Interesting Review on Microsoft Surface Tablet RT

By Scorbing
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Mentor

argonite

Posted
Posted

"Watch the Surface Reboxing" floating in the corner

All I needed to know to know that Chris did not approach this device with anything but contempt, then tried to spin it around later to be 'fair and balanced'.

  • ahhell and oliver182
  • Like 2
Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
  • Author
Posted

"Watch the Surface Reboxing" floating in the corner

All I needed to know to know that Chris did not approach this device with anything but contempt, then tried to spin it around later to be 'fair and balanced'.

The one thing that he said that is very disturbing is the fact that the 32GB model only has 16 GB of space left for the user because the rest is being sucked by the OS. That is not right and I think its a rip-off. No wonder this lawyer is suing Microsoft over that issue:

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_21997331/lawyer-sues-microsoft-over-surface-tablet-storage

Grand Master

Raa

Posted
Posted

Give me the TL:DW version?

The one thing that he said that is very disturbing is the fact that the 32GB model only has 16 GB of space left for the user because the rest is being sucked by the OS.

Even I had to double take when I read that article too. 50% of space gone with the preload, that's a bit excessive, surely?

Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Give me the TL:DW version?

Even I had to double take when I read that article too. 50% of space gone with the preload, that's a bit excessive, surely?

Yes it is. Imagine if you buy the 16GB model. What are you going to have left? 6 gigs?...LOL...That is a rip-off and I see more law suits coming. The 50% of what you are promised for space is gone to the OS....not good.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

First of all, it's full blown Windows. What did they expect? Second, I've been saying for a while now, they should have stripped out the legacy baggage. There's no reason Win RT needs to include all the legacy baggage Windows still carries.

  • Nashy, Shadrack and Calum
  • Like 3
Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
  • Author
Posted

First of all, it's full blown Windows. What did they expect? Second, I've been saying for a while now, they should have stripped out the legacy baggage. There's no reason Win RT needs to include all the legacy baggage Windows still carries.

Yes Dot, but do you honestly think the OS takes 16 gigs of space? I have Windows 8 on my test PC, clean, no apps, and it doesn't take 16 Gigs of space!!!!!!

There is something wrong there.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

Yes Dot, but do you honestly think the OS takes 16 gigs of space? I have Windows 8 on my test PC, clean, no apps, and it doesn't take 16 Gigs of space!!!!!!

There is something wrong there.

It does come with Office installed.

I already have 60 GB easily taken up space on my Windows 8 installation with only a handful of apps installed.

Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
  • Author
Posted

It does come with Office installed.

I already have 60 GB easily taken up space on my Windows 8 installation with only a handful of apps installed.

Oh it has office? I must have missed that part. Well that explains it then. Still, people are going to be really ticked off that they are not getting the full 32 GB of space, or at least 80% of it. That probably explains why MS put an SD card slot on it for expansion.

By the way, did you see the prices for Skydrive expanded storage? Not bad at all. Compared to Apple. I got an extra 100GB of space for $50.00 a year. Apple wanted $100.00 for just 50GB of extra space and it doesn't have half the neat features that Skydrive does.

Grand Master

TruckWEB

Posted
Posted

Wow, for the first time I have to say.... He is right.... And I wish it could have been good, the hardware is simply awesome, but WinRT.... Or maybe it's the Tegra 3 that is starting to feel slow? And Office 2013 DESKTOP inside a tablet, it's nice but pointless with a finger, you really need the keyboard to use it and navigate the interface.

And Surface Pro will not be $500... So it better be a GREAT tablet and a good laptop replacement for the price they are going to ask...

Veteran

Stetson

Posted
Posted

Yes it is. Imagine if you buy the 16GB model. What are you going to have left? 6 gigs?...LOL...That is a rip-off and I see more law suits coming. The 50% of what you are promised for space is gone to the OS....not good.

There is no 16GB model. They entry level model is 32GB.

Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
  • Author
Posted

There is no 16GB model. They entry level model is 32GB.

