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skofarrell Nov 22, 2012 8:36 pm


Originally Posted by ScottC (Post 19729483)

Runs Windows...x86 compatible...C: drive....registry.... From the website: "A Full PC Experience" :)

Just because it has a touch screen doesn't make it a tablet. How is it not a PC?

planemechanic Nov 22, 2012 8:44 pm


Originally Posted by skofarrell (Post 19731597)
Just because it has a touch screen doesn't make it a tablet. How is it not a PC?

Same question can be asked of the iPad. Many do consider it a PC and count it in the sales totals for PC's. The line is really getting blurred on both sides.

1010101 Nov 22, 2012 8:51 pm


Originally Posted by skofarrell (Post 19731597)
Runs Windows...x86 compatible...C: drive....registry.... From the website: "A Full PC Experience" :)

Just because it has a touch screen doesn't make it a tablet. How is it not a PC?

The very latest convertibles (to give them their official name) running Windows 8 have erased the boundary separating tablet and PC and are now one and the same. The only thing holding the iPad back is the file storage system, which will need to be rectified in the iPad 5. I would imagine the next MacPro release will be touchscreen and before long the iPad will be running a version of OSX.

Landing Gear Nov 22, 2012 11:18 pm


Originally Posted by rybob1 (Post 19692249)
This doesn't even deserve the usual 15 minutes of fame...this lawyer's 30 seconds are up, and I hope a judge dismisses this pretty quick. I really don't see how the judge can do anything but dismiss.

And you got all this out of the AP article that cordelli posted? Okay, Prof. Miller, on what grounds would the judge be compelled to dismiss?

ScottC Nov 23, 2012 12:50 pm


Originally Posted by skofarrell (Post 19731597)
Runs Windows...x86 compatible...C: drive....registry.... From the website: "A Full PC Experience" :)

Just because it has a touch screen doesn't make it a tablet. How is it not a PC?

10 hour battery life, as light as my Android tablet. I'm calling it a tablet. Just like I wouldn't call my laptop or Ultrabook a "PC".

skofarrell Nov 24, 2012 8:44 am


Originally Posted by phol (Post 19731646)
The very latest convertibles (to give them their official name) running Windows 8 have erased the boundary separating tablet and PC and are now one and the same. The only thing holding the iPad back is the file storage system, which will need to be rectified in the iPad 5. I would imagine the next MacPro release will be touchscreen and before long the iPad will be running a version of OSX.

There's no question that a tablet and a PC are both computers. But the separation between the class of computers currently called Tablets and PCs running windows 8 are clear.

A tablet uses touch exclusively, there's no keyboard, no mouse. Apps are optimized for the smaller screen, with a conscious effort on the user experience side to optimize the application for the limitations of a smaller screen. The OS is smaller, there's no need to run antivirus protection, or any of the other "helper" apps that litter the tray. The filesystem is app centric and not PC centric. Again, to help with the limitations of the smaller screen, not as a 'one size fits all' compromise.

Taking a PC and slapping Metro on it, with a mouse, and the underlying 12gb of Windows OS underneath the covers, and slapping it onto a thin device with a touch screen doesn't make it a "tablet". The tablet expericance is more about the apps that the hardware. This is why ScottC dumped his surface. Loved the hardware, hated the apps. Running PC/Win8 apps on a smaller screen isn't going to be fun in the long run...

I'm questioning how much a user is going to use the PC as a "tablet" and how much they are going to use it in a cradle, with monitor, mouse and keyboard attached. If the majority is the latter, they better off with a more powerful desktop, and a true tablet to take with them when they are away from their desk.

I'm not anti "PC". I just think Windows 8 is severely flawed.

skofarrell Nov 24, 2012 8:52 am

More bad news for Windows 8, this time from the usability side.

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/windows-8.html

WC_EEND Nov 24, 2012 1:40 pm


Originally Posted by skofarrell (Post 19737455)
More bad news for Windows 8, this time from the usability side.

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/windows-8.html

Then I guess I am one of very few people who actually think Windows 8 is better on a desktop than 7.
Main reasons include: big speed boost compared to 7, the split screen thing is a stroke of pure genious, way better task manager and less annoying updates.
I actually think 8 is better than 7 in just about any aspect and, granted, there is a learning curve, but it took me all of about 2 days and that was it (being young helps here I think).

Landing Gear Nov 24, 2012 3:10 pm


Originally Posted by skofarrell (Post 19737420)
Running PC/Win8 apps on a smaller screen isn't going to be fun in the long run...


Are you suggesting there is some reason it would not be good to run Outlook on a tablet? I run Outlook on my Sony TT which has, I estimate, a 10.5 inch screen. (I realize I pulled one sentence out of your post but it caught my eyer.)

skofarrell Nov 24, 2012 4:08 pm


Originally Posted by Landing Gear (Post 19738869)
Are you suggesting there is some reason it would not be good to run Outlook on a tablet? I run Outlook on my Sony TT which has, I estimate, a 10.5 inch screen. (I realize I pulled one sentence out of your post but it caught my eyer.)

