Posted on 06/25/2012 8:17:09 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
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Built-In Kickstand:
Microsoft believes a stand should be an integral part of a tablet's design. (Take that, iPad!) The Surface's built-in kickstand is made of the same sturdy VaporMg material--more on this later--that encases the slate. "The hinge design is like that of the finest luxury car," said Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky, sounding a bit like a car salesman. The stand does look ideal for landscape-mode viewing. But how well will it work in portrait mode?
Skinny Genes:
You've gotta be thin to compete with the iPad. The Surface for Windows RT is 9.3 millimeters thick--or "thin," as the marketing folks are fond of saying. That's 0.1 millimeters thinner than the new iPad, not that you'll notice the difference. The Surface's edges are beveled back at 22 degrees, making the slate appear even slimmer than its specs might suggest. Surface is the first PC with a full magnesium case, making it light yet rigid, Redmond says.
Cover + Keyboard: The Surface's coolest feature isn't its 10.6-inch display or ultra-thin design, but rather the clever Touch Cover that's both a screen protector and a multi-touch keyboard. Just 3 millimeters thick--the Surface with Touch Cover attached measures a still-svelte 12 millimeters--the cover has a magnetic connector that secures it to the tablet.
The keyboard doubles as a track pad with left and right buttons, and has special keys for Windows 8's Metro interface. "On average, typing is twice as efficient as typing on glass," said Sinofsky. True? We'll have to wait a bit longer to find out.
(Excerpt) Read more at informationweek.com ...
We are still months away from actually seeing one. In my opinion, Microsoft made a blunder by announcing it so soon. Now Apple has a 5-month window to design their own version of the kickstand, keyboard cover, etc., and they might even get it out sooner.
That's a lot of heat to dissipate. Hopefully, they copied Apple's feature of having a heat sensor in the iPad that warns you of high temps (for when you use the machine at the beach in 100 degree sunshine). With the Surface Pro, highly unlikely you will even attempt using it at the beach.
No need. Apple released a cover with their iPad 2 that has magnetic catches (which Microsoft demonstrated that will be available for the Surface). I have found the magnetic catch system very useful on my iPad. The iPad cover folds into a triangle to support the iPad in landscape mode. Detach it by pulling the magnetic catches away, then lay the iPad on the triangle support in portrait position. Kudos to Microsoft for building in the kickstand; however, it won't help when you want to position the Surface in portrait mode at an easy angle. There are many external keyboard solutions already available for the iPad, even keyboard covers available from non-Apple sources.
That was caused by overloaded WIFI: 570 base stations operating in the room of press and audience reporting the event to others outside... not a failure of the hardware. Big difference again.
And you know what happened with the Surface tablet? I mean, since the other issue wasn’t apples fault obviously and the other issue is obviously going to be the baseline for every surface tablet...tell me how I was wrong? Did Apple have a problem or not? Did I say it was an issue with the iPhone? Did I? Again you are quick to defend Apple at every given turn.
Except that 140 watt is exceedingly false. He was basing that off of a standard i7 processor, not the i5 mobility core which is rated at 17 watts.
That’s a rather unfair comparison picture. For one...how many laptops are as thin and lightweight as the surface? That picture suggests that the Surface is no thinner or thicker than any laptop which is ludicrous.
At an easy angle? Whats that even mean? As far as the keyboard/cover thing goes..it’s designed with the surface and not secondary to it. In fact you won’t need a dongle or anything because the magnetic clip part is also a data and power port..Apple does not have that..and the keyboard attachments I have seen for the iPad aren’t really that impressive.
It means a slight angle. Flat down on a table top may be uncomfortable for viewing in portrait mode. The Surface, with the kickstand out, would sit at an uncomfortable 90 degrees in portrait mode. With the removable magnetic catch iPad 2 cover, you simply detach it from the iPad, rotate the iPad to portrait position and set it on the detached triangular iPad cover. It sits at perhaps 15 to 20 degrees angle off a table top. Makes for easy operating. I have both docking, and bluetooth keyboards, rarely use them as I find the touchscreen keyboard sufficient for 95 percent of activity. So okay, the Microsoft keyboard has a connection port. Bluetooth suffices for me most of the time, and is convenient for wireless keyboarding.
Where are you getting the 90 angle stuff from? MS stand kicks it at a 22 degree offset. Which is why they made the camera able to adjust to that 22 degree offset.
