I think it's a big mistake not to include a keyboard. While I readily understand that some folks might come to the party with a keyboard from a prior version, I would say - so what? They can still use the old keyboard with the old surface pro, or sell it when they sell their old surface pro. I feel pretty confident that MS will start including a keyboard going forward with the SP4. It makes the whole product so much more attractive to prospective buyers.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Announced (12", 3:2 aspect ratio, new stand)
- Thread starter enzo_gt
- Start date
I think it's a big mistake not to include a keyboard. While I readily understand that some folks might come to the party with a keyboard from a prior version, I would say - so what? They can still use the old keyboard with the old surface pro, or sell it when they sell their old surface pro. I feel pretty confident that MS will start including a keyboard going forward with the SP4. It makes the whole product so much more attractive to prospective buyers.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
I finally managed to get a Surface Pro 3!! Anything I should know? So happy right now.
ClayKavalier
Banned
Personally I don't like the Surface keyboard at all. Picked mine up yesterday and after messing around with the Type Cover during a few trips to Best Buy I decided to go with the Arc keyboard.
The Type cover is impressive technically. It's extremely thin and really comfortable for something so small. But that thinness makes it feel really flimsy, and the keys are annoyingly loud.
Also a big part of why I got the Surface is to read and edit PDFs on it, and obviously I don't want the keyboard attached for that. Now if I'm using the Surface to read I just pull it out of its case, and if I need to type anything long I pull the keyboard out of my bag. I like that a lot better than having to attach and reattach the Type Cover all the time.
Speaking of PDFs, what do people use to read and edit them? So far I have two programs, Reader and Adobe Reader Touch. One lets me write with the pen on PDFs, the other lets me highlight by selecting text and take notes in text fields that collapse into icons. I'd like one that does both of those things at least, and preferably offer more editing options. Any suggestions?
LukasTaves
Member
The default reader does both, after selecting a text a menu pops up where you can either highlight or leave a comment (after which it gets a red mark on the text).
The one thing I'd love, but haven't found one yet that does it is to index the notes/highlights and present a summary for them.
Septimus Prime
Member
SerTapTap
Member
Loud? You're not using it without the magnet strip up, are you? NEVER use it without the magnet strip up. It feels and sounds so much better and lets the device have a more laptop like stance. I find it completely amazing (touchpad aside) for the formfactor and attachedness. Couldn't bother with anything else unless I were trying to use it as a desktop replacement, it being attached with no fuss is simply too good.
ClayKavalier
Banned
Yeah, I hate that thing with the magnet attached. Feels flimsy to me, which is understandable since it's so thin, but I don't like it.
And like I mentioned earlier, I'll be using it as much as a PDF reader as I will a PC, and I don't want a keyboard attached while I'm reading, so the attachedness is a negative for me.
Don't know how I missed that before, thanks!
Is there any way to select text with the pen though? Ideally I'd like to do all my PDF editing with the pen, I really like it. Seems like in the Reader app the pen can only write though, even if I'm holding the select button.
Keyboard I like is more comfortable, feels solid, and was nearly a third of the price. I'm happy.
LukasTaves
Member
You can select with touch, but pen is indeed annotate only I believe.
The Drawboard app that bedlamite mentioned does allow you no add highlights and notes using pen, but I feel the interface takes a hit on usability thanks to it.
It's not bad in any way on that regard, though, It has the same radial menu Onenote metro has(d if you are on win10), but the options it gives means it takes a few extra steps do get the job done.
And since it still doesn't index the notes and highlights I end up using onenote whenever I need to annotate on a pdf or document file (the issue with that is that it requires printing out the file to onenote, which is not always the best way)
WhiskerFrisker
Member
SerTapTap
Member
Probably not, just check Windows Update manually and install updates, reboot and check again, that way you know for sure.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
Just checked and you were right. I'm updating now but I probably have a couple more to do. Thanks
ClayKavalier
Banned
Thanks! I'm getting used to Reader and liking it, really wish I could select with the pen but it isn't a dealbreaker. Maybe I'll check out Drawboard. I opened some PDFs in OneNote and that program definitely doesn't seem made for that, and it's bizarre that you open files in it by printing them.
