Sony Vaio 14 Inch Laptop

[Amatista Sheeley]

Withthe 15-inch VAIO S, Sony just opened up a second front in its laptop war against Apple. Just as the 13-inch VAIO S challenged the similarly sized MacBook Pro, this larger mainstream system goes head to head against the 15-inch MacBook Pro. And with a starting price of just $999 ($1,299 as configured), the Sony costs several hundred less than the Mac. But is the VAIO S the best 15-incher among its Windows-based competition?

Much like the 13-inch VAIO S, the 15-inch version has a simple, understated look. Both the lid and deck are a matte black aluminum that's great at resisting fingerprints. The only bits of flair are the chrome VAIO logo and hinge. Those looking for a little more bling can opt for a platinum silver finish. It's a marked contrast to a system such as the Dell XPS 15z, whose silver chassis and myriad design elements stand out much more--for better and worse.

The VAIO S' lightness is only matched by its thinness. While it has a wide footprint--15 x 10.1 inches--it's just under 1-inch thick. So while this notebook stretched our messenger bag a bit, we were able to cram it in and carry it home (along with the power brick) with ease.

After we streamed a Hulu video for 15 minutes at full screen, the 15-inch VAIO S' touchpad was a cool 76 degrees Fahrenheit, and the space between the G and H keys was a similarly comfortable 79 degrees. The middle of the underside got up to 94 degrees, which is just on the edge of what we consider uncomfortable. Unfortunately, when the notebook's fan kicked on, it got quite loud.

The wide deck of the 15-inch VAIO S allows it to comfortably fit a full-size keyboard and number pad alongside it. We also like that the keyboard is backlit, a standard feature for this model. However, we wish there were a way to adjust the brightness manually. The island-style keys were plenty large and comfortable to type on, but their travel was a bit shallow, so it wasn't as ideal as typing on the MacBook Pro.

We liked the spacious 3.75 x 2.3-inch Synpatics touchpad and the gigantic mouse buttons. Multitouch gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom and rotate, worked fairly well, but we wish it supported two-finger scrolling; the right and bottom edges are set up as scroll zones. The mouse buttons are big and clicky, just the way we like.

The Sony VAIO S display measures 15.5 inches and features a 1920 x 1080 resolution by default, a feature we greatly appreciate. We could easily view two web pages side by side, and Blu-rays looked splendid in their full HD glory. While watching Iron Man, Tony Stark's suit--as well as his collection of hot rods--sparkled, blacks were nice and deep, and everything was as crisp as could be.

Especially considering Sony's pedigree, the audio on the VAIO S was sorely disappointing. The two puny speakers above the keyboard produced flat, tinny audio. Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road" sounded like it was playing on an AM station; vocals were thin and scratchy, and bass was almost non-existent. Explosions in Iron Man lacked punch and had a fuzzy quality to them.

The right side of the 15-inch VAIO S has two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, an SD card slot, and a slot for Sony's increasingly irrelevant Memory Sticks. The left side is bare, save for a tray-loading Blu-ray drive and a headphone jack. The front edge has a switch on the left side to activate the notebook's wireless radios.

The VAIO S' webcam captured high-quality video up to 1280 x 1024 in resolution. It was able to pick up details such as our blue checked shirt, but skin tones were slightly orange, as if we'd applied a spray tan. While the notebook has low-light compensation, it wasn't as effective as the HP Pavilion dv7t or the Lenovo ThinkPad T420, both of which worked in pitch-black conditions.

However, the bundled ArcSoft Webcam utility has some nice features, including masques (which places your face inside a picture), frames, and a monitor, which will snap a photo when the webcam detects movement.

Those looking for a little after-hours gaming will find the 15-inch VAIO S more than capable. In World of Warcraft, the system averaged 55 frames per second with the display at its native resolution and effects on autodetect. When we maxed out effects, we saw 30 fps, just above the category average (27 fps), but a bit below the XPS 15z (35fps) and the MacBook Pro (43 fps).

Unlike the HP Envy 14, which has AMD's new semi-automatic switchable graphics (users must first tell the system which programs should use the discrete GPU), the 15-inch VAIO S uses Sony's Speed/Stamina switch to go between the discrete AMD GPU and the integrated Intel GPU. Upon flicking the switch, the screen goes dark for a few seconds. We prefer Nvidia's Optimus solution, which accomplishes this task seamlessly and automatically.

The VAIO S is loaded with software, most of which is useful and original. Remote Keyboard and Remote Play are proof that Sony is breaking down the silos between its business units. Remote Keyboard lets you use the VAIO S to control your PlayStation 3 or Bravia TV via Bluetooth. We connected the two devices in seconds and could easily navigate through the PS3 using the arrow keys and touchpad. The only issue is that you can't use the notebook for anything else while in this mode.

