Official Vaio Pro 11 Owners Lounge (SVP11 2013)

Sorry for the last two messages that are almost alike. Did not find a way to delete the first one...

 

Ok so i got my Vaio Pro 11 on sunday (open box $999.99) for the 128gig ssd, 4 gigs of ram.

My initial impressions:
Screen - the screen really is great
Keyboard - The keyboard is ok, its not the best but its passable. I wish it could be just a tad bigger.
Flex - The laptop is so light that flex is really not noticeable unless you are trying to notice it.
Fan noise - honestly i am surprised.... the fan is not that bad at all. Even during the installation of all the updates it wasnt all that loud.
Wifi - I have no experienced any problems yet
Lightness - the laptop is so light sometimes its a big odd to use, like when laying in bed... its like it floats on me. I almost miss the slight sense of weight.

odd issues - direct x failed to install i had to (delete the directx folder in windows/syswow64)
league of legends will not work, or even run. The only way i got it to run is to copy the installation from my other laptop and click play.

I finally managed to get the launcher to open but the game just sits there on (determining your installation phase)

which is a bit bothersome and odd since i have never see a laptop have problems with league.

Speed- its fairly quick however it sometimes just locks up and then speeds up again. It definitely feels quite a big slower then the Vaio Z1 however its still quite zippy.

Sound - this i expected to be awful like all other Vaio Z's AND!!! its AMAZING, seriously. Me and the wife were watching Dexter in bed and the laptop just blew us away with crystal clear loud sound. Even louder then my Thinkpad W530.

Overall i am fairly impressed.

Also i dont like how the screen doesnt tilt back very far, if you are using it on your lap in a chair with a very straight back, you cannot tilt the screen back far enough to provide for perfect viewing angle.

Thats my mini observation of the first 1.5 days.

Edit: Does anyone know where to get the USB Ethernet to Wifi adapter for the power supply? Its kinda BS it didnt come with it since the specs of the laptop say ethernet 10/100.

 

If you're in the US I think you have to special order it from overseas. The part number is VGPW-AR100. I didn't need a wireless access point for other devices so I just picked up a USB 3.0 SYBA SY-ADA24029 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. It's inexpensive and it works great! I get around 100MB/sec transfer rates.

And just as a side note, I've used my Vaio 11 daily since July 8th and I have zero complaints (now). I had some Wifi problems early on, after waking up from the lid closed but the new Intel drivers seemed to fix that. I've owned a TX, a TT, then a Z. IMO, the Pro 11 is the best ultrabook on the market.

 

I really do wish Sony sold the same models in all markets (and preferably made them all customisable). /rantover>

I really like the Sony Vaio Pro 11 (matte - non touch screen) but wanted to ask those that have it whether they also bought the sheet battery and what they think of it?

I normally work tied to the mains but am also out about a lot and so battery power is important to me. Do you recommend it if you have it? Is it heavy?

Thanks

 

Any strong opinions one way or the other regarding the 11.6 vs 13.3 Vaio Pro? This Verge review finds the 13.3 to be almost as small & light, with a better build, better keyboard, better performance and a bit more battery life for only $100 more. What say you??

 

I think i am going to return my 11.6 pro. Its too small. I feel like its making me blind esp with that screen resolution. Most things scale fine but every now and then its just like looking at fine print on tax forms.

Also the touchpad scrolling is really pissing me off.

I think i will wait for other haswell laptops to come out. The only reason i find the Vaio Pro 11 specs acceptable is due to its size. If i am going to move up to 13.3 i want a machine with some power not a glorified netbook.

id rather have a computer that is half a pound heaver and better in ever way. <3LB is already very light.

 

I found that if you change the "size of text and other items" to 150% on the 11.6, things appear much more readable and the touch screen is easier to use with the regular Windows desktop. A high resolution is better suited to a larger screen but you can't beat the 11.6 for portability. Tough choice and only $100 difference...

 

My US SVP11 just got the following updates:

Intel Dual Band Wireless-N 7260 Update
Intel PROSet/Wireless Software for Bluetooth Technology Update
BIOS Update R1021V7

Anyone installed these yet?

 

did the updates yesterday, wifi seems better, fan noise is definitely better after the bios update!

 

After installing the new R1021V7 BIOS for the first time in 2 weeks of owning this laptop i can actually hear the fan....