I know there isn't a 16GB model. I was just using that as an example (like what if there was) then you would be screwed with it. Just an example.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

Oh it has office? I must have missed that part. Well that explains it then. Still, people are going to be really ticked off that they are not getting the full 32 GB of space, or at least 80% of it. That probably explains why MS put an SD card slot on it for expansion.

Yes, and it's a bit of an oddity... Because that space is going to be needed for updates. I saw this problem coming a mile away.

Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
  • Author
Posted

You do realise that the word exists outside of your country? And not all countries have super high speed internet where cloud storage is even an option?

Dude I understand that, believe me, I do, but these companies do not seem to understand it. Apple, Amazon, Samsung and now Microsoft. Everybody wants to use the damn Cloud for everything and they think that every country in the world, that every nation and everyone in the world has high speed internet or any internet at all and they are wrong. There are countries where Dial-up is still being used because there is no high speed internet access, so yes I do understand you, but unfortunately, these companies that make these tablets do not.

Grand Master

astropheed Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

I agree with some points, disagree with others. Chris is an interesting character, some people may like that quality about him - I'm not one of those people. I find the points that mattered were quickly glazed over and the points that didn't matter (but were inherently negative) were talked about extensively. This does seem to border a bit on: "I didn't want to like it to begin with".

I'll stick with my Android tablet for the time being though as it's difficult to get a review of the Surface RT that I find has any merit at all. Maybe I'm just being biased and I'm waiting for the excuse to like it, and that excuse is never going to come.

Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

I agree with Chris on letting users on an RT tablet access the desktop. From the MOMENT I heard they were going to let users do that on the ARM version of windows I said it was a HORRIBLE idea!!!

Veteran

neo158

Posted
Posted

I agree with Chris on letting users on an RT tablet access the desktop. From the MOMENT I heard they were going to let users do that on the ARM version of windows I said it was a HORRIBLE idea!!!

You do know that Chris bought his Surface without a touch or type cover.

Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

You do know that Chris bought the Surface without a touch or type cover.

I don't think that matters. it's an ARM based version of Windows. None of your regular apps run in on the windows 8 ARM desktop (Except office and whatever other regular windows apps it has). I just think the arm tablet should stay 100% Modern UI. When you drop back to the desktop on the ARM tablet it just looks TACKY!

Grand Master

redfish

Posted
Posted

I don't think that matters. it's an ARM based version of Windows. None of your regular apps run in on the windows 8 ARM desktop (Except office and whatever other regular windows apps it has). I just think the arm tablet should stay 100% Modern UI. When you drop back to the desktop on the ARM tablet it just looks TACKY!

Why does it look tacky on ARM and not on x86?

My belief btw is Microsoft will eventually extend the WinRT API to desktop apps too, and those apps will be portable between ARM and x86.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Waymo recalls self-driving software after cars enter closed freeway work zones

      By garwin · Posted

      Read this in Humor Simpson 's voice, "Out of my way Moe".
    • The Microsoft Office feature that time forgot

      By Circaflex · Posted

      You still can, its just under the Transform flyout for WordArt now
    • Waymo recalls self-driving software after cars enter closed freeway work zones

      By MrElectrifyer · Posted

      Likely nothing will be done in corporate America, there have been countless Tesla self-driving incidents. Then again, there have also been countless human operated incidents. It's literally daily news here in Canada, to the extent that it's now odd if we get a day where a collision doesn't get announced on the radio throughout the day...
    • SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 hands on

