Very excited about Surface Pro 2

J-Will said:
I think this falls in line with my foresight as well. However depending on your take, MS has a history of crapping the bed or Apple pulls a marvelous marketing stunt- case in point Zune. Zune was arguably the better device hardware wise albeit a bit less sexy.
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I still have 2 HDs (16 and 32) and are my daily driver media players. The sound kills that of my iPhone, and I get DAYS of battery.
 
J-Will said:
From the keynote, Apple attempted to show off the power of the A7, even calling it a desktop class chip. Even playing into the 64-bit capability. This is not only a joke, but an acknowledgement of the threat Windows OS based devices pose which I believe the Surface specifically tops the lists for Apple. So to single out MS as "trying to frame the tablet market in terms of productivity" is again playing into your bias. Both companies do it, MS just has a powerful and well known suite to back up their claims. Give it to them, as Apple touts their Stores. When its deserved, its deserved.
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I don't think there are any huge disagreements with what you've said, but I do want to touch on this. I think you're somewhat overstating Apple's position here. It's undoubtedly marketing bluster and addresses Microsoft's concerns, but I don't think Apple is exactly quaking in its boots. It's also not strictly a "joke" when the A7 is generally faster than the Tegra 4.

Also: I actually think the new Surface tablets are solid devices, and I wouldn't mind owning one. I just think they're not as universally appealing and useful as Microsoft and some fans make them out to be, particularly the Surface 2. Microsoft sincerely believes that being PC-like automatically makes a tablet better for everyone, in all situations; I'm of the view that PC qualities only make sense if you're getting everything that they promise (i.e. all desktop apps), that they're easy to understand and that they fit real lifestyles.
 
I'm trying to find a good mouse for the surface pro

I want to do some light gaming on the go, and some basic desktop functions with it.

I'm thinking about a bluetooth mouse, as to not occupy the one and only USB spot.
I want one that isn't touch, or some crap like that. I like my G500's ability to do a fastscroll/slow scroll and the back/forward browser buttons.
 
DF-1 said:
I'm trying to find a good mouse for the surface pro

I want to do some light gaming on the go, and some basic desktop functions with it.

I'm thinking about a bluetooth mouse, as to not occupy the one and only USB spot.
I want one that isn't touch, or some crap like that. I like my G500's ability to do a fastscroll/slow scroll and the back/forward browser buttons.
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Have had pretty good luck with these bluetooth mice. Gigabyte GM-M7700B

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GM-M...UTF8&qid=1382936712&sr=1-1&keywords=gm-m7700b

Compact, inexpensive, battery life is decent, auto on/off, plus on/off switch, back/forward, and 800/1600 dpi. I wish someone would make a full size bluetooth mouse these days but they just do not exist, I still use an older logitech mx900.
 
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I've thought about getting that mouse actually, do you know how it compares size wise, and in terms of profile (taller?) to other mice (particularly more commonly available ones)? I'm unlikely to actually find a display model anywhere to compare.
 
limitedaccess said:
I've thought about getting that mouse actually, do you know how it compares size wise, and in terms of profile (taller?) to other mice (particularly more commonly available ones)? I'm unlikely to actually find a display model anywhere to compare.
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I can post up a couple of comparison shots later today if interested. Definitely a compact style mouse, made with mobility in mind, but multifunction vs alot of other bluetooth mice out there. It is small compared to what my large hand is used too, but I can live with it. On the flip side it is a perfect fit for the wife's smaller hands. Dimensions are 100mm long x 60mm wide x 37mm high.

What I have found with available bluetooth mice is they are all compact in size, and do not have much in the way of functionality.

The Razor Orochi also comes to mind, it being a bluetooth multifunction mouse, but it too is a compact style mouse and carries a stiffer price tag than most ordinary bluetooth mice. Dimensions are 99mm long x 68mm wide x 35mm high.
 
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The comparison shots would be helpful, thanks for the information.

I've used a more generic compact style mouse before and my current mouse on the desktop is the Logitech G300 (not very large), previous somewhat recent mice were the MX518 and MS Laser Mouse.

