Vaio Duo 11 Owners Thread

Here are my measurements using a Spyder 4 Pro with the screen protector on for the display.

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Is anyone else having issues with the bottom of the screen bezel scratching the palm rest when folding the display down? I imagine this is going to begin leaving marks on the palm rest in the long run.

 

I hear something contact, but it sounds muted, like metal on plastic, not metal on metal. I think the bottom of the display is soft plastic that's not capable of scratching magnesium alloy. I wouldn't worry.

 

I just bit the bullet and bought a duo.

Microsoft Store has them in stock ($1499 model) and their assure policy was only $199.

Should have it Wednesday. Overnight shipping was $16.00

Question for all of you owners. Are you getting 4 hours? Also, do you find the thickness to be an issue. I would have liked it to be as thin as my Z or rMBP. I know, can't have it all.

 

found a UK review that says it's an n-trig : Sony VAIO Duo 11 review | PC Pro

 

Yes (or I think so; I haven't timed it but it seems right); and no, not an issue.

 

It's absolutely an N-Trig. N-Trig styluses use AAAA batteries and have 256 levels of pressure sensitivity. Wacoms don't use internal batteries and have 1024 levels. The Vaio's stylus uses a AAAA battery and has 256 levels. Over at NBR's sister site tabletPCreview, there's about a 30-page thread primarily about the Duo 11's stylus, tweaking its drivers, comparisons to previous N-Trig machines, etc. It's definitely N-Trig.

 

After about a week of use I am still loving this tabtop! The things I don't like are:

1. Lack of oleophobic coating on the screen. iPad is amazing at resisting dirt and fingerprints for a long time.
2. Strange location for the volume buttons and also being flush with the surface doesn't help either.
3. No slot for the stylus. Only available in the extra battery pack.
4. Very weak volume. Was expecting it a bit higher.
5. No Cellular connection option. Probably in the next release?
6. Battery Life. This is one area which I wish Sony had improved on. Although yes you can attach another battery to it to double battery life.

But there are so many things to like about this TabTop that easily overshadow the dislikes. Having used the iPad I always was missing a tablet that would multitask for example I want to hear twit running in the background while im surfing the web or have two screen open at the same time and go back and forth without closing the app the way Windows 8 and this TabTop lets me. Also I read a review on Wired and the guy was complaining about the slow response which made me think either the guy is extremely biased or he got a bad unit since the Duo 11 is very fast and responsive for what it's built for. The more I'm using it the more I'm liking the Duo 11. Sony really has come up with a gem!

 

Great thread over there! Sony VAIO Duo 11

I didn't start considering getting a tablet until my old Viliv S10 broke about 7 days ago. I had installed Win8 CP, RP and the finished windows 8 on it -- it was stupid slow, but it ran.

One of the early things I noticed was that Snap (side by side app viewing in Metro apps) didn't work in portrait mode on my S10 -- the resolution was too low. I think the minimum resolution width for snap is 1366, so anything with a portrait width resolution less than that shouldn't support snap.

I tried this on a friend's yoga, and although you could switch orientation, it hyorked the display -- showing the app in only the top 1000 pixels or so, and leaving a blank blue background on the lower half of the screen. Repeated switching from landscape to portrait crashed the machine -- no more orientation switching, no touch, no trackpad clicking, no start button, only the pointer still worked.

The Duo 11's portrait width resolution is 1080 (less than 1366) so it shouldn't do snap in portrait mode very well either. Has anyone tried this?

 

I haven't put a clock to it but the runtime seems pretty good so I'd say I'm getting four hours out of in normal use. The machine feels a bit heavy when holding it in one arm as a tablet but it doesn't feel thick at all, I prefer the little thickness it has so that it can have a proper array of ports which pretty much all Ultrabooks/tablets lack.

John

 

TL;DR: get £100 off a Duo 11 in the UK.

I should probably say that when I dropped by the Sony Store here in Edinburgh the other day I spent a good half hour playing with the Duo 11. Eventually the Sony reps, as they do, started talking about the kinds of offers they do, and apparently you can trade in a laptop in store, ANY laptop, and get a £100 discount. I thought I should mention this since you can quite easily get faulty laptops on eBay for £10-20. I didn't ask explicitly if it has to be in working condition, but he said ANY with emphasis. I would assume this is a UK wide offer.

 

Thanks for starting this thread. I grabbed a US Core i5 version -- a few initial thoughts:

- I'm shocked by the hybrid boot time after shutdown -- After removing Kapersky and just a few Sony utilities, I'm down from 12 seconds to 5 seconds from the power button to the desktop. Maybe I can forget about sleep mode...? I really like that more PC manufacturers are [finally] using UEFI with quick logo screens.

