Microsoft Surface Pro

[erodger]

So I sold my old laptop because I was not getting any use out of it and being at school I like to walk around lots and a laptop plus notes can give your shoulders an ache when carrying a backpack. I never game on it as much because I got my desktop. So I am looking for a small and light device that will do some word processing and web browsing. I am a writer so Windows 8 seems to be perfect for me as I can use office.

I had bought the Asus Vivotab Smart recently because I saw it looked pretty nice with the transleeve cover. however that cover has not been released in canada and I think even the availability of it is lacking in the states from what I see online. Makes me really wonder why Asus brought out a product with no accessories. And also in Canada, its advertised as a tablet available for a limited time so that frightens me more. Nonetheless, my current vivotab smart is returned and I am now shopping around for another tablet/laptop.

I was considering the surface for a long time. But now I see the surface pro is available. The specs on it is great and it competes nicely with the ultrabooks on the market. I enjoyed using windows 8 with touch so I know I will enjoy the tablet side of things. The big downside I see to this product is the battery life. I am use to a laptop lasting a small amount but a little iffy on it for a tablet.

But it still does attract me and I am interested in some opinions.

Anyone have experience with the Surface Pro or RT and wish to share and help me decide which one is worth it?

 

[erodger]

The Surface Pro is like a notebook. The RT is definitely tied to the microsoft store. Notebooks generally have a 4-5 hours of battery life anyways so Surface Pro wouldnt be left out in that respect. The touch screen capability is really nice.

Another option would be to dive into the world of mac's but I do like my windows OS. Like I enjoyed the experience with the vivotab smart but it is under powered and the lack of keyboard availability sucks.

I am really leaning onto that surface pro for portability.

Like I said I dont really need anything powerful as I had just built a desktop (i5-3570k, 8gb cosair vengeance, evga gtx 660 ti, asus p8z77v-pro) so for gaming I will be happy for awhile.

 

[Soda-88]

I dont like the fact that all software must come from the microsoft store.
It should have a nice battery life.
I would be looking at a notebook for your needs.

What? Surface Pro is x86 tablet with full blown desktop version of Windows 8. You can install anything you'd install on desktop.

 

[erodger]

What? Surface Pro is x86 tablet with full blown desktop version of Windows 8. You can install anything you'd install on desktop.

I think its because my original question was regarding RT or should I spend more for Pro. I think it will be worth it judging by the prices of other laptops and the portability. Basically the same price for a macbook Air in which I will have windows and office already available to install on to it.

 

[jaguarskx]

Perhaps a convertible ultrabook like the 12.5" Dell XPS 12:

http/www.dell.com/us/p/xps-12-l221x/pd?~ck=mn&~ck=mn

Or a 13.3" Lenovo Yoga:

http/shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087&current-category-id=1A4B81C8AC677A5FB11849005C1752B5#.UNzEqqzWxc4

There is also the anticipated 13.3" Asus Transformer Book that has yet to have an official release date. It is a Win 8 tablet/laptop combo with a detachable keyboard. Estimated price for the Core i5 version is $1,300 while a Core i7 is $1,500. Not sure if that's a dual core or quad core i7. Based on the price difference I assume it is the quad core version of the Core i7 with the "QM" designation.

 

[Alabalcho]

Being a writer, there is one big difference between both Surface's: While RT includes Office, Pro does not, so you will either have to buy it (hopefully, you're student so you can get it cheap), or install something compatible.

If I was you - for school work Surface RT should be the perfect one, being lighter, and with better battery life.

 

[erodger]

I have office already and if needed I could get that office 365 university. I do not really like being tied down in the RT version.

 

[erodger]

I picked up a Surface Pro. Will try it out. The store has a good return policy so if It ends up not being my thing then I will just return it. But I am excited to be holding it. I picked up the type keyboard because after looking at the touch keyboard cover, looks like it will be difficult to type on.

 

[Brett928S2]

Best answer selected by Brett928S2.

 

[Brett928S2]

This topic has been closed by Brett928S2