The Sony VAIO Tap 20 (SVJ20215CXW) ($999.99 list) is a full-featured touch screen all-in-one desktop PC, with a little portability mixed in. For 99 percent of its use, you will be sitting in front of the Sony VAIO Tap 20 as if it were any other midrange all-in-one desktop PC. For the other 1 percent of the time, you can unplug the system, and it will continue to stay on and connected while you walk the system over to another room and plug it back in. Think of the VAIO Tap 20 as a transportable all-in-one desktop that you don't have to power down to move. It'll give you a small reserve of power while it's unplugged, but it's really meant to be plugged in to a power cord at all times. It's not anywhere near a "must buy" item at this time, but it works well enough that early adopters might want to give the new form factor and OS a try. At the very least it will help you get used to using Windows 8's touch interface while continuing to support older programs that you bought for your Windows 7 or Windows XP PC.
Design and Features
The Sony VAIO Tap 20 is small for an all-in one desktop, if a bit thick. It measures roughly 12 by 20 by 2 inches (HWD). Its dimensions are tempered by the fact that they are taken while the kickstand is fully deployed. When the kickstand is deployed, the Tap 20 extends back about 7 inches (alternately, two inches tall when lying flat). Other desktops like the Lenovo IdeaCentre A720 ($1,449 list, 4 stars) manage to ship with a really thin (0.75 inch) touchscreen, but that's because the A720's PC components are built into the base rather than into the screen like on the Vaio Tap. Most all-in-one desktops go for the HDTV aesthetic. The VAIO Tap 20 is trying to be noticed, with its white easel-style chassis, contrasting black bezel around a large 20-inch 1,600 by 900 resolution ten-finger multitouch screen. We wonder why Sony didn't just bite the bullet and design the VAIO Tap 20 with a 1,920 by 1,080 (full 1080p HD) screen, since that's what enthusiasts expect from their HD displays.
With its built-in battery, you might be temped to carry the VAIO Tap 20 like a tablet, though that's obviously not something Sony intended. Your arm will get tired quickly if you try to cradle the VAIO Tap 20 in one arm like a football, because of the system's 11-pound weight. As we'll see below in performance, the system is really designed to be carried from room to room and re-setup easily by plugging in the power cord. You could theoretically move the VAIO Tap 20 from room to room while the system is operating, You'll either have to keep several AC adapters in the various rooms of your house, or come back for the AC adapter after you move the Tap 20. It's more transportable than other all-in-one desktops, but make no mistake the VAIO Tap 20 is not a substitute for a laptop.
The VAIO Tap 20 boots into Windows 8's User Interface (UI), which was formerly known as Metro. You'll immediately see the initial tiles like Mail, Calendar, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft's app Store on the Start screen. You can bring up the Start screen at any time by pushing the physical Windows Key right under the screen. If you scroll the Start Screen to the right, you'll see Sony's contributions, including a full copy of ArtRage Studio Pro, VAIO Care, VAIO Message Center, Kaspery Internet Security (30-day trial), VAIO Update, and a VAIO Messaging organizer. You'll also find My Daily Clip, a program that feeds your system curated movie clips and links to buy movies and play games. There is a traditional desktop mode, but the old Start Menu with its convoluted folders system is gone, replaced by Win8 UI. Swiping the screen to navigate the UI is intuitive, particularly if you already own a smartphone or other tablet. The system's 1,600-by-900 resolution shortchanges you a bit when you're viewing HD videos, but it's fine when you're in desktop mode. Desktop mode is where you'll run older legacy programs for Windows 7 and earlier. As we've seen on the stock Acer Iconia W700-6465, user interface elements like close boxes and buttons in Desktop mode may look small in 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. We had no trouble opening and manipulating elements in both the Win8 and traditional desktop UI.
The VAIO Tap 20 comes with an Intel Core i5-3317U processor, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB of DDR3 system memory, a 750GB 5,400rpm hard drive, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The VAIO Tap 20 has a full-sized built-in Ethernet port in addition to a pair of USB 3.0 ports, audio ports, and an SD/Memory Stick reader. Since Sony has the size, it might as well use the space. The feature set reminds us of an ultrabook laptop like the Samsung Series 9 15-inch (NP900X4C-A02US) ($1,500 list, 3.5 stars), which also has a Core i5-3317U, integrated Intel graphics, and a 1,600-by-900 screen. The Samsung Series 9 15-inch and other ultrabooks in this price range have smaller capacity (but fast) 128GB SSDs instead of the high capacity (but slow) 750GB spinning hard drive in the VAIO Tap 20.