...

before this the only way i could hear it is if i stuck my ear into the vent.

 

Hi All,

Recently i purchased Vaio pro 11 a month back. (4gb ram & 128 GB Ssd, model meant for India, probably Asian)
For the last few days, there have been many occasions where the notebook suddenly freezes or hangs. The fan whirls at the max possible speed and it all gets stuck. I am now irritated with this frequent problem. I then have to press the power button for like 5-6 seconds to shut it down and then restart it all over. (Even the task manager doesn't show up after pressing ctrl+alt+del). I have tried waiting for 10-15 minutes for the notebook to resume believing that its heavily loaded for the time being but nothing!

What could be the problem? I have updated the notebook with the latest BIOS and other updates as well.

 

I am currently staying in a hotel and I have my SVP11 hooked up to the TV via HDMI. I use MPC-HC (latest stable) to play a 1080p MKV.

Every so often, the video pauses, or goes out of full screen mode. I used the function key to disable the track pad and it stopped happening.

Very strange, it is registering input even when it is not being touched.

 

The same thing happened to my wife's Pro 11. She never heard her fan until she did the bios update. Now it is on all the time....all though not as much as the Pro 13 fan that I sent back.

 

I see that Microsoft store has it as $1016 with student id, plus $100 debit card. I'd bite at that price. Makes me wish I were a student again

 

just find a student email, i needed one for some MS software and got 3 emails worth

 

Easier said than done.

 

I just wanted to share my thoughts about this laptop. When I brought it home I didn’t open up the box until the next day. I was scared from all the nightmare stories about this laptop that I feared I would have to return it; I guess you could say I was having buyer’s remorse. When I first turned it on, it was silent, and I was happy. Thirty seconds later, the fan came on…argh! The system felt a little laggy as well; when I tried to install chrome, the bell sound didn’t match up to the install window. I was getting nervous.

I then tried to update all the important stuff; BIOS, firmware, wifi, touchpad, etc. I upgraded a little at a time, but did the bios and firmware first. Throughout all this time, the fan was on. I was getting frustrated, and becoming disappointed. Then my emotions turned to anger when I updated the touchpad; it SUCKED. It was too sensitive, couldn’t do any of the charm-style things with the new software. Luckily I had a system restore checkpoint before the touchpad, so I downgraded, and now the touchpad works much better. Still, I just feel like this was a bad buy. I tried going into silent mode and decreased the processor voltage, but the fan still whirred like a beast. Argh.

After the first two hours of trying to fix this thing, I had to go to work. During that time I pondered whether or not to return this laptop. Once I got out of work I decided to give the laptop one more chance; to show what it can do. So I basically did my homework with it that night; had to watch some videos, check things out on the university website, and complete word and powerpoint documents. Lo and behold, no fan noise. What happened?? For the two hours I spent with the laptop, it was too pleasurable. Applications felt snappy, and it felt very responsive to anything I did to it. I even spent some time watching shows on Netflix for the next hour, and although there was some fan noise, I couldn’t tell at all, especially when my head was about 3 feet from the computer. What could have changed?

Well, the next morning, I planned to do some web surfing with my laptop, and all of a sudden, the fan came on, just like how it was when I first bought the thing. What is going on?? Am I missing something? Then it hit me; the climate could be controlling how this beauty whirs. Whenever the fan was on at full blast (and the bottom of the laptop really warm), it was in my room, full of other electrical equipment that was running (TV, radio, gaming desktop connected to two monitors, two printers, and one other laptop). Because of them, along with other stuff in my room, the climate in there was pretty warm. The time the fan was off was when I was downstairs, in a cooler climate. Maybe I was on to something here…

Wanting to test my theory out, I took this laptop to my university’s library, where we get industrial air condition for free. Wow…this laptop is so silent. Also, it wasn't as warm was it was when the laptop was in my stuffy room. The only way I could hear the fan is if my ear was right at the vent. Even then, it sounds like the fan is going to slow that there’s no high-pitched whine at all. I also tried going into an almost completely silent study room, and I hear no noise coming from the laptop whatsoever. Even when I was watching videos the fan would come on, but not to the point where it’s annoying. It was pretty much inaudible when listening to music or watching videos.

