seen and used a MS surface

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  • John259John259 Posts: 28,322
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  • Rodney McKayRodney McKay Posts: 8,143
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    I can't see the point of the surface to be honest. If I want to use a keyboard with a tablet I've got a Bluetooth one, but the tablet is for sitting back in a chair or to use on the go.

    If I want to do any serious work it's a laptop or desktop all the way.
  • GormondGormond Posts: 15,838
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    I can't see the point of the surface to be honest. If I want to use a keyboard with a tablet I've got a Bluetooth one, but the tablet is for sitting back in a chair or to use on the go.

    If I want to do any serious work it's a laptop or desktop all the way.

    I have to agree if you want a light machine for real work then buy an ultrabook, the only reason t I have a keyboard for a tablet is if the onscreen keyboard is poor.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    I can't see the point of the surface to be honest. If I want to use a keyboard with a tablet I've got a Bluetooth one, but the tablet is for sitting back in a chair or to use on the go.

    If I want to do any serious work it's a laptop or desktop all the way.
    Gormond wrote: »
    I have to agree if you want a light machine for real work then buy an ultrabook, the only reason t I have a keyboard for a tablet is if the onscreen keyboard is poor.

    Agree with both of you, I know a second person who have got one now, but they are not that impressed with it, that is the problem when you can't try out the product you are buying

    The machine keeps freezing, so I think they are going to send it back for a refund.
  • 446.09375446.09375 Posts: 961
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    I just don't want a touchscreen, greasy fingerprints wind me right up.

    Quite happy with a netbook, although it's slightly on the heavy side and awkward to prop up at a comfortable angle for extended periods.

    But with Linux, Firefox and Noscript and adblock, it's a pretty sweet way to surf without any infection worries.
  • user123456789user123456789 Posts: 16,589
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    446.09375 wrote: »
    I just don't want a touchscreen, greasy fingerprints wind me right up.

    Me too, but after getting an iPad I find that the marks are not noticeable when viewed at the correct angle plus the screens are much easier to keep clean than a normal monitor.

    I'm looking to get a Surface Pro as that will be a little less restrictive than the iPad apps, but the iPad will still have its uses :)
  • GormondGormond Posts: 15,838
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    anniebrion wrote: »
    Me too, but after getting an iPad I find that the marks are not noticeable when viewed at the correct angle plus the screens are much easier to keep clean than a normal monitor.

    I'm looking to get a Surface Pro as that will be a little less restrictive than the iPad apps, but the iPad will still have its uses :)
    Indeed they are very bright and have a special coating to reduce how visible prints are.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    446.09375 wrote: »
    I just don't want a touchscreen, greasy fingerprints wind me right up.

    That is a problem I have with my mobile phone and the main reason why I did not get a touch screen ereader. At work I may be eating a packet of crisps at break, and reading, so touching a screen with greasy fingers is not a good idea.
    Quite happy with a netbook, although it's slightly on the heavy side and awkward to prop up at a comfortable angle for extended periods.


    i got a laptop, not that it is used very often
    But with Linux, Firefox and Noscript and adblock, it's a pretty sweet way to surf without any infection worries.

    Maybe, but the problem is people may get lazy and think that they are so protected that nothing bad is going to happen, until their credit card numbers get let loose on the net
  • Anika HansonAnika Hanson Posts: 15,629
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    You can get a screen protector, to prevent dirt and grease getting on your screen or use a stylus. I have one on both my tablet and phone. If I have messy hands I use my stylus.
  • zantarouszantarous Posts: 2,160
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    The keyboard is very well integrated into the Surface having used a bluetooth keyboard on a iPad it is a horrible experience any mouse movement had to be done by touching the screen. Plu is doubles as a cover and used very little battery. When you don't ant to use it you can take it off and when you are on the move it takes up next to no room and weighs bugger all.
  • Stuart_hStuart_h Posts: 5,311
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    im running windows 8 on a touchscreen pc and am very impressed. When the surface pro comes out i might well look to replace my laptop with it.

    however with the current market content i cant say id pick the standard surface over an android tablet as it all seems very limited.....
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    Not a fan of tablets myself, but I quite like the idea of W8 pro on a laptop/tablet convertible. I may get Surface pro or something like Samsung Ativ.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    Stuart_h wrote: »
    im running windows 8 on a touchscreen pc and am very impressed. When the surface pro comes out i might well look to replace my laptop with it.

    however with the current market content i cant say id pick the standard surface over an android tablet as it all seems very limited.....