I noticed the same with Bluetooth mice as well, I think the reason is most are likely targeted for basic consumer use so have the more basic/standard features (3 button + scroll, etc.).

I'm wondering if the scroll wheel supports side to side scrolling?
 
Razer make a couple of mice that can do both USB and bluetooth, the orochi is the dedicated mobile mouse.
 
Meaker said:
Razer make a couple of mice that can do both USB and bluetooth, the orochi is the dedicated mobile mouse.
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I have an Orochi. It's going on 4 years old. I love it. The battery life is not nearly as bad as I had feared, the buttons are fantastic and the software doesn't completely suck. The charging cable option that comes with it is also perfect in a mobile mouse.
 
I've been kind of eyeballing the new Logitech T630 for my next bluetooth mouse...not really great for gaming but it looks like it would be great for everything else..and it looks cool...
 
Modred189 said:
AT that price, and lack of comfort, you might as well get the wedge mouse.
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-touch-mouse#overview

There's also the MS Sculpt. It's kind of in between. Cheaper too.
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/sculpt-touch-mouse
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Hmm interesting, the wedge does kind of look cool. I think the Logitech has better gesture support, but it looks compact for sure...I mainly do want something super portable with long battery life...I wonder if there are any bluetooth 4.0 mice out....off to Google!

Edit..
This looks interesting for a bluetooth 4.0 mouse, supposedly a year of battery life!
Also looks like the logitech ultrathin is a bluetooth 4.0 mouse..Charges fully in 5 minutes for 12 hours use according to one user...
 
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Modred189 said:
I have an Orochi. It's going on 4 years old. I love it. The battery life is not nearly as bad as I had feared, the buttons are fantastic and the software doesn't completely suck. The charging cable option that comes with it is also perfect in a mobile mouse.
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They released a new version this year with a better battery life again and since it takes standard AA batteries you can get yourself a really nice set of rechargeable ones :)
 
Meaker said:
They released a new version this year with a better battery life again and since it takes standard AA batteries you can get yourself a really nice set of rechargeable ones :)
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That's what I do. Though, I've never tried charging them with the mouse... (they are the energizer silver ones...). Not sure if it'd blow up or what.
 













hopefully these help. The Logitech I am comparing to is a MX900 which is equivalent in size to your G500. In the last pic I just threw out what I had.
1) Logitech V220
2) Microsoft mobile mouse 6000 (great mouse, but horrible battery life)
3) Gigabyte M7700B, bluetooth
4) Microsoft mobile mouse 4000
5) Logitech MX900, bluetooth
6) Logitech MX1000 (there was a bluetooth version of this mouse)
7) Logitech MX1100
 
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Thanks for the pics, will make a nice comparison with what I have. It's actually bigger than I thought it'd be. I like how it is still relatively tall. It'll be in my shortlist.

Just one more question is the LED light on top really bright/distracting? I'll actually be using it quite a bit in darker environment as well a lot of the time.
 
limitedaccess said:
Thanks for the pics, will make a nice comparison with what I have. It's actually bigger than I thought it'd be. I like how it still relatively tall. It'll be on my shortlist.

Just one more question is the LED light on top really bright/distracting? I'll actually be using it quite a bit in darker environment as well a lot of the time.
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The LED only lights when the battery is low, or when the dpi is changed, and initial connection. It does not stay on all the time. Blue in color. Now my mx900 on the other hand has an annoyingly bright red LED that flashes when the battery is low.

Also wanted to add that the scroll wheel is the click style and not the smooth scroll or free wheel type.

Uses 2 AAA batteries.

At approx 30 dollars it is relatively inexpensive compared to other bluetooth mice.

I would love to try an Orochi but cannot justify the price. It appears to be a well liked mouse.

Another one I happened to think of is the Dell PU705 http://www.amazon.com/Dell-PU705-Wireless-Mouse-Bluetooth/dp/B002G9J3MO/ref=pd_sim_pc_3
 
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Thanks for all the Bluetooth mice suggestions. I've had a few of the Dell units posted above and while nice overall (your standard mouse with back and foward buttons), they don't see to last very long (after a few months the thing will just refuse to pair reliably to my laptops).