I’m pretty-much pleased with this laptop. It’s a gorgeous, sexy laptop that makes me feel like a million bucks. It’s just the right size to bring with me anywhere, yet big and fast enough to do all my work. The screen…man, I just love it. Watching Netflix movies is a pure joy; the screen is clear, and the speakers are probably the best I’ve heard on a laptop, ever. It not going to beat out real speakers, but it really does the job. The keyboard does feel smaller, and there is flex, but I adapted pretty quick to it, and with real-world typing I don’t really feel the flex. Overall, it’s nothing that would really hinder how I type. In fact, I've been typing this entire post on the laptop, and my fingers do not feel fatigued at all. As far as battery life is concerned, I've been using this laptop for almost 3 1/2 hours now, and I still have about 47% left on the battery. I think that's pretty good for my needs. All of this worked well on the power saver setting, even with a lower voltage processor. And did I mention how sexy it looks?

Sorry if this was long, but I wanted to be as descriptive as possible to give others a taste of what I experienced. Just this morning I was fixing a 5-year-old Dell laptop, and there was apparent fan noise. Then I thought to myself, “I’ve been using this laptop for a long time, and I never had any bad experiences with the fan noise at all.” I guess nowadays I’m picky about the fan noise in my laptops because I compare them to tablets. Most tablets I use are silent, so I guess I’m spoiled that way. Overall, I feel like I made a great purchase, and I truly believe that this is the best laptop I’ve ever owned. There are compromises with this laptop, and I do think it is a little too expensive for what it is, but as a complete package, I’m very happy with the purchase.

 

Picked one of these up from the Dallas Sony Store on impulse. They had an open-box 1CL on a table for 25% off, which means I also got the Sony case and sheet battery for around retail price

I also have a SVP13 and Duo13, and the 11 is my favorite by far. Given a choice, I'd opt for the i7 flavor, but the i5 is plenty speedy. Runs like silk with Outlook 2013 and several Chrome windows with only 4GB of RAM.

Awesome little kit, this.

 

Why is SVP11 your favorite by far?

 

The 11 is truly a smaller P13 and the size is almost perfect for what I'm using it for. I feel totally comfortable using it, which is kind of a huge deal. There was zero transition time getting used to the smaller size. The Z2, Duo 13 and Pro 13 seem huge now by comparison

P11 Thoughts:

• Form Factor - I've always been a fan of the 11" size. The keyboard, while condensed, is very usable and the trackpad works great, better than the Z2 by a large margin. Screen open, I feel very comfortable in almost all sitting positions. The keyboard/screen angles and also very good. With the sheet battery attached, the keyboard angle is slightly improved on flat surfaces. Unlike the 13's, you can even hold it in one hand and still use the keyboard, touchpad and touchscreen effectively. The Duo 13 is just too heavy to do this comfortably and the P13 is awkward.
• Screen density - The 11.6" with FHD is a sweet spot. The density is perfect for use in meetings and when lounging in the theater room. I hate my MBA 11 due to its screen resolution. That and OSX (feh). I also find myself using the touch screen more often to move the mouse or scroll through web pages. The transition from the touchpad and keyboard to the touchscreen feels more natural on the P11.
• Performance - Like I was saying before, the i5 with 4GB RAM is plenty fast for web browsing and MS office work. I usually go for the fastest everything in laptops, so this was pleasant surprise. The SSD seems fairly quick as well, but the Z2 is still faster.
• Boot - Super-fast boot and resume. Both Pro's boot so fast, you can almost say they don't boot at all. The Duo is slightly slower in this regard, but that's relative.
• Great battery life - I was slightly concerned with the lower rated duration of the 11, but I think I'll get 6+ hours with the internal. The internal battery also charges super fast, which I didn't notice on the P13 or Duo 13, but they might do it as well.
• Power Adapter - All three units use the same power adapter, but they are super small. Sony also added a USB charging port, which appears to be 2.1 amps (high-power). Every OEM should do this

Pro 13

1. Great laptop - would have become my daily driver had I not picked up the 11.
2. Gizmo Snob - This isn't the P13's problem, but I just didn't feel that the 13 was enough of an upgrade to replace the Z2. They are practically the same size and I seem to be holding this against it. Dumb, I know, but I'm a gizmo wh0re

Duo 13

1. Form Factor - It is a great size for general usage, but it is unruly when holding it in one hand. The hinge is fairly solid and the movement feels precise/solid.
2. Angles - The Duo 13 is easy to use on a flat surface, but it can get unbalanced in your lap or when on a laptop tray. The keyboard/screen angles are bad when using on a laptop tray. You simply can't adjust the screen angle when you have it open. That said, Sony did a decent job centering the weight
3. Dumb Screen border - Not sure how, but the lower left corner of the screen border got turned up. It is plastic, so I guess I'll need to heat it up to bend it back in shape. This is disappointing since the rest of the device is very solidly built.

