Sony Vaio laptop concepts see a tablet future (pictures)

CES 2012: Spilt screen

Sony Vaio laptop concepts see a tablet future (pictures). Laptops, Sony, CES2012, Vaio, Tablets, Photos 0

10 January 2012 14:35 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Sony has revealed a possible future for its Vaio laptops at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, showing off two very different concept designs behind glass.

The first Vaio concept (above) It is a two part solution; a thin curvy looking screen and a thin curvy looking keyboard.

In the design mock-up on show, the screen is able to stand thanks to a bulbous panel at the rear, while in a second model in the same box the bulbous behind has disappeared.

They could be two separate options, or as we like to think, a design that expands and retracts when needed. That sounds far more fun.

If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea then maybe the second will. It is a tablet style Vaio that slides back to reveal a keyboard and stylus beneath. If the design looks familar, it's because Asus revealed a tablet with a slide out keyboard called the Eee Pad Slider at CES 2011 pipping Sony to the post by a production unit that actually went on sale in 2011. 

The Asus model was based on being a tablet first and then a laptop second, however it appears from talking to Sony representatives on the company's stand at CES that the Vaio would take the laptop first, tablet second, approach. That's likely to be a very strong possibility thanks to the upcoming launch of Windows 8 expected later in the year that plans to let Windows users enjoy a split personality from their OS. 

For those not fussed with typing on a keyboard, the laptop also comes with a stylus that slots in to the Vaio laptop in front of the large trackpad and can be used to make notes on the screen.

Sadly there is no word on whether this the two Sony Vaio future concepts will ever make it into production or even if they would ever go on sale in their current form.

What do you think of the designs? Let us know in the comments below. 


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