Got a Surface Pro

[lparsons21]

I had liked the idea of the Surface but not the price. The RT versions just miss the boat IMO, because of the relative lack of really good apps. The Pro had attracted my attention but I felt when they shipped that the price was much too high.

So there I was in BestBuy the other day and they had the original Surface Pro w/128Gb on sale for $599. Now that was a price I could live with!

I'm primarily a Mac kinda guy, but I really just like tech toys to play with. The SP actually surprised me a bit. It is very responsive and since it is really an ultrabook in tablet disguise, it does all the apps that Windows has instead of just the more restrictive ones in the 'Store'.

As a tablet, it is a bit on the heavy side though not terribly so. But the battery life is relatively short compared to almost all other tablets. Max I've gotten without doing video is a little over 5.5 hours of use. Works for me, but wouldn't for a road warrior unless you wanted to keep a power pack around all the time I suspect. The screen is superb! Bright enough and the aspect ratio is just enough different from some others that the onscreen keyboard is very useful. In fact, I'd say the onscreen keyboard is the very best of any I've seen on any other touch device.

As a small laptop it compares extremely well with the MacBook Air 11" imo, and because of the resolution and aspect differences the 10" screen doesn't feel or look bad at all. I can read anything on the screen quite well. That wasn't true of the 11" MB Air that I bought and returned because of the tiny fonts and appearance.

One downside is that the 'covers' are totally worthless on the lap! Way too flimsy which makes typing on the lap with them just an effort in futility. I got the Touch 2 cover with mine as it was the only one that BB had in stock and it was an 'open box' which saved me a few bucks. I like it on the desktop and the lack of tactile feedback isn't an issue for me as I learned long ago with an Atari 400 computer.

It used to be that many were buying the MacBook Air and putting Windows on it because it worked so well and the Air is one sweet box. With the Surface Pro, and especially with the new Surface 2 Pro, that shouldn't have to be the case. I think the Surface Pro (and Pro 2) are very well positioned to compete with the Air for those using Windows.

 

[riffjim4069]

Thanks for the info.

 

[nelson61]

They pulled an update a few weeks back because it sucked battery. Check for latest update.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using SatelliteGuys

 

[lparsons21]

I ended up taking it back. Not because it wasn't a great ultrabook for use from desktop to desktop, because that is where it shines, but because the 'covers' are totally worthless on the lap and Win8.1 and touch are just not anywhere near good enough to stand on their own.

If I were a working man and needed an ultrabook portable, this would be a joy. But most of the time I use these small things on my lap in the recliner. The Surface just isn't good there imo.

Notably the guy at BestBuy said that was the main complaint with the returns that came back to BB.

 

[Foxbat]

We have a few V1 Surface Pros at work and my main complaint isn't the keyboard cover (I never tried to use it in my lap) but the "sharp" edges that the Surface Pro presents to the user when you're holding it as a tablet. I haven't played with the SP2 yet (or is it S2P?) to see if the case is better in the hand.

One thing that threw our PC guy was the Mini DisplayPort. They bought a Thunderbolt gigabit ethernet adapter (from Apple, no less) and wondered why it wasn't showing up in the Device Manager. After a little research showed it was MDP and not Thunderbolt, it was too late to return the Ethernet dongle. With Haswell in the Surface 2 Pro, I wonder if it got updated to Thunderbolt?

 

[lparsons21]

I don't think it did. Same mini display port from what I've read.

 

[mike123abc]

I think the next generation could fix a lot of the issues - another chipset power reduction from Intel would let them make the Pro thinner and lighter, perhaps down to the iPad 2/3 range.

 

[TheForce]

Been using my Surface Pro for awhile. I got the touch KB with the click keys and it works great.

I added a fast 1`28Gb MicroSD card for additional storage and can work with 3D video files and Vegas Pro v12 with ease. Playback is OK with HD 2D video but a bit sluggish with 3D.

I use my ipad3 for hotspot and the internet connect is fast. I also bought a bluRay LG disk reader/writer that runs off the USB port. Battery will run the player for a 2 hour movie. I bought a smaller charger off ebay that takes up less room in my travel bag.

There is a USB adapter for 3 USB ports plus SD and extra micro SD card reader that works well but USB power only off one of the ports. IT is tapered so when in place, fits flush to the edge of the SP.

My only complaint is the lack of XP virtual mode which I really need for a couple apps I still need to use that there is no compatible version available. To use these I have to remote desktop to my win 7 home machine. Do-able but awkward.

I have no problems with using it on my lap with the kick stand and KB. I have never used the SP without the KB. Plus I mostly connect a Targus mouse with retractable USB cable.

 

[lparsons21]

Don, you must have a very flat, hard lap!!

I couldn't use the touch cover at all in my lap. I did use the great onscreen keyboard there, but it wasn't as useful as a real keyboard, even the Touch, imo.

Since I don't actually need all the power that the Surface Pro has, I most likely will end up with an ASUS T100 convertible. Full Windows on a bit less powerful box will do what I'll ever do on it. It is more like a netbook in many respects. It is light and has much better battery life than the Surface Pro.