The aforementioned kickstand lets you prop the system up like an all-in-one desktop, or lay it flat like a tablet so you can share the touch surface. The hinge holds the system up at any angle in between, so you can find one that lets you touch the screen comfortably. For example if you lean the system back at about a 70-degree angle, so you can use the onscreen keyboard easily. Alternately, you can pull it up a little more vertical for painting in ArtRage Pro on the screen with a finger, stylus, or even a capacitive paint brush for precision work. The last all-in-one that we reviewed that did touch screen ergonomics as well was the HP TouchSmart 620-1080 3D ($1,899 direct, 4 stars). The HP 620-1080 3D used a more elaborate hinge, slider, and braking mechanism that is more sturdy, but more complex than that of the VAIO Tap 20. The Vaio Tap 20 tilts at a wider range of angles with a simple kickstand. Think of it as an all in one PC with the functionality of an artists' tablet/screen like the Wacom Cintiq.
Performance
The VAIO Tap 20 is an all-in-one desktop form factor, but it has a battery and most of its internal components are notebook-class components. We recently revamped our benchmark tests for Windows 8, and since this is one of our first Windows 8 systems, comparison numbers are understandably scarce. The VAIO Tap 20 completed CineBench R11.5 with a score of 2.40 points, well in line with other Intel Core i5-3317U-powered systems like the Toshiba Portege Z935, the Editor' Choice for mainstream ultrabook, and the Vizio 15.6-inch Thin + Light (CT15-A1) . We weren't able to run PCMark 7 on the VAIO Tap 20, but we estimate that it will be a little slower than the Toshiba Z935 and Vizio CT15-A1 due to the ultrabooks using SSDs, while the VAIO Tap 20 uses a slower spinning hard drive.
Compared to other desktops, the Vaio Tap 20 is competitive with all-in-ones that also use low power, notebook-class Ivy Bridge processors with integrated graphics, like the Core i5-3210M in the Sony VAIO L24 (SVL24114FXB) ($1,399 list, 3.5 stars) . The Vaio L24 also had a CineBench score under 3 points (2.89 points). The Vaio L24 also got similar numbers in the 3DMark11 test, due to both systems sharing a common Intel HD Graphics 4000 architecture. That said, any system with a full-blown desktop processor and discrete graphics like the Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,199 list, 4.5 stars) or Asus ET2701INKI-B046C ($1,399 list, 4 stars) will certainly be able to outclass the Vaio Tap 20 in all the benchmark tests. But then again, high-end performance isn't the Vaio Tap 20's calling.
The VAIO Tap 20's 3D prowess is understandably low. The system only managed a slideshow-like 5 fps on the Aliens Vs. Predator and Heaven benchmarks at native resolution with the quality settings maxed out. Our mid-level Heaven test was also slow: 13 fps isn't really playable. That said, simpler games like Torchlight and browser games should look fine on the Vaio Tap 20.
Since the VAIO Tap 20 has a battery in it, we decided to test it. We ran a video rundown test on the system as if you were unplugging to watch a movie on your patio. Running our standard 10-hour video file, we were able to watch for one hour, forty-eight minutes with the brightness turned up to max and the Wi-Fi radio on (but not actively streaming data). This is barely enough for a summer blockbuster (sans credits), but it should be enough battery time for your average children's movie. The battery is good for keeping the system active while you transport it 40 feet from room to room, but as we've been saying, it's not useful for an extended computing session unplugged.
So, after all that, the Sony VAIO Tap 20 is definitely an innovative design, in the realm of systems like the Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt), Lenovo IdeaCentre A720, and the HP TouchSmart 620-1080 3D. The comparison is apt particularly with the HP 620-1080 3D, since both that and the VAIO Tap 20 lean far back for easier touch-screen use. The VAIO Tap 20 is closer in price to the Apple iMac and more mainstream systems like the Toshiba LX835-D3230 ($999 list, 3.5 stars) and our current midrange Editor's Choice, the Asus ET2701INKI-B046C. The Asus ET2701INKI is simply a better desktop all around, including features and performance. Even the Toshiba LX835 is a better featured all-in-one desktop for the time being. The VAIO Tap 20 is an innovative all-in-one desktop with extra portability, but there are better-featured and more powerful desktops for just a little more money.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Sony VAIO Tap 20 (SVJ20215CXW) with several other desktops side by side.
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