Wishes

1. Glass LCD surface like on the Duo 13. The P13/11's screens are slightly tacky, which is a little off-putting at first, but I got used to it. Both screen types take the same amount of effort to clean
2. Reinforce moving sections of the keyboard tray. I can't help but think a few strategically placed rubber bumpers would stop some of the flex. I may do this on my own once I get some time to open it up.
3. Fn key on left side of keyboard like the Z2 and D13. I know they had to squish something to get the keys to fit on the 11, but the Pro 13 also lacks this. I'll probably remap the left CTRL key as Fn, but I haven't tried this in Windows 8 yet.
4. Keyboard backlight - The Z2's backlight was yellowish in color, but both Pro's are white and a welcomed change. However, and only at some angles, both Pro's function key rows are super bright. The Pro 11's touchpad leaks some light at the very top, which is disappointing. Tape could solve this

I'll take some pictures of the Pro 13, Duo 13, Pro 11, Z2 and 11" MBA and post them in the main Sony forum in the next day or three.

Now if I can just keep myself from buying an Ativ Book Plus....

 

The only problem i face with the 11 inch screen is the resolution. Things are so small, if you use it for anything more then the basic, browser, outlook / video watching problems suddenly start to appear.

Not all software scales well, and when it doesnt ... its just TINY, Making me slowly blind, and i do not like the idea that my vision is becoming worse just from using a certain product. When i stand up from using the laptop for 2 hours straight everything far away is blurry and it takes my vision some time to adjust back again. With the 13inch size this is much less so.

I didnt really notice this as much in the first week since i was just using the basics, but as i remoted onto my server / installed work software / games... things just didnt look right and i find that i am constantly going between things looking normal size --> to very large --> to very small.

its like a puzzle on my screen, nothing matches anything.

I open a new tab in 1 browser, its totally different text size then i do in another browser. I click to install a new piece of software, the installer doesnt scale, i am now looking at 8 font size text...

Also: another thing that is QUITE annoying with both the 11 and 13, my wife just now said this who is 5ft 2 and using the new 13. The screen does not bend back far at ALL, like, it barely opens. So when sitting at a table the screen often does not bend back far enough. This is really annoying especially if you are using hte laptop on your lap or lower down. It forces you to slouch to get the optimal viewing angle. In fact the screen bends back less then any laptop i have ever owned.

this is really quite annoying.

 

Welcome to the cutting edge. This is to be expected on laptops with dense pixel counts and there are any number of ways to fix most of the res problems. Unfortunately, the apps that can't be adjusted properly will require updates, just like companies had to do when the Macbook retinas launched.

Adjust the text size in the resolution options. You can also try the Windows 8.1 update preview, which gives some extra options to adjust the display, although the default settings after the upgrade are horrible. I'm hoping they do some extra adjustments when 8.1 gets formally released in October, but MS says 8.1 is the release that supports these types of machines.

Check the reviews of the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, it has a much higher pixel count in the 13 inch form factor.

 

cenkaetaya,

Try changing the display default to 150%, which was the default on the Acer S7 191 that I returned (due to its lack of Haswellness). I was very happy with that setting, it made text, pictures and even Windows control buttons just the right size imho. IE defaulted to 124% zoom, which was also just the right size.

 

In quasi-related news, Google needs to implement pinch-to-zoom in Chrome. It isn't in the latest beta either. Their Windows 8 mode is basically useless too.

Zoom gestures work from the touchpad tho.

