Sony announces VAIO Pro ultrabooks and upgraded VAIO Duo

Sony has announced a new set of additions to its VAIO pro series, with the Sony VAIO Pro 11and the Pro 13. As the name suggests, the VAIO Pro 11 will sport a 11-inch screen while the Pro 13 will come with an 13-inch screen. Sony has tagged this new series as the “world’s lightest touch capable ultrabook”. And with a weight rating of 0.87 kg (approx) for the VAIO Pro 11, and 1.06 kg for the VAIO Pro 13, it is not so hard to believe.

The ultrabooks run Windows 8, with the Pro11 starting with a 1.6GHz Core i5-4200U processor as well as 4GB of RAM, while the base Pro 13 has a 1.8GHz Core i7-4500U and 4GB of RAM. Jumping on the Haswell bandwagon, the company has integrated the 4th generation chips into its newest offerings. Sony has also upgraded its displays, giving a high definition 1920 x 1080 display to both the laptops.

Sony announces its lightest ultrabook, the Sony VAIO Pro 13

The VAIO Duo 13 is the next version to its earlier released VAIO Duo 11. While the earlier version did not garner much attention because of its flawed design and unimpressive battery life, the company is looking to address that with the VAIO Duo 13. Like the earlier edition, the VAIO Duo 13 is a slider hybrid ultrabook, which weighs in at 1.3 kgs, which is only slightly heavier than the earlier edition.

The battery life of the piece is also considerable, with Engadget reporting that the VAIO Duo 13 can go for 9 hours 50 minutes in a single charge cycle. The VAIO Duo 13 has an 8MP built-in rear camera, and a 2MP front camera. According to the company, by including the “Exmor RS for PC” image sensor directly into the sensor, it is possible to tag text in photos taken of documents or blackboards with the Duo 13.

Sony upgrades its slider hybrid range with the new VAIO Duo 13

The Duo 13 has a 1.6GHz Core i5-4200U with 4GB of RAM and an Intel HD 4400 graphics card running the show for the base model. As with the earlier offerings, Sony has integrated Haswell chips into the Duo 13. Other features that will be seen in the machine include a SD card slot, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack and the power connector. The higher end versions of the Duo 13 will also be shipped with a VGA adapter.  With both a new model and an upgrade to an existing piece, Sony seems to be looking at broadening its market horizons in an effort to get more users for its products.