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New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

blogs.windows.com

51–60 of 989 posts

Re: New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

#51
post #31

In closed state, the surface book has a giant gap between screen and keyboard ( https://goo.gl/n5B7Te ). I think, it can easily happen that things in your backpack slip between screen and keyboard and damage the screen. That is why the old Thinkpads used to have a "click" mechanism.

Neoprene sleeves are pretty inexpensive and would afford a little more protection.

Re: New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

#52
post #16

I think the Surface Book is finally something that can give the MacBook Pro line a run for its money, this should be interesting.

My thoughts exactly. To me, OS/X's quality has been slipping, but I haven't found any non-Apple hardware that's comparable. If they get the trackpad and keyboard right on it, this will open a lot of interesting doors.

> To me, OS/X's quality has been slipping,

I'm amused to see the 'OS/X' typo still lives on, more than a decade since OS/2's been relevant :)

On topic, I've just upgraded to the latest version of OS X and it really seems rock solid. Fastest, most stable, and most secure version yet. Still a bit of an evolutionary dead end though, in that there have been no moves to add touch support beyond multitouch trackpads. I admire their vision with keeping iOS and OS X separate, but given touch is so ubiquitous elsewhere, I can't imagine it'll be long before Windows users are genuinely surprised and baffled by the lack of touch screens in Apple laptops...

Re: New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

#54
I have been skeptical after a lot of Microsoft misses but the Surface Book Pro might just put Microsoft on the high road. Splitting up the hardware breaks new ground. If I understood it correctly, the GPU is in the keyboard which you can attach to get more power. In detached mode the screen itself has an i7 processor that's plenty powerful. So they managed to let you hot-plug the GPU while the OS is running?

Re: New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

#57
post #54

I have been skeptical after a lot of Microsoft misses but the Surface Book Pro might just put Microsoft on the high road. Splitting up the hardware breaks new ground. If I understood it correctly, the GPU is in the keyboard which you can attach to get more power. In detached mode the screen itself has an i7 processor that's plenty powerful. So they managed to let you hot-plug the GPU while the OS is running?

> So they managed to let you hot-plug the GPU while the OS is running?

Yes. And I think they said that with DirectX 12 it'll split the load between GPUs when both are connected.

Re: New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

#58
post #29
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do they prevent the Surface Book from toppling over, given that all internals must be in the screen part? It seems this would either double the system weight (due to counterweights) or require an extra stand in the back.

Not all the internals, apparently the GPU is in the keyboard (there's an Intel GPU on the CPU die that's used in tablet mod).

Most of the battery mass is in the keyboard. Not sure what battery life is when you detatch the screen - they didn't say.

Re: New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

#59

I think the Surface Book is finally something that can give the MacBook Pro line a run for its money, this should be interesting.

Hybrids have a very different audience compared to regular laptops (ultrabooks), as they're structurally very different (that is, they are a compromise by definition), so I wouldn't compare them directly. Don't get me wrong, I have one instead of a regular laptop, but I can see how people used to the latter would feel uncomfortable with them, unless they have a strong motivation to move to the hybrid form factor.

> Hybrids have a very different audience compared to regular laptops (ultrabooks)

Ultrabooks/Subnotebooks are already a compromise. We've made the transition from massive 30-40W CPUs to 15W-CPUs for mainstream notebook over the last 4 years, where net performance for notebooks stagnated at best (and regressed during the first year or two). Going from there to whatever hardware the Surface Book uses won't a big leap any more.

Re: New Windows 10 Devices From Microsoft

#60

How about the Band 2? Unaware of this event, yesterday morning I ordered the first MS Band for a little more than 1/2 the list price of the Band 2. I'd been shopping for fitness trackers for a long time, and settled on the Band as the only tracker meeting my needs that can also act as an Android trusted bluetooth device & keep my phone unlocked. From what I can tell, the Band 2 adds: - softer, more flexible strap (so…

I've had a Band for most of the year and highly recommend it. Unlike watty, I think it's pretty comfortable. Admittedly it took a couple of days to get used to, but I rarely notice that it's on my wrist. The only exception being that the non-curved display does get in the way when I type on a laptop — which is very rare for me, your mileage may vary.

I'd recommend that you get a screen protector for your band, though. The weird, soft bezel around this version is extremely prone to scratches doing even the most mundane tasks.

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