"It's got a clever hinge", Sony told us. We groaned. If there's one thing we struggle to get excited about, it's a clever hinge. But when the Vaio Fit multi-flip arrived, we found Sony weren't lying.
Good: Brilliant use of touchscreen
Bad: Rather heavy
Price: From £669 for 14-inch
As the name of Sony's latest laptop clumsily alludes, the Vaio Fit multi-flip possesses some rather impressive acrobatic abilities. The Fit appears to be a normal laptop, save for a small switch underneath the touchscreen. Flicking this from 'Lock' to 'Release' brings the aforementioned hinge into play, allowing you to pivot the screen back on itself in a whirl of polished metal and glass, thus transform it into a rather neat tablet.
Thanks to careful design and a tough brushed metal case, this 'flip' is a smooth action that doesn't feel like you're about to snap your gadget in half - but such strength comes at a weighty 1.92kg. The Fit will survive the odd knock on your travels, but make you fitter in the process.
This cartwheeling sees the Fit make the most of Windows 8: the 14-inch touchscreen is clear (15- and 13-inch versions are also available), bright and pleasingly responsive, whether set up as a laptop for crunching out spreadsheets or sprawled across your lap as a tablet. While the keyboard is a tad flexible and the battery isn't superb (it was puffed out after six hours), those searching for a true 'hybrid' touch device won't be disappointed by the Vaio Fit multi-flip's performance as both a touch-friendly tablet and laptop. Just make sure your laptop bag has a comfy strap...
