What the Surface Pro 2 will be competing against...

[mitchellvii]

They better get their act together with the Surface Pro 2 because the competition is NOT messing around:

Mystery 13-inch Sony Ultrabook slider pops up in horribly grainy YouTube video

...13-inch Ultrabook slider with a 1080p Triluminos touchscreen display...

...the "SurfSlider design," backlit keyboard, ClearAudio+ and ActiveSleep tech, as well as its 10 hours of battery life. NFC is also said to be on board, along with an 8-megapixel camera with Exmor RS sensor, Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD. - Also has digitial pen...

[video=youtube;orzuj17Ta5k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=orzuj17Ta5k[/video]

If Sony can manage to bring this in around $1200 it is gonna be tough to beat. If it starts at $1500 like the Helix then not so much direct competition to the Surface Pro 2 (However, someone who will pay $1200 for a tablet/ultrabook can afford $1500). If this is the direction things are going - super thin and light, powerful sliders with full HD and a digital pen it's gonna get interesting out there.

P.S., Notice the better kickstand angle.

This looks MUCH thinner than the Duo 11. Also notice the 5 rows of tiles in Modern UI. IMHO it is going to take devices like these for Windows 8 to win acceptance in the Enterprise Space.

 

[TagsxA]

I, for one, don't like it all that much. The larger screen means more pixelated display (less ppi), which I definitely don't want. The always-attached keboard is something I don't want in a tablet, and speaking of tablet, that thing is rather large. It seems like it would be fairly uncomfortable to relax on the couch with it (in my opinion). Now, if it came out with a $1,000 sticker price, it would become a bit more enticing, but knowing Sony... It'll probably be closer to $1,500.

Regardless of what I think, though, it's good to see this technology move forward with more compact (thickness-wise) designs!

 

[mitchellvii]

I, for one, don't like it all that much. The larger screen means more pixelated display (less ppi), which I definitely don't want. The always-attached keboard is something I don't want in a tablet, and speaking of tablet, that thing is rather large. It seems like it would be fairly uncomfortable to relax on the couch with it (in my opinion). Now, if it came out with a $1,000 sticker price, it would become a bit more enticing, but knowing Sony... It'll probably be closer to $1,500.

Regardless of what I think, though, it's good to see this technology move forward with more compact (thickness-wise) designs!

It really depends upon your needs. I don't think anyone would describe a 13 inch 1920 x 1080 display as pixelated (170 ppi which is plenty for a tablet). Also you could run it at 100% zoom instead of this 150% business.

If you are looking for a tablet that can be an ultrabook occasionally this might not be your best choice. If you are looking for an ultrabook that can be a tablet occasionally this may be for you. I personally fall into the second camp.

Regardless, tough competition will motivate MS to really put out something great at an aggressive pricepoint so it's all good.

 

[riggi]

It looks like a larger version of the Vaio Duo 11.

I was trying to decide between the Surface Pro and the Duo 11, and went with the SP.

I didn't like the Duo 11 because the slider keyboard is quite cramped. It is full width, but quite shallow.
Also, the permanently attached keyboard made it quite heavy when using it in tablet mode. Also quite thick.

I did like that the Duo 11 had an inbuilt VGA port (I use VGA projectors almost every day at work). And, I liked that you can get the sheet battery.

But in the end, the detachable full sized Type cover of the SP, and reduced size and weight in tablet mode made me decide on the SP.

Also, for me personally, I have Note 2 and knew that the same pen would work on both devices. The Sony uses a different type of digitizer. Not a deal breaker, but still something I considered.

 

[mitchellvii]

Considering this is a 13 inch tablet as opposed to 11 inches I don't think the keyboard will be cramped. Also, in the video anyway this looks quite thin - thinner than the 11. If they can bring this in around 2.5 pounds that would help.

We'll see. Good things coming out there which means price competition too.

For true acceptance by enterprise consumers I think we will be needing these 13 inch variants.

 

[tonyz3]

I agree with the attached KB being too annoying. Like that they are getting thin and i am sure the SP will lead in this category as the others have shown they can't. I was looking at the Sony Duo in the MS store and i did not like how the insides were exposed from the backside. there was a huge ribbon that stuck out like a sore " Big Mac" 13 in might not be too bad if it was lighter than SP1.

 

[mitchellvii]

I agree with the attached KB being too annoying. Like that they are getting thin and i am sure the SP will lead in this category as the others have shown they can't. I was looking at the Sony Duo in the MS store and i did not like how the insides were exposed from the backside. there was a huge ribbon that stuck out like a sore " Big Mac" 13 in might not be too bad if it was lighter than SP1.

So you are saying the Duo 11 was the hemorrhoid of electronics?

It really does come down to thin and light. If they can get the weight and thickness of these "slider" type devices down they can be quite compelling for the serious business user. I think Sony is working off the uber thinness of their new pure tablet to skinny these up.

We'll see. Obviously if you have 13 inches to work with you can spread the internals out and get a slimmer device.

** Wonder if there is any way MS can do a backlit type keyboard with the SP2? That is huge issue for many people.

 

[DOS]

10 hour battery life from a Core i5? Sweet!

I agree with your statement: "If you are looking for an ultrabook that can be a tablet occasionally this may be for you."

Did anyone notice if it had a pen silo?

 

[tonyz3]

Did anyone notice if it had a pen silo?

Oh no he didn't:mad2:

 

[J515OP]

Sony has a pretty good record for making nice ultrabooks and laptops. However, they occupy the upper end of the price scale as well. I wouldn't be looking to Sony to bring competitive prices into the equation. Depending on specs this can easily be slightly lower specs than the Helix at a higher price given Sony's track record. This design appears to be particularly thin but is probably only a prototype and the design is not unique in the realm of Windows 8 tablet hybrids. I would be looking to Lenovo or Asus to come out with something similar at the price points you are expecting.

 

[mitchellvii]

The Duo 11 can be had for under $1200 now so I am guessing this would be similar. We'll see. It is very clear Windows 8 tablets and ultra books need to price more aggressively in the future.

The obvious advantages this unit has is the ability use it on one's lap and the backlit keyboard. If sliders can achieve a slimmer profile they are going to be formidable. Products like this are good for Windows 8 achieving enterprise acceptance.

I doubt this has a pen silo. Too thin. Nice pocket clip on the pen though

The thing that appeals to me the most about the slider style is that you never have to detach anything. Of course the drawback has been thickness. Looks like they are close to overcoming that with this unit.

When I see tech like this i think we must have found a spaceship at Roswell

 

[riggi]

It looks thin in the video, but if you look at the press images in the Engadget article, the base is quite thick still. It looks a similar thickness to the Duo 11 base