Sony Vaio Duo 13 Owners Thread

The problem with ArtRage is actually way more extensive than just with the pencil, none of the brushes work correctly, crayon, eraser, and some others don't as well. It's quite unusable at the moment. I also got the following reply today from Matt at Ambient Design:

"We're talking to the driver manufacturer at the moment as we have test hardware now. The problem isn't inside ArtRage unfortunately, the device (possibly driver, possibly firmware) is returning the incorrect value when we request the Pressure Range it supports (technically, when we make the standard request to ask for Pressure Range the device is saying 'I don't know what 'Pressure Range' means...'). This should never happen, but when it does ArtRage defaults to the standard pressure range Microsoft suggests for these situations, which unfortunately is larger than the range supported by the device. The upshot is that your strokes can only go to about 1/4 of the range that was established, hence small and light strokes.

We'll post an update when we hear back on this, but from running test code on the device it's clearly a problem outside of ArtRage and there's not much we can do internally to fix a problem where the tablet isn't telling us what range it supports so I can't estimate when a fix might be available at this point. There's definitely eagerness on all sides to get it resolved though!"

Needless to say, I'm not holding my breath on a fix for this, and I'm feeling like a return of my duo 13 is imminent.

 

I've got the exact same problems with Hyper-V and I'm really pissed about it...
Touch an Touchpad dont work after Standby, reboot gives me a "bad firmware" error ....

 

Hey Guys

I have purchased the duo 13. I bought the silver coloured one as it easily hides fingerprints on the keyboards and general body area. So far:

- The keyboards are shallow compared to my old laptop, still getting used to it, shift button is a problem so far as it a bit small, but its comfortable for writing my reports. There is no flex on the keyboard which is important to some people. On the otherhand, backlight keyboard seems uneven, the arrow keys are very dim while number 8 and 9 are very bright, does anyone has problem with this?
- Wifi seems alright, 4 bars strength on 5 GHz wireless N DGN3700 router/modem that is 5 metres away O.O, no patch or update, the Wi-Fi driver is straight from the box.
- Display seems a bit fuzzy, viewing angle is very good, colours are good too.
- N-trig stylus is superior to Wacom stylus at screen edges, no jittering at all. Pressure Sensitivity depth is a bit shallow though
- For touchpad, the left click is sticky sometimes like the registered cursor doesn't want to move, not sure if its a driver issue
- The laptop fan is dead silent, quite handy in quiet lectures

I will post battery life later on. So far its good Thanks for the recommendation guys!

 

Finally caved and bought a Duo 13. Hoping to use for art, sketching and painting. Tried to hold out for a Wacom enabled device for Photoshop use, but my old laptop died.
So far tried Sketchbook Pro, Artrage 4 and Manga Studio 5. No pressure sensitivity! Is this a new issue? I thought all this software worked. Shattered I might have bought a useless convertible when the Ativ Q isnt far away.

Any way to keep the keys illuminated for longer? Agree the lighting on them is very uneven. Can even see the LEDs underneath the F keys from the angle it usually sits at.
Also, the screen brightness keeps fading up and down. Is this normal? Screen brightness also reverts to lowest setting every time it comes out of sleep mode. Can I fix this?

Other than those issues its pretty cool. Hopefully some of these can be sorted out

 

Pardon me, if anyone has already asked this: how much space would Creating Recovery Media take for the Duo 13? I'm considering purchasing a separate flash drive for this alone. Thanks.

 

The lack of pressure sensitivity in photoshop is actually one reason why I opted not to get the Duo. I'm now holding out for the mysterious wacom tablet (not the cintiq 13) that is to show up in the fall or winter

 

I am about to purchase a Duo 13 but the issue outlined below with One Note is a deal breaker for me. I need One Note to walk flawlessly with palm cancellation and picking up pen stroked right away. How prevalent is One Note not immediately recognizing pen input?

 

See my above post about the art uses, what I wrote applies to Manga Studio as well.

 

Same Here...
I have to take out the USB-Wifi-Adapter and then press the power-button to bring it to sleep... doesnt make sense at all...
At least our Wifi reception is better

 

Btw. anyone successfully installed WIndows 8.1 preview? Didnt really work on mine...

 

Go into "VAIO Control Center" and click on the "Input Device" tab on the left. There are options to control when the backlight turns on (based on conditions) and for how long.

