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Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

arstechnica.com

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Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#101

Post by sjmulder »

Pxtl wrote: post #35

Big thing missing from the line-up: WinRT HDMI-stick. A Windows-powered answer to the MK808/Ouya/VitaStation and similar products, bundled with a nice wireless keyboard/mouse remote gizmo - something like this: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/57Y6678/460/4C2830F... WinRT's consistent support for keyboard/mouse sets it apart from touch-oriented Android. Wireless handheld keyboard/mouse is hard to get right, b…

I tried using Windows 8 with a TV and it’s almost there but not quite – if they fix a few things it would be perfect:

- At 720p you cannot run Windows Store apps (needs to be 768 minimum)

- At 1080p much of the UI is too small. You can increase the font size but that’s not always enough.

- Surprisingly, while keyboard navigation is great, it doesn't seem to support the Xbox 360 controller at all for navigating through the UI.

Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#102

Post by [deleted] »

untog wrote: post #23
CodeCube wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

powershell ... seriously, it's really good. And Cygwin if you really want that unix shell experience :)

I don't doubt that Powershell is good, but it's different . I've grown to appreciate being able to use all the same commands on my dev box as I do on my servers, and while Cygwin covers the basics, it doesn't do it all.

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#103

Post by rbanffy »

MLR wrote: post #33
enko wrote: post #24

Dear Microsoft: Out of ARM and x86, choose one. Just choose one. For the love of god, choose ONE. Can you imagine Apple, or anyone else, deliberately releasing two different tablets, with the same name, which can not run each others' software? It is inconceivable, and for good reason. MS cannot make decisions. That's what will kill them, long term. Just choose one!!

While I agree, and wish they just released a budget x86 version instead of the RT, you are exaggerating the problem somewhat.

You can easily get an x86-based tablet and run a more or less standard Linux environment on top of the Android kernel. If your performance requirements fit, you can do it on an ARM processor. Chances are you can add a bluetooth keyboard/cover for much less than a Surface 2.

Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#104

Post by manojlds »

enko wrote: post #24

Dear Microsoft: Out of ARM and x86, choose one. Just choose one. For the love of god, choose ONE. Can you imagine Apple, or anyone else, deliberately releasing two different tablets, with the same name, which can not run each others' software? It is inconceivable, and for good reason. MS cannot make decisions. That's what will kill them, long term. Just choose one!!

> which can not run each others' software?

Windows Store apps run on both of them.

Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#105

Post by bcoates »

philliphaydon wrote: post #95
IanDrake wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) The hardware would cost more 2) It would cost money to add the device to your Mobile account 3) You can just use the mobile hotspot feature on your phone and connect through that. Its easy on my Nokia 928. Hell, half the time I have my wife's iphone connected to my phone via WIFI because she has AT&T (for work reasons) and they suck most places we go.

I actually think 3g on tablets is rather silly now. With basically all mobile phones having the ability to share internet, why do you need to pay additional money for another mobile plan...

Because I don't want to destroy my phone's battery and light my pants on fire.

Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#106

Post by eliben »

nbevans wrote: post #43
eliben wrote: post #29

Those prices are... delusional.

Why? Did you even look at the specs? They are far in advance of the capabilities of an iPad. It's a full blown "PC as a Tablet". Even having a DisplayPort output and single USB port on a tablet device immediately makes it worth $200 more than any iPad.

Because you can get a much more powerful laptop for much less, if you need a "real PC". If you need a tablet, you can get one for far less too. Heck, you can get a great laptop + a great tablet for less!

This is a delusional move from a company that's so far behind in this area that it's no longer funny.

Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#108

Post by barista »

sjmulder wrote: post #101
Pxtl wrote: post #35

Big thing missing from the line-up: WinRT HDMI-stick. A Windows-powered answer to the MK808/Ouya/VitaStation and similar products, bundled with a nice wireless keyboard/mouse remote gizmo - something like this: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/57Y6678/460/4C2830F... WinRT's consistent support for keyboard/mouse sets it apart from touch-oriented Android. Wireless handheld keyboard/mouse is hard to get right, b…

I tried using Windows 8 with a TV and it’s almost there but not quite – if they fix a few things it would be perfect: - At 720p you cannot run Windows Store apps (needs to be 768 minimum) - At 1080p much of the UI is too small. You can increase the font size but that’s not always enough. - Surprisingly, while keyboard navigation is great, it doesn't seem to support the Xbox 360 controller at all for navigating throug…

Actually if you are thinking of connecting your PC to your TV then Windows 7 is still the best bet. It's a well kept secret but a quiet PC connected to TV beats any other media solution out there hands down.

Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2

#110

Post by bcoates »

How much of the battery life on a tablet is RAM? I moved down from 8GB to 4 when I switched from a big laptop to surface, and the only performance difference I noticed was substantially improved hibernate times.

I'd hate to get a bunch of battery life back from Haswell just to burn it all on RAM I don't even want to get the 512GB model.

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