- I was tempted to swap out the SSD for a bigger one. I see some screws on the back of the unit -- anyone brave enough to pull them out and get the back cover off? Given how fast this thing is already, I'm thinking of just cloning the disk rather than doing a fresh install.

- No issues with rotation or screen responsiveness over 2 days. WiFi's good for me; will test next to a bunch of other notebooks.

- Yikes - that's one bright screen! I'll see how much battery life I get with the brightness all the way down.

- I hate the optical nub and the mouse buttons; I very much prefer something like the ThinkPad TrackPoint, but since the screen is so close, I just navigate via the touchscreen anyway.

- Very thankful for the USB3.0 ports; no built-in GPS on my unit.

- Too bad there's no stylus slot. I wonder if I can attach a small magnet to the unit and another one to the stylus cap...

I'll let everyone know of any updates from my end.

 

Thanks

Did you follow any specif process to remove the karpasrky anti virus...just to so that i dont experience the same issue with the people that tried removing mcfee and it ended up messing the wifi and not uninstalling completely

 

@hendhess be very careful with attaching magnets, or even placing magnets close to, your laptop. They may cause screen distortion and permanent damage to circuitry. Sometimes it's not a problem, but the Duo 11 is so small that you'll likely have vital circuitry very close to the skin of the laptop.

 

One word: VELCRO.

 

Control panel > programs > Kaspersky > uninstall.

 

Delivered this morning.

First thing I did is install SFxT.

The video the other user posted is great. However, when you set the vaio control center and windows power management performance you get 90 FPS at 720p. 65 FPS at 1600x900. I did install throttle stop as well.

Will try to post a video to demonstrate later this evening..

 

Delivered this morning.

First thing I did is install SFxT.

The video the other user posted is great. However, when you set the vaio control center and windows power management performance you get 90 FPS at 720p. 65 FPS at 1600x900. I did install throttle stop as well.

Will try to post a video to demonstrate later this evening..

BTW, The Microsoft Store Duo does not have AV installed. Their slimmed down signature install works great.

 

Understood. Can't go wrong with velcro...

 

I also own this thing since some hours.

I already realy hate 2 points of it:
I WANT A TRACKPOINT!!!!! What is this stupid touch thing. Every one who looked at it think directly it have a trackpoint. I tought it have the SAME Trackpoint like the Sony Vaio P11S or before the Vaio P11Z (i owned both and write this text on an Sony Vaio P11S - and this is the second point).

I have realy no problems with small keyboards. I love them. The Keyboard of the Vaio Duo 11 is BIGGER then the one i write this text on - Vaio P11S. But the Keyboard of the Vaio Duo 11 totaly worse! Every 2-3 words, it looses a letter. I cant write with this thing!


This two points are the most important ones why i bought it. The main point was the trackpoint - and there is none!!!


Also i want to get a usable OS (Of course Linux) on it and try to get into UEFI to say, that it should boot from USB - i cant get into UEFI or just tell that it should boot from an usb-pen!
Can someone tell me how i get into UEFI?

 

I think this is going back. :/

First of all, who in the world at Sony set the camera to work better in tablet mode? I would think most people would want it properly adjusted to desktop mode for optimal use while doing real work.

The screen is above average, but the Z still looks better. (Colors and Gradients)

Most importantly, there is absolutely no reason they could not slap the SVZ internals in this thing. I would keep this sucker if it had a full mobile processor and an updated PMD.

I am confident after playing with this for the last day we will see a proper Z version next year.

 

I'm right there with you. The performance is fine as-is, but there are some build design and quality issues I'm having with it. The light scratching sound when folding the screen close, while may not cause damage to the finish, should not even be present in a $1200 ultrabook. I just noticed today when holding it, there seems to be a spot that makes a clicking sound if I apply pressure to it.



I was originally in the market for a x86 tablet, and I think I need to stick to my original target. The Duo 11 is a nice machine, but as with most hybrids out today, it's either a heavy tablet or a notebook with a compromised keyboard layout, or in this case, a not so effective trackpoint.

 

I pressed on this point and cant confitm any noise. I cant press anything there. My device have build in GPS. Maybe its missing in yours and thats the place where it should be inside.
We will see when the first "open" pictures come.

 

Hm...so this one's defective after all. Thanks for confirming.

 

My i5/6/126 machine is in the mail now -- totally should have sprung for overnight.

I spent some quality time at the Sony store yesterday, and I'm stoked to have gotten $50 USD and $70 USD for a non-functionoal 2006 vaio and a functional 2004 dell. I spent them on a sheet battery since they had them in stock.

