Sony presents a thin & light alternative with an elegant design

Nov 8, 2013 18:01 GMT  ·  By

The Sony VAIO line has always managed to impress with its stylish design and features, and the recently introduced Sony VAIO Tap 11 tablet is no exception from the standard.

According to the company, this is the “thinnest” slate available on the market today and, by the looks of it, Sony built it to provide direct competition to Microsoft’s Surface Pro.

The design is really classy and light, and the slate can be handled with the uttermost of ease, even if you’re using just one hand.

style="color: #aa3333">Design

Now let’s take a closer look. The front of the slate features edge-to-edge glass with black bezels framing the display. Sony has managed to create a device light as a feather here, weighing just 1.7 pounds / 0.7 kg and being just 0.39 inch / 99 mm thick, but the company had to make some concessions to get to this point.

The Vaio Tap 11 has a magnesium alloy back, but also a lot of plastic bundled into it. So, inevitably, the question arises: how resilient will the slate turn out to be?

On the back you’ll probably notice the propping stand leg, which is extremely well integrated into the slate. It might look a little bit fragile at first, but, after getting used to it, we noticed it was actually pretty resistant and could be propped to provide the perfect viewing angle.

The tablet comes with a brushed-aluminum keyboard that magnetically attaches itself to the screen like a makeshift lid, allowing users to carry it around like a netbook. It gives an elegant look to the whole bundle, the kind that turns heads. Sony also offers a smart stylus with the device, which can be attached to the tablet via with a plastic hinge. But we’re going to talk about that a little bit later.

Sony has hidden some of the connectivity ports on the left behind a pop-out flap, so you'll find there the full-sized USB 3.0 port and micro HDMI out. The problem with the flap is that it doesn't appear to stay firmly snapped and, once opened, it proved to be really hard to put back together. After a few tries we actually gave up and left it there to wobble.

Moving along, on the top right side we have a different flap covering the microSD/SIM area. On the right, we found a 3.5 mm headphone jack, the power button, and the volume control button. The power socket is placed beneath the HDMI flap. The device is NFC-enabled, so there’s the possibility of adding more devices and share content amongst them with ease.

The back side is where the main 8-megapixel, Exmor RS-enabled camera is housed. This means that users can take photos of documents, educational materials, reports, and more, and then edit them using the digital stylus. The front-facing camera is a 2-megapixel one.

style="color: rgb(255,102,0)">Display

As expected, Sony performed wonderfully in the display department. The manufacturer added an 11.6-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution that ensures the delivery of crisp images and sharp text.

This is all possible due to Sony’s own Triluminos technology, which has already been implemented in Bravia television sets. Images were beautifully displayed, revealing even the most subtle details.

We can’t argue that the screen does its job extremely well, but we couldn't help but notice, during a closer inspection aided by natural light, how visible the actual touch dots were. It’s not a bothersome detail, but perfectionists might find it annoying.

As for browsing, the Tap VAIO 11 did prove to be a bit of a puzzle. We were expecting a smooth experience which, granted, we did get at first. But as we progressed into using it for an extended number of hours (4 or 5), the system didn’t seem to respond all that well to standard browsing and lagged in reaction to taps. At some point, the whole tablet got quite overheated and the fans started making very audible noises.

style="color: rgb(255,102,0)">Audio

The VAIO Tap 11’s three speaker grills can be found on the back of the tablet and offer a decent enough sounding experience. Sony uses ClearAudio+ technology in the attempt to produce clear and rich tones but, overall, the tablet isn’t the loudest.

In a noisier environment like an office, you’ll probably need to get your set of headphones out. If you blast the volume up to max, you’ll get an ordinary audio experience, nothing too special.

style="color: #aa3333">Power and Performance

The version we got for testing featured an Intel Pentium 3560Y 1.20GHz processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. As mentioned, browsing was pretty fluid at first and multitasking activities were performed with ease. But, as we used the VAIO tablet for an extended period of time, performance seemed to go downhill and everything became quite strained.