This is a really specific question, but I downloaded Faster Than Light and if I try to play fullscreen the mouse freaks out, jumping erratically around the screen disappearing and then reappearing somewhere else. It took me a good ten minutes to get through the options menu and turn fullscreen off, and it works fine in a window. What could be causing that?
Edit: Nevermind, I figured out the problem goes away as long as the game is running in native res.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
How would I play a game like Dota at optimal settings?
SerTapTap
Member
this reddit post has some suggestions, generally you're going to want to start at sub-native res (while beautiful, 1440p is a LOT to push for realtime graphics), start most things at low and bump up your preferred options until you no longer hit a desirable framerate.
I don't play DOTA but I know it and LoL have a reputation for running on toasters and I know I've heard of people using their Surfaces for DOTA. In my experience 2D games generally work fine, I even got Skullgirls at native res, and 3D games generally run fine at "last gen console" style quality settings and res or a little better. But every game is optimized differently, so like with any laptop you'll have to fiddle a bit to find ideal stuff.
ClayKavalier
Banned
OK, I have one more question for you guys.
I have a Windows Phone, a Surface, and an Xbox Music subscription. At home I have the Surface in a dock connected to some speakers. The speakers don't have Bluetooth or anything.
I'm hoping there's a way I can control what's playing on the Surface from my phone, so I can change music from the couch across my apartment or from the kitchen or whatever. It seems like there should be way to do this since the phone and Surface are both Microsoft products, but I haven't been able to find a way yet.
I did find one app that lets me control the desktop of the Surface from the phone, but all I want to do is change tracks in the music app, and controlling the entire desktop on my small phone screen is a pretty horrible way of doing that.
What I'd really like is to see the typical Xbox music menus on my phone, but have my selections reflected on the Surface. Anyone know a way to get this done?
I have a Windows Phone, a Surface, and an Xbox Music subscription. At home I have the Surface in a dock connected to some speakers. The speakers don't have Bluetooth or anything.
I'm hoping there's a way I can control what's playing on the Surface from my phone, so I can change music from the couch across my apartment or from the kitchen or whatever. It seems like there should be way to do this since the phone and Surface are both Microsoft products, but I haven't been able to find a way yet.
I did find one app that lets me control the desktop of the Surface from the phone, but all I want to do is change tracks in the music app, and controlling the entire desktop on my small phone screen is a pretty horrible way of doing that.
What I'd really like is to see the typical Xbox music menus on my phone, but have my selections reflected on the Surface. Anyone know a way to get this done?
SerTapTap
Member
Announcements for Surface have been all over the place actually. June for Surface, September for 2, May for Pro 3. I'm all but certain there will be a 4 announced this year, probably Pro-only. Rumors of "surface mini" have been floating around for a while, but I'm still not so sure about that. Unsure if a Pro can fit in a mini form factor and I'm not sure MS intends to continue the RT at all.
SerTapTap
Member
Apparently there are some, but the surface mini is definitely the most common/long lasting one. Personally I expect it to mostly be a spec bump.
Ergonomically they've hit the sweet spot IMO, there's just a few tweaks (the kickstand is "floppy" for the first 20 degrees, the pen-loop looks silly/feels cheap, the touchpad kinda sucks but....touchpads just kinda suck), the single biggest problem is probably the heat, anything they can do to maintain or improve performance while keeping the fan off for as long as possible (or at least make it even quieter) would be a big boon. The resolution, size, weight, type cover, magnet strip, stand, responsiveness of the pen, all that's great.
