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signmeuptoo94
Bless you Howie
Premium Member
join:2001-11-22
NanoParticle

signmeuptoo94

Premium Member

MS Surface, you gonna get one?

»surface.microsoftstore.c ··· hing=off

My chief complaint about Tablets (save the fact that you can't make your own) is less of an issue with the new Microsoft tablet because the cover is a keyboard. Although I don't know how well the keyboard works or feels.

Do you think you will get one?

darcilicious
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join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Ziply Fiber

darcilicious

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If I weren't already heavily invested in the iOS ecosystem, I'd seriously consider it. Or, if I had enough disposable income to just buy toys for the heck of it, this would be near the top of the list. Or, if I got one as a gift, I'd use it But otherwise, probably not going to happen any time soon.

I do want to find one in a store somewhere to play with for a bit though...

FizzyMyNizzy
join:2004-05-29
New York, NY

2 edits

FizzyMyNizzy to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
Nexus 10 for me mostly. 11/13/2012 release date. »play.google.com/store/de ··· icrosite

Google Nexus 10:
»play.google.com/store/de ··· icrosite
Display: 10 inch, 2560 x 1600, 300ppi
CPU/GPU: Exynos 5 dual, Dual-core ARM Cortex-A15, GPU: Mali-T604
2GB Ram for system.
Storage: 16GB = $399.99, 32GB = $499.99
»play.google.com/store/de ··· icrosite

Apple iPad with Retina aka iPad 4:
»www.apple.com/ipad/compare/
Display: 9.7inch, 2048x1536, 264ppi
CPU/GPU: Dual-core A6X with quad-core graphics
?? Ram for system.
Storage: 16GB = $499, 32GB = $599, 64GB = $699
»www.apple.com/ipad/compare/

MicroSoft Surface:
»surface.microsoftstore.c ··· Y13WinHH
Display: 10.6inch, 1366x768, 147.84ppi
CPU/GPU: NVIDIA T30(Tegra 3)
2GB Ram for sytem.
Storage: 32GB $499.00, $599.00 with black touch cover, 64GB $699.00

Why I am skipping iPad because it still haven't been jailbreak. It could be hardware thats why it is harder to jailbreak it. It has a lower res than Nexus 10, System ram is unknown, I dont want to buy itune.

========================

Why I am skipping Microsoft Surface. I remember they stop supporting Zune HD after couple of months after launch. sigh Totally waste of money. Broken keyboard for the surface and some even damage the surface tablet and you could see the metal. »news.softpedia.com/news/ ··· 72.shtml

»www.surfaceforums.net/fo ··· eam.html



»www.guardian.co.uk/techn ··· ver-flaw





When you get the 32GB Surface you end up with 16GB of storage. If you were to get 64GB you end up with 45GB after you install Windows RT.
»www.microsoft.com/Surfac ··· pace-faq

The CPU and GPU on surface is lowest compare to the iPad 4 and Nexus 10.

Summary:
1. Slower CPU/GPU
2. Low Res compare to the other 2
3. You lose 16GB storage after you install Windows RT on it.
4. Things breaking.
5. Out of Stock?
»www.google.com/#hl=en&sa ··· &bih=925
==================

Google Nexus 10. To me the price $399. Highest res compare to the other 2. CPU and GPU is up and down VS. the iPad A6X. But I heard bias from left and right on the reviews. It is one of those thing you have to get it to find out the truth.

Again, this is how I feel with all 3 tablet. And why I am thinking of getting Nexus 10.

koitsu
MVM
join:2002-07-16
Mountain View, CA

1 recommendation

koitsu to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
Nice and simple: absolutely not.

signmeuptoo94
Bless you Howie
Premium Member
join:2001-11-22
NanoParticle

signmeuptoo94

Premium Member

koitsu, dude, so few words from a man who expresses himself so well! Do you own a tablet? Are you like me and dislike tablets (they are great for sofa surfers like my sister, but for real work, "not so", as my GF loves to say).

darcilicious
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join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Ziply Fiber

darcilicious

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said by signmeuptoo94:

Are you like me and dislike tablets (they are great for sofa surfers like my sister, but for real work, "not so", as my GF loves to say).