I'm not saying that every single app that was designed to run on a larger screen with a mouse and keyboard interface is going to suck on a tablet.

I'm just saying I'd prefer to run apps that are designed from the ground up to be run on a touch interface with a smaller screen and screen based keyboard.

Jimmie76 Nov 24, 2012 7:06 pm


Originally Posted by WC_EEND (Post 19738523)
Then I guess I am one of very few people who actually think Windows 8 is better on a desktop than 7.
Main reasons include: big speed boost compared to 7, the split screen thing is a stroke of pure genious, way better task manager and less annoying updates.
I actually think 8 is better than 7 in just about any aspect and, granted, there is a learning curve, but it took me all of about 2 days and that was it (being young helps here I think).

Are you saying that the Metro Modern interface split screen thing where your two (and only two) apps are side by side in either a i)80:20 or ii) 20:80 arrangement is genius? Because if you are then I have a few questions:

I can't run more than 2 apps on the screen at the same time, I can run desktop as the second app and have many programs open on there but if I want to use native apps, natch. Is this really a benefit and if so why? Why is it a benefit for all Modern apps to run in full screen (or 80:20) only? Also running a monitor (or tablet like the Surface, although monitors are usually bigger) in portrait mode means that you can't have the 80:20 split screen, even if you want to.

Why do I have to have the i) or ii) arrangement and why can't I have 50:50 so there might be useable info visible on both apps, or allow things to split and sit vertically one above the other instead of horizontally side by side so it would work in portrait mode?

And if I have the desktop why do I need the modern interface at all on a PC? On a tablet this is an obvious thing, far more natural to tap a tile than a small start button and then navigate through the menu using your finger as the input device. However it seems wasted on a desktop pc where I may have a much larger display, and a smaller, more accurate pointing device - the cursor than my chubby finger.

If you downloaded the developers preview and were prepared to access the registry and do a tiny bit of tinkering you could have the traditional desktop "start menu" interface. W8 was better, faster had handy new and improved features in that case but it sort of lost me when they removed that option. Yes you can install Classic Shell or something like it but why bother with the OS at all - is this the Microsoft "New Coke" moment and they're going to come out in a few months and say sorry and reinstate the start button.

Landing Gear Nov 24, 2012 9:31 pm


Originally Posted by skofarrell (Post 19739065)
I'm not saying that every single app that was designed to run on a larger screen with a mouse and keyboard interface is going to suck on a tablet.

I'm just saying I'd prefer to run apps that are designed from the ground up to be run on a touch interface with a smaller screen and screen based keyboard.

You mean like Mail for iOS 6? :)

skofarrell Nov 24, 2012 9:59 pm


Originally Posted by Landing Gear (Post 19740150)
You mean like Mail for iOS 6? :)

I use the iOS 6 mail app on my iPhone and iPad daily. I also use Sparrow on my iPhone. They both work for me.

Outlook is also used daily on my Mac, but it has lots of features, and those features would be pretty tough to use on an iPad/Surface sized screen.

Landing Gear Nov 24, 2012 11:31 pm


Originally Posted by skofarrell (Post 19740221)
I use the iOS 6 mail app on my iPhone and iPad daily. I also use Sparrow on my iPhone. They both work for me.

Outlook is also used daily on my Mac, but it has lots of features, and those features would be pretty tough to use on an iPad/Surface sized screen.

I don't know anything about Sparrow but I use the iOS 6 Mail app on my iPhone because that's all I have. Here are some of the things I despise about it:
1. No way to hold a message; when it scrolls off, it disappears;

2. Limit of 1,000 messages. That's three days for me. I have lots of memory on my phone going unused.

3. No way to request a receipt.

4. No way to choose multiple signatures.

5. No way to change fonts, styles or colors.
Is that enough? :)

cordelli Nov 29, 2012 12:05 pm

Ever since the Surface tablet was released from Microsoft, we’ve only been more and more curious about their upcoming Pro version. Finally, the Redmond-based company has released details about the upcoming tablet for power users, including pricing and availability. Starting in January, you’ll be able to grab a Surface Pro starting at $899 for the 64GB version and $999 for the 128GB variant.

The $899 and $999 models will be the “standalone” versions, meaning you’ll have to crank out more cash if you want the keyboard attachment. However, it’ll come with the pen/stylus in the box. As you can see, the device looks very similar to the regular Surface tablet, including the same type of casing and built-in kickstand. Plus, it also boasts the same 10.6-inch display with the 16:9 aspect ratio.


http://www.slashgear.com/microsoft-s...-899-29258954/


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