Also if I had to guess, I'd guess they'll release Surface 4 along with Windows 10; Pro 3 released in June and it would make sense to wait a few extra months so they can launch with the new OS. But I could be wrong on anything or everything, fast moving market.
n64coder
Member
I don't know of a way to do this unfortunately.
SerTapTap
Member
Speaking of remote controlling, does anyone know how to get RDP working properly when going from a high DPI mode Surface to a stock DPI mode Desktop? When I RDP to my 1080p desktop the taskbar and assorted other things are incredibly small. It's operable but frustrating.
I really hope Windows 10 is more touch-friendly/has a more touch friendly mode that isn't just tablet mode or 200% DPI scaling. Though at this point I'm used to the lovely high DPI text (where it works...)
I really hope Windows 10 is more touch-friendly/has a more touch friendly mode that isn't just tablet mode or 200% DPI scaling. Though at this point I'm used to the lovely high DPI text (where it works...)
n64coder
Member
I had this experience last week when I was at the car dealership and using my Surface for the first time to connect to my work PC which is 1920 x 1200. The font was too small for me to do anything productive. I didn't get a chance to play around with the settings to see if I could choose a smaller Remote Desktop size to see if that would fix the issue.
Anyway, I'm interested in knowing what people do for this.
ClayKavalier
Banned
Crap. Oh well, not that big a deal to just start an album or playlist and let it go, would have been really cool to have the remote control though.
ClayKavalier
Banned
still can't decide whether to get this or a Macbook Pro Retina >.>
many thanks to Dr Dogg and FiveElementNinja for their advice and experience-sharing though
How big a deal is the pen to you? That's the main reason I got one, I still far, far prefer handwriting to typing for taking notes. I also read a lot of PDFs for school, you could do that comparably with a cheap tablet, though the pen is pretty awesome to highlight and take notes with there too.
If those two things aren't factors for you though I think the Macbook is a no-brainer.
SerTapTap
Member
I don't even really use the pen and I still prefer it--when I actually do game on it, Windows is quite nice (also my recording/etc software is all Windows), plus it works in a proper tablety way. I use it to read in bed and stuff sometimes, or carry around the house, stuff my laptop was just a bit too cumbersome for. I really love the form factor, and it's the first "transforming" device that doesn't really feel compromised, especially in "tablet mode".
Now, if I were still in college I would have eaten that pen up. I had two massive, low battery havin' tablet PCs through college, the SP3 would have been a glorious godsend. But now I don't write very much and my handwriting was always horrible. I do enjoy playing a couple games with touch though, Out There: Omega Edition (early access, and fairly "early") works fine, PvZ, and I used to play Peggle with the pen a lot on a prior tablet.
Now, if I were still in college I would have eaten that pen up. I had two massive, low battery havin' tablet PCs through college, the SP3 would have been a glorious godsend. But now I don't write very much and my handwriting was always horrible. I do enjoy playing a couple games with touch though, Out There: Omega Edition (early access, and fairly "early") works fine, PvZ, and I used to play Peggle with the pen a lot on a prior tablet.
Septimus Prime
Member
Here's an unexpected SP3 perk: you don't have to take it out of your bag at the airport. TSA considers it a tablet, and they'll let you through. I actually found this out because I took it out, and the agent was like, "You don't need to take that out."
Anton Sugar
Member
"Oh, that's okay, sir. You don't need to take that out," the officer said, a sly smile on his face. "That's not a laptop."
As you collect your belongings, you can't help but notice the iPhone 6+ peeking out of his pants pocket.
how's the recognition ability and you save those handwritten notes as PDF? or do they get scribed into text thereafter?
WhiskerFrisker
Member
For some reason, I can't switch tabs using my fingers on metro internet explorer. I press them and it doesn't register or something. Is there a fix for this?
Septimus Prime
Member
Speaking on which, my mom's brand new iPhone 6 Plus friggin' broke out of nowhere. The speakers just gave out, and she's had the thing for less than a month. What a piece of shit.
LukasTaves
Member
My handwriting is beyond terrible, and it manages to recon even without any calibration.
