Sony’s tabletop Windows 8 slate, the VAIO Tap 20, made its debut at last year’s IFA, so it’s only fitting that we’re back in Berlin to meet the successor. Dubbed the VAIO Tap 21, the follow-up packs a slightly larger, 21.5-inch display, and its design is more sophisticated, to boot.
In addition to boosting the PC’s dimensions by an inch and a half, Sony’s bumped up the touchscreen’s resolution from 1,600 x 900 to a full 1,920 x 1,080. It’s still an IPS panel, as the impressive viewing angles made clear in our hands-on time, and it still offers software programs such as Family Paint to take advantage of the 10-point multitouch. What’s more, the company says it made the Tap 21 50 percent thinner than its predecessor, and we’re looking at about eight pounds versus ten. Processor options include Core i5 and Core i7 Haswell chips, and the Tap 21 will be available with an SSD or hybrid hard drive.
Interestingly, though the Tap 21 is a far cry from “portable,” Sony plans to sell a carrying bag. (Okay, an especially good packer could probably wedge this guy into a sizable carryon — and the machine’s internal battery does make it suitable for a trip away from the outlet.) On the price front, all we’re getting is “comparable with the Tap 20.” That mobile desktop launched with an $880 base price, so draw your own conclusions.
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