Vaio Flip: the Yoga hinge comes to Sony

Exactly what I thought.
If your daily tasks are internet browsing, video streaming and office, the new Atom should do more than enough. And what you can get with that - 2 lbs silent notebook with 24 hour battery life. Very tempting.

 

Hey did you get fresh restart because I did and I can't find mcafee anywhere? I'm upset because my fan noise is starting to get loud now.

 

Nope, no fresh start. Disk space will not be a problem. I rather like to try out some things I have never seen now and then. And if anything disturbs boot time or CPU load I'll just remove it when it happens.

Just start task manager and see which process is running when the fan spins up.

 

I ordered my 13A from the UK Sony Store on 8 October (i5, 8GB, 128GB) with my original delivery date was between 16 October and 23 October 2013.

I had the date but back three times, the latest being 21 November which was followed by the email confirming this was the finalised date and giving me the 25% off accessories voucher as compensation.

Surprise surprise I've just had an email to say my order has been delayed again and the new expected shipping date is between 8 December 2013 and 13 December 2013 which will be over 2 months after my original order.

I don't mind the delay if the final product is going to be worth it, however it does annoy me that Sony have had my money for this amount of time.

Anyway rant over.


Martin

 

I just picked up a 15A from Best Buy -- 15-inch, i7, 8GB RAM, 1TB+16SS drives.

I haven't done much but dink around with it so far -- I've just completed the first round of Windows Updates, and now I'll start installing my software.

The fan has been a bit more active than the average notebook I've had, but I've been installing Windows Updates, programs, and so on -- we'll see how it goes when it's idling.

At any rate, if you've got any questions about this thing, I'll be glad to answer them as best I can....

thoots

 

Hi Martin:
Sorry to hear about your shipping misfortunes. I also ordered my Flip 13 (i7, 512G, 8G RAM) on Oct. 15 and had just gotten FedX tracking confirmation of unit delivery for this Thursday morning. They said it was a custom built and had to come out of Japan. Anyway, maybe the U.K market is being squeezed because of the much larger U.S population. I'm based in San Jose, CA.

Later this week, I will give a 'report' of the Flip 13 with regards to fan noise levels and any other issues that may surface. Hope you get yours soon.

Chris

 

Let me know if you guys experience the infamous touchscreen issue after updating to 8.1.

 

Can you post a short review with respect to battery life, fan noise, keyboard, and things you have noticed so far! Thanks a lot!

 

Nothing of te sort here (13A, i7). I think this problem is limited to the 15" version.

 

I've created special topic for optimizing Vaio Flips
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...erformance-battery-life-vaio-flip-others.html

 

Awesome idea.

This will help many users.

TS

 

Hi all,

I've been following this thread, and I decided to express my recent experience buying this product. I'm buying it from US.

I ordered my Sony Vaio Flip 13 on-line the November 10th. Estimated shipping date the 19th November.
The deceiving part of this history: The 18th November my order status updated to Backordered. I called Sony customer service and they have no idea of when it is going to be shipped. And asked me to wait until I receive my tracking number (who knows when????)!!!
The outraging part of this history: I go to the Sony website and simulate the same purchase and it says: Product in Stock. This product usually ships in 1 to 2 days!!! Then I call to Sony to ask what is going on and they tell me they are having some logistics problems to ensure all the products are working well. Then I asked if I should cancel my original order and place a new one (as the product is in stock) and they tell me it might take even longer!! SONY, YOU ARE DELIBERATLY MISLEADING YOUR CUSTOMERS!!!! THIS IS OUTRAGING!!! If you know you won’t be able to ship it in less than a week or so, don’t post in your website it is In Stock nor say the product usually ships in 1 to 2 days.

 

I have to admit I am a bit surprised that you didn't notice the hideous delays that many are posting in this thread about before you placed your order.

