8+ Readers in comparison

[mgmueller]

It's here.
One day from the Netherlands to the South of Germany: Nice!

Microsoft's website for a few weeks now stated: "Shipment until October 22nd".
Theoretically, this could have meant, they ship on the 22nd, but it only arrives maybe 5 days later.
But it was here exactly as announced: Like it!

I have some work to do, but I will configure it in parallel and will give some first impressions still today.
I'll directly compare my Surface Pro Gen1 128GB to the Surface Pro 2 128GB.

I've received the new Type cover as well, compare this to the old one as well.

I did receive my Surface 2 64GB today as well. 6 weeks early! Hadn't expected it yet.

[mgmueller]

I've just attached the new Type Cover to my "old" Surface Pro Gen1 128GB.
It's working of course.
But, surprisingly enough, the Microsoft app "Trackpad Setting" doesn't recognise the cover. If I re-attach the old Type Cover, it's still working.
I've checked: No update in the Microsoft store for the app (yet?).
No biggy, I don't really adjust any settings for the keyboard/touchpad.
Still strange, though.
Edit: The "trackpad Setting" app doesn't recognise the new cover on the new Surface Pro either. Obviously, the new covers aren't covered by the app (yet?).

Comparing the covers:
The new Type Cover is slightly thinner.
The touchpad has changed, not plastic anymore but the same material as on the touch covers. I don't mind, but some might say the plastic touchpad was more popular from what I've heard...
The backlight definitely improves usability of the keyboard. You can switch between (as far as I can tell) 3 levels of backlight with the F1 and F2 keys.

I'm unboxing the Surface Pro 2 now.
Same box as for the 1st generation.
Very nice. They carefully seal the box. I'm always puzzled, if I receive a new item from some other manufacturers and they're not in a sealed box. I always ask myself then, whether some user already may have hold it in his hands and maybe returned it...

Same power adapter like for the first one (with the additional USB port for charging), same stylus.

The initial settings menu is slightly different (from what I remember).
I use the US keyboard and English as my main settings, as most apps are in English anyway.
If I remember correctly, the initial setting on my Gen1 (probably due to Windows 8 vs. 8.1) did assume US time zone. Here I freely can choose: US English, but Central European time zone. Not important, but I like such caring for details.

The second setting for the kickstand certainly is helpful.
Setting 1 is the same as with the 1st Gen Surface Pro. Setting 2 sets the kickstand to almost a 90 degree angle. Seems a lot at first glance, but actually makes a lot of sense. I'll probably use this setting more often than the other one. When setting the Surface Pro on the headrest of my sofa, it's kind of "wobbly", so a lower angle of the display (in relation to the headrest) makes it more stable.

For the keyboard, I'm looking forward to this wireless adapter: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...irelessadapter
Strange enough: You can order it in the US, but I don't find it on the German website yet.
Interesting concept, though.

Display of the Pro 2 has more vivid colors than Pro Gen1, although Gen1 was great already.

I've just redeemed 200GB Skydrive storage for the purchase of my Surface Pro 2.
Plus additional Skype bonuses.
Tomorrow I'll do the same with the vouchers from my Surface 2.

Nice! With 1TB on Googledrive for the purchase of my Chromebook Pixel and about 450GB on Skydrive I shouldn't run into storage problems in the next few months...

I've done some kind of battery comparison tonight.
I've used my new Surface Pro 2 tonight on battery. In parallel, my old Surface Pro has been switched on as well. I've been working/experimenting on the new one, whereas the old one frequently was on standby and only used maybe 25% of the time. At the end of the night, after 8 hours in total, battery status indicates:
Old Surface Pro = 4 to 6 hours of "normal" usage.
New Surface Pro = 8 to 10 hours.
I'd estimate, battery duration roughly has doubled.

[HarryT]

Do you happen to know if the Type Cover is available in keyboard layouts other than US English? I have a US-layout Type Cover, but I normally have my keyboard layout set to UK English. This is fine, except for the rare occasions that I need to type a "\" symbol, because the key on which "\" appears on a UK keyboard (between left shift and "Z") is not physically present on a US keyboard . Because of this, I have US English installed as a second language, and switch between them as required on the System Tray.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you happen to know if the Type Cover is available in keyboard layouts other than US English? I have a US-layout Type Cover, but I normally have my keyboard layout set to UK English. This is fine, except for the rare occasions that I need to type a "\" symbol, because the key on which "\" appears on a UK keyboard (between left shift and "Z") is not physically present on a US keyboard . Because of this, I have US English installed as a second language, and switch between them as required on the System Tray.

I do exactly the same as you: German and US English. German for some emails and because I have German touch and type keyboards. English because I use it for most of my correspondence.

I've just checked out half a dozen websites from Microsoft (France, UK, Germany, ...). Unfortunately, they use the same pictures of the keyboards on all sites. For example, the German website doesn't show Umlaute, which the German keyboard definitely has. So one can't tell from the pictures, whether there's a localised keyboard.
And I didn't find anything in Google either.
I'm surprised by your description. Obviously, for most US corporates, there's only 1 English - the US one of course.
Sorry, I've got no information...
Personally, I don't have a problem with using German and US English in parallel. I'm using English as the onscreen language, but German spelling for example. But for extensive writing of course the German keyboard layout is extremely convenient...

