I don't see why a dock for a Surface Pro would be better than (or even distinguished enough from) a Surface Book.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 announced: "better in nearly every way" (The Verge)
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I don't see why a dock for a Surface Pro would be better than (or even distinguished enough from) a Surface Book.
LukasTaves
Member
Because the dock could be really big and have no concerns of battery life.
The surface book is still hold back by the form factor, and despite having a impressive performance for it's size it's still crippled by being an item you are supposed to carry around.
I want something that could sit on your desktop, with a much larger gpu, no worries about battery life, and that perhaps even connects to the surface pro cooling and allows the cpu in it to be overclocked.
In short I want a dock to turn your surface into a desktop with desktop class performance
ZackieChan
Member
Why tho?
Just get a desktop? And sync shit to your Surface. Seems like a weird use case that defeats the purpose of the surface entirely.
Just get a desktop? And sync shit to your Surface. Seems like a weird use case that defeats the purpose of the surface entirely.
DataStream
Member
Current stacking discounts on 4gb Ram I5 SP4 at Best Buy for $699. Very tempted and think 4gb would be fine for my primary use case (using it as a portable monitor via an HDMI capture box and lightroom edits). Anyone have experience with a 4gb?
killertofu
Member
Is there a way to make this into a Wacom tablet? AKA use it as a second screen/drawing pad onto a normal computer?
I tried it with Steam streaming, but it didn't work too well for drawing.
It'd hopefully be cheaper than a desktop. People dock their surfaces now which does not defeat it's purpose, so why not hook into a better gpu and cooling when you do so?
maximum360
Member
My Surface Pro 3 is awesome. I got one on launch day and it's working like a champ.
I'm waiting to see some reviews on the Transformer 3 Pro before I decide what to get. It just got released in India, so I hope at least some info on the pen tech comes out soon. The USB C charging and thunderbolt dock are pretty temping. Of course by the time it comes out in America, info on the Surface Pro 5 will probably be out. Arrrgh! Such a hard decision.
I've been thinking about upgrading from a Pro 2 to a Pro 4, but wanted to check first if they ever fixed the jitter effect when drawing slowly on the Surface Pro 4?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Zd1HtbG64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Zd1HtbG64
RumblingRosco
Member
Considering buying a SP4 i5 as my main computer while travelling on my daily commute and at work. I have a nice desktop at home to use for work at home/gaming.
However, I'm concerned that if I buy an SP4 in September, they'll get a price drop come October when the SP5 releases. Is there any reliable option to avoid this issue? I'd need the SP4 (or an alternative product) by the end of September, so I can't wait for the SP5 release sadly.
However, I'm concerned that if I buy an SP4 in September, they'll get a price drop come October when the SP5 releases. Is there any reliable option to avoid this issue? I'd need the SP4 (or an alternative product) by the end of September, so I can't wait for the SP5 release sadly.
Shogmaster
Member
There is nothing they can do to fix it. It's nature of pens like AES and Duo Sense 2. You are better off fixing your drawing habits to compensate. DRAW QUICKER. With undo on your side, there is no good reason to make very slow methodical strokes.
Rumours say no SP5 until spring at least.
Also keep your gaming expectations modest.
https://youtu.be/cWFyHQDhc_A
A really good criticism of the surface pro 4 as a drawing solution, basically highlighting that all the options are flawed right now.
Some hotkeys would really make all the difference to artists! I wish there were a clip on solution for this.
I get by fine in CSP but I couldn't use photoshop or sai without some hotkeys, so it must be frustrating.
A really good criticism of the surface pro 4 as a drawing solution, basically highlighting that all the options are flawed right now.
Some hotkeys would really make all the difference to artists! I wish there were a clip on solution for this.
I get by fine in CSP but I couldn't use photoshop or sai without some hotkeys, so it must be frustrating.
gundalf
Member
I am pretty sure I have seen an app for this which you can dock on the side.
Yes, every artist has wasted so many hours with these apps. Anna mentions that she uses one of these in her video and it doesn't work well enough, so much so that she's stopping using the SP4 for artwork.
The toolbars all suck, to various degrees.
Setup is awful, and you can't press the screen with your finger at the same time as using the pen on the screen, which means they're useless as hotkeys such as Alt, Shift, etc that artists rely on for colour picker usage, etc.
Shogmaster
Member
How hard is it to get a BT keyboard? Yes, it sucks not having ability to map the two pen barrel buttons, but it's not end of the world like that girl makes it out to be.
Also, she has experience with 3 lousy tablets and calls it all shit. Come the fuck on. I can name bunch of tablets off top of my head that have Wacom AES and is SP4 light and you can have your barrel button mapping and the same 1 gram IIF of the Wacom Cintiqs.
SP4, iPad Pro, and Cintiq Companions are not all there is for fuck sakes.
A bluetooth keyboard requires a table. It's generally a cumbersome setup that isn't well suited to being used while commuting or any number of other situations. I used my SP4 without a keyboard all the time and having to prop up a keyboard is a crappy solution.
