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Surface |OT|

H

Homeboyd

Member
I'm going Spro over Helix. Am I smart...? That helix is the tits and I'm going to be spending close to the same price for either. So maybe I should go helix. Frank, you love your RT don't you?
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Homeboyd said:
I'm going Spro over Helix. Am I smart...? That helix is the tits and I'm going to be spending close to the same price for either. So maybe I should go helix. Frank, you love your RT don't you?
Click to expand...

I do love my RT. Enough that I don't care about the Pro right now. However, if I was given the choice today and didn't already have an RT, I would consider the Pro for games and some work stuff (entirely our corporate stuff) that isn't optimal yet.

That said I have no idea what the Helix is like. As a Microsoft shill, makes no difference to me if you get an MS device or a third party device running MS OS, but there is something kind of magical about the Surface and my exact needs. YMMV.
 
D

Damon Bennet

Member
OycvwpE.jpg


really cool to know that one is an i5 computer and the other is a "toy". Can't wait!
 
H

Homeboyd

Member
Stinkles said:
I do love my RT. Enough that I don't care about the Pro right now. However, if I was given the choice today and didn't already have an RT, I would consider the Pro for games and some work stuff (entirely our corporate stuff) that isn't optimal yet.

That said I have no idea what the Helix is like. As a Microsoft shill, makes no difference to me if you get an MS device or a third party device running MS OS, but there is something kind of magical about the Surface and my exact needs. YMMV.
Click to expand...
You mentioned watching some vids about what the surface can do that you didn't discover at first... Mind sharing some links. I'll likely go with the pro. No ms store around here though, guessing I'll have to go with best buy or something. And no preorder either.... Eh. Might be a while before one is even available...
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Homeboyd said:
You mentioned watching some vids about what the surface can do that you didn't discover at first... Mind sharing some links. I'll likely go with the pro. No ms store around here though, guessing I'll have to go with best buy or something. And no preorder either.... Eh. Might be a while before one is even available...
Click to expand...

Yeah, the tutorials I watched dealt mostly with win 8 basics - keyboard shortcuts, UI combos, how to format an SD card properly. I made a stack of links at work and will either find that or make a new one.

The cool thing about Surface is that

a) You find out how flexible Win 8 is as an OS - the combo of Metro and Desktop is actually useful.
b) You find out how flexible and malleable that becomes when you combine all these inputs - touch, gesture, keyboard, even (in my case especially) a gesture capable mouse. things like snapping multiple windows etc.

It's the way that the "tablet" and "PC" interface with each other and swap roles at a whim, that excites me, after years of frustration with the lack of file system on iPad. I spent a ton of money on my iPad (which to be fair I adored) trying to get it to be more flexible but there were always really severe limitations. It was embarrassingly uplifting to just have a USb port, for jeebus' sake.

I think in a post-Jobs world Apple will likely start being more flexible on things like price and walled garden, but the fact that they replaced their archaic and bizarre 30 pin connector with another custom port is baffling.

I only have one complaint about the Surface right now, which is the custom power supply, but it's a pretty small beef.
 
H

Homeboyd

Member
Stinkles said:
Yeah, the tutorials I watched dealt mostly with win 8 basics - keyboard shortcuts, UI combos, how to format an SD card properly. I made a stack of links at work and will either find that or make a new one.

The cool thing about Surface is that

a) You find out how flexible Win 8 is as an OS - the combo of Metro and Desktop is actually useful.
b) You find out how flexible and malleable that becomes when you combine all these inputs - touch, gesture, keyboard, even (in my case especially) a gesture capable mouse. things like snapping multiple windows etc.

It's the way that the "tablet" and "PC" interface with each other and swap roles at a whim, that excites me, after years of frustration with the lack of file system on iPad. I spent a ton of money on my iPad (which to be fair I adored) trying to get it to be more flexible but there were always really severe limitations. It was embarrassingly uplifting to just have a USb port, for jeebus' sake.

I think in a post-Jobs world Apple will likely start being more flexible on things like price and walled garden, but the fact that they replaced their archaic and bizarre 30 pin connector with another custom port is baffling.