I was supposed to get a call from the escalation manager today, but it turned out he wasn't in today. Apparently. I'm running out of people working in the Sony customer service centre to complain to! Spoken to Christopher 2-3 times, Francine about 5 times, and 2 other staff members so far. Also sent numerous emails and had fun complaining in the customer service satisfaction survey they insist on sending me.

 

you can't even order any of the flips in germany any longer.
yes it's a shame, when they tell you with the first mail, the last date is correct (had no date actually).
a day later you get a mail saying next week.
now every thursday i get a mail it will be shipped next week.
since it's being produced i cant cancel it

 

I ordered because:
1) Most of the problems seemed to happen in Europe
2) Many people in US had just received their Flip
3) The most important, it was supposed to be In Stock....

Well,,,, It was probably in stock.... waiting to be fixed...hhehehe

 

9th to 14th of December for me now, looks like I'll be lucky to get it for Christmas, which is crazy considering I ordered on the 8th of October.

 

Oh dear, looks like I know what to expect on Tuesday then...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

Someone know why in Europe the flips can't be ordered anymore??

 

In the US you can only order standard configurations. The configure to order option isn't available there too. It seems Sony US has ordered a bunch for stock, which means they can still sell, while in other countries it dried up.

 

I have been keeping up-to-date with this forum and wanted to post a quick message.

I ordered two Vaio Flips, in the UK, on Oct 8th. Unfortunately I have just cancelled the order and Sony are refunding me within 3 working days. The total was for around £2,200.

Having received my 5th email notifying me of a further delay, I finally had enough. I am furious at how this entire saga has been handled by Sony and would like to state how useless Sony Customer Services are - I am perplexed as to their function as they seem powerless to assist customers.

Perhaps it is for the best. Knowing of potential issues with battery life and fan noise it might be a blessing in-disguise. It is sad, however, as the product looks fantastic.

Sony are meant to be a premium brand but fail miserably with their delivery, service, and support.

I hope others have a better experience.

Please note: Should others request cancellations/refunds: Sony may suggest to wait for delivery and refuse. Only once the order has returned to their factory can a refund be processed. Considering Sony have had my money for the past 6 weeks, I was not prepared to wait any longer. You are within your rights to ask for an immediate refund. Alternatively you can ask your credit card company for a refund.

The search continues for a great laptop...

 

I've been considering a Fit 13 or 15 for a few weeks now, but I noticed today that you can no longer custom build any Fit models from Sony's US web store as of this morning (November 21 2013). They completely removed the customize option from the site. Clearly they are even further delayed than before.

I hope all these delays lead to fixes to the fan issues and/or fix issues with the touch/pen sensor/software.

 

I think that Sony just didn't expect such demand. And I don't know why. There's not a host of well built and reasonably priced transformers on the market. For 14-15 inch there's no alternative at all.

 

I have noticed that too. No more customization for the 14".

The Vaio Multi-flip still excites me, but with all the technical & logistics issues that it's facing. I may opt for another hybrid instead.

 

The Flips will be available again next week on Sony store, at least in Italy...I asked via mail

 

Which is kind of funny, really, as I just saw about a dozen units, 13, 14, and 15" (in stock configs) at my local BestBuy in Virginia (USA). I really like the 15 - it doesn't seem quite as heavy as other 5lb laptops because it's thin enough that there's no bulk. Sadly, no hi-res versions in the store, and nobody could find a pen to try out the computer. Worse yet, they all had theft sensors (about 1/2" thick) stuck to the cover so it's impossible to put it into full tablet mode.

 

That's funny -- my local Best Buy had the 13, 14, and 15 set up where you could flip it into tablet mode and they also had a tethered digitizer that could reach all three screens.

The pen worked well and the flip mechanism gets the job done. I bought a Dell XPS 12, and I think it's flip mechanism is a little smoother, but I am going to return it do to screen size. As much as I want a lightweight ultrabook, I really need a 15 inch screen.

After seeing the flips in the store, it pretty much sold me on one. I even set it up on the sony store, but got cold feet at check out and decided to wait another week to see how the fan issue went. Of course, they just took down the customization option and removed my order from my cart.