    Sure the metro side may be fine with a touchscreen, but a touch screen is not much good when you get to the desktop and to be honest, i can't see there are many Metro apps that will keep people away from the desktop unless they use the machine for just browsing. If so then they may as well get a cheap tablet that will do the job just as well.

    i don't see the point in paying all that money for a machine that is so limited.
  • neo_walesneo_wales Posts: 13,625
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    I don't like the limitation of software on the Surface which is why I'll wait for the Pro which I'm looking forward to getting.

    Metro works fine on a keyboard and or mouse, you don't have to limit yourself to a touch screen :)
  • Stuart_hStuart_h Posts: 5,311
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    neo_wales wrote: »
    I don't like the limitation of software on the Surface which is why I'll wait for the Pro which I'm looking forward to getting.

    Metro works fine on a keyboard and or mouse, you don't have to limit yourself to a touch screen :)

    Agreed - but it is better suited to touchscreen.

    From a touchscreen desktop perspective Windows 8 is great for browsing, ebay, facebook, twitter, searches, music, photo-viewing, watching movies, launching games, youtube ..... for a standard 'family PC' there is very little you need to go past the Metro UI for ......

    I work in IT and am fairly geeky. Windows 8 therefore panders to my needs by giving me access to a Win7 type desktop if I need it.

    I do think Windows 8 is the best of both worlds on a PC - and as such Surface Pro will be a suitable laptop replacement (i already have an Asus Transformer so am used to a tablet/netbook hybrid).

    The 'standard' surface is an interesting one as its neither one nor the other. Its not a full laptop replacement but on the other hand the limited app market range means its not really and Android tablet replacement either.....
  • neo_walesneo_wales Posts: 13,625
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    I can't see my Pro (when I have it) replacing my main PC, I like the big screen too much but its certainly easier to lug around than my Vaio when going abroad. To me it would have made more sense to launch the Pro first then offer the standard Surface more as a budget model sort of thing. I don't work in I.T. but am a bit geeky, love gadgets and this year picked up a 7" and then a 10" android tablet, cheap ones off eBay and I must say that for what they cost (about £170 for both) they are great fun and ideal away from home if you fancy watching a film or listening to music. The screens are resistive so can be slow but for audio and video use no problem. I don't need a Pro, just want one lol
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    I don’t need Surface pro either. I do not even need a new laptop. I installed W8 on my HP Probook to be able to develop for W8 and WP8 and it now runs like a wind, everything is/feels faster than it was with W7. But I tried a work tablet with W8 pro on it and I really liked the touch interface and having a complete OS, too. So I am going to get that Surface pro anyway :D
  • zantarouszantarous Posts: 2,160
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    The problem with the Pro is (and I really wanted one before settling on the surface RT) is that battery life will be at most 4-5 hours. When I thought about what i actually do with my iPad I figured that battery life was more important then running legacy apps.
  • HelboreHelbore Posts: 16,066
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    I've had mine since launch and I absolutely love it. It needs more apps, that's for sure, but they will come. So far, I've been taking it to work instead of my laptop and it hasn't run me into any unexpected problems yet. I'll comment on a few particulars that either stand out to me or contrast what others have said;

    Speed

    It's been mostly a non-issue. I've heard people calling it laggy, but there has only been one circumstance I've found that in and that's if I'm downloading massive amounts of data in the background (for instance, allowing Xbox Music to download over 500 songs). Could be better, sure, but its a rare enough occurrence that its not an issue.