I only have one complaint about the Surface right now, which is the custom power supply, but it's a pretty small beef.
Click to expand...
Sweet. Thanks. Yeah I have a first gen iPad and bought my GF a third. I don't touch mine but she loves hers. USB is the biggest issue for me as well... I have a Mac desktop and PC and have just always much preferred PC. That's why I'm pumped about the surface.. Does everything I need it to as a go-between work & home device. Definitely picking up office 2013 but not sure which method to go with (purchase vs sub). Do you use a touch or type cover (or either)? Which gesture mouse do you use/prefer?

Edit: ^^^ do it! So you can teach me surface pro shit!
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Homeboyd said:
Sweet. Thanks. Yeah I have a first gen iPad and bought my GF a third. I don't touch mine but she loves hers. USB is the biggest issue for me as well... I have a Mac desktop and PC and have just always much preferred PC. That's why I'm pumped about the surface.. Does everything I need it to as a go-between work & home device. Definitely picking up office 2013 but not sure which method to go with (purchase vs sub). Do you use a touch or type cover (or either)? Which gesture mouse do you use/prefer?

Edit: ^^^ do it! So you can teach me surface pro shit!
Click to expand...


A bunch of folks in the office got type keyboards, but I realized that I could do something much more flexible - so I keep my soft touch cover, and pair it with a Microsoft wedge Mouse and Keyboard - both Bluetooth but more importantly, the Wedge keyboard has the Win 8 buttons on it - search, devices, etc. The wedge mouse is gesture enabled, so you can scroll and so on. And they sort of match the device (with a Surface edition of the mouse coming with the same magnesium case).

And of course it doesn't hurt that the wedge keyboard is the exact same width as the surface and is only $50. Wedge keyboard also comes with a rubber cover that doubles as a stand, protects it from dings and automatically powers it down when closed.

I love it.


http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=wedge+keyboard
 
H

Homeboyd

Member
Stinkles said:
A bunch of folks in the office got type keyboards, but I realized that I could do something much more flexible - so I keep my soft touch cover, and pair it with a Microsoft wedge Mouse and Keyboard - both Bluetooth but more importantly, the Wedge keyboard has the Win 8 buttons on it - search, devices, etc. The wedge mouse is gesture enabled, so you can scroll and so on. And they sort of match the device (with a Surface edition of the mouse coming with the same magnesium case).

And of course it doesn't hurt that the wedge keyboard is the exact same width as the surface and is only $50. Wedge keyboard also comes with a rubber cover that doubles as a stand, protects it from dings and automatically powers it down when closed.

I love it.


http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=wedge+keyboard
Click to expand...
Does the keyboard attach to the surface in any way or do you carry them separately?
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Homeboyd said:
Does the keyboard attach to the surface in any way or do you carry them separately?
Click to expand...

Nope - it's a Bluetooth keyboard and other than the size and the Win 8 buttons, it has no connection to the Surface. (of course this also lets you use it with other devices too) However it doesn't need a dongle (a big deal when you only have one USB port) and with the rubber case on, it's nice and safe to keep it in the same bag compartment as the Surface.

The rubber cover has stiff wire articulation in it, and is designed to be used as a stand for tablets and phones, but the Surface built-in stand (something that doesn't get enough praise, IMO) renders that sort of redundant.

But it does look like it's purpose designed to go with it. Microsoft is also working on a VaporMag version of the wedge mouse too, apparently, according to this thread somewhere, but the current one matches perfectly anyway.

The keyboard is small too, almost exactly half the height of the 16:9 device, and almost exactly the same width. It has a built in riser (where the battery goes, actually) so the typing angle is perfect and the key action is brilliant. My previous Bluetooth keyboard was a Chiclet Apple Bluetooth and I find them equally good for serious typing. The wedge keyboard wins handily however because it is a bit smaller without sacrificing typability and of course has the custom buttons.

Oh and this might sound dumb, but it's easy to carry them from meeting to meeting because the rubberized cover grips against the Surface, so you can carry both like a couple of magazines safely and securely in one hand.
 
D

dLMN8R

Member
Gah, even if the trade-in price was good I probably couldn't. These free RT's they gave us come with a bunch of caveats, like no re-selling :p
 
M

MooMoo

Member
Stinkles said:
This is my current setup:
Click to expand...
Nice setup there :p Love the grunt mug haha. How's the mouse like? Now I'm trying to decide if I should go wedge keyboard/mouse or just the type cover. Leaning towards the former because it's cheaper and it'll be nice to have the keyboard/mouse work with other things other than the tablet.
 
