The advent of Windows 8 has meant that manufacturers are coming up with new and innovative ways to use the operating system's touch capabilities.
While many are going down the tried and tested tablet route, Sony is doing things a little differently.
Shown off at IFA 2012, the Sony Vaio Tap 20 is tablet PC with a difference. Thanks to an innovative stand, it can be both an all-in-one PC and a tablet.
The table-top can be used upright or flush to your work surface, offering up a nice change to current models on the market.
The Sony Vaio Tap 20 is definitely different and judging by the flash adverts that Sony pushed in its keynote, this is a family-centric PC.
Looks-wise, it will remind you of a giant tablet. And at 20 inches, it is indeed big. Oh, and heavy. The thing weighs an impressive 5.25kg, so it's definitely not the portable tablet you have been looking for.
The 16:9 (1600x900) screen uses 10-point multi-touch, which isn't exactly phone-style responsiveness but seem to work fine for gaming. We tried out Fruit Ninja and the responsiveness of the screen was great.
Windows 8 shone on the device. Its swipe-through tiles and tablet functionality worked well in whichever orientation you played with the Tap 20.
We did have a little trouble with the stand, though. There seems to be three ways to use the Tap 20: upright, lean back and flush which essentially makes it into a tablet.
The stand moves smoothly but there's no click into place for these three operations – you choose how much lean you want. This is fine but we felt some guidance was needed to get the screen to the optimum place.
That said, the viewing angle from each, er, angle was decent and it didn't take us long to get used to, and take advantage, of the different ways to use the Tap 20.
When it comes to controls, there's only one, a home button situated at the bottom of the screen. This gets you back to the homescreen if you so need it.
As for connectivity, there's a number of USB 3.0s on board, an SD card slot, Bluetooth, 2.1ch speakers with S-Force Front Surround 3D, an HD Web Camera powered by 'Exmor for PC' and volume and power on the top back of the screen.
As you have already guessed, it is powered by Windows 8, as well as a Core i5 chip, and there's 4GB of memory on board, as well as a 1TB hard drive.
Although 20 inches isn't a size that screams portability, the Sony Vaio Tap 20 does come with a built in battery, so games can be played anywhere in the home, as well as movies.
The Sony Vaio Tap 20 is definitely unique and one for the family, but for those looking for a serious PC to do some serious work, then you better look elsewhere.
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