One of our unique endeavors in the office allowed us to test this particular AIO Desktop offering from Sony.
While the package does come with a wireless Vaio keyboard and mouse (that is totally sleek btw), I figured it was best to test it out for its touchscreen capabilities. Here are some quick specifications from the device itself:
That didn’t really give much away now did it; apart from those, the most important piece of hardware – the screen is 21.5” with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, and tracks a maximum of two fingers or some other pointing device… the screen is not capacitive but it is very sensitive to stimulus; sometimes even when there is no contact between your finger and the screen, it immediately responds to where you’re pointing at which while not really a good thing, it isn’t bad either. It is also powered by an Nvidia GeForce 310M video processor with 512MB of dedicated graphics memory.
When I initialized the device, it had to go through all the common Windows protocols before actually getting into the desktop which is ready for eager hands to play with it, of course the combined power of the CPU and GPU made short work of that. After the computer was primed, you would see a very plain looking Vaio desktop with no more than four icons and an application launcher at the top. Several customizations from the basic Windows 7 package allow the user to fully enjoy the touchscreen through a variety of applications and games which are best played with touch input: there is a painting program which tracks the touch very well… the interface however is designed for kids. It also comes with a screensaver from Microsoft Surface called Lagoon which is a pond where you can agitate the water and bug the fishes within.
Plenty of Vaio enhancements can be found all throughout the system and while that is an improvement upon itself, Windows 7 in general still lacks a certain element which makes it unfit to run in a touchscreen environment. Case in point, the on-screen keyboard and how it operates; I’m not sure if it is because of the screen size or the way that the keyboard code has been written but using it, even through slow finger typing often encounters errors. Touch typing is actually a no-no with this screen. Even with a default calibration for the touchscreen, the keyboard response has a lag that would only make you want to bring out the wireless keyboard and just use that. The fixed front facing camera also naturally assumes that the user would be at least a little over the level of the device as to facilitate better handling using the touchscreen interface so it doesn’t have operability such as tilting downwards.
Nonetheless, the system is as solid as it will get. The prop up stand snaps into proper working angle; the weight and the full base creates a very stable surface that wont mind you putting a little bit of pressure onto the screen. In an elegant black glossy finish, it is as all Sony products have been, a display of precision engineering and minimalist form. No doubt a great desktop replacement should you ever be in the market for one. Retails at 80,000Php in Sony Centers nationwide.
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