Sony Vaio Ultrabook by Christmas

Thumb Keyboard Pro, works great on Android. Ios 5 has it too, which im sure apple will say is a major innovation they created.

 

As I see it (and keep in mind, I'm a tablet-hater!), the tablet has a few advantages over a notebook:

1) Instant on/instant app load
2) Easy to read content - email, news, "social" media (not being social, I don't use this either)
3) Most have superb IPS screens with phenomenal color contrast and viewing angles - though not clear these are useful for watching movies
4) Very, very portable - thin as a pamphlet and around 1 lb
5) Cheap compared to good, small notebooks (except netbooks, which they are much faster than)
6) All day battery life
7) "Apps" (always put this in quotes, as I find 90% of them useless trivia and the truly useful ones are available for a laptop, though a bit pricier at times

The disadvantages of a tablet vs. a notebook are, IMO:

1) Typing - fuggeddaboudit
2) Watching video - gotta have a case/stand to prop it up with (where notebooks have a "built in" stand for the display; better viewing angles offset by smaller screen
3) Small screen and almost always glossy, full of grimy fingerprints
4) Can't run any "real" productivity software - but can view MS Ofc docs, make minor edits
5) Not so cheap when you factor in the cost of a 2 yr wireless contract, or if you buy without carrier subsidy

Advantage of Tablet over smartphone

1) bigger screen
2) longer battery life, but that's because you don't use it as a phone - duh
3) better for some games, if you're into that (I'm not)

I think a smartphone does everything a tablet does only cheaper and it adds no weight or bulk because you have to have a phone anyway. Still, for some reason, I felt ok traveling with a tablet, keyboard and smartphone, and no laptop, but would have been reluctant to travel overnight with just a smartphone and a keyboard. This is probably just a psychological barrier, though I did need to review spreadsheets, for which a tablet is better than a phone, even if not close to a laptop.

There is one device I would consider adopting for travel (in addition to the phone, for tethering if no other reason - like calls, lol!):

An MBA 11. It's not much bigger or heavier than a tablet, but is pretty much a fully functional computer. It's a netbook done right. Get wintel brands to knock it off as an "Ultrabook" and we may have the real category killer, at about $600 - $700.

But hey, what do I know? The media tells us we want tablets, so we must want tablets.

 

I think the 7" tablets will be the perfect middle ground, at least for me. I like my Galaxy Tab, but it is a bit clunky and slow. It fits in my back pocket while still giving more screen for dual-pane email, browsing and whatnot.

I'll probably get the Samsung 7.1 when it comes out.

 

I'm moving away off topic now but iOS 5 has a split thumb keyboard and Andriod has several third party apps that provide the same thing. I use it on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 all the time. I still go to my Z2 for any serious typing though.

 

By the by, LL, nice post. I agree with most of what you said.

 

I'm happy to guess what we will get by CES 2012.

13'3" matrix, presumably the same we have now on SB series.
ULV processor up 1,8-2,3 GHz
Mg alloy chassis + carbon fiber outer cover of display (no unisex and unibody alluminium like in MacAir)
SSD 64 or 128 GB (no RAID definitely)
2 USB
HDMI
SD slot
RJ-45 Ethernet (still questionable)
Backlit keyboard
Weight is about 1-1,2Kg
WiFi+Bluetooth
Price tag: appr. 1299-1399 USD, ok, let's have a mercy with discount down up 1199.
+ magic VAIO logo

 

Thanks I just wish I could find a way to say things in about 20% of the words!

 

I'm sorry to bring this back, but again Intel CEO stating that Sony will be shipping one this christmas

11 Companies with Ultrabooks This Christmas, Including Sony Ultrabook News

video there. ^^

There is something on the FCC, PCG-11312 and PCG-11311, unless this is some netbook, it is definetely not the Z2 since that has another PCG, PCG-41321 (or PCG-41311), so PCG-413xx and the SA/SB/SC has PCG-41218, so PCG-412xx I believe.

https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas...N&application_id=429900&fcc_id='AK8PCG11312L'

PCG-113xx ^^^^, is 10.5 V compared to 19.5V of the SA/SB/SC and the Z2.

So is this PCG-113xx the new ultrabook? old P series was 10.5V, so is this a new P series?

 

ascariss, doesn't it look like Sony tablet? Though... I see that the bottom side differs from what we have in S tablet...

 

Strange thing: the battery type they mentioned is BPL-19... It is for VPC-X series. This is 11-incher.

I remember there were rumours about 11-incher based on Tegra and Chrome OS in the summer.

 

Hmm no idea, it is possible, the new tablet S does use a 10.5V adapter, but I can't seem to find the model # on the back of the device on photos since it is printed on the silver and it is hard to read.

regardless even if the FCC thing is not the new laptop, Intel ceo does mention sony in the video, so unless something has changed, I still wonder why he sad it.

 

Beaups said that was the U series or something and it was canned for the US market.

 

ascariss, 10.5 V - is this enough for ULV-based architecture..? May be again - new Atom Z6xx reincarnation? Very likely I'd say.

 

I have no idea, maybe, unless the new X series will be the ultrabook?

 

VPC-X21 This means we may get not only an ultrabook for Xmas. Anyway, thanks for revealing these FCC documents...

 

^not happening.

