Sony VAIO F Screen, Keyboard and Touchpad

Keyboard and Touchpad
The VAIO F has a full-size keyboard with separate numeric keypad. The backlighting is a convenient feature; it is light-sensitive and has several brightness levels depending on the amount of ambient light. The keyboard itself is chiclet-style, meaning there is more than usual spacing between the keys. The keys are square and flat-topped so it takes some getting used to.

The keys have a soft feel and are quiet. There is just the right amount of key travel ? the distance between pressed and non-pressed positions. There is no perceptible flex; it is easy to type quickly and accurately. The separate numeric keypad is very handy for rapid number entry. Overall the keyboard is a pleasure to use.

The touchpad has a smooth matte surface that facilitates finger movement; it works as expected. The touchpad buttons however are not so nice; they feel cheaply made and make loud clicks. Touchpad buttons should be quiet to avoid disturbing others.

Screen and Speakers
The VAIO F has a 16-inch display with a 900p (1600 x 900) resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, and LED backlighting. The glossy surface means increased clarity but lots of reflections; avoid well-lit areas. The picture quality is average at best. The color is bland and appears washed out. Contrast is below average; the Command Prompt window looks slightly gray and not a deep dark black. Brightness is satisfactory.

Viewing angles are poor; tilting the display more than a dozen degrees off-center distorts the colors immediately. A multimedia notebook like the VAIO F should have a much better quality panel, especially considering this one has a Blu-ray player. The 1600 x 900 resolution is bare minimum for a 16/17.3-inch notebook; ideally it should have a 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution to fully support Blu-ray playback.

The VAIO F has two stereo speakers positioned above the keyboard. They have a decent mix of mids and highs and sound A-OK for general listening. These speakers do not sound as tinny as most notebook speakers I test. There is very little bass; this notebook does not have a dedicated subwoofer.