Sony Vaio Duo 13 Owners Thread

FWIW, there is some hope. My 4650u model has no wifi or hdmi issues

 

My driver version is 5.93.98.187 dated 10.02.2013. However, the esupport site says, "This utility updates the Broadcom® 802.11 abgn Wireless SDIO Adapter driver to version 5.93.97.187". This version is dated 10.18.2013.

Can you tell me the date of the version you have? Not sure which is the newer version...

 

Update: I tried installing this driver, but the utility did not update it, saying that my present driver is better or something like that..! Though I still have this problem of dropping signal.

 

Don't think anyone has encountered this issue after updating to 8.1.

The display does not dim after a certain period of inactivity, used to happen with Windows 8.

The display driver is updated.. Version (10.18.10.3277). Has anyone encountered this?

 

I suspect so too and most lists point to this, even Sony's own engineers online acknowledgements, but why doesn't Sony fix it by recalling the Duo 13's that have this problem and fix them. I'm sure it is not much effort to put a properly working WiFi modem into the Duo 13s. This might cost something, but less than hundreds, if not thousands, of disgruntled customers and the significant damage it will do, is doing, to Sony's reputation. We once had a Toshiba laptop hardware problem, they recalled, fixed it, and we continued to use them for about another six years (three turnovers of machine generations). We went to Sony for quality and service. This is a let down.

 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA...

...Oh you're srs?

Jeez dude, this is Sony we're talking about - i.e. on the hardware side at least, Apple with bad P.R. They still don't really believe in any kind of aftercare. Either they get it right the first time or not at all and recalls are about as rare as Jobs admitting a mistake. I'm pretty sure that if the issue has been widely diagnosed by Sony it'll be fixed on the minor refresh models that are creeping out. As for us, if it is indeed a hardware issue I doubt anything's going to happen unless we reach inside our own wallets and upgrade*.

*If they do come through though, you'll find me on the floor in a state of catatonic shock.


On a problem note, could someone tell me why the Duo insists on setting itself to dimmest when it wakes up? It's been an issue before 8.1. I have auto adjust enabled and in sunlight I can't see the screen at all.

 

I have the same drivers as well, but it did let me update the first time without saying anything.

 

Hi there,


I have recently bought a Duo 11 and UI'm looking for a bit of insight and help from you owners of the similar Duo 13...

I cant get the microphone jack to work... I'm not sure if there headphone jack is supposed to be a combo headphone microphone unit... the reviews on the net say that its a dual headphone/microphone jack. SO journalists out there think it should be just such a unit... However when I use skype or similar apps the voice always goes in through the built in microphones.

Its easy to test, plug in an iPhone or similar handsfree kit and then tap the mic whilst watching the sound level in skype utility) no response...

Any confirmation or help would be much appreciated. I was wondering if the jack on the Duo 13 supported a external microphone?

2wheelsgood!

 

For those who say they don't have any wifi-issues, my guess it that many are quite close to their access points. At short range, it's not a problem for the unit I have at least.

Many will also experience that they get the full speed of their broadband connection - while having a quite slow broadband-connection. I also use the wireless lan to move lage files....

There was some updates now, and seems like I get a improvement on performance over 5 GHz. 2,4 GHz is the same. At home using 5 GHz is an option because I have a router that support it. But most places are still only running 2,4 GHz access points. But still, range on 5 GHz ain't good compared to others - e.g. I was running the MS Surface Pro 2 side-by-side with the

That be said - I talked to Sonys customer support in Sweden. They was very aware of the issue and admitted that there was no fix. They took my name and e-mail, and said they would send me an e-mail when a fix came....

 

No, I'm usually a fair distance from any access point. I've used my Duo 13 across a multitude of access points, consistently getting both marked and practical speeds comparable if not better than any other WiFi-enabled device I own. When I do happen to be near my primary access point, however, I get speeds that not even my most capable devices do: 60Mbps+. I've tested this extensively and I would notice if my lack of issues were due to close proximity.

 

Sony should probably buy your laptop back for a large sum of money so they can figure out what is special about your laptop The WIFI issue is prevalent and really the only serious issue I have with my Duo 13. Well other than being limited to only 1080P.

I heard rumors about an updated WIFI driver but I could not find any such driver on the Sony download site... Is there a driver that at least improves the situation?

 

I agree with HigginsHere, my Duo 13 gets the same wifi signal and data transfer speeds that my work laptop (Lenovo E530) I've compared both laptops at work offices where wifi signal strength can be weak in some locations. The same happens with my previous laptop Vaio Z2 but i've only compared both at home where wifi signal strenght is quite good.

