Sony VAIO T Series SVT13118FXS 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Silver Mist)

The T13 arrived a couple of hours ago -one day ahead of Fed-Ex's promised arrival date. First impressions are positive. It is blazingly fast (I ordered the i7 Ivy Bridge processor and upgraded to 8GB of RAM, with a 500GB + 32MLC hybrid hard drive) when compared to my "old" Sony Vaio VPCY2 (with a first generation i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GD hard drive).

First of all, given one of the reviews below, let me address battery life. According to 'BatteryBar' (a useful free download), at 100% charge, the Sony T13, at idle, with full screen brightness but using the power saver option, will last 8 hours and 24 minutes. So in use, I'd expect at least six hours -which is in line with the PC World magazine test.

Tbe T-13 feels extremely solid -no flex if picked up by a corner. It feels as though it weighs a little more than the similarly-sized but more expensive VPCY2. It certainly has more visual 'presence' than the VPCY2 -probably because the VPCY2 is black and more rounded.

The trackpad will take some getting used to and the keys are not as deep and the key action not as crisp as those on the VPCY2.

The speakers are much better than those on the VPCY2. I had to turn the volume down, something that I have never had to do with the VPCY2 (where more volume would often be welcome). And video playback seems brighter and smoother.

The on/off button is smaller than the button on the VPCY2 and consequently is a little more finicky. But there's a web button on the T13 one touch and the browser appears. Very handy.

All in all, given the price and the specifications, this appears to be an excellent buy -and if the keyboard had been identical to the VPCY2, I'd have given it five stars.

But, remember, I've only had it for a couple of hours.

Update: Between downloading new programs, surfing the web and reading and responding to e-mail, the battery lasted almost five hours before I plugged it in (with 45 minutes 'remaining' according to 'BatteryBar.')

PROS:

Build quality

Size/thin crust pizza design

Keyboard comfort and ease of positioning hands-fingers

Weight

Cost-Value

Speed-Blazing fast (with i7 Intel)

Multi Tasking Loads Are A Breeze

No crashing-ever. Even with AVCHD video files.

CONS:

No backlit keyboard option

Sub-par mirror-like screen/too glossy/reflective/indoor use only

No color choices. Do you like Silver or Silver flat?

X-Loud speakers. You aren't really serious Sony are you?

Only two USB ports.

This is a well-designed and well built Ultra laptop. Near perfection and even more so when you factor in the price.

We tested it while burning a 1080i AVCHD video, played YOU TUBE at the same time and had AOL on as well while my wife surfed the internet. Not a glitch for a second.

Weight is great. So thin. Beat out any of the HP models in its class.

Sony is sub-par at customer service/support so be advised. That's past experience in fairness. All outsourced and a challenge as the reps just read script. They have a minimal knowledge base.

This is well worth $1200-$1300 so Sony has a remarkable product at a stunning price. Get it via AMAZON and you'll save even more.

Buy Sony VAIO T Series SVT13118FXS 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Silver Mist) Now

January 2013 update after seven months of ownership. Starting right after purchase last summer, problems with this machine and Sony support. The fan is really loud and I just discovered that the camera did not work. Also, the machine is crashing and then cannot find the operating system when rebooting after Sony support had me do a full factory restore. Tried at three months of ownership to get Sony tech support and after numerous calls I am at at the point of a completely re-imaged machine and waiting over two weeks for a box to ship it back to Sony for repairs. I have called Sony numerous times and talked to no less than about 5-6 people and can't seem to get the repair box shipped to send it back to the factory. Today, Fedex came and the box which was finally shipped had the wrong apartment number on it. Since I verified my address with a supervisor in Sony's shipping facility in Laredo Texas, I am ready to scream. AARRAAAGH!!! Computer was returned with the fan replace and the camera replaced. No word on the operating system problem. Fan continued to rattle and operating system crashing became more frequent. Called Sony again and sent the computer back in for repairs. Mother board was replaced. Received the computer back and the screen is freezing and operating system not found several times per day. Have to do a hard restart. Sent computer back to Sony. Sony has refunded purchase price.

I originally gave the computer better stars, but things have changed a bit there also. The computer still seems to be built very soundly and should be a pretty tough road warrior with the aluminum case. The computer is blazing fast and starts up and is ready to use in just seconds. I like the feel of the keyboard, but it is definately Sony to the touch. The keys are a bit recessed and there is no backlit display, but they feel good to my touch. The mousepad is a different story. It is one single plate pad (only one big button) with touch points in various areas like the Apple computers. I find it is not sensitive enough and often I have to reposition my finger or re-select to get it to work. It is also very quirky when scrolling. That may be an adjustment, but so far I haven't figured out how to make it better. The aluminum case makes the unit feel really rigid and solid. It also however tends to echo the noise of the fan and the speakers, making the speakers sound very tinny. The fan is so very noisy in the unit and it is very distracting to me. The unit never really feels hot though. The electronic hard drive also shouldn't cause any heat as it has no moving parts. I also am not too impressed with the screen. The clarity and sharpness you would expect from a Sony screen is just not there. There are 2 usb ports, one is the newer high speed. I find I would like a third port sometimes. I thought I would miss the CD in this machine, but so far I haven't been inconvenienced by having only the mini drive. It also isn't an outdoor screen. Colors look a bit washed, though I keep trying to adjust the clarity. All and all, I am really frustrated with Sony and really don't like this machine. I expect I will have it repaired and trade it in on some other computer when it comes back. This is my fourth Sony computer, and the only Sony I haven't loved.

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Less than 5 months, I have an ultrabook with a huge problem.

Sony Support is not all around the world as APPLE. Now I am in another country that sony don't give me suport.

This Sony vaio was the last.

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I made the mistake of buying the upgrade to Windows 8. Many programs doesn't work well since. Actually, it shuts down unexpectedly many times (at the worse moment , of course)

But the ultrabook is compact and sleek, when is running is fast enough for me.

The keyboard is smooth, compared to my previous notebook.

The mousepad doesn't work well from day 1. It's not very responsive, had to add another one.