I won't argue with those that like the Surface Pro though. There was a lot to like about it, it just didn't fit what I wanted to do with it which is primarily in my recliner!!

 

[mike123abc]

My only complaint is the lack of XP virtual mode which I really need for a couple apps I still need to use that there is no compatible version available. To use these I have to remote desktop to my win 7 home machine. Do-able but awkward.

I am surprised you cannot install Virtual XP.

 

[lparsons21]

As you might remember, I bought and liked a Surface Pro but returned it for various reasons.


1. Not very good on the lap
2. Short battery life (about 5 hours best case)
3. Bulky and a bit heavy as a tablet


But I did say that it was a great ultrabook to use from flat space to flat space.


After returning mine and standing in a fairly short line of others returning either Surface Pros, RTs or Surface 2s, I looked to see if they had any alternative in stock. No luck.


So I ordered an Asus T1000-TA convertible w/64Gb SSD. Here's what I think of it!


For the price of a Surface RT you get a faster and better non-Pro Surface! Actually for less than a Surface RT with any of the 'Covers' that MS has for them!!


No, it isn't as fast as the Surface Pro, nor is the screen quite as good, but it runs a full version of Windows 8.1 which is a very big plus! Superb battery life, in the 10+ hour range makes it a very good choice for a road warrior. It is very capable of running Office apps and many others quite well, but for heavy duty apps it probably wouldn't be the choice.


It is a laptop that allows for seperating the keyboard from the 'Tablet'. A real keyboard with a real keyboard feel, though there are some allowances for the overall size. It is a bit scrunched, but that's true of any keyboard that attaches to a 10" tablet as a 'cover'. While it takes a little getting used to, it is OK for most typing needs, and certainly better than either of the MS 'Covers' in that it is a nice, rigid casing so it doesn't flex on the lap.


Well worth considering it you don't need the power of the Surface Pro or Pro 2. It is what the Surface RT/Surface 2 should have been!

 

[Ronnie-]

Same basic specs as my dell venue just in a larger package. Should do you well.

If I didn't have a Sony vaio duo 11 I'd look at getting one.

As it is I use the dell for nearly all of my surfing and puck up the duo if I need to do anything requiring more power. I loaded it up pretty heavy for a device it's size.

Posted Via The SatelliteGuys Reader App!

 

[lparsons21]

What a difference a few days make!

My son really liked the Asus T100 so I went over to BestBuy to get him one. None in stock and an expected delay beyond what I was willing to accept. So I started nosing around the area. Ended up finding a Surface Pro 'open box' with a decent discounted price on it. The sales guy said he could even knock a few more bucks off of it. So what the hell... Ended up buying it and getting the Type Cover 2 from MS' store, and got this :
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B0O16XK/?tag=satell01-20

Very nice casing for it that makes working on the lap a joy. Even with the Type Cover 2 attached. The Type Cover 2, unlike the Touch Cover 2 is very useable on the lap though you wouldn't want to do serious typing with it or anything else there, imo.

Now having it for a few days I'm even more confused as to why anyone would want to buy the Surface RT/2. The app coverage just isn't all that good though there are some very nice ones in the app store. I looked at a few games and was mostly disappointed with them. To me it isn't that the apps are too simple it is that things are just not there that are on other platforms. Like D* and E*'s apps and virtually all equipment control type apps. Seems to me things like the Asus T100 are the right move at the lower end compared to the RT/2.

 

[Poke]

You can run Virtual Machines on Windows 8 as long as you have Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise. Most of the time this gets over looked due to it is not installed by default. What they have done with 8 they added some server features with is called "Hyper-V Virtual Machine. So to install it just go to the Control Panel click Programs and select Turn Windows Features On or Off. Choose Hyper-V and then just click the Ok button after that Hyper-V is installed you will need to reboot.

You end up with two applications Hyper-V the virtual machine manager that runs the VM software and Hyper-V Manager where you create or remove virtual machines and .VHD virtual hard drives files. Once you've created a VM you can install any OS you want including Windows 3.1 through Windows 8,Linux,BDS plus others. Hope this helps those who want to use this feature.

 

[lparsons21]

Interesting. It's available on the Surface Pro.

I might twiddle with that on my Acer laptop.

Thanks!

 

[Poke]

Interesting. It's available on the Surface Pro.

I might twiddle with that on my Acer laptop.

Thanks!

Yeah let us know how it goes...

 

[lparsons21]

Unfortunately I can't do it on the Acer as it isn't new enough. Here's the minimum requirement to make Hyper-V work from a hardware/BIOS view:
The following prerequisites are required to successfully run Client Hyper-V on Windows 8.1:

• Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise 64 bit Operating System
• 64 bit processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
• 4GB system RAM at minimum
• BIOS-level Hardware Virtualization support

My Acer doesn't have the BIOS level virtualization support. Here's a page that describes the process :
http://blogs.technet.com/b/canitpro...-enabling-hyper-v-for-use-on-windows-8-1.aspx

I had to dig to find this. I enabled Hyper-V and then looked at what I was seeing vice what they said I should see and it didn't match!

I'm contemplating trying it on the Surface Pro which should support it, but with limited storage I may not do it.