As for other options, she bought her SP4 9 months ago. I haven't heard of any of the SP4 alternatives that is a decent competitor, they mostly seem to have plenty of corners cut. Are there any with hotkeys on the frame without the keyboard?
I haven't soured on it, but my two articles on medium highlight some of the great and terrible things about it.
I honestly think that using a handheld controller like a Nav or similar is a dead end. anything less than a stripe of buttons is going to make it hard to hold the tablet while drawing.
Ah okay, I was just curious is all.
And yeah, you're definitely right about that. It is a definite loss of convenience (and can be detrimental for some things) when one can't hold both sides of the tablet for stability purpose.
Shogmaster
Member
That's pretty good impression of me! lol
Jesus... you guys trying to paint/draw while holding it in your arm the whole time? Sure it can be done, but it's pain in the ass. Some people just wanna skate uphill...
Well, if you want to do that, you need to stick to Wacom devices. You can map pen barrel buttons, and you have the radial menu. I have done work with just those two things and without a KB. Not in my arm cuz I'm not a glutton for punishment, but you can get away without a KB with those two functions.
That mean no SP4 for you! This is why I rarely recommned SP4 in my tablet thread. Not only is it too damn expensive but the pen part still sucks, and with the new pen THEY TOOK AWAY A DAMN BUTTON. Of course, they never let you map the damn buttons, so I guess that's moot.
BTW here are some Wacom enabled SP4 and Surfacebook compatitors that give you button mapping and radial menu:
- Huawei Matebook
- Lenovo X1 tablet
- Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14
You also have the new Wacom made multi frequency USI pen coming out in December for your N-Trig devices so at least SP4 will have a pen with 1 gram IIF by then. No mapping for buttons though.
OR wait for the SP5 and SB2 which my inside sources hint may go back to Wacom. Wacom lost Surface contract due to EMR's added thickness and edge drift/jitter, but since now they seem to have AES working as well as N-Trig's DuoSense 2, MS might be going back to Wacom for the next round. Just a rumor at this point.
RumblingRosco
Member
OK, so SP4 it is.
I have no gaming interests really on my laptop/portable. At most, I'd run Hearthstone, but even that is doubtful. I need it for work.
It seems like an SP4 with the keyboard attachment could make a legit workstation, right? I have a nice desktop at home, but the SP4 would be what I'd use at work (spending about 2-4 hours a day working on the SP4) and commuting (20-30 minute subway commute one-way). I think it is strong enough to get the job done if I get the i5+ models, based on what I hear about people running Photoshop and other similar software easily.
Why would MS go back to Wacom, when they spent $200 million to buy N-Trig last year?
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ntrig-m-a-microsoft-idUSKBN0LG14020150212
Shogmaster
Member
That's exactly what I asked my source too. But He still says it's a good possibility. He is very reliable so while it's not anything definite, there's some fire there.
But with the whole USI thing happening and Wacom making multi frequency pen for AES and DuoSense 2, it really doesn't impact things as much as it sounds. The only upside for me is that the Wintab driver and thus the button mapping and radial menu might come to Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 if true.
I may have found a pretty nice solution for some of my hotkey woes. I'll share it soon.
I usually rest it on my lap, resting against my left forearm, but here I'm using it in a very cramped plane.
It's also pretty good in portrait when sitting on bean-bags or armchairs, especially for artists that draw a lot of portraits and figures.
I usually rest it on my lap, resting against my left forearm, but here I'm using it in a very cramped plane.
It's also pretty good in portrait when sitting on bean-bags or armchairs, especially for artists that draw a lot of portraits and figures.
brotkasten
Member
I may have found a pretty nice solution for some of my hotkey woes. I'll share it soon.
I usually rest it on my lap, resting against my left forearm, but here I'm using it in a very cramped plane.
It's also pretty good in portrait when sitting on bean-bags or armchairs, especially for artists that draw a lot of portraits and figures.
Can you give me a tip for a pen calibration that works in portrait and landscape? The tip is a couple mm off in portrait right now and it drives me nuts.
mmazurkiewicz
Member
Do you guys think theres any chance of MS creating SurfaceBooks in more sizes? I'd like a 14 or 15".
Also, what are the current cons of the SurfaceBook?
Also, what are the current cons of the SurfaceBook?
Shogmaster
Member
I may have found a pretty nice solution for some of my hotkey woes. I'll share it soon.
I usually rest it on my lap, resting against my left forearm, but here I'm using it in a very cramped plane.
It's also pretty good in portrait when sitting on bean-bags or armchairs, especially for artists that draw a lot of portraits and figures.
