The Microsoft Surface Tablet thread.

[finbarqs]

it's sad that people give new comers 1 once: it's either a hit or a miss. I for one, had an EVO 4G when it first came out, and because of that, I hated Android. Detested it. Did not want to come near another android device again. Before that, I was on my Palm Pre. Loved that system.

But now I'm on my iphone 4s, and I have to say, I prefer it: the customizations of android was cool, but wasn't for me. I just got lazy, and didn't care about the customizations anymore because it got tedious and cumbersome. But anyways, now I'm back on Android with my nexus 7. And I just started to customize it until I got overwhelmed and just left it. Anyways, back OT, regarding the Surface, I personally never got a chance to play with one.

I have played with the Lenovo pad @ Best Buy, and though it felt really cool, really really fast (faster than my Nexus 7), it just had some bugs in it. For example, on the screen mode, I tried getting the keyboard up but it just wouldn't come up. Probably the sensor going bad (as mentioned above). But over all, I like it. The lenovo was running an i5 processor. I wanted to see how Hulu ran, but best buy was having an issue connecting to the wifi network.

All in all, now I really wanna see how a surface works... especially with the active pen. Sure, samsung galaxy note 10.1 is cool, but I don't have full fledged photoshop CS6 on Android, but I do on Windows... it's like having a wacom cintique in a 10" format.

 

[cmdrdredd]

It has potential but it must work correctly. That's pretty much all I'll say. If things don't work it won't sell. Like the Lenovo keyboard issue, people can't get it to work when they try it why take the chance?

 

[HeXen]

Leo Leporte shows off one here
http://twit.tv/show/the-tech-guy/922

 

[finbarqs]

i gotta try one out to familiarize myself with it. Probably gonna return after wards, but I see some value in this space. Being in the IT industry, this is a critical device that many consumers will adopt. Businesses may try and see what will it bring to the table besides being a notebook replacement...

 

[finbarqs]

i wanted to pick up a lenovo yoga, but OOS almost everywhere... I guess it's not doing too bad, but to it's credit, it's running Win 8 x64...

 

[cmdrdredd]

I'm just afraid I won't like 1600x800 resolution over 1920x1080 if I wait for the Surface Pro or Samsung ATIV Pro.

 

[finbarqs]

picked up a Yoga. Wow, this thing is annoying. Basically you HAVE to have a keyboard/mouse because. I can't delete anything off the start menu tiles, unless i right click. what if you have a tablet without keyboard and mouse? tough shit...

 

[ControlD]

picked up a Yoga. Wow, this thing is annoying. Basically you HAVE to have a keyboard/mouse because. I can't delete anything off the start menu tiles, unless i right click. what if you have a tablet without keyboard and mouse? tough shit...

Try enabling right click gestures:

http://windows8themes.org/how-to-do-a-right-click-on-windows-8-tablets.html

 

[cmdrdredd]

Tap the tile and drag it down slightly and you should get the menu to pop up and ask if you want to unpin it.

 

[Skel]

Tap the tile and drag it down slightly and you should get the menu to pop up and ask if you want to unpin it.

I'm noticing a huge trend with people screaming it's garbage and can't do things only to have someone else explain how to do it. I honestly haven't seen a learning curve this high since Win95

 

[ControlD]

I'm noticing a huge trend with people screaming it's garbage and can't do things only to have someone else explain how to do it. I honestly haven't seen a learning curve this high since Win95

I think that is the nature of the beast though isn't it? It is a brand new interface so there is going to be a learning curve. It took me some time to come to terms with OS X and and number of Linux desktops as well due to my familiarity with the standard Windows ways of doing things as well.

 

[dagamer34]

I'm noticing a huge trend with people screaming it's garbage and can't do things only to have someone else explain how to do it. I honestly haven't seen a learning curve this high since Win95

I would rather have a high learning curve that dealing with obtuse gestures that only make sense in the transition Microsoft is in now instead of 10 years from now.

 

[BornStar]

I really like the gestures on my Surface and find myself trying to use them on my Windows Phone. The gestures are well thought out and take very little time to get used to.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I'm noticing a huge trend with people screaming it's garbage and can't do things only to have someone else explain how to do it. I honestly haven't seen a learning curve this high since Win95

Well, there needs to be documentation that you are forced to print out when you install WIndows 8 to explain the gestures and a guide provided with every touch screen tablet sold. In big bold letters written "Read here to understand how to use gestures and control your start screen".

 

[Dominato3r]

Wait, I thought the Yoga wasn't out yet?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Wait, I thought the Yoga wasn't out yet?

It's out at many stores. I haven't yet played with it though.

 

[finbarqs]

how do you get your cursor to the exact point in your text? that's something I can't figure out. Multi-tasking has taken a step back due to the tablet nature, but it's probably one of the best multi tasking interfaces for a mobile device!

