Showing posts with label microsoft tablet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label microsoft tablet. Show all posts

Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom 64GB Tablet REVIEW

6:32:00 PM

Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom 64GB  Tablet

dear visitors today i will going  to review for you this tablet form microsoft


Microsoft Surface 3  Main uses:


- Scribbling on Sketchpad or Sketchbook
- Writing notes with One Note
- Reading online articles and surfing the web
- Using online language tutoring programs (you can have the tutoring software in one part of the tablet, and One Note in the other part, which is great~)
- Remote desktop applications
- Listening to music through iHeartRadio

Main things I love about Microsoft Surface 3:


- The pen. I have been searching for an active digitizer tablet that was light, shaped similarly to a sheet of paper, and within my price range. This device offers all of that, and much more.
- IE metro. Compared to all of my other devices, this browser is devilishly fast!
- Discreet, yet powerful speakers. They don't have the same quality as a high class system, but they don't sound tinny. That makes me exceedingly happy, because I love using my tablets to play music while I'm chilling at home.
- Windows 8.1 on a tablet. I believe the Surface team when they say that the Surface is supposed to be a stage for Windows 8. Many of the gestures make sense once you figure them out. Luckily it was fun to figure them out~
- ~ 8 to 10 hours of battery life. With mixed loads of surfing the web and annotating documents, I lost about 10-15% of battery per hour. That's similar to the battery drain on my iPad. I do a lot of annotating and note taking with my iPad.

Main concerns:


- Slow recharge time. It charges ~20-30% per hour. I have not measured how fast it charges when it is turned off, but I assume that it would be faster. This is fine for people who charge their devices at night. Edit: I tried charging it turned off, and it charged ~35% per hour. It's not perfect, but it helps in a jiffy.
- Loose charger. It is not magnetic, and can be very wiggly. I like the fact that I can use my cell phone charger on it, but I would preferred that the charger sat more flush with the device.
- Possible heating issues. While it has yet to get as hot as my iPad 4 does, the area where the processor is does get toasty. The tablet did get severely hot during the first round of updates. I got around this by using my Thermaltake portable fan to cool it while it was updating.
- Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom Battery life. Like with all tablets, battery life drains faster with higher brightness levels and intensive processor usage. I have used the lowest brightness setting because it is the easiest on my eyes, and what I am doing with it is not intensive. I also do not use Google Chrome or Firefox. I have no need for my bookmarks to be linked on my tablets. That's mostly due to my iPad training.

After working with the Surface, I do believe that I could have chosen a 64 GB edition with 2 GB of RAM and would have not missed anything. I usually only have two applications up at one time on my tablets, maybe three. I always advocate that people should get what they need. If you don't know if one model is enough, try it out or buy the improved version (in this case, the 128 GB edition). There were no demonstration units near me during the time I preordered it, so I decided to be safe. Also, I didn't have to have the keyboard. It's a great keyboard, a wonderful cover, but I can easily use the onscreen keyboard. In addition, the USB port allows for me to plug the Surface into my USB hub, which has a full-sized keyboard and mouse on it. I don't type with my tablet when I'm on the go, I write on it!

Overall, I love my surface! I will be certain to update along the way if I run into any issues or what-not.
  in the last word about this tablet

- Windows 8.1 Core has some basic power settings, but it doesn't give you the full range of options. I found this out while trying to chase down my screen brightness weirdness. When the system was logged in and sitting for a bit, it would brighten. I had turned off auto-brightness at this point, so I knew it wasn't that. In the 'Advanced' part of the power management menu, I noticed an option for dimming the screen. It can be set from 0 % to 100 %, but it can't be turned off. I set it to 0 %, and the brightness weirdness disappeared.

- Typing in Google Docs on IE was laggy. I feared that my keyboard was messed up, but I realized that I had to type slower for Google Docs to register my keystrokes. In addition, there were sizing discrepancies between the Surface and my desktop. The Google Doc pages on the Surface seemed to have around half an inch taken away from the bottom. I have no idea why there was a difference, but I greatly enjoyed being able to use two devices to tackle the report (the document on Google Docs was a group report).

- Cheap plastic screen protectors can make the pen unusable. I used a spare, resizable screen protector that I had laying around. I thought that I was going to ruin the pen when I was writing on it. I'm looking for a better screen protector because I am hard on my devices...