Right now i've installed 5.93.98.187 driver, i've tried 5.93.99.187 and i've not noticed any difference.

 

Hi everyone,
I bought my Vaio duo13 10days ago. Unfortunately I am experiencing problems with the wifi. I am "traveling" fro forum to forum in order to seek a solution. I am 10feet away from my Netgear DGN2200 router and i have 5 bars and at 15 feets i have only 3! No obstacles between router and laptop. Previously i had the Samsung ultra-book and everything worked fine. Not only wifi but everything. Now it took me 3 days to install win8.1 and all the updates. The Vaio after all the work did some reboots and stop at the VAIO logo and the "Getting started". After 2 hours of wait (just in case) i did a button reset and the Vaio returned to previous version. Then again the 8.1. This time worked but after the reboots, the 8.1 worked. I did the updates as Vaio update ordered and the laptop freezes. I could not push the shut down "button". I choose the button shut down and then the Vaio showed that is finally off. I left it for the night and the morning battery was warm, very warm! I could not boot with the battery and i chose the cable. The device started normally and the battery indicator gave me 2%. What can i say...This was the end since it seems now that it works.
I have to admit that i am very sad because i was expecting better "quality" (not literally) from a 1700euros ultrabook, made in Japan from a brand name like Sony. My previous experience with Toshiba and Samsung was the opposite.
Sorry to bother you with my thoughts and sorry also for any mistakes of my language.
Thank you for your time, help and propositions
n

 

You're not bothering anyone with your thoughts, it's appreciated here. If you own a Sony Vaio Duo 13, then I'm sure your opinion is helpful in the Sony Vaio Duo 13 owners thread.

It's unfortunate to hear so many people complain about the WiFi, and I was really worried about it myself. But I've gotten better than decent speeds and connections where expected, and--not that it matters much--usually 4 bars. I'm tempted to think that this issue is not as widespread as it appears and that those complaining are being, as expected, very vocal about it. There's problems with that hypothesis though, because there's been a couple of reviews that commented on the less than desirable WiFi, as well as many people in this thread complaining. Still, the majority of owners may see no need to look through forums, especially if they have no issue. The only reason I know about the WiFi issue is because I did crazy amount of research while waiting for my Duo 13 to arrive. I'm not alone in my lack of problems, but it seems like I'm the minority.

 

Been doing some checking here tonight. Havn't used the Vaio Duo 13 for about a week as I was out travelling, and noticed the new drivers/BIOS earlier today and did just a few test at work. So far, it might seem like there is a increase in performance/range on both the 2,4 and 5 GHz band. I get about 5-6x the performance right now compared to what I have had earlier. I also get coverage in a couple of rooms where I have had no coverage earlier.

I see there in some of the later posts are a reference to the 5.93.98.187 and 5.93.99.187-drivers. I'm using the 5.93.98.4, which was downloaded through the Sony Vaio Care Update-app earlier today. Also installed some other drivers and the firmware that came a few days back. In theory, it could be that there have been other elements causing the problems, so update all drivers.

But I have a performance drop when using the usb-ports at the same time - just plugging in a usb-stick caused the wifi-performance to go from 5-7 MB/sec to 1 -3 MB/sec.Removing the usb-stick makes the performance go up again... need to do some more investigation...

Edit: think I spoke too soon... now performance is down again. And Inssider shows quite some up'n'down on signal rate:

 

The signal started fluctuating between around 28% to 74% without the computer moving, on my desk, where I would get a constant 85% with Windows 8

I have now rolled back to the previous driver (5.93.98.4) from within the device manager. Now at least the signal isn't fluctuating and is at a constant 75%

Is your driver 98.187 or 97.187? The website says it will update to 97.187. Maybe a typo on the website?

 

I've just received a Free Belkin surf N300 wireless adaptor from Sony UK as a temporary fix, but somehow I'm thinking it will be a permanent solution as I'm reading from other forums that the wifi problem is hardware and not a driver issue

 

Does anyone having Bluetooth issues?
I can pair my devices with the Vaio, but after some seconds it disconnects. With Windows 8 there were no such issues. But with Windows 8.1 there is a Bluetooth connection problem.

edit:dont know why, but now it works after a restart

 

I just noticed, after updating to windows 8.1, under task manager the lowest speed displayed during idle time is 0.54Ghz , previously with windows 8 the lowest speed was 0.78Ghz. So the battery life under light usage should be improved.

