I wonder myself why they didn't opt for the Atom, but the Surface has probably been on the drawing board for at least 2 years, and a suitable Atom has only just come along to unexpectedly match ARM processors in performance and power consumption. Two things can happen. ARM can take up the gauntlet and try to outdo Intel by producing even faster, better, more power efficient processors (possibly spurred on by companies like Apple). Then Windows RT makes sense. Or Intel and ARM stay more or less neck-to-neck, but as more Windows apps become available, the dichotomy between Windows 8 and Windows RT on tablets becomes meaningless. As my geek relative observed: "What's the point of legacy software compatibility on tablets? Tablets are about moving forward, not backward." Another little observation: hitting CTRL on the simple screen keyboard reveals all the associated shortcut commands on the relevant keys.
I am excited about trying one out! Nexxo, when using the on screen keyboard does it auto-correct i to I when used in its singular form?
Thought of another question for you. Windows phone 8 has been having issues in various countries with google maps and google redirecting it to google's mobile site. While putting the phone in desktop browser mode makes it work for some, it doesn't work for all. I just wanted to know if the surface with RT has any issues, or if it's unaffected like the desktop versions.
Windows Phone 8 doesn't have problems with Google Maps, Google is filtering out the mobile IE browser due incompatible touch events. Surface has a standard IE10, not a mobile one, thus it is not affected.
Yes it does. Google maps works fine in both the desktop and Metro version of the browser. While we're on Google, although it has expressed reluctance to create any Windows apps of its services, there is a Google Search app. This, as far as I'm concerned, is the one Google app to have. It has voice search, so you can do that neat speak and thou shallt find thing that is advertised in the Nexus 7 commercial.
Have you tried music or video with the in built speakers yet, how are they and are they tinny at all?
Ah is that the reason why. I didn't know, I just saw a lot of very unhappy people on some WP8 forums. Wonder what the issues were since none of them seemed to have any issues before google started redirecting them. Oh well. This is available for W8 too - non RT.
They could be a bit louder, but they sound OK --I suspect comparable to the iPad. It behaves exactly the same as on my desktop PC browser.
Most of the good ARM chips are made by the companys themselfs not ARM Apple made there last chip, Samsung have for years as does Qualcomm. All just lease a Arm6/7 licence. Microsoft will either have to design a chip ( unlikely) buy 1 of samsungs or qualcomms ( the most likely). If they want to further there performance whilst maintaining battery life. If windows phone ever gets market share maybe ms will consider the cash it would take to make a decent high end arm chip. The most likely business intel will get is with apple eventually, they already have some pretty close knit distribution deals so would not be over complicated to get them to manufacture for them. Likely hood is tablet smartphone will end up with arm on one side and intels designs on the other, intel needs a big win you feel in the next year or so to make that happen. The surface I used in john Lewis nice device wether I'd buy it i just don't know. Don't really use the iPad I brought and prefer a laptop for typing on. Till a company can prove touch can out do a proper keyboard for typists I dou't ill ever buy another tablet product. Tablets are for entertainment end of really.
Forgot to answer this. I'm a self-taught touch typist. I don't use all ten fingers, but usually about eight and I rarely glance at the keyboard anymore.
It's interesting because a colleague once told me that, since he can't type very well using an on screen keyboard (which can drive me mad) would make no difference to him. Anyway, it helps to know what sort of typist someone is when interpreting their keyboard experiences. I'm not sure if its this thread or another that you said the touch cover was a decent enough keyboard.
I'm a pretty fast typist, and my impression is that on the Touch cover I am nearly as fast as on my full-size desktop keyboard. It certainly is no worse than typing on a laptop keyboard. Interestingly, the keyboard does not get thrown off by, say, resting your palms on the keys. By the way, the keyboard has a neoprene rubber sort of surface; pleasant and with the right kind of purchase and firmness. The Touchcover is stiff enough to rest even on fairly yielding surfaces. The back has a felt-like surface, so that when closed the device has kind of the appearance and feel of a moleskin notebook.
What needs to happen is the release of a new tablet every year offering a hardware refresh each time, then a mini version and perhaps even a pocket version. Each release needs to be treated like the second coming.
You might not have tried this but what's it like for image editing, I fancy something portable for photoshopping maybe even 3d modelling when they get more powerful.
Follow the software, then spec the hardware. If you need a version of Photoshop - real Adobe stuff - then you'll need something x86 and professional i5/i7 grade. They will get MUCH better when Haswell arrived. We pretty much sold every EP121/B121 we made to professionals who wanted 13" tablets in this spec, because it's closer to A4 than 10-11. It wasn't popular in the media but they were constantly on back-order. If you can make do with something else, look at what apps there are and buy into it accordingly.
Tried a few; at first glance it all works fine. How would I find out whether it is a limited version?
Well if those scripts work its fine I would say As for how to find out, I wouldn't know as I have never had to look it up
Surface RT can be jailbroken (but require to do at every restart, at the moment) http://surfsec.wordpress.com/2013/01/06/circumventing-windows-rts-code-integrity-mechanism/ So I guess, desktop ARM ready app soon? or at least homebrew (but that is something I doubt it, as Microsoft seams pretty open, and not even freak out with SNES emulator on it's store).