I use my iPad with a bluetooth keyboard nearly daily at work. Love it.

signmeuptoo94
Bless you Howie
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join:2001-11-22
NanoParticle

signmeuptoo94

Premium Member

Do you cart around the keyboard with the pad? perhaps the execution of MS is suspect, but the idea of the cover doubling as a compact but useful keyboard is a great idea. Sure, connecting a bluetooth keyboard is nice, but there are security issues!

aurgathor
join:2002-12-01
Lynnwood, WA

aurgathor to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
a) I think it may be slightly overpriced -- I'd say it will be at least $100 cheaper by this time next year
b) Most tablets don't come with cover, so that's a nice extra, though it's not cheap. The type cover is almost like a real keyboard (but short travel) while the touch cover is a little different, but still a bit faster than typing on the virtual keyboard on the display.
c) I'll probably wait for v2.0 before buying one -- by that time most of the bugs should be worked out -- and I'd definitely go for the Pro since I want x86/x64 compatibility.
d) M$ is refocusing itself, so unless it's a real big flop, they are not going to abandon it. Zune was mostly a toy, so it wasn't that difficult to pull the plug on that.

darcilicious
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join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR

darcilicious to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
Yes, this keyboard comes in a cover, it works well and people are always asking me about it. I'm not sure what security issues would be of concern; I don't believe the iPad will pair with any other device without authorization...

koitsu
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Humax BGW320-500

koitsu to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
I have no use for a tablet or "flat surface" computer (Surface, iPad, etc.), which is why I kept my answer simple.

I have spent some time with an iPad (about 2-3 hours) a co-worker of mine had, and let's just say I was left with a pretty sour taste in my mouth. I was really disappointed at how much general stuff I couldn't do -- not highly technical stuff like what I do professionally or personally, just very simple/common usage things did not function correctly or work at all. Lack of Flash, for example, really made me laugh (I hate Flash as a technology, I wish it'd die, but let's face it, it's one of those necessary evils). I did like some of the "fancy" visualisations/UI features, but those are just ooh-ahh material and lose their appeal after you've seen them a hundred times.

My mother, who's almost 60 but is semi-familiar with technology (she used to help assemble original Pong machines for example), finds these products "strange" for the exact same reasons I do. She scoffed at the price too (as do I). I imagine the Surface to fall into the same category.

I really want to know what demographic these products are intended for. I'm not trolling -- I really am serious.

The only thing I can see them being used for is to act as a glorified book and web page reader, and I imagine they do those tasks quite well. But to me, they look like a big mobile phone, and I abhor mobile phones (haven't had one for over 10 years).

I use my computer(s) differently than the masses, so my reluctance and disapproval is understandable. But like I said, my mother, who is pretty much a "simple computer user", does not understand what these things are for either -- especially for how much they cost.

signmeuptoo94
Bless you Howie
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join:2001-11-22
NanoParticle

signmeuptoo94

Premium Member

Said the laptop to the tablet:

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· lts_main

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
Premium Member
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

banditws6 to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
I'm gonna get one, primarily as a very expensive word processor.

I wish I were kidding, but I'm not. I do a fair bit of creative writing, and I feel most inspired at night. I'm tired of hot, loud laptops with idiotic blinding LEDs that keep my wife up while I'm trying to write. I'm also tired of stripped-down crap apps that pretend to be MS Word equivalents on iOS and Android. All of my archives are in Word format. I also work for a Microsoft shop. The fact that the Surface has actual Word on it is a godsend to me. And the integrated keyboard cover is brilliant.

I would like it better if it would run x86 apps -- and I understand the forthcoming Surface Pro will, but at what cost in both money and in battery life? -- but even as it is, it's the answer to a very aggravating question that I've been asking for some time.

So yes, after I satiated my wife's cravings for a new iPad 4 last month, she's going to reciprocate by getting me a Surface for Christmas. Such is life.

Edit: Incidentally, I have tried both variants of the Surface keyboard cover: the Touch Cover, whose keys do not actually move, and the Type Cover, which has actual keys that can be depressed by a small amount. I was shocked at the fact that I could actually type competently, and at reasonable speed, on the Touch Cover. As an added bonus, it's silent. Even so, I am considering getting the Type Cover since, as a writer, the extra bit of speed and familiarity that comes from having physical keys may be significant.

ccallana
Huh?
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join:2000-08-03
Folsom, CA

ccallana to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
Forget the Surface RT Get one of the Atom based Windows 8 tablets out or coming out soon.