- The Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom fits inside Solo's Urban Ultra Slimfolio. This was meant for 13 inch laptops. It is a tighter fit than I was expecting, but the case holds the Surface, my notebook, a pen, my Kindle, a Bluetooth mouse, and the Surface's charger easily.


 Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom photos

Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom

Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom

Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom

Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom

Microsoft Surface 3 Intel Atom





Microsoft surface pro 2 review

3:52:00 PM

Microsoft surface pro 2 review

SUMMARY about   Microsoft surface pro 2

 Intel 4th Generation Core i511 Inch High-definition widescreen 10-point multitouch screen with ClearType technology (1920 x 1080) 
128GB Storage Capacity, 4GB Memory
1 x USB 3.0, Mini Display Port Output, Touchscreen, Headphone Jack, MicroSDXC card reader, Windows 8.1 Pro

The tablet portion itself works great in pretty much every regard, has decent battery life, and is well designed (Outside of the pen dock being the power connection as well).

The accessories are less spectacular though. The keys get stuck on the type keyboard, and the mouse is uncomfortable to use for long periods (Just plan to get a bluetooth mouse). The docking station is hard to find. Customer service from the Microsoft store is less than stellar at times as well.

PROS  of Microsoft surface pro 2

  It runs very smoothly even when doing more complicated things like excel spreadsheets with heavy duty calculations.

Microsoft surface pro 2 screen looks great and doesn't have any crazy discoloration issues like the Yoga 2 and Samsung ultrabooks. The 1080p screen is just fine for the size as well.

  Windows 8.1 is significantly better than 8.0. Changing device settings is noticeably easier, the included mail/calendar type apps are much better now, and the general flow of its usage feels good to me. Although, I'm sure this is a matter of taste.

 The pen works really well for the most part. My wife owns a galaxy note 8" as well, and the Surface's pen feels better in your hands and has a built in eraser. There are some issues, but I'll talk about them in the cons. Touch input is smooth as well.

Microsoft surface pro 2   really well made. I've used a ton of laptops and none of them have felt this sturdy. Sure, some of the talk about how everything sounds like a luxury car is fairly ridiculous, but not a single thing feels flimsy or easily breakable like the 8" note or something.

 I know that others have commented on the weight, but this is really a matter of interpretation. I still use my ipad if I need to travel really light and need a longer battery life, but if I need something for any sort of productivity work then the Surface has definitely become my go to system. In this sense I expect it to be a bit heftier because it does so much more. I found that flipping out the stand while you hold it makes it much easier to hold as well.

 You aren't going to get 12 hours of battery life out of this, but you will get 6-7 if you use it like I do. I'm very happy with that.

CONS of Microsoft surface pro 2


 The keyboard is terrible. After only a week the keys have started sticking on me, and more than a few times I have found myself hitting multiple keys to figure out which it is. Even stranger is that sometimes it will just stop responding at all until you find the stuck key.

Also, the touch mouse is just a pain to use. It will randomly stop doing two finger scrolling, but if you barely touch the thing it will start randomly clicking things. This gets annoying when you are using the pen or something and suddenly it jumps to another program. If I use it a lot it rubs my finger raw as well since it isn't smooth. I ended up buying an arc mouse.
The worst is that there is no keyboard support at all when trying to get into safe mode. A work program I installed crashed Windows, and when I got to the screen where you choose what type of safe mode you wanted to enter I couldn't choose a number. That was with a usb keyboard and the surface one.

  The pen should have it's own dock. End of story. It is ridiculous that it uses the same spot as the power cord connector. So, anytime your computer is plugged in you need to find a place to store the pen if you aren't using it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that this results in losing/misplacing the pen eventually.

Also, Microsoft surface pro 2 doesn't always do a good job of turning off touch input when you use the pen. This get's pretty annoying at times when you are writing something and suddenly the pen stops working. Then when you lift your hand your palm drew something.

 I want the docking station for work, but it is impossible to find unless you want to spend $300+ on ebay. I would be okay with waiting, but Microsoft's policy on the dock is ridiculous. I called my local store to ask if they had any, and they will not tell you if they have them in stock or not. You have to drive to the store to find out if they have them at all. I was told that they do this because they cannot guarantee that it will be there because it sells out so quickly, but if your system says you have zero docks then there is absolutely no reason to make me waste my time driving there. I drove to the store and found out that they hadn't had them for over a week. Terrible customer service.