Hopefully the customized versions come back online soon. I am only going to buy with an SSD. Despite the issues that the first users have experienced, there just is nothing in the 15 inch size that does what the flip does.

 

I too was at Best Buy earlier today in NorCal and saw many Flip units in all sizes (but in stock configs, no hi-res and no pen...the Best Buy staff was perfectly useless!). I also need a 15" screen (although the 14" is sweet...I'm now convinced that the Flip is the machine for me so I guess it is time to wait until the online build configurator is live again.

And yes, this store also had the theft sensors attached in a manner that made it impossible to put the machine into full tablet mode...sheesh!

 

Just had another email from Sony, laptop now due 16 December 2013!

Really not confident I will see it before 2014.


Martin

 

Here is my experience with my new MultiFlip 14 "arrived yesterday.

It seems that I have caught all the problems you are talking about these days: touchscreen and fan noise.

What happens in the video happens every ten minutes:
It is uncontrollable and becomes unusable.

I am afraid that is owned by someone else O_O

Seriously speaking, if after less than a day gives me all these problems how do I use it for work?

Sony vaio multiflip 14 touch problems - Xfiles - YouTube

 

I agree - there's nothing else on the market like it...which is a shame. I'm planning on buying the 500GB drive and swapping for an SSD plus adding memory. The SonyStore prices are just insane ($900 for a 512GB SSD when a 960GB SSD is $520 at Newegg?). If the 15" at BB was equipped with the 2880 screen I probably would have bought it on the spot as it had everything else I wanted (i7, nVidia).

 

I found this on an other forum : BIOS update for the 14" and 15" models which seems to fix fan speed and touch problems :

14": Sony eSupport - SVF14N190X - Support
15": Sony eSupport - SVF15N190X - Support

Do not hesitate to give us some feedback

 

If you get the HDD, is it hard to change it out for an SSD?

 

The teardown video from Sony shows a standard SATA drive (I think that may be the 14", as it only has one DIMM slot, but I expect the 15 to be nearly identical). Sony VAIO® | Flip PC Teardown - YouTube Pop the bottom off, 4 screws to hold the drive in, and you're done.

Every time I watch that video I wonder what it would take to get the mfr of that lower cover to make an alternate version with a modified bump to take a double-sized battery (like the old cell phone backs) with a shallower rubber foot so the profile would stay nearly the same. I'll bet you could slip a 60Wh battery in there and still not extend past where the current feet are. #WishfulThinking

 

Good news they have a BIOS update for the 14 and 15 models. Did anyone install it? How is the fan noise after the update.

On thursday I decided to cancel my on-line order and buy my Flip 13 at a Best Buy store.

It am really loving it! The fan made a lot of noise in the first 30 minutes. After I removed Mcafee and migrated to win 8.1 the noise issues almost completely disappeared.
I also followed some steps from this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...erformance-battery-life-vaio-flip-others.html

I used my flip 13 during classes yesterday and I did not have any issue. Actually, I could hear my colleague's laptop fans before mine.

Now I am solving a price optimization model in excel (6000 entries, 150 variables) in the performance mode. In performance mode it gets louder, but still below the noise level of my old Dell (which is loud, but bearable).
It is incredible fast. Booting takes less than 5 seconds!

 

How about battery life, do you have an estimate yet?

Has anybody experienced any screen light bleeding during dark movies or total black screen (like on start up).

Do the bottom of the machine gets warm or hot? I'm planning to use it on my lap a lot.

 

I don’t own the machine, but if the fan problem is resolve I will buy it.

Here is the link to the BIOS update:

Sony eSupport - SVF15N190X - Support

This is the description for the update:

This utility installs an updated version of the BIOS software to resolve issues where after upgrading to Windows® 8.1 USB devices may not be recognized or detected, the Touchscreen may not function, and the Battery icon may not be available (greyed out). This update also improves the thermal management of the computer.

