Sony announces 14-inch VAIO T14 Ultrabook, says it will offer the T13 with an optional touchscreen

Sony announces 14inch VAIO T14 Ultrabook, says it will offer the T13 with an optional touchscreen

In case you haven't noticed, Sony just announced pricing for all sorts of touch-friendly Windows 8 products -- namely, the VAIO Duo 11, Tap 20 and the E14P multimedia laptop. But not everything in the company's lineup needs to have a touchscreen. The outfit just announced the VAIO T14, a reasonably priced 14-inch Ultrabook that you'll have to use the old-fashioned way: with a keyboard and trackpad. So far as we can tell, it's the same metal-and-plastic industrial design as the existing T13, except now the speakers sit above the keyboard, instead of on the front edge.

As you can imagine, the 14-inch version (pictured above) is a bit thicker and heavier than the 13-inch model (3.77 pounds, up from 3.54), which means the chassis is now wide enough to accommodate an optical drive. What's slightly disappointing, though, is that while the T14 has a larger footprint, it doesn't add any additional ports. As with the T13, you get two USB ports (one 3.0, one 2.0), HDMI output, an Ethernet jack, audio-out and a VGA socket. Another USB connection or two would've been nice, is all.

In addition to announcing the T14, Sony also revealed that it will start offering the T13 with an optional touchscreen -- a $100 upgrade you can add during the configuration process. (Sony's Japanese and UK divisions already announced a touch-enabled version of the T13, but until now it was unclear whether it would ever go on sale in the US.) As you might have guessed, that touchscreen adds a few ounces to the weight. The upside, though (aside from having a touchscreen, if that's what you're into) is that it has a prettier, edge-to-edge glass display -- a definite improvement over that standard wide bezel. (Check out the shot after the break to see what we mean.) The T13 will continue to sell for $670 and up, with the touch option becoming available this month. The T14 will also go on sale in the coming weeks starting at at $670.

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Sony announces 14-inch VAIO T14 Ultrabook, says it will offer the T13 with an optional touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: ultraportables

Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today we're getting down to the very important business of helping you sift through laptops -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of August we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- you can hit up the hub page right here!

DNP Engadget's back to school guide 2012 ultraportables

Given their roots -- luxury machines like the original MacBook Air ($1,800) and last year's Samsung Series 9 ($1,649) -- you'd be forgiven if you initially dismissed Ultrabooks as being too extravagant for a college-bound student. Thankfully, though, prices have sunk so low that you can now find a thin, fast, ultraportable laptop for as little as $700. The only problem, perhaps, is a paradox of choice: the selection is already crowded with dozens of contenders, and there are 100-some-odd more models in the pipeline, according to Intel. Fortunately for you, dear readers, we've had the chance to handle or even review many of them, and were able to whittle down the offerings to a handful of promising contenders. Whether you're prepared to spend $750 or $1,400, we have something that'll fit the bill.

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Engadget's back to school guide 2012: ultraportables originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony VAIO T13 review: the company’s first Ultrabook targets the back-to-school set

Sony VAIO T13 review the company's first Ultrabook targets the backtoschool set

Until recently, Sony's name has been conspicuously absent on the ever-growing list of Ultrabook makers. Sure, we've known about the VAIO T series since CES, when the company teased an unnamed notebook behind glass, but it didn't get its official reveal until May, when it hit the European market -- with last-generation Sandy Bridge processors. That's no way to make a splash when Ivy Bridge CPUs are now de rigueur for Ultrabooks and mainstream laptops alike.

Luckily, Sony got things right on the US side, releasing the 13-inch VAIO T13 with Ivy Bridge processors in tow. Other than those new chips, the Ultrabook features identical specs to the European model, not to mention the same brushed silver aluminum design. And while the brand is in for a serious game of catchup as it enters an already-crowded market, its VAIO T is priced to compete at $770. Let's welcome Sony to the Ultrabook game by giving the T13 the full review treatment.

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Sony VAIO T13 review: the company's first Ultrabook targets the back-to-school set originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012

It was last year that Intel chose Computex, a computer tradeshow in Taiwan, to introduce its Ultrabook concept to the world. Twelve months later, 110-plus models are in the pipeline, which meant the Taipei Convention Center was overrun by skinny, lightweight laptops. Make that skinny, touch-enabled laptops. Between those new Ivy Bridge chips and Microsoft putting the finishing touches on Windows 8, this week's show was nothing if not a five-day-long wedding between two tech giants: almost every device on display here was a vehicle for showing off Microsoft's glossy new OS. At every turn, a celebration of touchscreen notebooks.

With more than 30 hands-on posts this week, we can see where one Core i5 laptop might look like the next, or how you might have failed to keep up with Jonney Shih's rapid-fire product announcements. Now that we're wrapping up here in Taiwan, though, we're ready to take a step back and think about what it is we just saw. Whether you felt overwhelmed by our wall-to-wall coverage or just need to catch up, we suggest you meet us past the break for a quick recap of all the new Ultrabooks. Oh, and if you're in the market for a new laptop, you can check your trigger-happy finger at the door. With few exceptions, we're not expecting these to go on sale until the fall, when Windows 8 is expected to start shipping.

Continue reading The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012

The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony T Series Ultrabook hands-on (video)

Sony T Series Ultrabook hands-on (video)

Sony just announced US availability for its T Series Ultrabook, and though we'll only get the T13 and not the T11 stateside, this version will ship with third-gen Intel CPUs rather than the European model's Sandy Bridge processors. Here's the Cliff Notes version if you missed the earlier announcement: the 13-incher weighs 3.5 pounds (admittedly a little hefty for an Ultrabook), but its chassis is just 0.71 inches thin. Moreover, the T13 starts at $800, which is pretty dang low in the larger scheme of Ultrabook pricing. We went hands-on with the T13 at the Sony Center this morning -- head past the break for a closer look at Sony's first Ultrabook.

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Sony T Series Ultrabook hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VAIO T13 Ultrabook could be coming with Ivy Bridge, according to Sony’s German site

VAIO T13 Ultrabook could be coming with Ivy Bridge, according to Sony's German site

If Sony's German site is to be believed, then it's safe to say the outfit's had a change of heart recently. According to a revealing spec sheet on the website, there's now a T13 Ultrabook model with one of Intel's latest chips on board. Just last week, Sony announced the Euro-bound T13 would be sporting a last-gen Core i3-2367M CPU, but the recent finding shows an i5-3317U variant (you know, the one on Sammy's Series 9) could be in the works. Still, it's unknown whether this Ivy Bridge-packing VAIO would replace its Sandy Bridge sibling or if it's just going to be a complete different offering. We'll have to wait and see.

VAIO T13 Ultrabook could be coming with Ivy Bridge, according to Sony's German site originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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