    Peripheral Support

    Its great to have a tablet that can take USB external storage so easily (and have complete access to the file system), plus the use of basic devices like keyboards and mice. The big surprise was to discover that Windows RT can install drivers just like any other version of Windows, just so long as the driver is complied for it. I've managed to install a USB Ethernet dongle (which Microsoft claim are not compatible) because the manufacturer provided a downloadable driver. So we have a future possibility of this being as adaptable as a standard Windows PC.

    Adaptability

    I took my Surface on a site survey last week. I used the rear camera to take site photos, then imported them into OneNote, used a capacitive pen to take notes, then sat down at a desk, flipped out the touch cover and wrote up a basic report like I was on a laptop. Then, when I got home, OneNote had synched to my desktop PC, where I wrote up a full report in Word. Technically, I could have docked the Surface to a keyboard, monitor and mouse and then done the full report on it, but I already have a high-end desktop at home and OneNote syncs seamlessly, so it wasn't necessary. I use the Surface as my desktop PC in the office, though. However, this scenario did pull up one particular dislike...

    Camera

    It takes pictures fast. It dumps them into an easily accessible file system, which makes it easy to make use of them in other applications. The picture quality is shit, though. It's like taking photos with a webcam. I've always been against the notion of taking photos with a tablet, as I've seen the nonces using iPads at weddings and concerts. USE YOUR PHONE!!! However, the site survey note-taking scenario actually showed me a good use for a camera on a tablet. Consequently, its poor quality irritated me no end. The pictures were omitted from my report, as they just weren't good enough. That's a shame.

    Screen

    I think the screen deserves a mention, purely because of the "not-retina" status of it. In reality, you won't notice it unless you are comparing side-by-side (where you will notice if you are looking for it). Unless you stick your nose against it, you are not going to see any pixels. The screen really does look great.
  • HelboreHelbore Posts: 16,066
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    Used my Surface again at work today - this time for diagnosing networking problems. Thanks to that nifty little USB Ethernet dongle I bought for it, I was able to use it to test for problems on a wired network. That was amazingly useful and far easier than trying to lug my laptop around a building for the same purpose.

    I know this isn't the sort of thing that will be useful to the average person, but to me its a massive improvement over having to use a full-sized laptop for such jobs. My laptop weighs 2kg, so the Surface is much lighter. The laptop battery lasts about 3 hours, the Surface will go 10 hours with heavy usage and all day with moderate usage. I can use the Surface on the train far easier than perching a laptop on my knee. Its flexibility makes it ideal for my needs.

    The only device type that might be better for me would be a Clovertrail-based tablet running Windows 8 Pro, since that has full backwards-compatibility. But so far, that actually hasn't been a problem.
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    ^^^ I hold you responsible, after your enthusiastic description I order myself one :eek: Well, it's almost Christmas time, almost end of the world on top of that, so why not :D
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,691
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    i still think it is a over priced limited Laptop.
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    noise747 wrote: »
    i still think it is a over priced limited Laptop.

    Yes, it is. I do not need a smartphone either, but it did not stop me :D
  • paulschapmanpaulschapman Posts: 35,536
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    noise747 wrote: »
    What is it for? i found the machine basic and you are stuck with basic metro style apps, ok he will be able to get office free, have not got it on there yet.

    This is true for any computer - it really is down to app developers to write apps - then you can use it for anything.
  • HelboreHelbore Posts: 16,066
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    noise747 wrote: »
    i still think it is a over priced limited Laptop.

    Depends on what you consider a limitation, I guess. The reduced weight and massive battery life are not limitations when compared to a laptop, for example. In that scenario, the laptop is the one that is limited.

    My ideal device would be the Surface Pro, if it had the same battery life and weight as the Surface RT. That would be the best of both worlds and I'd happily pay for such a device. I don't think we'll see such a device until Intel ships Haswell, or more likely Broadwell (which should have a small enough process to allow for a ULV-variant Core i5 with no fan and Atom-level battery life).

    I give it two years - tops - before we see a full-fledged x86 tablet device that can fully replace a laptop without becoming a compromised tablet.
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