 

[dagamer34]

how do you get your cursor to the exact point in your text? that's something I can't figure out. Multi-tasking has taken a step back due to the tablet nature, but it's probably one of the best multi tasking interfaces for a mobile device!

Buy a mouse. Seriously. I did. I think the Touch/Type Covers are great for when you're in a pinch since you'll almost always have them, but if you're going to spend an hour in one location, get a mouse. I bought the Wedge Mouse from Microsoft because it's very portable and uses Bluetooth so it doesn't use the USB port.

 

[Munky]

The keyboard is a big deal for me. The x86 compatibility (for the Pro version) is an even bigger deal. I already have a 7" tablet for reading/youtubing, but there's no way it's gonna cut it as a laptop replacement for productivity purposes. Get a laptop you say? Nonsense. That's like saying "Oh, the maps suck on IOS6? Get a real GPS!" The device either does what I need, or it doesn't. If it doesn't, then my money goes somewhere else.

 

[ChronoReverse]

If the Pro has great battery life and is reasonably priced (can't be more than an Ultrabook) then I'd seriously consider one.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Buy a mouse. Seriously. I did. I think the Touch/Type Covers are great for when you're in a pinch since you'll almost always have them, but if you're going to spend an hour in one location, get a mouse. I bought the Wedge Mouse from Microsoft because it's very portable and uses Bluetooth so it doesn't use the USB port.

The Lenovo Yoga has a touchpad (mouse cursor). However, I think he's trying to figure out the touch interface.

 

[rockyct]

I really like the gestures on my Surface and find myself trying to use them on my Windows Phone. The gestures are well thought out and take very little time to get used to.

The Charms bar is really nice. Quick access to search and share options is a handy thing to have. I also am really liking the task switcher now that I got used to it. Quick swipe from the left brings back the previous app and the sort of "double swipe" brings up the list of apps that are still available to switch too.

They also announced a bunch of major apps today at BUILD. The app store is somewhat empty right now, but with like 20-25 million copies of Windows sold every month I'm sure developers are working on apps. It's not going to be like Windows Phone were many developers just passed on completely. It's probably going to be a matter of when an app comes out for Win8/WinRT not if.

 

[finbarqs]

The Lenovo Yoga has a touchpad (mouse cursor). However, I think he's trying to figure out the touch interface.

exactly. I want to be solely reliant on the touch interface.

So messing around with the lenovo yoga for a few hours, here are my impressions:

Touch Interface: one of the best. That "fruit ninja slice" thing when you slide you finger across the screen is pretty cool

The OS: must take some time to get use to. One thing is for certain: This is infinitely more complex than iOS devices (obviously because it can do MUCH more) but the learning curve is worth it. On a non-touch screen laptop, and without a multi-touch track pad, don't even bother. Is it worth upgrading to Windows 8 on your existing desktop/laptop? Definite no.

But it's worth purchasing a BRAND NEW device with Windows 8! Touch is very important in this OS. Without it, it'll feel kind of limited. Stick with Win 7 for the gamers out there. This OS is not designed for a high end GTX 680 SLI system without pulling out your hair realizing what a "step backwards" this will feel.

But on a tabtop, it'll feel right at home!

I want to use the Yoga stricly without using a real keyboard/mouse combo. So getting my cursor to the exact position is relatively important. One thing I noticed: In 'desktop' mode, your keyboard will not automatically come up unless you force it to come up. But still, I want to know how to get your cursor the exact position!

 

[Zink]

The Charms bar is really nice. Quick access to search and share options is a handy thing to have. I also am really liking the task switcher now that I got used to it. Quick swipe from the left brings back the previous app and the sort of "double swipe" brings up the list of apps that are still available to switch too.

Edge gestures and swiping to go back make Windows tablets very nice because everything is full screen with only one physical button while still giving you full functionality. Android tablets are stuck with a big bar with some buttons on the screen most of the time and iOS just makes settings and multitasking harder to get to. iOS has some swipe gestures but I think everyone can go farther with this kind of interaction. Swiping really free up the screen but still let you get things done.

 

[Chrono]

People can't figure out how to use Windows 8? I fucked around with it for 30 minutes and I got most of the stuff. What I didn't know I saw being demo'd and discussed on how to do so via touch and keyboard/mouse. People need to look before they go all crazy about not knowing how to do something without xyz. You only make yourselves look dumb as hell since you're too lazy to seek the answer.

BTW, I'm using Windows 8 with a standard kb/mouse. No issues here whatsoever. I think of the mouse as an extension of my finger and voila, things are working fine. I also tried Win8 on surface and other laptops/ultrabooks with touch screens and that was easy too.