Could this improvement of the thermal management possibly be the fan fix?

It would be really appreciated if people that own the machine download the BIOS and let us know of any changes and/or improvements.

Thanks in advance.

 

I did not run any standard test for battery life. What I can say is that the battery hold it from 2PM to 10PM without recharge. However datyou cannot compare it to any benchmark since I was using it in diverse situations: ~2h sleep mode + ~2h data crunching on excel + ~1h in the IT offfice installing specific softwares + internet surfing.
The bottom of the machine gets warm when the clock speed keeps at ~2.2 for a long period of time.

 

BTW, has anyone tried to change the system cooling policy from active to passive?

I did it and I believe it helped a lot reducing the fan noise.
Control Panel>Power Options>Change advanced power settings>Processor Power Management>System Cooling Policy

Give it a try and let me know if it worked. It does not restrict clock speed since I got to the max with it at passive

 

Thanks for the response.

does it get warm to the point that it would be unconformable to use it in your lap?

Thanks again.

 

Are you planing to updates the BIOS as well, to see if it gets even better?

 

Please check out my topic on optimizing Flips with full tutorial:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...erformance-battery-life-vaio-flip-others.html
After this procedure my fan is quiet, laptop boots in 2 seconds, , and I achieved 12 hours in Battery Eater Readers Test, and 4 hours in Classic Test ( duo 13 achived 2:12)

 

Sorry wscosta8, I just realize that you own the flip 13, for which it does not look that there is a BIOS update like for the Flip 14 and 15.

Anyone with a flip 14 or 15 tried the BIOS updates yet.

Excuse my eagerness, but I've been looking for a convertible for a while and the few out there they all have something wrong. I've got the Yoga 2 pro, because of the fan problems with the flip, but that machine was a big disappointment for me.

 

Has anyone pulled the HD from a 15"; do you know if it's a 7mm model or a 9.5? I'm looking at trying to score a cheap SSD next week and would like to know if I'm limited to 7mm. TIA!

 

Hi Franek,
Thanks for the tips. great thread!!

 

Hi guys, I just picked up Sony Flip 15 with dedicated graphic card from Best Buy today, and as I have expected, the fan turned out to be really loud and annoying. I tried to find the option to turn on the silent mode, but I could not. In VAIO control center-> power and battery, there is no such thing that enables me to adjust fan settings. I am very frustrated now, because I really love this device so far, and if I can fix this problem (find the place to adjust the fan setting), I will decide to keep this laptop. Can anyone here help me please?

 

Sorry that I could not upload a picture. I have tried several times, but each time it told me "upload failed"

 

I ordered one from Best Buy. I hope the digitizer works properly because I want to use it for editing photos. It would make a lot of tasks much easier.

 

New to this forum and I read through this entire thread. Oh the ups and downs.

So after looking everywhere for a powerful hybrid laptop, I think I've settled on the Flip 15. Custom orders are back up on Sony's site but the est. ship date is Dec 9th and based by this thread, that isn't something to go on. So I was thinking of picking up the config at Best Buy since they have stock and doing a few upgrades myself.

Two questions that I couldn't find definitive answers for. (or just missed after 100 pages of reading and bad google-fu)

1) Can I swap out the hard drive for a SSD like this one? All of the breakdowns seem to be of the smaller 13 or 14in versions.

2) The Best Buy config comes with 8gb ram, I want 16. Is the ram soldered or can I install any pair of DDR3 PC1600 (204 pin) chips?

Thanks! I'm hoping to get this laptop, take the 1TB hd from it and stick that in the PS4, then get a much larger SSD for a lot less than what Sony charges, two birds one stone.

BTW, I messed with the demo 15 unit for about a half hour. I tried everything to get the fan to kick into high gear and it didn't. Played videos, games etc and it remained silent. The 14in next to was blowing hard while sitting idle.

 

Try the BIOS update on the previous page of this thread.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

Somebody couple pages back reported that it was smaller form so probably its 7mm