The Surface Type...

 

Having had the Microsoft Surface for nearly a week, it's plain to see that it really isn't correct to call it a tablet in the truest sense of the word.

It's more like an ultrabook, more like a slate, more like a MacBook Air. With a touch screen.

Of course, being an ARM device, it has its limits.

For the duration I can't use any virtualization/emulation possible, so there's no way to get another operating system on it to bring back normal Windows functionality. Linux won't be installed in any way, shape or form on it.

That leaves the Windows Store apps and the hobbled desktop which will only run Office...and roughly 12GB of onboard user space.

Oh well, at least the store is starting to fill with more apps with each week. However, the selection for Twitter clients is still sparse. That's one category still a bit too sparse for my liking, since the majority of my computing needs revolve around using social media in emergency management. By contrast, there are enough apps for media which allow custom URLS, so my favourite CFA (Victorian Country Fire Authority) scanner feeds can be used on the Surface.

It's not too bad a device, but you have to be really sure what you're going to be using it for to get the best value out of it. It's clear if you want full Windows program usage, the Pro version is more the way to go. If you want good web programs, social media and content consumption, it's a reasonable little gadget.

Except it's not little.

My previous post I pointed out the size and aspect ratio make it a hefty thing to hold. So I'm spending my time using it more on tables and holding it in my lap on the couch rather than carrying it about and trying to hold it one-handed.

I've also invested in the Type cover as opposed to the Touch cover. It's clear just from the past hour of using the Type cover that it's the better of the two versions. It works straight way with no need to learn a new way of typing and doesn't really add that much extra to the thickness. It just feels more weirder when it's flipped back to use only the touch interface. I'm also hoping the keys are solidly attached as I can see some problems there when it's around the back of the device.

Office 2013 has a few features that aren't there, such as macros in Word, but otherwise it's great having it as part of the Surface productivity side of things. I'm also finding I use OneNote 2013 now since it's part of the suite and can see how that may end up being my most favoured desktop program side of things. I tend to read and research a lot, so it's a definite plus on any device like the Surface.

Apart from that, though, I'm not really spending much time on the desktop side of the Surface. I am adapting to using the Modern (Metro) interface relatively easily.

Quite simply though, I can't really see it being the greatest tablet Microsoft will ever make. For that, I'm waiting till later in the year when I see a 7" Windows tablet...when we see how the Modern Interface works at the size a lot of people are switching to.

A 7" Microsoft Surface with perhaps Windows Blue?

Yeah, I'd like to see that.

Testing the Surface...

It took a few months of saving but I finally managed to invest in a Microsoft Surface tablet.

Of course, my Surface had to be the one with a corner sitting a millimetre or two out from the back chassis, so it wasn't long before I headed back to get a replacement. The second one was carefully inspected before I left the store just to be on the safe side.

It's not the easiest tablet to hold. The 16:9 aspect for the 10-inch-plus size makes it a bit cumbersome to hold for any length of time, so it looks to be more usable sitting on a table using the kickstand.

I'll be doing a few more posts about it over the next few days.

If you have any questions about the ARM-powered Surface, ask way in the comments.

 

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iPad Mini Winning The Lead...

So it seems a few gadget spots on TV are pointing out which of the devices released just over a month ago are the most popular.

It's pretty clear Apple has scored the sleeper hit.

On a local Australian morning show today it was pointed out that the Mini is ranking highest on a lot of peoples' holiday wish lists.

And the Microsoft Surface?

Well...

Not so big a hit.

In between these are Google's Android offerings, the Nexus 7 and 10.

I'm not surprised.

It was the right time to bring the iPad Mini out and the size and weight of the device are clearly what all of us have been wanting. It's the iPad as we've all wanted it all along.

So it doesn't have a Retina display...big deal. It's still got a screen that beats out the iPad 2 even with mostly the same specs. I should know. I'm replacing an iPad 2 with the Mini. I can see the sharper picture on the Mini in contrast to the 2 at an instant glance.

It's also not surprising that the Surface and Windows RT tablets aren't quite as big, because they're still lacking a cohesive and unique identity. I have maintained that it would have been far better unlatching the RT version of the latest Windows from the desktop and just going with the Modern interface on its own.

But Microsoft didn't...and worst part is, there's still enough variance between Windows 8 on a computer and Windows RT on a touch tablet to be annoying.