HOW I USE  Microsoft surface pro 2

 Web design (Coding using Sublime Text mostly. I haven't tried photoshop or anything on it.)
 General computer use (Web, e-mail, twitter, etc.)
 Taking notes for my night class (Onenote is amazing on windows with pen input and a rear camera. The surface does not disappoint).

 Microsoft surface pro 2 photo

Microsoft surface pro 2 review










Microsoft Surface Pro 3 128 GB, Intel Core i5 full tablet review

5:14:00 PM

 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 128 GB, Intel Core i5 full tablet review


 I am happy to say that the microsoft surface pro 3 review has improved on a lot of those limitations. It is an overall better experience. In this review I intend to give you an idea of what it feels to use the Surface Pro 3 and at the same time compare it with the Surface Pro 2 in case you are deciding to purchase that one.

microsoft surface pro 3 Pros-

1. Big beautiful and responsive display.
2. Very fast and fluid.
3. Very thin and light design.
4. Much improved keyboard.
5. Kickstand is better than ever.

microsoft surface pro 3  Cons-

1. Only a single USB port.
2. Can get pretty hot with intense use.
3. Price.
4. The app store is still very limited.
5. Battery life is still not optimal for tablet use.

 lets start this review

microsoft surface pro 3  Pros-

1. As soon as you take a look at the microsoft surface pro 3 the first thing you will notice is how much bigger it is in comparison to   Microsoft surface pro 2. The display in the Surface Pro 3 has been increased to 12 inches and it makes a big difference in the user experience. Running the laptop in desktop mode is much more enjoyable now. The new 3:2 aspect ratio is much better optimized to use with the desktop applications for Windows. It makes for a more polished experience and comfortable experience. The Surface Pro 3 screen is also very responsive just like the Surface Pro 2 was. The resolution in the display was increased a little bit but I can't really notice much of a difference. Both of the displays have very nice color accuracy and look gorgeous. The only flaw I see in the display is that now all of the videos in Netflix, YouTube and media players have black bars on the top and bottom just like you see in modern TVs. The Surface Pro 2 did not have those borders. It is a real shame that the Surface Pro 3 is not taking advantage of the increased size of the display when it comes to videos. This appears to be because of the 3:2 ratio i mentioned before.

2. The experience on the microsoft surface pro 3 is very fast and fluid. It is much faster than any android tablet on the market or the Ipad for that matter. It is not a fair comparison though because the processor in the Surface Pro 3 is simply much faster than the one in the Ipad. The model I am using has a i5 processor that has been running wonderfully. Everything that I throw at it loads up in an instant. I have not experienced a single stutter in the last couple of weeks. I always have several applications running in the background such as Spottily and Utorrent. I also have a really bad habit of having 10-12 tabs opened in Google Chrome at all times. Not a problem with the Surface Pro 3. Honestly, it is not a problem for the Surface Pro 2 either. The boot times are pretty awesome too. You know how it takes your old computer a couple of minutes to boot up and have everything ready to use? If you buy a Surface Pro 3 your computer takes only about 15 seconds to have everything up and running and ready to use. The only thing I have not tested in this laptop has been gaming. I am fairly certain it can probably handle light games but will probably have a harder time handling heavy duty games since it doesn't have a dedicated graphic card. Maybe the i7 model can but I can't really say.

3. Another hardware improvement in the Surface Pro 3 over the Surface Pro 2 has been weight reduction and a much thinner design. The Surface Pro 2 looks like a fat brick compared to the new Surface Pro 3. The overall weight reduction is not dramatic but noticeable, especially when you are using it as a tablet. The Surface Pro 3 feels less dense than the previous model. It is still not as comfortable to use as an Ipad when you have it in tablet mode but it has definitely being improved. Browsing the web and reading the news in tablet mode is better than on the smaller Ipad. I had a hard time going back to my old Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 when I stopped using the Pro 3. It just feels small in comparison. If you were turned off by the aesthetic of the Surface Pro 2 then you will probably appreciate the improvements that the Surface Pro 3 brings to the table.