Not a single picture of the device in kickstand mode shows it at 90 degrees. That’s simply FUD.
The surface completely locked up. The device was totally non-responsive. Your implication was that Apple had a similar equipment failure. In the Apple demo two different iPhone could not connect to WIFI because of an overloaded network. The problem was solved by having the audience turn their devices off so the demo could proceed. Again no equipment failure occurred. I merely set the record straight, correcting your innuendo with facts for those who did not bother to follow the link.
You just don’t get it. I figured you were muddled with your Apple worshipping but geeze. The point was demos have problems, especially when they are live. You need to stop getting so butt hurt. We know, and everyone knows, that you are simply an Apple troll, but lets be honest here THIS is a thread about a MS product with Apple TROLLS looking to bad mouth the product. You had to specifically search for this topic(it was hours ago when it first posted) which means you were actively working on behalf of Apple to downplay this. How much do they pay you?
And there the MIcrosoft supporter starts in with the ad homenem attacks. I did not attack you personally, but you attack me personally. I did not search this thread out. I am not "butt hurt" as you so crudely and insultinly put it. It was pointed out to me by a fellow Freeper, but you jump to conclusions and build a house of ad hominem accusation cards against me rebutting your innuendo about Apple having equipment failure issues at product announcements when they do not.
Lighten up francis.
You blatantly accused me of something,and wouldn’t drop it.No dice hack. If you don’t want an ad hominem attack then don’t present such an easy target. I am such a MS supporter that I bought my brain-damaged niece an iPad, her sister an android tablet, myself an android tablet and use an HTC Evo phone. I doubt you’ve ever looked past Apple ecosystem.
FUD? Read what I wrote three times and concentrate. Portrait mode is where the short side is the base. All pictures have shown the kickstand out with the long side of the Surface as the base. There is no practical way of standing the Surface on the short side, with the kickstand out, that would achieve anything other than a 90 degree angle of the screen to the table top. Darn uncomfortable viewing. Why people cast out the FUD statement before concentrating on what is written, is simply their own use of FUD!
Incidentally, a shortcoming of the Surface keyboard cover is that it only works in landscape mode. There are times when one wishes to type while in portrait mode. If you don't know what that is, it is where the short side of the Surface is down and the long sides are left and right of the viewing area. This is where a wireless keyboard comes in handy, as it can be used in either orientation.
I’m very happy with my Samsung Galaxy 10.1” tab... excellent device.
I agree. Found it pretty tiresome too.
Chuckle!
Just did a erach on iPhone and iPad at FR going back...a heck of a lot of posts(or advertsiong as you call it. Just a cursey look so far, but I am yet t see you call any of the countless iPad/iPhone boosting posts at Fr as advertsisng...Just saying.
Meanwhile, you know of course that you are free to read or not read whatever you like at FR don't you?
Last time I looked, no one has out a gun to your head and ordered you to read posts on Microsoft surface.
“A product that does not exist cannot have “cool features”. “
True. Like a car that travels at 10,000 miles per hour does not exist. However, the Surface tablet DOES exist. Some of the top tech journalists(including those from Wired) have actually had hands on with it.
In order to exist as a real product, a device must a) have a price, and b) be available for purchase.”
Ummm no. Plenty of items exist that you can't buy if you wanted to buy it/one. For example, the Mona Lisa certainly exists, but then you still couldn't buy it if you had all the money in the world.
In the video games console industry, Nintendo first showed the Wii to the press, demoing plenty of upcoming Wii games, etc, but never mentioned specs, price or release date. The Wii then went on to become one of the most successful video game consoles ever.
Same thing with the PS2 and PS3 announcements from Sony. They fisrt announce/demo it(usually at the huge E3 exposition or the Tokyo Game show), with no price or release date, then announce the ice and release date much closer to launch. Nothing wrong with any of that. The PS2 went on to become the top selling video game console of all time despite that preannouncement.
Just this month, Nintendo announced(and demoed) their new gee whiz new console, the Wii U, which will go on sale this coming holidays. was there any mention of price/shipping date or specs? Nope. Does it mean the Wii U is vaporware that Nintendo will not ship? Nope. Everyone expects the Wii U to be available in the shops this coming holidays, as usual. .
Back to your little rant, if you don't like a subject/thread/company, DON'T READ IT.
There are plenty of threads on FR that I don't read. Time is too limited.
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