 

beaups, why not, if this is NOT an ultrabook?

 

^I'm not sure I understand your question. No ultrabook is coming any time soon. In fact, nothing new is coming any time soon.

 

Ок, then what do we have on this FCC picture...


It passed tests in September

 

Maybe there will be a new VAiO but it just won't be released in the US.

 

ota-con, well, in this case there was probably no need to deliver the results of tests to FCC.

 

Then what is this ultrabook from sony that the Intel ceo speaks of? Is he just BSing because that would not look too good on his part as a ceo.

Maybe it is preliminary in case sony decides to put the device on sale? Remains to be seen if this will be announced at CES>

 

Intel CEO is misspoken.

 

i can confirm there's no ultrabook from sony before christmas. wait for CES.

 

eddieaus, can you confirm that we may expect it on CES?

 

i can't confirm that. but announcing it at CES makes perfect sense.

 

^not happening either.

 

Whatever it is, I just pray that it's not a 2.5 lb all-in-one Z3, since I just got a Z2 from Sony Outlet Clearance.

 

I'm new here... but is beaups real name Sony?

 

^
Nobody knows
Kiddin!

He is just someone who happens to know a lot more than any of us here do

 

Beaups prefers not to say why, but he has knowledge of future Sony products before they have been announced; nailed the Z2/PMD config long before it was public knowledge. Also often knows "secrets features" in newly released models. Never been wrong in my experience. Thank him as often as you can.

 

So is Sony/beaups planning on making a Sony ultrabook at all?

 

^I'm sure as hell not planning on building one personally. As for Sony, haven't seen anything in the crystal ball that would indicate it. I will disclaim I certainly could be wrong, but I'd be very very surprised here.

 

Beaups, kinda off topic but

Will the 2012 Vaio range consist of more number of models than 2011 or about the same?
This year we have C,E,F,S,J,L,Y - 7/8 series models.

 

Beaups, maybe you should tell us a bit about the new Sony external hard drive with SS connector that will be released soon

 

Haven't seen any new chassis, just updates to existing. ^I don't have any insight to upcoming peripherals.

 

Any "gaming" Vaio next year ???? OR at least close to high end GPU equipped model ?

 

(Come on, A Series...)

 

I think you missed the point: Beaups does not work for Sony or speak for Sony, he just has access to information at times. No offense, but that ^ was not an appropriate post, IMO.

 

Sorry... my humor does not translate well over the Internet.

I understand beaups may not work or speak for Sony but the joke was he must BE Sony because of his accuracy in predictions.

Not sure how my post was not appropriate, this thread is about a rumored Sony ultrabook by Christmas, beaups says there will be none and that there won't be one announced at CES, so what is wrong with asking him if there will be one at all?

 

^all good. Moving on.....haven't seen anything in the cards. If something shows up in the plans around CES time I'd be surprised if it was for public consumption. Some people ( saw the Z at/around CES time last year and it wasn't announced until ~June.

 

Point taken. Not really "inappropriate;" just, well, a little strange personification of Beaups as Sony in disguise. Truth be told, it took me a while to appreciate what Beaups could and couldn't portend about upcoming Sony products. Sadly, he was spot-on about the lamented Z2. IMO, if Sony doesn't make an ultrabook-style product by 1Q2012, it will be losing market share to others. The market likes thin and fast, and they will not accept the likes of an SA as a substitute, at least not the majority, IMO.

 

Too bad; I'll probably go for the new Mac Ultrabook if sony isn't releasing ultrabook~~~

 

Out of curiosity, what's wrong with the Z (besides price)? It's as thin and lighter than the MBA (and lighter than all other 13" ultrabooks), has a better display, and smokes all of them in performance.

 

For me, price is probably the biggest thing.

I'm not too fond of the keyboard layout either, I prefer dedicated Hm/End/Pg keys which is why I'm going to sell my MBA once I find a ubook or something to replace it.

 

Good point. In my view, it is obvious that Sony WILL do it in 2012.
However, we do not know whether Sony drops Sandy Bridge and moves to Ivy Bridge in this particular case. As the story of the late Vaio Z21 gives us more reasons to say "yes, it drops", we can expect the ultrabook in Q2 2012 in the best scenario, as far as Intel starts shipping its new processors in January to the vendors... Guys, it will be strange to see empty Vaio shelves at CES .

 

would love to find a z before Christmas

 

I believe the new Toshiba Ultrabook has dedicated keys -- the only one l've seen like that. But at least one reviewer complained about the keyboard being too small -- perhaps to make room for the "extra" keys.

 

Looking at the almost gulch of space between the SA's and Z2's KB and laptop edge, Sony would have no trouble adding 2 more columns of keys. Just whether it woud fit in their "styling."

 

Yep... that's why the Tosh is the one at the top of my ubook list.

I realize makers do it to save space but there's still a whole bunch of us that are touch typists / coders that rely on those keys for navigation... and having to use Fn+ is an inconvenience.

The one problem with the Tosh isn't the horizontal size of the keys, but the vertical space, they are shorter from palm rest to the bottom of the display ending up in a shorter rectangle shape than a square for the keys. It's the same on the R8xx series and I do notice I have to change my finger strokes to accommodate.

But one other good thing about the Tosh keyboard layout, dropped cursor keys instead of inline smaller ones.