A

a secret-boss

Banned
impressions from the Surface Pro demo at MS store is saying there r extra ports at the bottom of the tablet and could be for a keyboard with battery

I might hold off on that typecover

EDIT: or it might just be to hold the type/touch cover more securely
 
Warnen

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
Even though I have a ticket for one at a Microsoft store might just buy mine at best buys. The MS store is over an hour away and there are 5 best buys with in 10 mins of my home(also get reward zone points). Gonna stop by tomorrow and see what the deal is on preordering.
 
E

eastmen

Banned
a secret-boss said:
impressions from the Surface Pro demo at MS store is saying there r extra ports at the bottom of the tablet and could be for a keyboard with battery

I might hold off on that typecover

EDIT: or it might just be to hold the type/touch cover more securely
Click to expand...

Its part of the rt too. Its to hold the cover but that doesn't mean it can't be for a stand , we know the contacts are for powering the covers



Confirmation that its a walcom

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=44176&an=&page=&vc=1

There's been much confusion around the pen, which looks nearly identical to the Wacom pen included with my Samsung Series 7 Slate. I brought my Wacom pen with me to test Surface Pro and it worked just as well as Microsoft's bundled pen. This is indeed a Wacom digitizer on the Surface Pro. For those of you who are wondering, Wacom and N-Trig are the two big names in active digitizers and digital pens, with the occasional Atmel showing up on a device. The pens are specific to the digitizer brand, thus a Wacom pen only works with Wacom digitizers. The tablet supports 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity and it clips on magnetically to the magnetic charging port, to make it slightly less likely that you'll misplace it. Is 10.6" big enough for note-taking with OneNote or Journal? Yes it is. But artists might find the 10.6" virtual surface a bit cramped (zoom, zoom and zoom some more!). If you're accustomed to drawing on a Wacom Bamboo tablet, the size will be just fine.
Click to expand...
 
T

Talon

Member
Jesus Christ, Microsoft.

Why the hell aren't you promoting the fact that you have a Wacom digitizer on this thing?
 
E

eastmen

Banned
Mabye they are waiting for launch day or mabye a limited launch due to limited supply. So get the fans to buy it then as supply increases advetise ?

I think its clear that ms thought the rt would be the big seller and devoted the ad bidget to support it and not the pro
 
Z

zorbsie

Member
Went by the microsoft pop up store at lunch today. They had a couple of pros on display. picked one up for a few minutes. It was warm to the touch but I imagine it had been on all day so not too concerned about that. Couldn't tell if the fans were making too much sound, it was too noisy in the mall. Got to try out the pen in Onenote, simply amazing. Can't wait to load up Photoshop on mine and play all day with it.
 
M

MooMoo

Member
zorbsie said:
Went by the microsoft pop up store at lunch today. They had a couple of pros on display. picked one up for a few minutes. It was warm to the touch but I imagine it had been on all day so not too concerned about that. Couldn't tell if the fans were making too much sound, it was too noisy in the mall. Got to try out the pen in Onenote, simply amazing. Can't wait to load up Photoshop on mine and play all day with it.
Click to expand...
How warm was it? Heat is one thing I'm still worried about.
 
M

MooMoo

Member
zorbsie said:
Nothing to be alarmed by. My phone gets hotter when I talk on it for more than 10 minutes.
Click to expand...
Good to hear! Didn't want it to turn into a case where I'll be playing an app or something and my hands start to sweat because of the heat.

I think at this point I'm thoroughly convinced of buying one. If anything, I figure it'll be my faux graduation present to myself.
 
E

eastmen

Banned
MooMoo said:
Good to hear! Didn't want it to turn into a case where I'll be playing an app or something and my hands start to sweat because of the heat.

I think at this point I'm thoroughly convinced of buying one. If anything, I figure it'll be my faux graduation present to myself.
Click to expand...

its certainly warm but not bad at all. I went earlier today and the mall had only been open an hour or so and it was quite cool to the touch perhaps the same amount of warmth as an ipad.
 