I like the fact they think better at Apple...this is why the iPad stole the whole tablet market from Microsoft by making tablets cool, sexy and usable in a way that Microsoft Slates weren't.

As for the Nexus 7...well, I own a wifi-only model and even with Android 4.2., it hasn't been able to shove the iPad Mini out of my hand. The fact it has no front camera does make a bit of a drawback, but basically the Nexus has now been consigned to spare tablet status.

The Mini now holds my top spot for daily driver.

Ah, what Microsoft missed by not going with the Courier concept...

So Has The Surface Kicked iPad Mini's Butt Yet?

I've been reading today about how the sales of the Microsoft Surface tablet are going and by comparison with the iPad Mini.

Well...at this point of time the Mini is kicking the Surface's butt.

This isn't a surprise to me as the moment I first saw, touched and held an iPad Mini, I saw a winner. The tablet everyone wanted at, finally, the size everyone wanted.

Meantime, the Surface didn't know whether it was a tablet or a computer.

It's clear Apple thinks a bit harder about what it's doing, but then that's always been the case. The more thought put into a product the better it goes.

Well...Apple Maps aside...

Though I'm expecting the reshuffling at Apple to produce some great things there. Ive in charge of software and hardware design should be quite interesting to see and firing the executive in charge of Apple maps means we should soon get someone who works that out better.

Now the Mini is in the equation I expect also to see a lot more people heading to the Mini over the original-size versions.

So where does that leave Microsoft?

Let's face it...they were first to tablets, but didn't implement them correctly and ended up having only niches. Apple thought tablets through better and came out with the iPad and showed Microsoft how it was done.

Apple also worked out it was time to bring out the 7.9-inch Mini which is now coming across as a stroke of genius. In this regard they also read things better than Microsoft had. Lighter and smaller tablets were easier for people to carry and use.

Apple also worked out as yet it is not time to combine the desktop operating system with a mobile one. Nor would they ever bring out an implementation like Windows 8/RT without some adjustment first and a better way of doing it.

I'll give Microsoft points for heroic attempts to move forward...but the implementation is the part I've got to scratch my head on.

Let's look at the fact people still need desktops for some things, so the idea of the tablet interface on any part of Windows 8 for such computers (or laptops) would be bound to irritate. The design immediately wastes a lot of desktop screen room with excessively large print and a lot of wasted space.

It only makes sense on, say, a smartphone and I'm not quite sure it is suitable for a 10.1-inch tablet. Maybe a 7-inch, but...

And if you're going to have the desktop version and tablets have the same features...as I pointed out two days ago, at least have touch and mouse/keyboard operate the same. As I noted the other day, you expect the touch interface to bring up something when you move your finger over the bottom-left corner, as the mouse does on the Windows 8 version.

Nope, sorry Microsoft, but the market is deciding.

So back to the drawing board for another rethink and make sure to get a visionary.

I think that Microsoft really missed the boat not bringing out the Courier.

THAT was something original. I'd have bought a Courier easily. Surface? Doesn't float my boat as much.

And then there's the matter of pricing...again Microsoft misread the market.

So...I should take a survey on how many people thought the Courier concept was better.

What do you think, readers? Would they have succeeded better with the Courier device?

Looking At An RT Tablet...

The local Harvey Norman store had an Asus Windows RT tablet on sale, so a couple of times I've been there to see how it works.

I won't be buying it because it's $900+ Aussie dollars, due to including a keyboard dock like the Asus Transformer has.

However, I was surprised to find it doesn't work too much like Windows 8's mouse-and-keyboard.

I kept trying to use touch around the bottom-left corner to bring up things as I've done on my Windows 8 laptop. Except...nothing happened.

So if I were in an app or a desktop program, I couldn't use an identical way of switching back to the Start page.

The only way to bring the Start page back was to use the capacitive button on the bezel...or swipe right, then left to bring up the next open app and then the task switcher.

Of course, since Charms worked as they were supposed to, I could also go over to the Start shortcut in the charms.

This was kind of infuriating all the same.

It is bad enough that Windows 8 combines two entirely different types of interface...but to have such inconsistency between a Windows 8 computer and a Windows RT tablet? It spoilt the experience somewhat.

In the past week I've read how people are dealing with either the Windows 8 computers or their Surface tablets. Some have found the Surface a good kitchen device, but not much value for things they'd do more easily with an iPad.