[HarryT]

Oh well, thanks anyway . I don't have a problem with the way I have it set up now; I was just wondering, if I bought one of the new Type Covers from Microsoft's UK online store, whether it was likely to be a UK keyboard or a US one. I'll contact them and ask.

I think the Type Cover is excellent - I can type on it pretty much as quickly as I can on a "real" keyboard. I tried using the Touch Cover in a Microsoft Store when I was in the US and found it to be horrible to use - it kept missing keystrokes.

Given that I really don't need any more storage, and I find the battery life of my original Surface Pro to be absolutely fine, do you think there would be any benefit in my upgrading to the Pro 2?

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by HarryT

...do you think there would be any benefit in my upgrading to the Pro 2?

Not really.
In the 3DMark (no idea, how reliable it is. But it seems to be widely spread) there only was an improvement of about 10%. The Microsoft benchmark from the system settings is gone, so I can't really measure anything for now.

My personal impressions so far:
- The display seems to be a bit more vibrant and vivid. It seems to be slightly ahead, but I was perfectly fine with the display quality of my "old" Surface Pro.
- It seems to be a bit snappier. But again - I was perfectly fine with the performance of my "old" Surface Pro.
- Battery life seems to have improved significantly, maybe even doubled. I guess, that's crucial as poor battery life had been one of the criticisms about the "old" Surface Pro. But: In a few months I'll probably buy the battery cover. And then the "old" Surface Pro should have about double the battery duration as well.
- The kickstand has 2 positions now. The former one and a significantly "flatter" one. The latter drastically improves stability, for example when using the Surface on the lap. To me, that's no biggy, as I rarely put it on my lap. It's more stable on my sofa's headrest, but I always found a stable position for my old Surface Pro as well. But again: Stability was one of the main criticisms, so this certainly is an improvement.

For comparison:
The evolution from Surface Pro Gen1 to Gen2 in my opinion is about the same as from iPad Gen1 to Gen2. Lots of minor improvements, but no quantum leap.

I'm really curious about the 8GB RAM in the other 2 Surface Pro models announced for end of this year. I've pre-ordered the 256GB/8GB version. Maybe here it's more than 10% of increase in performance?

Anyway:
Surface Pro (2) by far is my favorite tablet.
All my other tablets have been gadgets. iPad mini or Nexus 7 for example are great toys. But I never have used them productively.
Surface Pro (2) on the other hand is in the same class as my MacBook Air: Same performance level, similar battery consumption and even less fan noise!
I wouldn't read (reading as in reading a book while holding it in tablet mode. I'm perfectly fine in reading emails and stuff for an entire working day while in notebook mode) for more than 1 hour on my Surface Pro. But since I've got the Kindle Paperwhite (respectively wait for the new model, which should arrive in about 2 weeks), I wouldn't read on any tablet anyway. I've found iPad Gen1 to Gen3 too heavy for extended reading sessions as well...

And:
I still love the touch and feel of all Surface tablets.
iPad Gen1, back in 2010, had been stylish and cool.
But all Surface tablets to me appeal most "valuable" and "professional".

Meaning:
I don't have any kind of buyer's remorse.
But quite frankly, there's no stringent reason to have to replace the Gen1 Surface Pro. (Except for a collector such as me).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Surface Pro (2) by far is my favorite tablet.
All my other tablets have been gadgets. iPad mini or Nexus 7 for example are great toys. But I never have used them productively.
Surface Pro (2) on the other hand is in the same class as my MacBook Air: Same performance level, similar battery consumption and even less fan noise!
I wouldn't read (reading as in reading a book while holding it in tablet mode. I'm perfectly fine in reading emails and stuff for an entire working day while in notebook mode) for more than 1 hour on my Surface Pro. But since I've got the Kindle Paperwhite (respectively wait for the new model, which should arrive in about 2 weeks), I wouldn't read on any tablet anyway. I've found iPad Gen1 to Gen3 to heavy for extended reading sessions as well...

I rarely if ever use my Surface Pro as a tablet, but as a small, extremely portable notebook PC with a touch screen I think it's absolutely superb. I'm using mine daily for "real work", like you. It was expensive (although I paid considerably less buying it in the US than I would have here in the UK) but I think it was well worth the money.

Thanks for the information on the Surface Pro 2 - very useful. It's confirmed my thought that I really don't need to upgrade. I downloaded and installed the Windows 8.1 upgrade for it last Saturday. A painless upgrade, and a worthwhile improvement.

[pilotbob]

The surface pro 2 looks like a great machine. But, if you want a tablet... for only a tablet the iPad Air is probably a better choice. And at 1lb it is probably light enough to use as a full time reader too... (granted the Paperwhite is a bit less than 1/2lb.)

However, if you want a single device that can be a laptop, tablet, desktop the Surface Pro 2 is an excellent choice. With the dock I expect it would be even sweeter, but I have no idea how much that will cost. You can get a USB dock like this one http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008N06I2I/...=IY74KPNAWE9C7 . the nice thing about it is it isn't specific to the Surface Pro 2, but bad thing about it is it isn't specifically made for the surface pro 2.