They are more expensive for sure (which is really a bummer), but they are full x86 compatible, where the RT systems are not. Many of them come with dockable keyboards as well - basically making them a convertible laptop - part traditional laptop, part tablet.

For full disclosure reasons, I worked on the the graphics driver for the Atom based Windows 8 tablets

koitsu
MVM
join:2002-07-16
Mountain View, CA
Humax BGW320-500

koitsu to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
said by signmeuptoo94:

Said the laptop to the tablet...

Cute (sorta cringing over young girls voices though, always shrill and hurt my ears). Hmm, which do I dislike more, tablets or laptops... I think at this point I would probably say laptops, just because of vendor mentalities (see small text) and the fact that stuff keeps running hotter and hotter.

Octavean
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join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
Personally I don't much care for the kickstand design of the Surface and Surface pro. Nor do I much care for the touch cover / type cover concept. The kickstand only has two options open and closed. It would also seem like a poor option for typing on ones lap.

I much prefer the keyboard dock concept that the ASUS Transformer series uses which provides extra battery power, USB ports, additional angle positions and real keys.

For what it's worth I expect the Surface Pro to be about ~$800 to ~$1000+ depending on specs.

The computer industry is obviously trending towards mobile computing and these devices are clearly aimed at those who like this trend. I don't necessarily care for it but I'll reach for my iPad fairly quickly when I cannot use my desktop even though I have a fairly capable laptop and Windows 8 core i5 based tablet PC.
Thordrune
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join:2005-08-03
Lakeport, CA

Thordrune to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
Nope, I'm still happy with my HP TouchPad .

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
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join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

1 recommendation

banditws6 to ccallana

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to ccallana
said by ccallana:

Forget the Surface RT Get one of the Atom based Windows 8 tablets out or coming out soon.

Actually, I have been considering this option as well, having looked at the Samsung Ativ and similar devices. Most likely I will see if I can get my hands on one before I decide, although the extra expense gives me pause. With that said, you gain a lot given the x86 support and the new Clovertrail Atoms are supposed to be a lot better than prior generations.

kdshapiro
join:2000-03-29
Eatontown, NJ
ARRIS TM1602
Netgear R8000

kdshapiro to banditws6

Member

to banditws6
The ability to spend $1000 on a tablet that runs x86 vs my 64 gig/3g ipad that cost $850+ when new is very appealing.

When I bought the ipad I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, two years later, it frustrates the heck out of me on a minute by minute basis.

The ability to have any semblance of windows (vs ios) on a tablet is very enticing.

Octavean
MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean

MVM

You can get an Acer Iconia W700 series Ivy Bridge based Core i3 Windows 8 tablet for ~$800 or an Acer Iconia W700 series Ivy Bridge Core i5 Windos 8 tablet starting at about about $900.

I don't see how or why Microsoft would undercut such pricing for the Surface Pro.

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
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Frisco, TX

banditws6 to signmeuptoo94

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I just wanted to post back on here to say that I picked up a Samsung ATIV 500T with the Atom Z2760 and I love it to death. Finally, here is a tablet that not only runs the full Office experience (which of course the Surface RT could mostly do, Outlook excluded), but also other x86 stuff that I'm familiar with. It even runs the GIS system that we're developing at work. Granted, it doesn't do well with games (unless we're talking DOSBox stuff) but that's not why I bought it.

My favorite thing about this tablet is the built-in Wacom digitizer. I've always been a bit of a sketch artist although I've largely let that talent go by the wayside, but this is the best digital inking experience I've ever had. The Metro inking apps suck but even Microsoft OneNote is pretty good for quick sketching. This has me looking into some better purpose-built software like Sketchbook Pro or something. I never liked the old Wacom tablets where I had to draw on the tablet but look at a screen somewhere else to see the result. With the ATIV it's a lot like drawing on paper.