 

what are you guys getting in terms of battery life?? i usually only use my duo for web browsing but i'm noticing that i can only eke out 6 hours on battery... it is very frustrating as i struggle to get a day's worth of use out of it...

i did turn on the battery care (which only charges up to 80%) and i don't think Win 8.1 is eating too much into it either... but i can see as much as 20% of juice being sucked out in one hour!!

also, is anyone having problems with devices not working after turning it on (from full shutdown)?? i'm frequently noticing my wifi, or my audio, or my touchscreen, not working and i have to restart to make them work; really really frustrating!!! if there's a way to get a refund, i'm doing it...

 

I was having some issues where the touchpad wouldn't work upon waking from sleep and wouldn't again before restarting, but since updating to 8.1 I haven't had that issue again. But, other than that, I haven't experienced issues with other devices. Do you have the latest drivers, etc?

 

That's really unusual, my battery life is stellar. However, I know earlier this year, right around release, people were having major battery drain issues, but that was addressed with an early driver update. Also, the issues with devices not being recognized was addressed with a few early driver updates. Was the Duo fully up to date prior to Windows 8.1 install? Have you updated everything post 8.1 install?

 

Did anyone manage to unlock japan vaio duo 13 AU LTE sim network?
please help me to fix this problem. please!

 

noticed this too, but it behaves strange. It stays for too long at this clock speed and even during games I got fps drops and connection problems. browsing internet lags a little bit more.

edit:
Or maybe it's the beacuse of the bluetooth.
1. I own a bluetooth audio adapter, so I can stream audio wireless to my sound system.
2. Cpu apps showing me that the cpu still clocks itself to a higher ratio if needed.
3. Bluetooth and WiFi are on the same broadcom Chip (this also causes the week WiFi issue for a lot of people).

I'm testing it right now with bluetooth off, whether it behaves better.

Yeah...apparently Sony did a mistake by using this chip, screwing up a 1500 Euro device.


EDIT2: yepp, it's better if bluetooth is off. no lags while playng counter strike anymore

 

Anyone getting the following from the Sony eSupport site?

Code:

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=monospace]<Error>
<Code>AccessDenied</Code>
<Message>Access Denied</Message>
<RequestId>3FF9C0050FA7DF30</RequestId>
<HostId>
lzrEVhoj4go+S0fGHOLqxcqW48gFxbIb7PqD+FdtHeMwNUCh9uZyVilvSuYt421N
</HostId>





[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=monospace]</Error>[/FONT][/COLOR]

The error happens on all the laptop models I checked. It also breaks Vaio update, which can't update itself after a factory reset

Something like this occurred in April as well.

 

My runtime with battery has dropped rather significantly after I updated to Win 8.1 same programs installed compared to Win 8.0 installation which should the opposite.

Before with full battery the runtime was 6 hours minimum possibly reaching 8 hours or so. Now with 8.1 I can be happy if I can use the machine for 5 hours.

One noticeable difference is that the laptop is running much warmer than during Win 8.0 which indicates that more power is being used during just normal web browsing.

It would be great if someone has some advice regarding the issue. I have installed Win 8.1 according to the instructions provided in the support page.

Just really annoying and impractical. I don't want do go back to using Win 8.0, but don't know what else to do?

 

Had a talk with a Sony official today. There are two fixes possible I was told for the wlan issues on the Duo 13:
- Customers can get a usb wireless dongle from Sony
- The Duo 13 will be sent in to Sony for a hardware modification.

So, Sony says that for the Duo 13, there are no software-fix-solution. But they also say that not all Duos are affected (my guess after reading a lot of feedbacks on this - there are newer revisions that don't have the issue, but all/alot of "older" Duo 13's have the issue).

 

Would it be possible to find out when did they start to manufacture the re-visioned versions?

I think I will give a sony tomorrow a call and ask about that as well as well as the possibility to have the problem fixed.

 

I don't know if someone else already asked this, but after installing the Windows 8.1 update it seems that the face recognition software is using the wrong camera. Has anyone else had this issue or found out what was wrong?

 

Simply just download the update from example here:

Sony eSupport - SVD132190X - Support

 

Hi all!

Russian Sony Service Center made an official statetement that baterry loss about 5% per hour in sleep mode is correct and normal.
What do you thing about it?
I can't believe that all of us can use mobile ultrabook with such mobility performance.
For another thing they tell that there is no way to disable awaking from BT mouse.
Staying at a grief...