The Gigabyte is a front-runner as it has forward and back buttons as well.

I noticed this other Microsoft "Sculpt" model though:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105646

Has some kinda unique thumb touch-strip that supports pressing-in and swiping up/down which is supposedly geared towards Windows 8. I figure since the Surface Pro 2 is running 8.1 out-of-the-box; this mouse might be a good fit for it to get used to the new gestures in 8 / 8.1
 
Has anyone actually seen Surface Pro 2 in physical stores? Out of curiosity, I've been checking online sites, and places like Best Buy and Staples have seemingly NEVER had them in stock.
 
I have seen them in my best buy, a mid sized city. I think they had 64 gb models in stock.

They have one of those Microsoft reps and a Microsoft display area though. Some how they are still able to screw it up though. They have a surface 2 on one display which has a digitizer pen hooked near it. So that pen wont actually reach to any of the other surface pros that can use it. I guess it was from the change over from surface pro, to 2.
 
Megalith said:
Has anyone actually seen Surface Pro 2 in physical stores? Out of curiosity, I've been checking online sites, and places like Best Buy and Staples have seemingly NEVER had them in stock.
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The Best Buy near me (West Chicago Suburbs) has them on display, and has since the Friday before launch (on sale then too for some reason). I haven't been keeping tabs, but they only have the 64 and 128s in stock.
 
Got the last 256GB SP2 and a DOCK!!! At their flagship store in San Francisco. Was able to get my EDU discount as well. Microsoft Store Online can fuck off.

Only thing I wasn't able to get was the Touch Type v2, but I'm on the waiting list.

The dock is very well built and works very nicely. Only downside is that it has only one position but I'm going to be using it to dock to a larger display anyway so it's not too big of an issue.
 
Nice. Did you use your student ID or the online coupon for the discount? I was hoping that the online code would work for retail stores.

I will probably be getting the dock mainly for the ethernet functionality.
 
Megalith said:
Nice. Did you use your student ID or the online coupon for the discount? I was hoping that the online code would work for retail stores.

I will probably be getting the dock mainly for the ethernet functionality.
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Had to show a student ID.

Yea, need to also pick up a DVI to mini DP from the Apple Store (yea yea) to use with the dock. Apparently the MS store only has VGA to mini DP.
 
On Sunday last week, I was going to buy a Note 10.1 2014 edition to draw/paint on & surf the Web while tethered to my phone till I found out about the Surface Pro 2. Next thing you know, It followed me home along with a lot of accessories lol. Love this beast. I mean, Photoshop, Sketchbook, Steam games, & full blown web browser in tablet form. What more could you want?

Bought the 128GB version

Accessories bought/tested:

Black Snugg Microsoft Surface 1 & 2 Leather Wallet Case in Black for RT and Pro
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D18U63O/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Black Incipio Feather Case for Surface Pro
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...ther-Case-for-Surface-Pro/productID.288185300

Black Nixon Surface Sleeve
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Nixon-Surface-Sleeve/productID.255932500

Black Type Cover 2
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Type-Cover-2/productID.286867100

I will be happy to answer any questions, & give mini reviews on any of my accessories.
 
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Geronimo said:
Accessories bought/tested:

Black Incipio Feather Case for Surface Pro
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...ther-Case-for-Surface-Pro/productID.288185300

I will be happy to answer any questions, & give mini reviews on any of my accessories.
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I do have a question for you.

I wanted to buy one of these, or something similar because the back of the surface pro scratches VERY VERY easily, even if you take perfect care of it the paint will come off.

so I wanted to ask you, does the case interfere with the keyboard closing onto the device on the back or the front? wouldn't it close in an odd angle and not fit 100% because of the added new thickness?

there are also people saying that this case may close on to the surface pros air vents or speakers which could be problematic, does it?