There’s 128GB SSD on board and Intel HD Graphics. The slate offers the full Windows 8 experience, so no Windows RT here. Users also have the possibility to upgrade to Windows 8.1 for free.

Thanks to its amazing screen, the Sony slate is perfect for streaming all kinds of media, like videos and viewing photographs. Games run pretty smoothly as well, and the company offers some pre-installed games, like the super colorful Bubble Birds.

We’re a little concerned about the noise and overheating problem we experienced after using the device for a continuous five hours, but there wasn't a whole lot of battery left, anyway.

style="color: #aa3333">Software

Now moving on to software, the VAIO Tap 11 comes pre-loaded with a whole host of applications. Sony offers its own dedicated apps for music (Album by Sony, Music by Sony), movies (VAIO Movie Creator), or social life (where you can tap into the Sony Entertainment Network).

Sony has taken a special interest in providing some apps to be used with the stylus, like Note Anything from VAIO. This particular app is special due to the fact that it can translate your handwriting into computer-generated, editable writing. Sony will also take extra good care of your device, so don’t hesitate to use the VAIO Update, VAIO Control Center, and VAIO Message Center.

VAIO Remote control is another interesting app that transforms your slate into a general remote control. Users will be able to control different devices around the house, so if you’re comfortably sitting on the couch reading and you also want to turn on the TV, you don’t have to get up and go looking for the remote.

Third-party apps are also offered in the bundle, like Intel Experience Center, which brings access to the Intel AppUp store, iHeart Radio, Kaspersky Internet Security 2013, Evernote Touch, or Xbox Live. The whole host of Microsoft apps you usually find on Windows 8 slates is also available: Bing News, Weather, Mail, or Microsoft Office.

Users can opt for what browser to install onboard (Chrome, Opera, Firefox). We tried loading our site in Internet Explorer and Chrome, but if you don’t run the pages in full screen mode, you’ll probably risk a trip to the ophthalmologist. Or you could just go ahead and use zoom in IE.

style="color: rgb(153,204,0)">Stylus input

Sony provides a stylus with the slate that can be used for writing, drawing, and creating all sorts of presentations. We found that working with it proves to be pretty smooth, as the pen responds well to pressure sensitivity. We even used it to handwrite URLs in Internet Explorer and it proved to be quite reliable. The pen comes bundled with an “AAAA” battery within.

There are two buttons on the stylus, but we found that they are not so smooth to activate. Sony provides a plastic hinge to help you attach the stylus to the slate. In concept, that’s not a bad idea at all; the trouble is, we couldn’t get it off and we had to bring in some extra utensils to do so.

style="color: rgb(153,51,102)">Connectivity

The Sony VAIO Tap 11 packs NFC, 802.11n Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, LTE, and support for Intel Wireless Display. On top of that, users will get an accelerometer, gyroscope, and digital compass.

Battery

We found the battery lasted about 5 hours, which is more than enough for watching videos and playing a few games, but that won’t take you very far if you’re planning to take it on a longer trip. You can charge the tablet while the keyboard lid is attached to it as well. The battery pack seems a little bulky to carry around but, judging by the light weight of the slate, it shouldn't be so bothersome in the end.


The Good

Sony VAIO Tap 11 features a beautiful screen that will deliver rich colors and crisp details. The company offers a keyboard with the bundle, without pricing it separately. The smart stylus works great, ensuring that users can employ the device for working activities as well as fun. Sony also offers an extensive list of pre-loaded apps.

The Bad

First of all, a longer battery life is something every tablet user wishes for, and Sony really needs to work in this department. The plastic stylus holder is also a problem, because we couldn’t seem to be able to get it off. There are some concerns about the tablet overheating and becoming laggy as well. The audible noise produced by the fans wasn’t a nice surprise either.

Overall Impressions The Sony VAIO Tap 11 looks and feels great, and that probably constitutes the tablet’s biggest selling point. Sony has always known how to produce aesthetically pleasing designs when it comes to its VAIO line, and this model was created to shine. The price has been set to $799 / €591 so it’s a little less expensive than the Surface Pro. However, for the same amount, you might find that you still have a couple of options to look into.

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