Quote:
Originally Posted by HansTWN
I finally got the Sony Vaio Duo 13. Since we can't get the i5 with a 256GB SSD locally I had to spring for the i7 with 8GB RAM. After one day of heavy usage the verdict is quite positive. The screen is great, the battery life amazing. The swivel mechanism works extremely well. The built quality seems excellent and I generally like the keyboard. Much less crapware than Sony machines in the past. On the negative side I hate the small right shift key (but I am slowly getting used to it) and the screen smudges easily. The trackpad is, of course much too small but I always use a mouse in laptop mode anyway, except when at airports or so. Therefore the palmrest is also somewhat short.
For tablet use the size is no problem at all, of course the weight is, but manageable. I guess at this point in time you can't do much better and still get full functionality. I didn't hear any fans kicking in yet and no hot air has been emerging from the ventilation slots until now. The casing feels totally cool, as cold as when it is turned off. In tablet mode the screen is a little top heavy but feels comfortable to hold. The 2 little feet mgmueller mentioned are a distraction, but quite far inside so by now I hardly notice them. The responsiveness of the screen to finger touch is as good as expected, same as Android or Windows RT. I didn't test out much more until now.
Didn't try the pen much yet. The storage on the right side in tablet mode is good when not using the PC, but gets in the way when holding the device in tablet mode. Very unfortunate it can't be stored inside.
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Congratulations!
From what I've heard about the Asus Taichi 31, the Sony Duo 13 probably was a wise choice.
I'm (positively for you) surprised about the fan. On the Duo 11 that I had bought ca. 4 months ago, the fan was on most of the time (I don't remember, whether it was on from the very beginning. But it definitely was on quickly and then basically didn't go off again). Same with the 2 samples I've checked out in the store.
Maybe it's about the processor? Yours has an i7, mine did have an i5. It would make sense, that a more powerful processor for the very same task (often probably web based tasks) needs less "effort", thus less heat. On the other hand, the sales guy I spoke to (but how competent and experienced they are you only can tell after some more detailed discussions) claimed exactly the opposite: More power = more heat = more frequent fan use.
Maybe you can do some kind of "stress test"? For example playing a HD movie and surfing in parallel?
Did you modify any settings for the fan? I think I tried on mine, without much of a difference (did work on Toshiba Libretto, though).
How do you hold it in tablet mode?
This was the issue that bothered me a bit and eventually (after maybe 3 hours of testing) was the reason for giving it back:
The lower part with the keyboard is wider than the upper part. And the upper part with the display, if I remember correctly, is trapezoid.
Meaning: If you look at it from the side, it's not a single edge pressing against your palm. It's a "step" from the keyboard to the display and than diagonally for the display. Hard to describe, I've made a scheme below.
I found it hard to hold that way. But I have to admit: I even don't like the curved edges on iPad because of that, so I'm probably squeamish about that.
In tablet mode, looking at it from the side:
___________
______/
_____/
l
l___________