A

a secret-boss

Banned
Finally got to try it. It is thick and little bit heavy. The warmness of the tablet didn't bother me.
I'm impressed by the palm rejection. I was sketching on One Note with no problem
Looking forward to pick up my preorder on Sat
 
M

MooMoo

Member
Thanks for the additional impressions on the heat. Still a little bummed there's no online preordering for this (didn't the RT have them?). I sure as hell be up late Friday night/early Saturday though so I'll be ready to click the buy button the moment it pops up.
 
E

eastmen

Banned
I really just think they miss judged demand and are trying to have enough for stores and to sell in launch day at the site. If they burn through stock on preorders no one will be able to buy on launch day and they will get hit eith bad press
 
M

MooMoo

Member
eastmen said:
I really just think they miss judged demand and are trying to have enough for stores and to sell in launch day at the site. If they burn through stock on preorders no one will be able to buy on launch day and they will get hit eith bad press
Click to expand...
Perhaps, but pretty much any major entertainment/multimedia hardware release (i.e. 360, PS3, 3DS, iPads, the major smart phones, etc.) have had preorders in advance of their release. It seems like they pushed all their advertising into the RT release and hoped that the Pro could ride on the RT's momentum. I'd totally be pimping Pro advertisements if I were Microsoft. Or maybe the whole ecosystem of RT versus full fledged W8 has Microsoft in a weird bind. Anywho, I'm pretty much whining over a preorder button at this point :p
 
C

crisdecuba

Member
I tried it today and came away rather impressed. It is a little heavy, but at the same time I have to remember that they're packing a full PC in there. I can't decide whether to pull the trigger or not. At least I'll have another few days to figure it out.
 
E

eastmen

Banned
MooMoo said:
Perhaps, but pretty much any major entertainment/multimedia hardware release (i.e. 360, PS3, 3DS, iPads, the major smart phones, etc.) have had preorders in advance of their release. It seems like they pushed all their advertising into the RT release and hoped that the Pro could ride on the RT's momentum. I'd totally be pimping Pro advertisements if I were Microsoft. Or maybe the whole ecosystem of RT versus full fledged W8 has Microsoft in a weird bind. Anywho, I'm pretty much whining over a preorder button at this point :p
Click to expand...

like I said , I bet they have limited productions.

http://www.zdnet.com/first-microsoft-surface-pro-tablets-come-off-the-production-line-7000009896/

This was dated January 15th. These things will come on boat which most likely need 4-6 weeks to make here. Perhaps some will get flown in for launch but not many as costs rise greatly for shipping hundreds of thousands of them. So stock will be limited.

crisdecuba said:
I tried it today and came away rather impressed. It is a little heavy, but at the same time I have to remember that they're packing a full PC in there. I can't decide whether to pull the trigger or not. At least I'll have another few days to figure it out.
Click to expand...

Seems like its the best of the crop. The helix as secret boss says is delayed.

a secret-boss said:
Helix is delayed until March or April.

so people still undecided
Click to expand...

I bet april and late april at that.
 
D

DagsJT

Member
Well used RT's are coming down in price so I'm going to pick one up. The Pro is nice but way too expensive and I couldn't justify £700 or whatever the UK price is likely to be.
 
C

commish

Jason Kidd murdered my dog in cold blood!
DagsJT said:
Well used RT's are coming down in price so I'm going to pick one up. The Pro is nice but way too expensive and I couldn't justify £700 or whatever the UK price is likely to be.
Click to expand...

Love my RT. Very solid tablet. That said, I think the writing is on the wall for RT. 8 seems to have displaced it.
 
B

biosnake20

Member
Surface RT reviews were posted 3 days before its release so I'm guessing the Pro will be the same. So the reviews should be up tomorrow.
 
R

Rommel

Junior Member
Just go into the store, to hold one it takes $50 which they put on a gift card


QTY

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

STATUS


1

SURFACE WWIN8 PRO-128GB SC EN/XD/ES US
SKU: 7952262
To be picked up by: XXXXXXXXX

Reserved - Best Buy will notify you by email when the item is available.
 
P

PaulExcellent

Member
I want one SO BAD because of the stylus, but I'm waiting for the Samsung event to see the new Galaxy Note. As an Android programmer, it would be nice to have a 10.1 screen to test my dumb game.

Still... The Surface is so rad! D:
 
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