 

2013-11-03 19:16:45 Active 1:00:14 16 % 7,890 mWh (Screen Brightness 5/10) by extrapolation we can get 6.33H battery life
2013-11-05 22:00:00 Active 0:59:59 13 % 6,480 mWh (Screen Brightness 3/10) by extrapolation we can get 7.72H baettry life
that are the values I got with using : powercfg -batteryreport.
with Wifi and Bluetooth ON, I essentialy used IE11 in Classic mode to browse websites with white background, Watched 5 min YouTube videos, downloaded 3 files about 200MB each, and listening to web radio.
Wth 5 bars the screen is very confortable, although with 3 bars still remains enjoyable. If you really want to minimize consumption you can try with one or two bars you could easily get 9-10 hours of battery life.

 

Hi, I recently update my Duo13 to Windows 8.1
My computer seems to drains battery when it sleeps. After I finished using my computer, i just put it to sleep using the power button on the side. After a night when I am back to using my computer, it seem to be really warm, and I can see that battery is drained to around 20% left. And when i wake up it, it seems to back to the lock screen immediately, not the VIAO start up with running circles. So I inspect that my computer does not enter the deep sleep? I checked powercfg -a only Standby (Connected) is available.... Anyone else got this problem? Or anyhow to fix this? I don't want to shutdown my computer everytime.


THanks in advanced

Edit.. I think all my drivers are updated via the VIAO Update software...

Edit2... Im been studying the sleep study... this Device..."+ USB xHCI Compliant Host Controller (\_SB.PCI0.XHC)" seems to drains battery all the time.. anyhelp? thanks

 

Same problem. There is update for face recognition software at Sony website (for some models), but even though my model is listed it does not work, Windows 8.1 does not allow new software to be installed. Another screw up by Microsoft. (Running Ubuntu 13.10 on my dual boot Sony Duo 13, the face recognition works fine....uhm time to switch to a system that is free but works better than one you pay for? ;-)

 

I found this forum very helpful while making up my mind, so I thought I'd provide a bit of feedback for others who are thinking about buying a Vaio Duo 13.

I now own a Vaio Duo 13 with the i5. I bought it from a Canadian big box store about a month ago. It's my main "off site" computer. The main reason I bought it is for the inking in OneNote. I take copious notes at meetings and I use it to sketch out ideas, brainstorm, etc. I don't use it for any artistic purposes. I updated to Windows 8.1. The Windows upgrade went smoothly, but Sony needs to work on the driver distribution. It's not obvious that some have to be manually installed. In the end, everything updated properly.

For context, I also use a Dell Latitude 10, and I owned a Lenovo Helix for a while too.
* The Dell is decent, but can't handle OneNote files that have more than a few pages. It also simply won't power my external drives and is a bit small and crampted. I had to return two other Latitude 10s to Dell before getting one where the digitizer worked properly.
* The Helix was a real disappointment. I had a raft or major problems (locking and hanging while inking), and it's noisy and didn't last long on battery. Lenovo sent me a second unit to test, and took them both back.

This Vaio Duo 13 is the first Sony computer I've owned. I've been exceptionally happy. Some people clearly are having major issues, but I'm not (lucky me).
* Wi-Fi is absolutely fine. I've tested it with multiple networks. I compared it to a MacBook Air at the same location and to other computers on my home network -- no differences.
* Battery life is great; I haven't measured scientifically but I almost don't need to carry around the adapter (which is nice and light by the way).
* Inking in OneNote is fantastic. People who like Wacom say it's better. Sorry, but for inking in OneNote it's not even close. I spent hours trying to calibrate Wacom tablets and could never get better than decent in the middle and terrible at the edges. Pressure sensitivity with N-Trig is not as good as Wacom, but as I said I'm not an artist so that doesn't bother me. For writing it's great.
* The N-Trig pen that comes with the Duo is excellent. It's accurate right from the get go, and I've never had to calibrate. I bought a spare one meant for the Duo 11, and like it even more than the one that shipped with the Duo because it's a bit lighter.
* Head-on the screen is nice. Yes, the viewing angles aren't amazing, and there's a lot of light bleed at the edges that shouldn't be present in a machine of this quality. However, for my needs it's perfect. I have absolutely no problem with the fixed viewing angle. For some reason this was a major useability issue on my Helix -- but not the Duo.
* I put on the Sony screen protector and am very happy. For a day it was a bit "gummy" when I was writing, but it hardened up and now makes a nice smooth surface for touch and pen.
* I love the size of the Duo's screen: lots of real-estate for writing -- and the weight suits me fine. I don't use it like a "tablet" (e.g., holding in one hand for reading); don't compare it to an iPad -- that's not what it's for.
* The keyboard and trackpad are as bad as everyone says: cramped and unpleasant for long use. Again though, when I have to type a lot I use a proper keyboard on my desktop. It's more than fine for small amounts of typing. I rarely use the trackpad so don't mind the size. Interestingly if they'd made this a 16:9 unit they would have had more room for a full size trackpad, and it would have been perfect.
* I'm really bothered by noise. The Helix was a screamer. I had to install fan control software to make it usable, and it still got very hot. Writing was uncomfortable on the Helix because the guts were in the screen; there were major hot spots. The Duo is totally silent; I've never heard the fan spin up (but I don't use it for gaming). Also, it's cool all across the screen area because the guts are underneath.