Remote Play let us stream our PS3 games to the notebook. Like Remote Keyboard, this feature was also easy to set up, and was just as easy to control the PS3--there's even a handy window that shows what keys correspond to the PS3 controller. However, our enthusiasm was somewhat diminished when we saw the resolution of the streamed image, which was blotchy, like a very low-res Hulu video. Still, it's a really innovative feature.

Other utilities include VAIO Gate, a menu of icons that drops down from the top of the display. It was nice being able to access myriad apps this way. But occasionally, the tab would get in the way when we were navigating at the top of the screen.

Media Gallery lets you browse your photos, video, music in an attractive interface, and even supports gesture controls using the webcam. Waving our hand left or right let us switch tracks, and moving our hand downward paused or started music. We found the wave gesture worked the best, and we liked that we could control it from a few feet away.

VAIO 3D portal, which uses TriDef's 3D software, lets you view 3D videos, images, and games when connected to a 3D-compatible display. PMB (Picture Motion Browser) for VAIO organizes photos and videos by when they were shot, and edit and share them to social networks such as Facebook, Picasa, Shutterfly, and YouTube. We like that you can add sharing services that aren't listed by default.

Those looking for an affordable 15-inch MacBook Pro alternative will find a lot to like in the Sony VAIO S. It offers a bright 1080p display, Blu-ray playback, and good overall performance in a package that's a full pound lighter than Apple's notebook. We also like Sony's entertainment-centric software bundle. In this price range, we give the edge to the Dell XPS 15z. Although the Dell is heavier, it has better audio, beefier Nvidia graphics, and longer battery life without the need for a slice. But if you want to travel light and get the full HD experience, the 15-inch VAIO S is it.

I recently purchased a Sony Vaio S 15-inch laptop running Windows 8. For some reason, I cannot manually adjust the screen brightness, it always goes down to a minimal setting because of the auto brightness detection. If I change the screen brightness manually, it will stay that way for 3-5 seconds and then go back down to the very dark setting.

I saw a post (Sony VAIO dim screen on Windows 8) and this is exactly what is happening, but those drivers (specifically the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD Driver Update) will not run on my system.

Search for Power options. Open the control panel that comes up, click on "Change plan settings" for whatever power plan is active, then select (At the bottom of the new screen) "Change advanced power settings". In the new window, click the UAC icon to enable changes. Scroll down to "Display", expand to show "Enable adaptive brightness". Disable it for both states. Press apply and see if Windows respects your manual configuration now.

Granted, you can get a Vaio S for as little as $799, but not all Vaio models are made alike. To get the Nvidia graphics and other bells and whistles, you'll need to pay up. As a package deal at the high end, however, the Vaio S is both lightweight (3.7 pounds) and full of features that I now expect in a laptop that's not an ultrabook.

This is the laptop that I wanted the new 13-inch MacBook Pro to be: lighter, graphics-boosted, with a higher-res screen. This Vaio S isn't a revolutionary machine, but it's finally a version of the Vaio S that makes no compromises, and gets a leg up on Apple's 13-inch Pro in the process.

The Sony Vaio S Series 13P is a high-end variation on the S line, a replacement for the small-business-targeted and confusingly named Vaio SA model from the last generation. The new Vaio looks similar in terms of its all-matte-black design and tapered footprint, but some of the laptop's lines are curved where they were previously angular. The Vaio S Series 13P comes in three color options: Carbon Black, Carbon Gold, and Carbon Gunmetal.

The upgraded premium version of the Vaio S bears a carbon fiber lid: it feels rigid, but still flexes as much on its center hinge as previous models. However, the partial carbon fiber construction of the S Series 13P makes it surprisingly lightweight for its size, at 3.7 pounds. It's easy to lift with one hand. The move to a carbon fiber lid (as opposed to magnesium alloy on the "regular" Sony Vaio S Enhanced) shaves 0.1 pound off.

A cleaned-up look lends the new Vaio a touch of minimalism. A slot-loading DVD drive replaces the tray-loading version from the last Vaio S. A larger, far wider clickpad looks much cleaner than the old, smaller touch pad with its discrete buttons beneath. Still, odd buttons and toggles like the Stamina/Speed graphics switch remain above the keyboard area, adding extra clutter (honestly, why can't the switch be software-based or automatic?). The switch toggles power profiles, and can disable the GPU in Stamina mode, but there's no reason why this laptop couldn't simply rely on Nvidia's Optimus technology for automatic switching instead.

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