Buying a Sony Vaio Duo 11 or 13 in Japan

[lumbo]

Hi guys,

I am currently in Japan and looking at purchasing a new Sony Duo Vaio 13. I am from the UK and the price here is significantly cheaper for much higher spec.

I was hoping maybe someone here had some experience of buying a laptop from a different country and could help me decide if it is a smart move or not.

The main problem is the language; I need to ensure that I can change the OS to English. Do I need to purchase Windows 8 Pro in order to do this?

The other things I need to check are:
- Warranty; will it be covered internationally
- Power; I need to check that the power supply will work on the different voltages

Is there anything else important you think that I need to consider about buying a laptop in a different coutnry?

Also, what do you guys think about the difference between the 13 and 11? The price hike is quite substantial, but would welcome opinions from people that own either machine.

Thanks alot!

[Richard]

Hi, I think the main concern is the warranty. The power adaptors would normally always be 100-240v input and you would just need a plug adaptor. I am not sure if there is a way to purchase an international warranty in Japan that doesn't require shipping the unit back to Japan in case of repairs. That would be the thing to investigate / weigh up the most.

For the language, I think you can choose when you buy the unit (if you get it through Sony JP website) whether you want English or JP Windows. Alternatively if you had the Japanese version of Windows 8 Pro you could download the English language pack later.

I am really attracted to the Vaio Pro as well (although I really don't have the budget right now), although like you am not sure whether I would prefer the 11 for extra portability or the 13 for slight better options on the SSD / RAM configuration.