Any info would be really helpful! thanks!


edit: after digging through a lot i found this

http://www.surfaceforums.net/forum/...apture-feather-cases-surface-2.html#post41870

it seems like you can't close the keyboard with the case or dock the pen... that's pretty disappointing.

does anyone know of anything else that could protect the surface pro from paint chipping/scratches?


And thanks for the mouse comparison Andy!;)
 
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Looks like some firmware coming down the pipe to improve battery life. Anandtech is claiming " a nearly 25% increase in battery life".
 
DF-1 said:
I do have a question for you.

I wanted to buy one of these, or something similar because the back of the surface pro scratches VERY VERY easily, even if you take perfect care of it the paint will come off.

so I wanted to ask you, does the case interfere with the keyboard closing onto the device on the back or the front? wouldn't it close in an odd angle and not fit 100% because of the added new thickness?

there are also people saying that this case may close on to the surface pros air vents or speakers which could be problematic, does it?

Any info would be really helpful! thanks!


edit: after digging through a lot i found this

http://www.surfaceforums.net/forum/...apture-feather-cases-surface-2.html#post41870

it seems like you can't close the keyboard with the case or dock the pen... that's pretty disappointing.

does anyone know of anything else that could protect the surface pro from paint chipping/scratches?


And thanks for the mouse comparison Andy!;)
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I actually returned that case. That Surface forum is correct on all accounts. The vents and speakers are NOT blocked. No way to mount the stylus, and it made the surface a little too thick for my tastes. Honestly, I will admit it is a great case drop protection wise, but I bought the Surface Pro 2 for the portability & slickness. I was a little hesitant to return it. That is how good it was. As far as protecting the back from scratches, They make all sorts of skins, and what not for it. Here are some examples. I might end up ordering a set.

http://www.decalgirl.com/skins/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Skins

http://www.amazon.com/ArmorSuit-Mil...7&sr=8-2&keywords=Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Skins

http://www.amazon.com/ArmorSuit-Mil...&sr=8-11&keywords=Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Skins

http://www.amazon.com/Vinyl-sticker...7&sr=8-4&keywords=Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Skins

http://www.amazon.com/flower-sticke...&sr=8-15&keywords=Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Skins

Military shield looks good.
 
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This product has the shittiest QA I've ever seen. Microsoft should put their foot up the asses of whoever the fuck are putting the screens together.

I just brought home THREE units today and all were fucked up.

1. Horrible backlight bleeding. Huge spike of light coming from right corner. Instant fail.

2. Surprisingly low amount of backlight bleeding, and only on bottom edge. But top of volume rocker felt mushier than normal, and there was a speck of dust struck beneath the screen. There was also a strange color cast, and I have no idea why this one had the Windows build number stamped on the wallpaper. Fail.

3. Also surprisingly low amount of backlight bleeding, but obvious piece of dust stuck behind screen. Fail.

FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL.
 
I think you are just one of those people who is impossible to please so you should go buy the iPad air which you rave about.
 
rudy said:
I think you are just one of those people who is impossible to please so you should go buy the iPad air which you rave about.
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Whoa there. He is right about quality control, especially shelling out over $1000 on a product. I just went through 3 with the same backlight bleeding in the same exact spot, & my 2nd one's wifi disappeared, even from the device manager, & never came back! I'm on my 4th one, and this one is perfect, screen and all. I'm still happy & love this one I have. It's his right to expect better when spending HIS MONEY! He even bought three to boot. I'd be mad as hell as well. I suggest swapping all of them out for one's you would be satisfied with. Microsoft would've gotten at least 6 back , and that is between two people, complaining & maybe they would take notice. In my experience they provide great customer service, especially in the retail Microsoft stores, & bend over backwards to help you out even if their product was not purchased there.
 
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Megalith said:
This product has the shittiest QA I've ever seen. Microsoft should put their foot up the asses of whoever the fuck are putting the screens together.

I just brought home THREE units today and all were fucked up.