Rotating to portrait mode sounds like it's slow, as a few reports have said, while others find it uncomfortable in a portrait-mode 16:9 aspect.

It's also pretty big and people are starting to head towards smaller tablets for a reason.

I think there's more chance of the device succeeding once they bring out something in the 7-inch range.

However, it's still not really hitting a home run yet.

It might have made sense if Microsoft had gone straight to tablets without trying to mix it with the desktop. There is really no problem with the Modern Interface for tablets...only when it's put on a desktop or laptop.

For all that new interface, though, Microsoft doesn't seem to really be adapting to the mobile model. It's still trying to be all things to all men (and women)...and not being consistent.

I would still consider they'd have done better if they advanced the desktop more and had an interface that was a step beyond Windows 7...and I would consider if they'd launched the RT variant seperate from that with the Modern Interface strictly only on tablets, that would have worked also.

And I still think they need a visionary there.

Then again, this is why Apple did better with tablets when Microsoft couldn't get them past being niche devices.

Apple thought it out better.

So...with a few of you now having had a few weeks play with Surface tablets, are you finding similar things?

And Sometimes Any Windows Needs A Clean Install...

So how did I got with the factory restore to my Windows 8 computer yesterday?

Well, the factory reset doesn't appear to have been as effective as perhaps a total reinstall. After it finished I was still left with NO Microsoft Security Essentials showing in the taskbar, Avast anti-virus occasionally showing as switched off, AVG stalled at 20% both on a definitions update and a rootkit scan...

Now it's a good thing the Acer Extensa is only a testbed computer and not one I'd be using for important stuff.

All from one generic little trojan that hid in the temp files created by a HP printer installation program.

It's a shame, though, because I still consider 8 one of the better Windows versions. However, for all the new security features the trojans still wreak havoc.

I keep hearing this idea that virus writers only target Windows because it is the biggest operating system in terms of market penetration...however the real reason is that it's the one that really came late to the security side of computing. Unixes started hardening their system security long before Windows ever did. While it's not impossible to have a trojan or a virus infect Unixes and Linuxes...it's a damn-sight harder than it is for the average Windows computer.

The biggest joke about early Windows was that your kid could wipe your whole system and render it inoperable simply because the whole Windows sytem was super-user permission.

And every virus and trojan writer knew it.

Okay, so that's changed a bit once they moved up to the NT branch of Windows...yet Windows computers are still ultimately more vulnerable.

So my poor Acer Extensa?

Only lasted two weeks before something clagged it.

Back to ye olde drawing board and a total clean install. The old-fashioned way.

Yep...Windows 8 is still a Windows and it's a good thing I don't rely on the Extensa...because if I did, the productivity drop caused by having to resolve this stupid problem would be massive.

And you wonder why people choose Macs after a few years of beating their heads against the wall with Windows...

Windows 8 Is Secure, But Not Impenetrable...

It finally happened that I had to do a factory reset on my Windows 8.  And only two weeks after it was first installed.

So what prompted this?

Believe it or not, it was a by-product of downloading the software for my HP Photosmart B110a. There was a generic trojan in the temporary files during installation.

This occurred in both the Windows 7 and Windows 8 versions of the HP software.

The trouble is, the HP installation software itself says to allow some files through. On my Windows 7, I ignored that and quarantined the trojan, hence there are no problems with my Windows 7. Following HP's directions over on the Windows 8, I was too trusting of it, let it through and suffered the consequences. Next time I'll believe my anti-virus program before an installation program.

It seems the first noticeable thing was that my Windows Security Essentials refused to work after that.

No amount of trouble-shooting could get it working again.

So I tried restore points, although it's not like that changed anything.

Soon I was having problems connecting to the internet through Chrome or Internet Explorer 9.

Thankfully I hadn't installed or created anything important on the Extensa except for one file I had to keep. So I networked that file over to the Windows 7, made sure I scanned it over on the other computer, then set about deciding what to do with the Extensa and Windows 8.

Oh well...first time to try out the new ways of fixing problems in the new version.

Of course, factory reset still requires your installation DVD for a few files. So out came that, slotted into the DVD drive and away it all went.

Right now the factory reset is up to 26% of the way. It's a slow process.

So I guess the next post will probably recount what happened next.

So...have any of the rest of you had to do a reset yet? Or have you found that as solid as the new OS is, some things still upset it?