PS, if you aren't using Start8 from Stardock, you should. It is brimming with awesome, and version 1.20 works with 8.1 preview

 

I've ordered a SVP11 off the Sony US site as 4GB of ram is just too little for me (I'm in Switzerland). Unfortunately I missed the back to school deals on the SSD and CPU but I got Win8 Pro + TPM as free upgrades so that's not too bad, and got the i7 4500U anyway. This laptop will be replacing my Vaio VPC-X131 and will be run dualboot with Linux (probably Ubuntu at first, then Gentoo). Really looking forward to this superb hardware!

 

I gave up Chrome b/c of its use issues on touch screens and high resolution screens. Now I only use it when my Sony is connected to both a mouse and a large monitor. I use IE otherwise, and its great.

 

Can anyone quantify the ambient temp (and if you have the info, CPU temp) at which the fan starts to become loud?

 

Hi all,

Can anyone comment further on the lack of ethernet connectivity please? Have you had any serious issues/regrets?

I use my laptop primarily for travelling and I can see potential problems (especially if the reported WiFi connectivity issues are not fully resolved). For one thing, hotel WiFi tends to be slow, and for another, in many hotels wired internet access is free but WiFi cost a lot of money - both of these make the lack of ethernet connectivity very regrettable.

Carrying an extra plug/adapter seems to negate the whole point of portability!

What would be the most practical way to make-up for the lack of ethernet connectivity?

Many thanks in advance

 

Buy the one that ships with the wifi power supply (I believe it's an optional extra on the cheaper models). The unit plugs into the USB port of the power supply, and acts as a Wifi access point for an Ethernet LAN. You plug in the Ethernet cable and connect to the unit's wifi network. It can live permanently as a part of the power supply since it weighs very little.

 

Many thanks for the prompt reply Vogelbung.

This looks like the best solution, albeit one that is still far from optimal. From the point of view of a frequent traveler (at whom presumably the ultraportables are targeted), Sony truly messed up here. I for one would much rather have the laptop a couple of mm wider and maybe even a touch heavier, but with an ethernet port and maybe an additional USB3.0 port included, rather than having the body ridiculously slim but in reality being forced to add a 40x30mm brick to the power supply and expanding its size by a third just so I can connect to the internet. After all, one does not travel with the laptop alone, the power supply goes in the suitcase too...

Anyway, ramble over. Thanks again for the suggestion

 

Um... yeah. As you yourself said, the PSU goes in your travel luggage, and guess when you'll typically need an Ethernet link? When you're in your hotel room charging your notebook.

The reason *I* don't really like the arrangement is that when I need Ethernet, it's usually when I'm lurking without a power supply in one of my datacentres and I need to jack my notebook in. For a business traveller though I think the plug-in wifi AP is perfect - though to tell the truth, you can actually buy a similar device from TP-link for around $20... but obviously with the Sony integrated unit, it's one less thing to lose since you can keep it attached to the PSU full-time.

 

Actually, I was referring to hand luggage (or cabin carry-on). With many airlines now, under the new rules you are not allowed to check-in laptop and other power supplies. I often travel with only a small briefcase. Guess what is more convenient to carry - a slightly thicker laptop or a 33% larger and bulkier power supply? It's the former, of course.

And this is before we even get to the issue of transfer rates... At the end of the day, Sony's solution merely gives you another form of WiFi. Have you tried running Bloomberg on WiFi? Far from ideal...

The bottom line, if I understand it correctly, is that you can never get true ethernet speed connectivity on the new Pros as they simply don't have a 10/100 PCMCIA card inside them. It's a compromise that presumably not everyone will be happy with.

Shame...

I hear you about the datacentres. Clearly it's another problem the bright minds at Sony didn't think about...

 

No. I usually just call my assistant if I need any figures. Who runs Bloomberg for time-sensitive transactions from a hotel network anyway (and I don't see any serious issues in getting it to work over N in either case)

For hotel-roamer use I think the PSU-AP approach makes perfect sense.

You may be overthinking this, is all - just sayin'.

 

Well - everyone in the financial world. BBG is not just used for transactions; all broker chats, quotes, news, flights, etc that's all on it and people end up checking it 24/7. It's a weird piece of software though - if the connection is insufficient, it just doesn't launch...

Anyway, it is what it is...

Fair enough, you may well be right! Thanks again for your help Vogelbung, much appreciated.

 

As a matter of interest, which airlines - Somalia Air?

 

Vogelbung, that's actually uncalled for, not to mention derogatory and borderline racist.

