Sony Shows Off VAIO Slider Concept

by Jarred Walton on 1/14/2012 9:34:00 PM
Posted in Trade Shows , CES , CES 2012 , Sony , Slider

We’ve seen a lot of laptop ideas come and go over the years. One that seems to periodically resurface is the slider, a device that can function as a laptop in normal mode, or it can slide all the way open until the display sits on top of the keyboard and it’s in tablet mode. ASUS had the Eee PC Slider SL101 last year, but they seem to be leaving that behind and going more with the Transformer design for 2012. Sony had their own slider tablet/laptop concept on display at their booth, including a stylus to go along with the device. The hybrid system was behind glass and as a concept there’s no information on the hardware or software running inside the chassis, but for those interested in something other than the standard tablets, let Sony know you like their concept—or not.

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Print This Article 5 Comments View All Comments Post a Comment No screen protection? by secretmanofagent on Saturday, January 14, 2012 Am I understanding the sliding mechanism in that the screen would be exposed? I would be curious what sort of protection system they would envision working to protect the device when it's not in use. A sleeve perhaps? secretmanofagent Reply Sony Vaio laptop by adendanielson on Sunday, January 15, 2012 I really like Sony slider concept pretty much. I think it's one of the coolest device released by Sony. Slider concept main attraction is for me its requirement and incredible display. Thanks a lot. adendanielson Reply Width by Kiji on Sunday, January 15, 2012 How width is it ? 9'' ? Kiji Reply RE: Width by JarredWalton on Sunday, January 15, 2012 10.1" diagonal I think -- just a concept, though, so let's not get too excited. :) JarredWalton Reply Sliders and Transformers: Different, but Overlapping Applications by jah1subs on Monday, January 16, 2012 Using Asus' language for model names, I see Sliders and Transformers having different, but overlapping applications.

I say this because I believe that converting back and forth between the tablet/touch and notebook/keyboard modes on a slider is less error prone than it is on a transformer. As a salesperson, I would be much more interested in carrying a slider than a transformer with me. While driving, I can leave the slider sitting out in tablet/touch mode and easily look at email and other new work information on it when I stop. When I arrive somewhere with a chair and a table, I can most easily switch back to notebook/keyboard mode to respond to email and other new information.

As the article says, current experience with transformers shows that they are preferred over sliders on Android. This makes sense because most of Android's use from all accounts seems to be for media use.

Since I believe that my preferences would be representative of many prospective users of a Windows 8 slider, it seems reasonable that Sliders will be more popular, maybe much more popular on Windows 8 than they have been on Android. jah1subs Reply Subject Comment Post Comment Please login or register to post a comment.
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