I avoid drawing like that whenever I can since it really restricts arm movement and you end up only drawing with wrist and fingers. I like to force myself to draw with the entire arm using all the articulations of the arm. Makes for better lines. I put the tablet on a table whenever possible.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
1. Expensive
2. Still an intermittent bug or two, although vastly improved since launch
3. If you've come from a Surface Pro, the lack of kickstand is sometimes annoying
4. In daylight, the keyboard backlight makes the keys hard to read. I just disable the key backlight anyway.
mmazurkiewicz
Member
ok thanks. i'm mostly concerned with the bugs as I read about them in the past so I was wondering if they've been resolved.
expensive they are, however, for a 13.5" laptop. i paid the same for a 15" mbpr 3 years ago, and i kinda want to stay at this size as I use it as more of a multimedia device than anything. dont need too much portability.
expensive they are, however, for a 13.5" laptop. i paid the same for a 15" mbpr 3 years ago, and i kinda want to stay at this size as I use it as more of a multimedia device than anything. dont need too much portability.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
The 13.5" is a 3:2 ratio, so its more like the size and weight of a 14". Great ratio for comics and more usable in tablet orientation than 16:9.
I figured out a nice way to use the volume buttons as hotkeys on the SP4! It works really nicely. Here's my write-up of the method: https://medium.com/@docky/how-to-us...n-on-the-surface-pro-4-b0d13ee9638#.7di36kfu6
I figured out a nice way to use the volume buttons as hotkeys on the SP4! It works really nicely. Here's my write-up of the method: https://medium.com/@docky/how-to-us...n-on-the-surface-pro-4-b0d13ee9638#.7di36kfu6
This is a pretty clever idea. I'm going to try it out myself.
I use a Surface Book as my only PC right now (gaming PC blew up!), but my only cons with it compared to my old Surface Pro 3 is that the Book is pretty heavy compared to most laptops/ultrabooks these days, and the trackpad on the Surface Pro 4 type cover is better.
But a couple things I love about all the Surface devices is the 3:2 screen - I never want to go back to 16:9 again - and the fact that the device doesn't get warm in my lap.
With all the guts behind the screen, only the screen gets warm. Except for when using the dGPU playing games on the Book - but usually that's on a desk/table anyway)
But a couple things I love about all the Surface devices is the 3:2 screen - I never want to go back to 16:9 again - and the fact that the device doesn't get warm in my lap.
With all the guts behind the screen, only the screen gets warm. Except for when using the dGPU playing games on the Book - but usually that's on a desk/table anyway)
https://medium.com/@docky/how-to-ha...tons-on-surface-pro-4-4649b48ff256#.xkc54bavl
I took my AutoHotkey method and ran with it to make a little bluetooth remote which gives me extra buttons while drawing. I love it.
https://medium.com/@docky/how-to-ha...tons-on-surface-pro-4-4649b48ff256#.xkc54bavl
I took my AutoHotkey method and ran with it to make a little bluetooth remote which gives me extra buttons while drawing. I love it.
Huh, that's cool. Gotta say again really love your artwork!
Thanks!
Using the button a little more. It sometimes goes to sleep but I haven't had any trouble with that.
TerryLee81
Member
I have to say I'm impressed with what my Core M3 model can handle. I have it connected to a 1440p screen and can play WoW on low settings in native resolution. It's actually very playable!
I wish they let us chose more RAM and bigger and faster SSD with the fanless M3 model.
I wish they let us chose more RAM and bigger and faster SSD with the fanless M3 model.
After spending over 6 months with the Pro 4, all I have to say is, holy shit is it one half baked device. The software glitches are kind of ridiculous, attaching and detaching the keyboard can cause screen rotation to not work, lead to the touch screen not responding and the pen disconnecting among other things. This would be fine if it was a cheap tablet - but for such a pricy product the issues really aren't okay. I would have got a refund by now, but the overall experience and what I need out of a laptop, the surface pro is still the best thing out there for me. But man, do I hope MS fix their shit with the next line of Pros, they're so close to having a killer product.
In saying that I have been extremely impressed with the way MS handled my Surface replacement; no questions asked, they sent me a new device (I didn't even have to wait for them to fix my old model). A+ class customer service
In saying that I have been extremely impressed with the way MS handled my Surface replacement; no questions asked, they sent me a new device (I didn't even have to wait for them to fix my old model). A+ class customer service
This is why I'm trading my i5 Pro 4 model in for a MacBook Pro when they're announced...fed up with the glitches!
ZackieChan
Member
Yeah. There's SO MUCH to love about the SP4, that it makes the weird software glitches all the more frustrating. Spotify reinstalls itself on a regular basis and gets rid of my downloaded songs. File Explorer crashes over and over again. Hello works only 9/10 times. Maybe on the 5th iteration they'll get it right?
VanCityGamer
Member
The rumors seem pretty evenly split between a Surface Pro 5 or Surface Book 2 this Fall compared to Spring 2017. I hope it's this year.
I've had this happen on two devices. The first was an Intel Compute stick at work that just updated and the other was a brand new laptop my dad purchased for work that I applied the anniversary update to. After logging in and re-enabling wifi it seems to be working without any issues (hasn't turned back off).
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