 

Ah man, right. I think you posted that just before I bought the thing. God I hope this gets fixed. Don't think I can return it based on that. Might have to hold out for a wacom device and eBay this one then.
How could Sony put out an art campaign like #StudioDuo when no software supports pressure right now! #StudioDUO - Imaginations illustrated - YouTube

 

Does anyone find a solution? Can't use it for my local sim

 

anyone know what the green light by the front facing camera indicates?

 

I believe that indicates when the camera is on.

 

I am considering buying a Duo 13. However, I would like to know if the GPS feature is included in the USA model. Will it be included if I buy it with the AT&T LTE option?

Please let me know. Thanks.

 

The palm rejection and detection is shallow than wacom one, i have no problem with onenote so far, the only problem so far is the uneven backlit keyboard(the F keys), should i replace the unit or the problem occurs to every units.

 

May I ask is there anyone who has either resolved the wifi problem or has none with the broadcom wifi chip.

Also I would like to ask whether the wireless mobile broadband actually works?

I have read the complete thread but just looking for some who actually have managed to solve/ or just have had a working unit without any hiccups.


Thx and take care you all

 

Hrm... I just placed an order for a Duo 13 a few days ago and reading this (and the rest of the response) has got me fairly concerned.

Has anyone heard anything more on this from any of the other software vendors such as the makers of Manga Studio?

I placed my order thinking the pressure sensitivity issues were perhaps a software issue (either on the driver side or the application side), and thus fixable... But it would really suck if this was some kind of a hardware issue.

 

Like this computer so much I ended up cancelling/modifying my order and adding a 256 GB SSD, the 4G LTE from AT&T, and getting the screen protector! Ship date now is 8/19 though =(. I hope the screen protector doesn't ruin screen quality though.

Casual surfing and One Note use at work gets me about 8-9 hours of battery which is pretty phenomenal. This is with the i5 processor though. I'm hoping my i7 4650u will not be too much worse.

 

Ordered and eagerly waiting. Shipment date 8/9.

I have a spare copy of Microsoft Office 2010, wonder if its compatible with n-trig and if its necessary to upgrade to 2013 instead. Please advice.

And anyone has solution to the wifi issue yet? Does buying the mini USB wifi help?

 

I believe office uses windows api instead of wintab so you should be fine. I just got mine and yes wifi sucks hard so I'm using the edimax adapter from amazon.

Is anyone getting ghosting? For such an expensive device I would expect minimal flaws. Auto brightness seems wonky at times

On another note inking is fantastic. Keyboard will be getting used to... Thank goodness I have a mechanical one. Glare is not bad but will get screen protector. My friends hp touchsmart is a damn mirror lol

Screen protector came in the mail. Make sure you let the factory workers apply it, that was a pain in the . The glare is only fuzzied and not dramatically reduced like an anti glare screen protector for a phone, but it does make it less of a mirror. Atleast it'll protect against scratches. Screen door effect present.

 

Do you think the protector reduces display quality given the screen door effect? Does it make colors or text worse? I'm getting it installed at the factory but I'm worried it'll make the screen look worse...

 

as per prior post the mini usb wifi I bought changed the wifi dramatically in terms of speed and stability AND connecting to networks that require a log in page like Panera's--the built in Broadcom did not have signal strength (or something) to handle that the 15$ mini usb does it well. I would definitely recommend. Only issue is that I have to keep the Broadcom adapter enabled--if I disable it, I lose sleep. Not sure if having two wifi adapters on will effect battery life or not. anyone understand the issue on why disabling Broadcom takes out sleep and how to address that? (another user above reports same issue)?

 

For me there is no noticeable degradation of quality, probably because the anti glare property is not that strong. If anything, the screen protector is easy to remove.

 

But its nice(to have the keyboard light up) when your in a darkened room during a PowerPoint presentation and the keyboard lights up. It makes taking notes much easier.

 

The pen clicking was bugging me and it seemed to be the tip rattling in the pen. I pulled out the tip and I wrapped a small piece of that white plumbers tape, you use on pipe threads, half way up the tip and pushed it back into the pen. The clicking is gone.

Be careful, if you use more than a tiny piece it may impact pressure sensitivity if that is detected in the pen??? I will let you know if this seems to work long term.

 

Good idea. And now I am typing extra characters that add no value simply because this forum will not let you post a short comment like "Good idea."

 

Hey all just wanted to let you know if you want a girly sleeve that's only 14.00...look at the kinman homage case (I got the one with bird cages) from amazon. You would think its made for the sony vaio duo 13. I love it.