The build quality of the ATIV isn't the greatest and it's done some weird stuff now and again, but overall I'm incredibly happy with it. I get a lot more use out of it (in the productivity sphere) than I ever got out of our iPad. The battery lasts a long time, too, definitely through a complete workday and beyond -- which is why I went with an Atom tablet instead of one of the more powerful i5 ones. I already have an i7 laptop with a battery that barely lasts to 4 hours, so if I need power, I already have a solution. The Atom is the perfect mix of capability and longevity.

ccallana
Huh?
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join:2000-08-03
Folsom, CA

ccallana

Premium Member

Glad you are enjoying it!! Did you get the keyboard doc with it as well? I'm curious as to how it works together.

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
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join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

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banditws6

Premium Member

I didn't, mostly because I couldn't find one at the time. I'm using a Bluetooth keyboard with it now which works great, but certain ergonomic situations make it difficult. If I can find a dock somewhere reputable I'm probably going to give it a try.

Incidentally I have a friend who bought a Surface when they came out, I told him about the ATIV 500T and he picked one up just to play around with it, fully intending to return it. He has since changed his mind and thinks he will keep it!

AlphaOne
I see
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join:2004-02-21

AlphaOne to Thordrune

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to Thordrune
said by Thordrune:

Nope, I'm still happy with my HP TouchPad .

+100


Octavean
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join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean

MVM

said by AlphaOne:

said by Thordrune:

Nope, I'm still happy with my HP TouchPad .

+100


Running Android I find the HP Touchpad servicable,....

Its no PC though,....

There is no wacom digitizer support or pressure sensitivity so its much less functional for inking and the like,…

It was cheap though,….

I kind of wish I could get Windows RT to run on the HP Touchpad just to see what it would be like but I have Windows 8 Pro RTM on my Asus Eee Slate EP121 Core i5 tablet PC.

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
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join:2008-04-28
Tronna

El Quintron to signmeuptoo94

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to signmeuptoo94
A no here...

I got my Asus TF101 on sale ~18 months ago, and it still does what I need it to do. (eReader, video games, VoIP, ginormous ipod substitute, light surfing away from home)

I'm not a fan of anything Microsoft, so if I had to do it over again, I would get another Android tablet, but even if I didn't have a hate-on for Microsoft, I'm set tablet-wise for the foreseeable future.
Thordrune
Premium Member
join:2005-08-03
Lakeport, CA

Thordrune to Octavean

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to Octavean
Good points . I have mine dualbooting webOS and Android, although I mostly use webOS.

I have an old (Pentium M-era) Gateway convertible laptop at work that I installed the various 8 previews on. It ran decently, but unfortunately I couldn't get it to run at native resolution (8 doesn't seem to like its Radeon X1200 or thereabouts), and the digitizer driver randomly decided to stop working. I could probably get it to work a bit better with some effort, but it's low on my list of priorities.

Octavean
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join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean to banditws6

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to banditws6
said by banditws6:

The build quality of the ATIV isn't the greatest and it's done some weird stuff now and again, but overall I'm incredibly happy with it. I get a lot more use out of it (in the productivity sphere) than I ever got out of our iPad. The battery lasts a long time, too, definitely through a complete workday and beyond -- which is why I went with an Atom tablet instead of one of the more powerful i5 ones. I already have an i7 laptop with a battery that barely lasts to 4 hours, so if I need power, I already have a solution. The Atom is the perfect mix of capability and longevity.

Apparently, the Acer Iconia W700 does very well for a Core i5 based tablet. 7 hr and 13 min isn’t bad with respect to an average 8 hr work day. 8, 9 or more hrs would have been nice but for this class of performance and form factor its really good.
quote:
What's funny about the W700 is that it has the same chipset as other Windows 8 machines we've tested, along with a 1080p touchscreen -- precisely the sort of thing that would normally suck the life out of a battery. And yet, the three-cell, 4,850mAh battery lasts hours longer than bigger touchscreen Windows 8 systems with similar internals. Specifically, we got seven hours and 13 minutes of runtime after looping a video off the local disk with WiFi on and the brightness fixed at 65 percent. The next runner-up in our list is the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13, and if you look at the numbers, it wasn't even a close contest: it managed just five and a half hours in the same test, even though it probably has room for a larger-capacity battery than the W700. It only gets worse from there: we've seen touchscreen Windows 8 systems that barely cracked four hours.

»www.engadget.com/2012/12 ··· -review/

In contrast my Asus Eee Slate EP121 Core i5 based PC tablet only gets about ~3hr give or take but its an entirety different generation (two generations removed from Ivy Bridge).