Whether to upgrade from Surface Pro to Pro 2 is probably a personal choice. The Pro 2 does come with two years of 200GB of Skydrive space, which would cost you $200 if you paid for it out right. It also comes with free international Skype calling.. which is nice if you use Skype for that. The 75% increase in battery life is probably the biggest reason to upgrade. So, if you are a road warrior and take a lot of long flights you will probably certainly want to upgrade. Granted, you could get the battery keyboard thing, but that will also add a few pounds to your carry on.

My biggest issue is.. I want a device I can use while watching TV (I do most of my "work" on my desktop with dual 24inch monitors and 16GB of RAM). I currently have a 13inch macbook. I'm not sure if I could replace it with a 10inch device... that just seems too small. So, I will probably get an ultrabook with a 13/14inch screen. I'd really like a mac book Air or Pro, but probably can't justify spending that much if all I do is surf the web while watching TV.

I guess none of this has to do with "E-Book Readers" but I am happy with my Kindle Touch and while I would like the new Paper White 2 I'd rather put that money to a new laptop or tablet.

BOb

[mgmueller]

Wow!
It's shipped already!
The website a few days ago still stated: Until December 15th!
I didn't expect that.
Would I have known that, I wouldn't have ordered the 128GB/4GB version for a gap of only a few days.
Well...It had to be...
If it ships as fast as the 1st one from the Netherlands, it will be here tomorrow around 10:00 am.
Most interesting: Will it be faster than the 128GB one because of the additonal RAM?
And of course I have to fill the 256GB SSD.
I guess, I'll make use of my Avatar 30GB HD rip.

Hmmm...
I've got 5 Surface then.
Surface RT 64GB
Surface Pro 128GB
Surface Pro 2 128GB
Surface 2 64GB
Surface Pro 2 256GB
Does this make sense or is it overkill? I'll have to think about that...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I rarely if ever use my Surface Pro as a tablet, but as a small, extremely portable notebook PC with a touch screen I think it's absolutely superb. I'm using mine daily for "real work", like you. It was expensive (although I paid considerably less buying it in the US than I would have here in the UK) but I think it was well worth the money.

Thanks for the information on the Surface Pro 2 - very useful. It's confirmed my thought that I really don't need to upgrade. I downloaded and installed the Windows 8.1 upgrade for it last Saturday. A painless upgrade, and a worthwhile improvement.

Re. keyboard:
Maybe you've got a tip for me:
Sometimes -I don't understand yet when and why- I've got an additional symbol on my onscreen keyboard.
Now, when trying to reproduce it, I couldn't make it appear.
It's in the lower left corner of the keyboard, in the area where now there's the smilie symbol.
It looks like a sun with rays. A square in the middle and some lines spread from the middle to the borders.
If I press it, the symbol changes. Almost looks like a recording symbol then.
I have no idea, what to make of this symbol.
And I have no idea, when or why it does appear.
Have you seen that as well? Any idea, what it's for?
I'll take a picture, if I see it again.
BTW: It has been there from the beginning, already before the update to 8.1.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Does this make sense or is it overkill? I'll have to think about that...

You have to think about that?

BOb

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

Re. keyboard:
Maybe you've got a tip for me:
Sometimes -I don't understand yet when and why- I've got an additional symbol on my onscreen keyboard.
Now, when trying to reproduce it, I couldn't make it appear.
It's in the lower left corner of the keyboard, in the area where now there's the smilie symbol.
It looks like a sun with rays. A square in the middle and some lines spread from the middle to the borders.
If I press it, the symbol changes. Almost looks like a recording symbol then.
I have no idea, what to make of this symbol.
And I have no idea, when or why it does appear.
Have you seen that as well? Any idea, what it's for?
I'll take a picture, if I see it again.
BTW: It has been there from the beginning, already before the update to 8.1.

I know exactly the symbol you mean. I have my account configured to log in with a PIN, and it appears at the lower left of the numeric keypad that appears for entering the PIN. It looks almost like a "light" symbol, doesn't it? Tapping it changes it to a square. I don't have the faintest idea what it does

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I know exactly the symbol you mean. I have my account configured to log in with a PIN, and it appears at the lower left of the numeric keypad that appears for entering the PIN. It looks almost like a "light" symbol, doesn't it? Tapping it changes it to a square. I don't have the faintest idea what it does

Interesting!
I'll check, whether it appears when entering a password for the first time.
Maybe it's for "recording" the password?!
I'm somewhat relived, you're as clueless as me about the usage...

Hmm...
It's there when logging in.
3rd symbol from the left, lowest row.

As you describe it as looking like a "light":
This was my thought initially. I first saw it maybe 4 weeks ago. Then the lighted covers had been announced already. So I thought it probably would control the light. But it doesn't. Light of the cover is controlled by F1 and F2...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You have to think about that?

BOb

Well...my wife knows the answer.
But I'm afraid to ask.

[pilotbob]

Hmmm.. I never see this light bulb. However, I don't run a surface.. I run in a VM for testing purposes.

BOb