That said, I'm not entirely sold on being a new duo 11 owner. I had looked up the size and weight in advance, but I wasn't really prepared for the overall size in person. I've been using a netbook sized tablet (viliv s10) for the past couple years and the duo seems humongous by comparison. My shopping center also had a sony store, so I was able to check out the surface RT, and it's a lot closer to the size that I am accustomed to. I'm going to give the Duo 11 a fair shake, as the built-in keyboard and larger screen size may make up for the Duo's large(r than tablet) overall size.

I teach workshops and I'm looking forward to seeing the WIDI technology in action. The idea of being able to ink on my tablet while walking around a room where the display is being projected is pedagogically golden.

 

Has anyone here done any serious writing (in particular coding PHP/CSS/HTML) on the Duo 11? I'm used to chiclet keyboards: typing on the Vaio SA right now and loving it. Could someone who's been using it as their main keyboard talk a bit about how it compares to something else? I understand there might be a bit of a learning curve to fully adjust to the undersized keys.

I have tried it out at the Sony store, but I can't get a feel for what it'd be like to use it for a day (I have days when I'll be coding for 4-8 hour stretches, switching between Photoshop and a code editor). I love the Duo 11 and I'm in the market for a new, portable, touch-screen, Windows 8 tabtop. It offers everything I want, apart from a DisplayPort and a "normal" keyboard.

 

I don't code, but I'm an attorney who takes notes for hours at a time and draft motions on my Duo 11. It takes some adjustment, but once you've adjusted, I have no complaints. I just did typingtest.com with the external Logitech keyboard I have at my work desktop, and then with the Duo 11.

EXTERNAL LOGITECH KEYBOARD:

84 words per minute raw score, 9 errors, 75 wpm adjusted speed

DUO 11 KEYBOARD:

89 words per minute raw score, 4 errors, 85 wpm adjusted speed

 

To use with DELL U2711

Startech USB 3.0 to DisplayPort DP Graphics adapter.
USB32DPPRO

 

@Mitlov,
Thanks a lot for testing! Your WPM similar to mine, so I guess I would have a comparable experience. Quite reassuring. Good idea with the typing test, think I might go to the Sony store and do that.

@emaack,
Unfortunately the technology in these adapters have some quirks & limitations. Hoping new firmware will sort those out in the future .

 

Just remember that it takes some getting used to. On day one, my WPM was probably in the 40s or 50s. Once I got used to the more compact layout--which took a couple days--it returned to essentially equivalent to any other keyboard. One thing you WILL be able to tell right away, though, is how precise the key action is. It's fantastically precise, with no wobble or free play to the keys, and the crispness of each key's action brings up phrases like "like a bolt-action rifle."

 

I would think that the only way one could prefer today's Duo 11 to today's (or last year's!) Z would be:

1) price - but maybe not much difference comparably specd
2) touch screen + penabled digitizer
3) I might say IPS viewing angles, but since the Duo has one fixed position for working in laptop mode, it's not appreciably better than the Z's fairly poor vertical viewing angles that can be "cured" if you always open it to the specific angle that does not invert or darken colors.

Funny, you're the first person I've heard knocks on the Duo's screen from, but as a long time Z user you would have a keen sense of its performance. Or, duh, you have the Z to do side-by-side comparisons with! Does the doubled brightness and contrast of the Duo not compensate somewhat for the narrower color bandwidth?

Oh, also, as far as the gradients go, is there visible dithering? What else about the gradients would be substandard? Thanks.

 

I've come to expect this from Sony keyboards, it's good to hear the Duo 11 follows suit. Didn't really get any real impression of anything negative about it for the brief period I tried it out.

Somewhat bummed about the no DisplayPort, since my main monitor is a WQHD one. Makes me consider waiting for the Surface Pro (mini-DP), but the lack of any form of decent keyboard on the unit...

 

Can owners check to see if the Nook app works for them? It will require a free registration with Barnes & Noble but it won't require any expenditures.

(1) Download the Nook app.
(2) Get a free book, like Bram Stoker's Dracula.
(3) Try to open it. Does it actually go to the book or go to a black screen?

On my Duo 11 it goes to a black screen no matter what book I download. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app doesn't help. On my Vaio F2 it goes to the book like it should.

 

Hmmm, I actually had a lot of trouble with e-book readers in Windows 8. I picked up a couple of free ones in the app store and both would fail to display the book or freeze -- I don't remember a black screen though.

My duo 11 is in transit until Tuesday... sigh.

 

The Kindle app works just fine for me; it's just the Nook app that goes to a black screen instead of the book. Haven't tried any others.

 

Has anyone managed to upgrade their SSD and RAM to larger capacities? Is this possible without taking it to the service centre?

 

If you can get a custom machine off the sony website, you might just want to have the RAM you want factory installed -- Sony isn't charging exorbitant amounts for ram -- you'd probably spend as much on purchase and shipping, not to mention the inconvenience of installing it.

Don't know about opening the machine up -- I expect it would invalidate the warranty.