1. Horrible backlight bleeding. Huge spike of light coming from right corner. Instant fail.

2. Surprisingly low amount of backlight bleeding, and only on bottom edge. But top of volume rocker felt mushier than normal, and there was a speck of dust struck beneath the screen. There was also a strange color cast, and I have no idea why this one had the Windows build number stamped on the wallpaper. Fail.

3. Also surprisingly low amount of backlight bleeding, but obvious piece of dust stuck behind screen. Fail.

FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL.
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That color cast was my fingers/palms oils on mine. When you get satisfactory units try wiping it clean with a microfiber cloth to see if that helps, if you notice it.
 
I decided to just go ahead and play with unit three. Man, this thing is absolutely brilliant when paired with the dock (though connecting it seems to have created some backlight bleeding in the areas where the ports meet).

I can't say this enough, but the speakers on this thing truly are incredible. I'm playing back Gladiator and it sounds like there are standalone speakers built in the dock or something.

And I pray to everything that is holy that a future Surface Pro will use an OLED screen.
 
If this was a $1000 ARM tablet we might be talking but ironically the surface pro is pretty damn cheap for what it is. Most ultrabooks start out at prices the surface starts at. Throw in touch screen, active digitzer, ability to put it into a tablet form. how many can you buy plastic or otherwise at this price that can do these things. AFAIK there is no other ultrabook / convertible out there from any company that does what surface does for 1k. So if you told me the screen isn't absolutely perfect I wouldn't be surprised. Most people are comparing this to either ultrabooks with almost no other function than being a laptop or ARM based tablets with obscene profit margins built in.
 
rudy said:
If this was a $1000 ARM tablet we might be talking but ironically the surface pro is pretty damn cheap for what it is. Most ultrabooks start out at prices the surface starts at. Throw in touch screen, active digitzer, ability to put it into a tablet form. how many can you buy plastic or otherwise at this price that can do these things. AFAIK there is no other ultrabook / convertible out there from any company that does what surface does for 1k. So if you told me the screen isn't absolutely perfect I wouldn't be surprised. Most people are comparing this to either ultrabooks with almost no other function than being a laptop or ARM based tablets with obscene profit margins built in.
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I would agree if they were all the same. we are talking QUALITY CONTROL. Some units' screens are better than others. To each their own.
 
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Megalith said:
I decided to just go ahead and play with unit three. Man, this thing is absolutely brilliant when paired with the dock (though connecting it seems to have created some backlight bleeding in the areas where the ports meet).

I can't say this enough, but the speakers on this thing truly are incredible. I'm playing back Gladiator and it sounds like there are standalone speakers built in the dock or something.

And I pray to everything that is holy that a future Surface Pro will use an OLED screen.
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OLED would be awesome, but I would rather it be even thinner (like RT) with more battery life!
 
Quality control is harnessed by price. Is a surface really going to be tossed because it has a little backlight bleed most consumers don't even notice? Even today dead pixels are still considered acceptable to the mass public on LCDs.

What matters is competition if you can show me another device like this that can do everything surface does and have perfect displays go ahead. If not you are one of the picky people that returns 3 dell monitors to get the one you want and the open boxes go out and someone else buys them and is perfectly happy.

My point is if he bought 4 surface pros as he claimed and everyone one of them was trash as far as the display was concerned he is probably just asking for too much given his financial input.
 
rudy said:
Quality control is harnessed by price. Is a surface really going to be tossed because it has a little backlight bleed most consumers don't even notice? Even today dead pixels are still considered acceptable to the mass public on LCDs.

What matters is competition if you can show me another device like this that can do everything surface does and have perfect displays go ahead. If not you are one of the picky people that returns 3 dell monitors to get the one you want and the open boxes go out and someone else buys them and is perfectly happy.

My point is if he bought 4 surface pros as he claimed and everyone one of them was trash as far as the display was concerned he is probably just asking for too much given his financial input.
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I am picky. Its my money. I don't mean to derail this thread, but its good info to put the issues out there. Lets get back on subject.
 
Is the Surface Pro 2 similar enough to the Surface Pro (1) that full body covers (ie like Invisible Shield) work on both?
 
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