4. One of the weakest points that the Surface Pro 2 had last year was the keyboard. The Type Cover 2 from last year provided a nice typing experience but the track pad was a complete disaster. It was very small and uncomfortable to use. There was no way around it. This year however the track pad has received a big upgrade. The track pad is much bigger and the left and right buttons are much more tactile. Every time I had to do a right click on the Surface Pro 2 I wanted to throw the laptop out the balcony. It was that bad. The Pro 3 doesn't have that problem. Besides the extra size in the display this has been the biggest and most satisfying improvement that the Surface Pro 3 brings. The keyboard also has a magnet that connects itself to the laptop that raises the keys. It is a nice addition that makes the typing experience more comfortable.

5. The kickstand in the Surface Pro 3 provides a lot of flexibility over previous versions. This is how it should have been from the beginning. I can use the computer as a laptop just about anywhere now. It definitely provides more comfort when you are trying to use on your lap or while sitting on the bed. The improvement in the kickstand has made me use the computer more as a laptop than a tablet.

Cons-

1. One of the limitations that the microsoft surface pro 3 has is the lack of USB ports. I think it is ironic that Microsoft keeps advertising that the Surface Pro 3 as the tablet that can replace your laptop. Apparently they missed the memo that just about every laptop has at least two USB ports. This computer only has one. Sometimes I like to use a wireless mouse that comes with a USB receiver, that takes away the possibility of plugging in a USB flash drive or anything else. Microsoft opted to add a Mini Display Port that almost nobody is going to use as opposed to a second USB drive. This was one of my criticisms of the Surface Pro 2 and Microsoft still has not fixed it. It is really baffling.

2. The Surface Pro 3 is a pretty powerful computer that can handle some serious workload. Unfortunately one of the downsides is that it can get pretty hot with intensive use. This is not a problem when you are using it as a laptop with the kickstand because the heat is not placed in your lap but it can be irritating when being used as a tablet. The hot spot is located in the top right corner of the laptop when used in landscape mode. It becomes more manageable when used in portrait mode. You learn to adjust after a while.

3. The microsoft surface pro 3 is a very fast, very nice and very expensive laptop. The entry level price of the laptop starts at $799 dollars and that is without the keyboard included. The keyboard is going to cost you an extra $130 dollars. If you are a student don't forget there is a 10% discount on both the keyboard and the computer if you buy it directly from Windows. I am not sure if other retailers like Best Buy are offering a price match on that promotion. All of the accessories that Microsoft sells for the Surface Pro 3 are just as expensive. One word of CAUTION with the $799 model. It only comes with 64 GB of storage out of which only about half of is usable. But not only that, the updates that Microsoft releases monthly take a lot of storage over the life of the tablet. I made the mistake of purchasing the 64 GB model with the Pro 2 and it ended up being a mistake. After 6 months I only had about 11 GB left. The laptop comes with a Micro SD card slow where you can store movies and pictures but the Microsoft Updates have to be stored on the hard drive, there is no way around it. The $999 model comes with double the storage and a better processor. It is a better value for your money.

4. Another year has passed and Microsoft still has not managed to improve the App Store. It is still lacking. It is very inferior to the Google Play Store and the IOS App Store. The advantage the Surface Pro 3 has is you can install any Windows legacy program that you want. That includes the full Microsoft Office suite. The lack of quality apps on the Microsoft Store is going to be a turn off for those of you that plan to use this computer more as a tablet than a laptop.

5. The battery life in the Surface Pro 3 has been improved marginally over the Surface Pro 2. I would say it is about 15% better. I manage to get around 7 hours of use. That was while using it mostly for light things such as web browsing and listening to music. If you start streaming videos on Netflix and YouTube and crank up the brightness to 100% then it will last between 4-5 hours. That is average for modern ultrabook laptops but mediocre at best for tablets. I know the Ipad can easily handle 10 hours.








 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 photos

 

 

microsoft surface pro 3

microsoft surface pro 3

microsoft surface pro 3

 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 128 GB, Intel Core i5 full tablet review



In conclusion, the microsoft surface pro 3 features several improvements over its predecessor the Surface Pro 2. It has a gorgeous 12 inch display. Very fast processor and a much improved overall design. The body of the laptop is much thinner and lighter. The kickstand extends itself farther than in the past allowing for a more comfortable experience while using in the lap. The trackpad in the keyboard is bigger and more accurate than in the Surface Pro 2. There are some negatives like the lack of apps in the app store and only one USB port is available in the computer. Do I recommend this computer? I sure do. It is an excellent piece of hardware that is sure to please you whether you are doing work or play.

 




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