I've been using a MS Surface Pro for about a month now. I've waited that long to write about it because it felt awkward to use and I thought maybe I'd adapt to it. I've used it as my main machine at home and I took it on a ten day road trip.
It feels less awkward now, but not by a lot. It's hard to say exactly why, but here a few problems I have with it, not in any order of importance.
KEYBOARD
The keyboard is the touch keyboard, so there is key travel. It attaches to the screen (computer in this case) magnetically and it's a very solid connection. You could carry the computer around by the keyboard. The problem for me is that the keyboard is a little flexible, so it feels like you're typing on pizza cardboard. And you have to resist the urge to pick up the computer by the keyboard when you stand up. It won't work.
I also find it hard to type with, even now. It seems to miss a few characters from time to time. Not just one, but two or three. So you have to watch what you type.
SCREEN
The screen has a nice little stand that lifts out from the bottom. This looks nice if you've got the screen detached from the keyboard and you want to put the screen on a counter, but the angle is wrong there, and it's wrong when it's on your lap. I often type with the stand tucked away and the whole computer (screen and keyboard) laid out flat on my lap.
The Shift key is shifted to the right of where my right little finger wants to type, so I've developed a kind of awkward claw position to use it.
There are function keys, but you have to use the Fn key to get them. Functions like volume up, or volume down or pause play have precedence. They are the default, just the reverse of what I'm used to.
MOUSE
It's a mouse pad, and it works well enough, but I often hit it with my thumb while I'm typing and this puts the cursor somewhere else on the screen.
PORTS
There is only one USB connector. It's not enough. No Ethernet port. No VGA. There is a small port that I believe is mini HDMI, but I'm not sure.
WINDOWS 8
Metro makes sense on a touchscreen. It's nice. I like it. But I find myself having to hunt for things a lot, even after a month of using it. I may get used to it.
The touch screen is great. I like it a lot. There are a lot of times when just reaching for the button is faster and easier than using a mouse. I switch back and forth without too much trouble now.
Copy and paste is a little tedious with touch. You first touch the position where you want to begin or end. That puts up two bubbles, next to each other. You then touch the same spot again and drag left or right. It works, even pretty well, once you get used to it.
Right click menus can be accessed by touching and holding.
I think touch screens are here to stay and will become standard equipment on most computers.
SWITCHING APPS
Where Windows 7 and below allow you to click on a window and bring it forward, Win8 wants you to use touch. This works well once you learn how to do it. Open windows are always available by swiping from the left. I'm not sure it's better, but it is different.
BOTTOM LINE
I don't like it well enough to continue, so I'm looking for a better touch screen Win8 computer. I like the detachable screen concept so you have a tablet when you want one and a notebook when you need to type.
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Topic: Surface Pro (Read 16093 times)