 

Does anyone else notice an uneven brightness in the display? I use the duo a lot with the screen covering the keyboard and the unevenness in the display brightness is annoying. I know in Lisa's review on mobiltechreview made note of the uneveness, but have not heard many people saying this is an issue for them. I noticed the same thing when I saw the Duo at microcenter. So far everything else about the computer is great and I really like it, but want to make sure I did not get a lemon.

Thanks in advance for any comments!

 

This question is for owners and fence sitters alike. After trying the Duo 13 at a store I came away very impressed. The slide mechanism is slick and seems sturdy, the screen is without a doubt the best I've seen on any laptop (and I own two Sony Z's!) and I can definitely live with the keyboard. But the wifi issues and the lack of depth support for the nTrig stylus have me wondering if this brand new model doesn't need to go through some growing pains and wait for the first refresh. If it was closer to $1,000 I'd jump on it, but the model I want costs $1,700 with $300 worth of sale pricing for options. Just doesn't sound like a $1,700 product yet.

Thoughts?

 

I do think that the wifi issue on this machine has been exaggerated... While it can be a serious problem, it can be easily remedied by using an external wifi adaptor. True, it is not so convenient, but the other aspects of this machine can be overwhelmingly more important than this easily remedied one... In my case, I need a machine with a long-lasting battery and a digitizer stylus for my daily calculation and note-taking. I don't think any other current-generation machine stands up to Vaio Duo 13 on these aspects that I consider the most important.

In case there is going to be any official fixing of the wifi issue from Sony, I am betting on the warranty provided by Sony. Being a first time sony customer, I am not sure if that's gonna work well though.

 

The Duo 13 is pretty much a first refresh of the Duo 11. The form factor idea is the same but Sony corrected a lot of issues this time around. The pen works pretty well for me, but I only use it for note-taking and no real artistic pursuits. I would wait and see on Wi-Fi if I were you. Hopefully Sony and Broadcom straighten things out.

 

Does anyone own Duo13 with mobile broadband module from At&t?? Did you test the speed of internet? Is it unlockable to use with other sim cards and how one can do it? Thanx

 

the WIFI problem is related to hardware or software issue?

also we can order duo 13 from amazon japan now with 6 days to ship from sony jp.

i wonder if the japanese duo 13 also has the wifi issue

 

That's what I would like to know. If it is hardware, then it really puts me off buying it.

 

What purpose does Sony's customer care serve? As far as I have seen, NONE.

The estimated ship date of my order has been Aug 2nd, and it still is. I have enquired via email as well as phone. The customer care people confirmed with me again and again that my order is in the 'Ready for shipment' status, and will be shipped on Aug 2nd. That of course was what happened before the estimated ship date. Now, a few days past that day, if I email them again, they tell me that no fixed ship date can be given at this stage. The reason, according to them, is that Vaio Duo has been really popular. All the information provided by them seem to be contradicting itself. This makes me wonder if my order has really been in the 'Ready for shipment' status, or are the customer care people making up s**t just to comfort me as far as possible.

They wouldn't even let me cancel my order, since my order is still in the ready for shipment status, even though no fixed ship date can be given to me. What's the f**k?

 

Frozenriver...first I can't say I understand as I received mine but for some info before I got mine I was told there was going to be a delay due to one part from another vendor not being available. As that part came in they were making the orders and shipping. Of course I think they had some of the ready made ones but due to price most of us are ordering it our way...we gotta pay we are going to get what we want. Then to top it off I got mine before the money came out of my account and others have received theirs before the account said shipping so be hyper aware also.

 

Thanks Angel... I don't mind waiting a bit more, as long as they provide me with the true reason as to what is keeping my order from being shipped, instead of giving me false hope which has kept me on my toes.

I think the problem is with the disconnection between Sony's customer service department and its logistic department. Apparently the customer service people don't actually have more information than that I can get from the webpage. I believe that's why they are giving me all sorts of seemingly made-up pieces, which, so far as I can see, do not fit with each other.

I guess there is nothing else I can do for the moment but wait.

Probably this is the last time shopping on Sony.com for me.

 

Hi all, for those of y'all who reported 8-10 hours of use, would u mind detailing the settings/conditions? Eg. at what brightness, with or without bluetooth and wifi, etc? And doing what?

I am set at the 2nd notch of brightness (ie. 1 press of Fn+F6 from lowest setting) and am using a bluetooth mouse and broadband dongle. Wifi is disabled. With just surfing on Chrome, the battery seems to drop 1% every 3 minutes... Btw i am in laptop mode (not tablet mode). Issit normal?

And what can I do to improve the battery life? Thanks in advance!