In the end, it's all about the use case. This computer is nearly perfectly matched to my needs -- so (as of now!) I am very pleased. It will be a real shame if they stop producing this "Surf Slider" style because for my purposes it's absolutely ideal. I find it to be an ideal way to switch between tablet and laptop without having to unplug or unhook things. It's very discrete, which is important when I have it in front of me at meetings.

 

May I ask where you find this controller?

 

This is my experience with battery loss:

I was getting 2% battery loss per hour normally, with 5% battery loss when running Skype. This is with a Microsoft Store configured machine.

I brought this into a Sony store and left it for repair. They did something, and it only drew ~0.6% battery per hour. This seems to have increased to about 1.2% battery per hour over the last few weeks. I have not tried Skype again.

5% loss per hour is NOT acceptable, so they should take it back under warranty. If they don't, you might want to pass their statement that 5% per hour is normal on to the various electronics review websites. I'm a bit disgruntled with 1.2% battery loss per hour, but some of this is due to the fact that I really bought the wrong laptop... I shoulda gotten the much lighter 11 inch pro instead.

 

Not quite get your question, but you can try sleep study your self by
Running command prompt as administrator, then enter command "powercfg -sleepstudy"

 

Did you turn-off the buletooth connection, I heard there is an issue when turning-off Bluetooth connection, this prevent the computer to go into connected standby mode, hence draining the battery. If yes try to turn it on.

 

I did read about that, already has my bluetooth on... still draining a lot

 

For me its about 8-10 hours battery life. Today I had WiFi on, was sometimes browsing the Internet and the other time a PowerPoint was constantly running. Screen was on 8/10. I lost about 10% per hour.

 

Are you using Win 8 or Win 8.1?

What is your battery consumption at sleep?

 

Hello.

I'm running my Vaio Duo 13 (SVD1321Z9EB) with external monitor at the office and every now and then I face the following problem: When dragging an application from primary screen (24" Flatscreen, 1920x1080) to my Sony's screen (13" 1920x1080), the size of the application kinda doubles (thus cutting the resolution to half and it doesn't look good). As far as most of the application window is on the primary screen, the resolution of the moving windows look correct on my Sony's screen, but when majority of the screen moves into Sony's screen, the window size zooms out magically. Even if when the apps are zoomed, the icons, taskbar etc remains in the correct size in Sony's screen... Whattahell?

If I reboot the machine when this happens, everything restores back to normal operation, but after a day or two of use this happens again.

Is there a special zoom functionality for apps in my Sony that I don't know of? I have ran several malware/virus scanners trhu, just in case , without luck.
I'm running win 8.1 on this machine.

Pic1: most of the dragged window (firefox) still in external screen:



Pic2: dragged window moved mainly to Sony's screen

 

Hello all,

I am going to order a CTO unit tomorrow and I have spoken to Sony UK sales people a couple of times. I have been informed that the new units being produced have no wifi issues (I know sales people make all kind of claims) and that everything is updated, including the windows 8 to 8.1.

Can anyone who has purchased a unit since it has been factory updated to windows 8.1 comment if the wifi issue still exists?

Thank you in advance.

 

When I placed my order 3 months ago they also claimed the WIFI issue was fixed...

It's pathetic Sony is dragging this out and ruining an otherwise perfect tablet/laptop from succeeding.

 

Tried setting the scaling to be the same on all monitors?

 

I did say to them that sales people are expected to say things that help them to sell. I was told that the units being shipped with Windows 8.1 have no wifi problems, hence my question to see if anyone has already received their unit with Windows 8.1 preinstalled by Sony to see if they have the issues with the wifi.

 

Win 8.1, dont know the consumption at sleep. At my desk the Vaio is usally connected to power and when I carry it around it only takes me some minutes. But I can unplug it later and leave it at sleep for some hours and check it out.

 

okay, here the report:
lost 20% (from 80% to 60%) during 5h and 15 min, so thats about 4% / h

 

Same here, 5% per hour seems to be the norm. I'm on 8.1 as well.

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