The way it's saved is up to the program you use. OneNote will save the handwriting as is, but you can export the page or notebook as a PDF, and at any moment you can convert from writing to text.
SerTapTap
Member
Don't forget to nab your 100 GB free Onedrive storage for 2 years! http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=989963
I could store my whole SP3 in there if I really wanted to now
I could store my whole SP3 in there if I really wanted to now
US only of course...
Gents,
I'm looking at the SP3 and I've narrowed it down to the i5 256GB 8GB variant.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KHR4ZL6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OEHI7VK2WQ6J&coliid=I2A8F2CTNK72EA&psc=1
I think the only gotcha that I know of is the f.lux issue which sucks since I use it but I'm guessing a driver update will fix that eventually. I'm also planning on getting the Type cover 3 and docking station to round out my new office upgrades. Already got a Office 365 Pro subscription and got OneDrive so I'm thinking this is the best of all worlds. Won't be doing really any gaming on it and using it mainly for Office, Web development and remote desktop to my work PC.
Any other advice or gotchas?
I'm looking at the SP3 and I've narrowed it down to the i5 256GB 8GB variant.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KHR4ZL6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OEHI7VK2WQ6J&coliid=I2A8F2CTNK72EA&psc=1
I think the only gotcha that I know of is the f.lux issue which sucks since I use it but I'm guessing a driver update will fix that eventually. I'm also planning on getting the Type cover 3 and docking station to round out my new office upgrades. Already got a Office 365 Pro subscription and got OneDrive so I'm thinking this is the best of all worlds. Won't be doing really any gaming on it and using it mainly for Office, Web development and remote desktop to my work PC.
Any other advice or gotchas?
SerTapTap
Member
Only weird issue I've had in any of those use cases is the DPI issue I mentioned a few posts back. USing a SP3 on high DPI mode then remoting into a low DPI desktop at 1080p results in really tiny UI elements. Not entirely sure what can be done about that. If the DPI settings on both PCs matched it might be fine
Well my desktop at work is a 2560x1440 resolution which would be the same at home as well. Hoping I don't run into a problem but who knows. Thanks for the heads up tho.
hmm you are really inclining me to a SP3 now gah
Septimus Prime
Member
How do you do that? For me, OneNote only seems to be able to export as .xps.
LukasTaves
Member
For converting ink to text just select the ink, right click and then ask to convert (you can also convert to equation, but that has been way more of a miss than a hit for me).
For exporting pages, go to file -> export, you can chose between page, section or notebook, each has some exporting options, but PDF is available on all three.
All that from the desktop version, I dunno if the store version support any of that.
killer rin
Member
Soo, this happened... Microsoft reportedly buys Surface Pro 3 pen maker N-trig
wow, they're serious about pens I guess. Maybe they can overthrow wacom, to be honest wacom's own tablet are kinda horrible for the price they ask for them.
They should make a 8 inch note device and call it... Notepad. duh
StudioTan
Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
That's good news. The tech is good but the drivers need work. Plus Wacom could really use some actual competition.
SerTapTap
Member
Cool. I hope they manage to keep all the awesome things about ntrig but somehow support Wacom-expecting applications properly. The latency on the pen is amazing, at least in onenote.
Anyone who knows enough to call it's called Notepad probably hates Notepad though. I replace the EXE with Notepad++ at this point. I wonder if Windows 10 will actually improve Notepad, come to think of it...
now if only they could buy intel...
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
I am holding out for the Surface Pro 4.
Hoping a decked out SP4 will be enough to play most of my more modest Steam games at acceptable levels.
Any ideas/guesses as to when these will be available?
Hoping a decked out SP4 will be enough to play most of my more modest Steam games at acceptable levels.
Any ideas/guesses as to when these will be available?
Windows 10 release timeframe most likely.
The Faceless Master
Member
i'm guessing that's only valid if you don't have a keyboard attached...