      By Steven P. · Posted

      SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 hands on by Steven Parker I was offered the chance to test out the SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500, and full disclosure, they let me keep it regardless of my findings. Anyway, I jumped at the chance due to my long hours sitting at my desk, mousing around. Apologies for the knife cut across the top of the box; that was my doing, being a bit too heavy-handed with opening up the outer packaging. First up, what's in the box: SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 1x Type-C charging cable User Manual 1-Year Warranty (card) In short, everything you need to get started. According to the official Amazon listing, here are the key features: Full-Hand Air Compression: OS500 wraps your fingers, palm, and wrist with multi-chamber air compression for a complete hand relaxation experience. The extended massage chamber helps cover more of the hand and wrist area than standard palm-only hand massagers Palm Kneading with 6 Modes & 6 Intensities: Built-in palm kneading rollers add a hands-on massage feel, while 6 preset modes and 6 pressure levels let you choose the comfort level that fits your day—from gentle relaxation to a firmer full-hand massage 3 Heat Levels with Cooling Fan: Choose from 104°F, 113°F or 122°F warmth to suit different seasons and comfort preferences. The built-in cooling fan helps reduce stuffiness during heated sessions, keeping your hand feeling fresh and comfortable Easy Visual Display & Smart Timer: The digital image display clearly shows massage area, mode, intensity, heat level, and remaining time at a glance. Select 10, 15, or 20-minute sessions for quick office breaks, evening relaxation, or everyday hand care Rechargeable, Cordless & Comfortable: A 3000mAh battery supports over 90 minutes of full-function use on a full charge, with convenient USB-C charging. The soft inner lining, smooth ABS/PU finish, and premium black-gold design make OS500 ideal for home, office, or gifting With all that out of the way, here are my own findings. I gave it a try on both left and right hands, and as you can maybe see from the above YouTube Short, (sorry for the shaky video), my whole hand fits in, but my wrist barely enters the Hand Massager. I was able to push through a bit more with my fingertips extending out the other end to get a bit of massaging on the start of my wrist. Usage For some reason, there is a strap that is very difficult to fasten to my wrist with one hand. I am not sure what function it has, and it isn't mentioned in the user manual. The only thing I could find was in the product images that claimed "wrist precision". Unlike the Bob and Brad Hand Massager, this device does not massage the wrist anyway, even though a "wrist mode" is mentioned, which must be for smaller hands than I have, as it is mainly intended for the hand and fingers. In addition, for its steeper price, there are no disposable gloves provided in the box, which is a bit of an issue considering the internal cover (which appears to be elasticated nylon) cannot be removed for washing; so you are left with only one choice: always thoroughly wash your hands before using it. I can imagine this thing getting a bit grimy after a period of use, and that is a bit of a shame. With that said, the buttons on the device, from left to right, do the following: Heat button: 3-level heat control at 104°F, 113°F, or 122°F Mode button: Auto mode Circular mode Soothing mode Relax mode Palm and fingers mode Palm and wrist mode Intensity button: from (First-time users) 15Ka, 25Ka, 35Ka, 45Ka, 55Ka, 60Ka (Intensive relief) Knead button: on or off (6 pressure levels) Power button: Long-press to turn on or off Cooling button: turn on or off the cooling fan Also, in the product imagery, it states there are 36 "custom modes," but nowhere is it listed what these modes are. I can only imagine that they mean a combination of all of the above settings in different intensity levels. The device itself seems to rely on a single "kneading" mechanism located at the palm area of the hand, which spins when in use, and the other massage features are mainly utilized through the air sacs, increasing and decreasing at various levels on the hand and fingers. I am not sure it offered too much relief for someone who is typing and operating a mouse for hours at a time; further testing may be required. It does feel nice, though. Finally, you may be wondering how this fits into the scope of a tech website? Well, let me tell you something: sometimes I sit for up to 15 hours working on Neowin, and although I take breaks in between, it takes a toll on my body. I think in the immediate absence of a partner to apply relief, a good massager like this Hand Massager can shed the strains of the day in just a couple of 15-minute bursts. On the official website, this has an MSRP of $99.99, but luckily for our readers, it is selling at $10 off for just $89.99 right now on Amazon. SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 for $89.99 (with $10 off coupon), $99.99 MSRP For me, this gets a thumbs hands(?) down. However, it could be improved by making it so that the protective covering could be removed and thrown into the washing machine, or get yourself some disposable gloves to use with it. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it

      By Taliseian · Posted

      Thanks for the info, but I'm still not sure if I need this....

  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Dedicated
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      DrWankel earned a badge
      First Post
    • Reacting Well
      DrWankel earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Week One Done
      Supreme Spray LV earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      184
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      86
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      78
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      76
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!