MS Surface 2nd generaton

[Kumabjorn]

I'd very much appreciate that. The inking on a Galaxy Note 10.1 is exceptionally good, you get clear handwriting in any application that supports inking, unfortunately OneNote doesn't.

[HarryT]

The Surface RT has a capacitive touch screen, but not a Wacom digitiser. That would imply the level of stylus support which is available on devices like the iPad. Good enough for rough line drawings, but not handwriting. A capacitive screen has a precision of the order of a few mm; it's intended for things like pressing buttons, not fine linedrawing.

[pl001]

Here is a good thread over on WPCentral about inking on the RT. It's pretty limited.

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

I'd very much appreciate that. The inking on a Galaxy Note 10.1 is exceptionally good, you get clear handwriting in any application that supports inking, unfortunately OneNote doesn't.

Ok. I just ran a quick test. Keeping in mind that the RT doesn't have an active digitizer, I was able to use my capacitive stylus to draw freehand.

The lines were not as straight as I was drawing them. Though speed of drawing seemed to help a bit. Maybe there are settings in OneNote to improve that. I then tried to handwrite some notes... OneNote accurately recognized my writing. At one point I switched mid-word between printing and cursive and it recognized it.

I'm impressed with the handwriting reco. Drawing in it may take some getting used to or configuring. I tried drawing in "Record Voice & Pen" and the drawing was a bit smoother and predictable. But noticeably less accurate than I get on the iPad.

At the very least, I'd recommend that you stop by a store that has an RT that you can try out firsthand. Depending upon what you'll be doing, the RT's inking may be "good enough".

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

At the very least, I'd recommend that you stop by a store that has an RT that you can try out firsthand. Depending upon what you'll be doing, the RT's inking may be "good enough".

Unfortunately Microsoft Stores only seem to exist in the US. I've never seen a Surface "in the wild" here in the UK.

[mrscoach]

I'm glad I'm reading this thread, you just eliminated the Surface RT for me, since my daughter needs very fine line control for her designs. Is it better on the original Pro?

And, YES, you could say she MISused windows before. LOL She drives her brother and I nuts, as does her father.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mrscoach

I'm glad I'm reading this thread, you just eliminated the Surface RT for me, since my daughter needs very fine line control for her designs. Is it better on the original Pro?

The Pro has a Wacom digitiser and stylus, which is extremely accurate.

[WT Sharpe]

Unalterable fact #1 in Tom Sharpe's Universe (your mileage may vary, and that's okay): ebooks are for ereaders. Tablets are not ereaders. Gotta' have my Kindle.

That being said, if I were given the choice of owning one and only one of the following:

• a PC
• an iPad
• a Surface Pro

I would unhesitatingly choose the Surface Pro. Pros rock. They are PCs in all but name. You can get work done that would take you upwards of forever on an iPad, and they're portable. But for reasons others have mentioned in this thread, as tablets they still have some catching up to do. They're big, they're heavy, and app developers still haven't recognized them as contenders. I'm hoping all that will change, but as long as I can afford to have two devices (not counting my Kindle), one will be a PC, the other an iPad.

I can't say I haven't been tempted. The Surface Pro is a very remarkable device.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Surface RT has a capacitive touch screen, but not a Wacom digitiser. That would imply the level of stylus support which is available on devices like the iPad. Good enough for rough line drawings, but not handwriting. A capacitive screen has a precision of the order of a few mm; it's intended for things like pressing buttons, not fine linedrawing.

My WritePad app does a good job of handwriting recognition on my first generation iPad. Have you tried the native handwriting recognition that's built into the Surface Pro yet?

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

Ok. I just ran a quick test. Keeping in mind that the RT doesn't have an active digitizer, I was able to use my capacitive stylus to draw freehand.

The lines were not as straight as I was drawing them. Though speed of drawing seemed to help a bit. Maybe there are settings in OneNote to improve that. I then tried to handwrite some notes... OneNote accurately recognized my writing. At one point I switched mid-word between printing and cursive and it recognized it.

I'm impressed with the handwriting reco. Drawing in it may take some getting used to or configuring. I tried drawing in "Record Voice & Pen" and the drawing was a bit smoother and predictable. But noticeably less accurate than I get on the iPad.

At the very least, I'd recommend that you stop by a store that has an RT that you can try out firsthand. Depending upon what you'll be doing, the RT's inking may be "good enough".

Have you tried writing with your finger on the Surface? I gave up styluses because they give my hand cramps.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is there any equivalent of Onenote available for Android? If so, perhaps an Android tablet with a Wacom digitiser (eg the Galaxy Note 10") might be a possibility for you?

There is an Android OneNote app, but it does not support Wacom inking, even on those tablets that have a Wacom digitizer, e.g. the Samsung Note series. A much more cost effective solution is one of the Atom based 32bit Win 8 tablets. Leveno, Samsung, Asus, and several others make them at around the same price point as a Surface (RT) 2.

Mine is a Samsung ATIV Smart PC and I love it. Not as powerful as a Surface Pro or any of the other Intel i5 based machines, but much better battery life and about half the price.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

My WritePad app does a good job of handwriting recognition on my first generation iPad. Have you tried the native handwriting recognition that's built into the Surface Pro yet?

Yes, I have. It works extremely well, but, given the fact that I can type probably 10x faster than I can write by hand, I really can't see myself using it much .

[WT Sharpe]

Just think what you would have paid for a program that recognized handwriting 10 years ago. And now it's thrown into the Surface as a freebie.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Just think what you would have paid for a program that recognized handwriting 10 years ago. And now it's thrown into the Surface as a freebie.

And it works with any program, because it's in the keyboard interface.

[Penforhire]

"Just think what you would have paid for a program that recognized handwriting 10 years ago."

How about 20 years ago? We obviously didn't pay enough because the Apple Newton, which started selling in 1993, was a failure. Cool, but a market disaster. And yeah, the handwriting recognition was weak.