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I must admit that I was not expecting the world when I picked up the CT14-A0 version of the Vizio thin-and-light laptop as a secondary notebook to take on vacation, for general family use if one of the main computers goes off into the weeds, or perhaps to use a dedicated Linux machine.
The build quality is superb, all metal, and the unit has an elegant, understated design. For web browsing, email, watching videos, light photo editing (cropping, red-eye removal, and the like), and typical office tasks (word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations), the Intel Core i3 processor in my first model (the CT14-A0) is far faster than I expected it to be. I love the clear, bright display and the high resolution, as too many (and even more expensive) ultrabooks offer only the generic low-end 1366 x 768 resolution.
The keyboard is a joy to type on and I'm finding that I like the slightly larger beveled keys far more than the traditional island-style keys on my Sony laptop. I noticed a bit of keyboard flex, but I'm a heavy typer and have experienced some degree of flex on every laptop/notebook I've ever used; the keyboard is still top-notch as far as I am concerned. Because of the types of computing tasks I do, I typically use a Bluetooth mouse with laptops/notebooks more than I do the trackpad, but I think that I can get used to this trackpad; by the way, there is a recommended driver update for the trackpad on Vizio's site.
There is a full-sized (not micro) HDMI port for connecting sound and video to a large monitor or TV. (An HDMI cable is, of course, not included.)
Sound quality was better than I expected, although a disclaimer is in order: I don't typically listen to music while working, and I'm no audiophile.
The SSD had no funky partitioning scheme to undo; there was just a single partition. I appreciated not having to waste any time getting the system set up and running properly.
Three possible cons:
* There is no SD card slot; you can easily find an inexpensive USB adapter for your flash memory cards if that is an issue, but without a dedicated slot, you won't be able to keep an SD card permanently mounted as a sort of secondary hard disk for extra storage.
* There are only two USB ports, one on each side; the good news is that they are both USB 3.0.
* The keyboard is not backlit; however, the screen is bright and the keyboard is silver, if that helps.
My humble suggestions to Vizio for future models:
* Include an SD card slot.
* An 8-GB memory option would be sweet.
Unless the cons represent a problem for you, it is difficult not to like this machine. It seems that Vizio sat back and watched the ultrabook market develop, learned from the mistakes of others, and only then released an initial series of excellent ultrabooks that hit most of the right notes. I look forward to seeing more from Vizio in the ultrabook market.
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