next to each other, but of course haven't found anywhere that's possible.

 

Mind sharing the details on this 20% off deal you mention? Is it only the ZBP? Or are other laptops eligible? Can you get online or just in stores? If online, do you have a promo code (just checked and site showing regular price)?

 

Ok, so I just took some initative and called my local(ish) MS Store. Deal is 20% off $1k plus computers. Specifically asked about SS9 15 and ZBP. Not good with student X Box deal.

Thought I was gonna get a Vizio 14 with X Box deal for longest time but 15.6 battery life has me concerned about the 14 Vizio so think I'm gonna pass on both Vizio and X Box and drive the hour to the store to take advantage of this deal on SS9.

 

I assume you saw my post (prior to the one you quoted) relating my own experiences with the keyboards on several different ultraportables. Of course I can't speak for what you have experienced.

Regarding seeing the Z and SS9 next to each other, the closest I got was a mall in Palo Alto which had a Microsoft Store (with the SS9s) and a Sony Store (with the Z) relatively near each other. After seeing the screens on the two computers I was pretty much sold on the Z.

I don't know of anywhere (although I understand you found a store) besides the Sony Stores which carry the Z. I would guess it will be pretty much impossible to find a store that carries both, unless it is some small local premium laptop reseller (none of the major chains carry the Z afaik, although Best Buy even carries the SS9)