 

Frozenriver I think that is the problem...the logistics may build or even ship the product but if they don't update the system customer service can't see what's been done. I think they know something has been done but also know that you can see the info yourself and don't wanna get caught in a lie so they're stuck guessing and making excusses. One hand is just trying to push the product out out as quick as possible but oops forgot to log that its done lol. 8/2 was Friday so that is when it was supposed to ship but it won't really leave their building til the following day and since they work on business days that would be today....I'm thinking you should have by Friday???

Watch email Tuesday n Wednesday for ship notices one will be for Friday 8/2 shipping the other for Monday 8/5 shipping...that's how mine went.

Just try thinking positive the joes in the warehouse are so proud of this product and so excited to get it out to you...they h

 

I've found using the Duo 13 in tablet mode improves battery life over laptop mode. With the default settings, this only makes sense. In the VAIO Control Center there are "Performance Profiles" that affect how the processor and fan run in different modes. There are 3 modes: Performance, Standard, and Silence. By default, the Duo is set for Performance in laptop mode and Silence in tablet mode. If you're okay with slower performance, then you can change the laptop mode setting to something lower and probably get more battery life.

The display refresh rate can be adjusted for when the Duo 13 is on battery or plugged in. That will definitely save battery is you're willing to go down to 40 Hz. There are also options to change the display color mode and X-reality. I have no idea if adjusting those down would save battery, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Additionally, Windows Control Panel has onboard options for creating Power Plans that give you granular control over screen brightness, dimming, sleeping, etc.

Other than that I would recommend seeking out and uninstalling any bloatware if you bought your device without Fresh Start. Some stuff included with the machine, like Intel AT Service, seems to want to always go at startup.

 

So I finally got mine. Had not a lot of time to tinker with it but some impressions so far (and after going through all sony and w8 updates):

1- Wifi: I had no troubles with it so far, it is on par with my previous laptop
2- Battery: I have the feeling I am going to have to do a full recharge later today. I left it plugged overnight and windows says it is at 80% but NOT charging it further
3- Screen: Auto brightness works rather badly, generally taking a lot of time to adjust and always adjusting to a low brightness level than I would wish
4- Pen: There is definately a lot of clicking sound. I'll try the other pen tip later today
5- WiFi router: Works nicely
6- GPS: Works with W8 maps app, bing and Here (Nokia) maps. Couldn't get it to work with Google Maps. I'll also need a better GPS app to test it's use for driving
7- Keyboard lightning: It's really bad

 

Anyone know how to change the behaviour during sleep mode?

When I press the off button, the device goes into sleep but whenever you touch it, it wakes up...(very annoying)

Since Sony stripped a lot from the power options, is there anyone who knows how to change the settings so the duo only wakes when pressing the on/off switch?

Thanks in advance!

 

how the hell do you disable that damn auto brightness? there seems to be no option in the power option menu!

 

Well, I too have been lurking and reading about the Duo 13 as well as the Samsung Ativ Q. I'm still not sold that Samsung will produce a machine that provides the capabilities of the 13. So, I decided to check out the local online Sony Store. There is a really GOOD deal right now (for Canadians) that I could not resist. So, I bit the bullet and ordered an i7+ 8GB ram + 256 SSD ($50) + $100 rebate coupon + free shipping

 

I figured out how to disable auto brightness, it's in vaio control center. Now for my second question how do you disable laptop speakers when i have an audio jack plugged in?

EDIT: seems to be an issue with my speaker jack because my duo recognizes when my earbuds are plugged in but not my speakers hmmm

 

I have no issues with my Broadcom wifi chip. I was using the T-series Sony Ultrabook before the Duo and had similar problems (short range, random disconnects, limited connectivity - always requiring reset) to everyone else until I switched from a cheap D-Link router to an expensive Belkin. Not sure if that made the difference... but it did.

 

Some routers do fine with the duo Broadcom wifi. But I use the duo on the go a lot and need it to work in lots of places, hence my use of a mini usb wifi adapter which has made this a new machine in terms of usability for me.

 

I can't tell you the settings except they where the ones set by sony. I switched back and forth from tablet mode to laptop all day. Ran from 10 am to 4:51 am the following morning. I shut it down when I needed to eat or take a restroom break, but I just used the push button on the side not a true shut down.

I worked on MS word, accessed the net some for research and email and accessed a MS PP for a brief moment. I was working on a project for school.

So that was 16 hours without breaks but I did have breaks so I would say it was around 13 hours if general use.

Sorry no specs but hope this helps.