 

There are no service hatches on the bottom, so upgrading RAM and SSD certainly wouldn't be easy tasks. I'd just order it with what you want.

Anyone had a chance to see if the Nook app works for them on their Duo? See post 133.

 

Where do you download the Nook app from? I can't find it in the Windows store and there is no link on the Nook site, I may not be able to see though as I'm not in the US.

John

 

It must be a non-US availability problem for you, as it's in the Windows store for me. I think that's the only way to get it.

 

Sorry I can't help you then, given the likes of the 360 store is region specific it makes sense the windows one would be too.

I am pleased to hear you are finding your typing speed is much better as it's still frustratingly slow for me, I'm missing a lot of keys which means I need to go slowly to catch them as I type so I'm hoping it will get better. Definitely the most difficult Sony keyboard I've used to type with (aside from the UX1XN), the keys just don't seem as responsive to light touch.

John

 

Thanks guys. That's a shame because Sony New Zealand doesn't offer any customisations. You either go for an i5 with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD or the i7 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. Price-wise you get more for your money with the i5 model.

 

That's a shame,
If I had to guess, I'd say it's the SSD doing the damage there. They are still very expensive -- increasingly so the larger they get. Out of interest, you might go on the sony USA or Sony UK site and customize a couple machines to see what the different parts cost -- that could help you make a choice between the i5 and the i7.

 

How long do you think a computer should last?

I've been reviewing some of my computer buying decisions lately, as a way to occupy the time until my Duo 11 arrives on Tuesday, and I was wondering how long everyone expects a computer to last.

Me, I used to buy 3 year plus accidental damage coverage on everything. I would deck a machine out in the most ram, fastest processor, best graphics card, etc, and I would certainly send the machine in a few times to make repairs. Each of the machines that I bought this way survived the three years well enough, and then I made a change. The last machine I got may perhaps have had a manufacturer warranty (who knows, the company seems to have gone extinct), and there was no extended service available anyhow. That machine lasted just over two years of shocking abuse (including propping up one leg of a futon overnight -- oops) before the AC adapter port finally gave up.

For other non pc devices I've had great luck with the included manufacturer warranty, so this time around, I banked on the notion that I would probably want a new computer in a year or 18 months anyway, and I customized my machine accordingly.

My gamble was that and i5/6gig/128ssd machine would suit my needs during this relatively short lifespan, and it came in at a cost that I experienced as a fairly reasonable risk during that time period. Consequently, I didn't buy any extended warranty. And again, the main factor for me is that I don't anticipate using this machine for much longer than the warranty period anyway.

So what kind of choices do you make vis a vis extended warranties and the expected half-life of technology?

 

They definitely don't build things like they used to, and we are very much a "throw away" society. If my computer can last 3 years without breaking, I would be very happy.

In my opinion, like most electronics, if they are to break or show signs of unreliability, they would show within the first couple of months.

When I buy a new computer, I definitely look ahead and see whether it's got the "x-factor" in 3-4 years' time when it's time to sell. This could be a large SSD drive, a high-end video card or a new CPU generation. Sure, those may be out of date by the time I sell, but at least it won't be so low-end that no one's gonna want it.

 

I expect two years as a primary use computer and two to three additional years as a secondary/around-the-house/family computer. I don't sell my computers; I just keep demoting them until they're so old and worn that they really don't have any value anyway.

 

I bought the official sony case for the duo 11 and it comes with a stylus holder on the side. I have it always in the case when not in use (cats and dogs in house), and put the case in a messenger bag for school. This way I always have the stylus with me (i find it valuable for navigating certain desktop programs since they often have features that are difficult for touchpad).

 

I just received mine right before heading to vegas and been playing with it on the drive there. So far I just wish the did something with the mouse buttons so you can feel which button is which. Right now its just a long bar with break in between the buttons so it is kinda hard to middle click. Also does anyone know where do you go to change what each of the buttons on the pen do?

 

Theory: the touchscreen problems are related to a thin layer of hand cream or oil accumulating on the screen. I had a problem where, despite repeated reboots, it was recognizing my finger as a hovering stylus instead of a finger. The screen had a somewhat milky film from hand cream I've been using recently, so I washed the screen with glasses cleaning spray, and now it works perfectly without a reboot.

 

I don't think this is correct. There are a few reasons why. First, if it had to do with oily residue or cream, it would still allow some area to function and conduct. Second, it wouldn't make sense as to why either rebooting or simply signing out of the user in windows would fix it. And most importantly, I don't use any hand products at all - my first duo 11 had the touchscreen problem, my second one has yet to have it happen and ive used the second for an exponentially longer duration. This touchscreen issue has also been reported in the Yoga, which leads me to believe its probably some kind of shared hardware problem, or a driver issue with said hardware.