On the off chance that you were asking a serious question badly phrased - fyi, I fly with British Airways 90% of the time. But it's the same everywhere - e.g. this is from the TSA:

Safe Travel with Batteries and Devices | Transportation Security Administration

 

more or less

I wouldn't say that.

Yes, and I see no reference regarding the part of your original statement that AC adapters cannot be put in either checked or hand luggage.

 

Right, so you're saying you meant to be derogatory and borderline racist. Good to know.

You seem to be very confused. I never said you "cannot carry PSUs in your checked or hand luggage" - that doesn't make any sense; how else would you transport them?? I said many airlines do not allow PSUs in the CHECKED luggage, asking passengers at check in to put such items in their hand luggage. That's the whole point - if you have to carry the PSU in your HAND luggage, it makes a difference what size/weight it is.

Anyway, this whole conversation has gotten awfully off topic. I understand that you are not familiar with the world of finance or indeed frequent air travel, that's fine.

Let's each stick to what we know best. Good luck with your lurking in datacenters and spending your time trying to provoke people on online forums. You might want to tone down the irrelevant derogatory references to countries and companies you'll never know in your lifetime though.

Oh, and a genuine thanks again for your help - I got what I needed from you.

Continuing this conversation any further would serve no useful purpose to anyone on this forum, so this will be my last reply. Take care

 

"With many airlines now, under the new rules you are not allowed to check-in laptop and other power supplies."
This is quoted verbatim from your post. You have only succeeded in escalating your own apparent ignorance when it's been flipped back to you.

Anyhow, yes it looks like you have the info you need. Good luck with your expertise in finance and air travel.

 

Hi All,

Recently i purchased Vaio pro 11 two months back. (4gb ram & 128 GB Ssd, model meant for India, probably Asian)
For the last few days, there have been many occasions where the notebook suddenly freezes or hangs. The fan whirls at the max possible speed and it all gets stuck. I am now irritated with this frequent problem. I then have to press the power button for like 5-6 seconds to shut it down and then restart it all over. (Even the task manager doesn't show up after pressing ctrl+alt+del). I have tried waiting for 10-15 minutes for the notebook to resume believing that its heavily loaded for the time being but nothing!

What could be the problem? I have updated the notebook with the latest BIOS and other updates as well. DOES ANYONE ELSE SUFFER FROM THE SAME PROBLEM?

 

Vogelbung haha your wrong man. checkin luggage=downstairs. hand luggage=in cabin. is not so hard is it



Who cares tho. biggest problem with pros is screen doenst even open!!!

Jim boy go back to earlier BIOS setting. u shud be fine

 

I said "put the PSU in checked luggage". I didn't say PSU's can't go in checked luggage, which is what he said.

Does anyone know how to read these days, eh.

 

So, vaio pro 11.6 (haswell) with touchscreen comes with glossy panel, while non-touchscreen with matte?
Does it hold true for US distribution?

 

It's clear you're not familiar with Bloomberg but act like you are. And calling your assistant for "figures" would be faster? (What is this, 1987?)

 

I think the TSA directive only applies to batteries, not power adapters.

 

I belive that's the case, since the glossiness comes from the glass touch overlay. The non-touch-screen model (as well as 8GB RAM!) is now available to order from Sony's online U.S. store. I ordered mine and am waiting for it to ship, so I can confirm soon, hopefully!

I currently have the touch-screen version and find the screen too glossy for my own tastes. I even tried the matte protector for the Duo 11 and while the glare is improved, it reduced the clarity of text more than I preferred. I'll miss touch for some Metro apps, but my eyesight is more important, I think.

 

10chars

 

Haha, touche!

 

Do any of you do work on this laptop on a regular basis? I was wondering how it is doing work in Excel or Word, with such a small screen. I do have a desktop but would sometimes need to work on a laptop like this remotely.

 

working local @laptop is ok when you set the resolution/dpi to 125%, working on a remote desktop which is not set to 125% is pain - mini windows...
you can change the resolution/dpi at the remote desktop - but this requires to logoff and logon again (real logoff with closing all windows)
microsoft has currently no other way...
and there are no "retina" displays for desktops...
I use ultravnc now with reduced display resolution at remote machine and display scaling; blurry but works.