Surface RT with Black Touch Cover, 32GB

innovative, great business companion

Here it is what I like
1. Sturdy, great build quality and no compromises. Very cool 'VaporMg' finish looks and feels as good as Apple's products, but in a different way...Read complete review

Here it is what I like
1. Sturdy, great build quality and no compromises. Very cool 'VaporMg' finish looks and feels as good as Apple's products, but in a different way. The integrated kickstand makes it v on a table when watchinery versatile when watching movies or using Skype.

2. The Touch/Type Cover really makes the Surface stand out when compared to other tablets from Apple or others. The touch keyboard can be as effective as a a regular keyboard. This is probably the most useful accessory since it can transform the whole package into a real Notebook. The stiff and very convenient magnetic design that snaps the cover into the tablet is the signature feature of this package.

3. Lots of connectivity options: One full USB port for peripherals allows you expand the device almost like a regular laptop. Unlike other tablet operating systems, Windows RT has good driver support for existing devices like printers. You also get HD video out through an optional adapter , the latest Bluetooth interface, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, and an unlike Apple's products, you get a micro SDHC/SDXC expansion slot behind the kickstand. The latter can save you a lot of money by buying the memory flash memory card yourself.

4. Good screen. Not as high resolution as Apple's retina display but it performs better in sunny conditions.
Viewing angles and color reproduction are very good, and unlike other tablets this one has the ideal 16:9 ratio for watching movies.
Microsoft's ClearType technology renders the text as well as other higher resolutions displays.

5. Operating system / processor: I'm very pleased with it. The new responsive UI is the same as in Windows 8: a familiar interface on all devices using multitouch gestures. One of the features that set Windows RT apart from other operating mobile systems is the ability to share 2 windows on the screen at the same time. Unlike other platforms, you can easily install and uninstall any application you want directly from the screen, thanks to the Windows RT features.
Unlike other tablets allows differnet accounts for multiple users and even allows for child monitored accounts. On the same note, the picture password is hillarious, yet effective.
Thanks to the low power ARM processor inside, you'll get a very good battery life estimated to 9 hours.

6.Applications: Good quality, preinstalled applications provide functionality you would expect on any tablet. Unlike other tablets, they are free of bloatware / trialware or advertisements and won't crash or reboot.
You also have tens of thousands of applications in the MarketPlace store, many of them free, with many are added every day.
But what makes it shine for professionals, is the presence of the free full version of Office. Not only you save big by having it included for free, but it is optimized for touch and pen input, and it stands head and shoulders above any similar applications on other non Windows tablets.
For the techies, you can also go in desktop mode and use the now familiar Windows 7 desktop, command prompt or the file Explorer. My favorite was the Remote Desktop that allowed me to control another laptop running Windows 7 Pro.

Here is where improvements are needed
1. The 2 cameras on this tablet are unimpressive. The front-facing one is adequate for a video call where the quality is actually limited by the bandwidth. But if you are planning to take pictures with the rear one, you will be disappointed by it's low resolution.

2. The Speakers: Stereo Sound power and quality is OK to use in most situations like car or indoor, but like most tablets it won't blow you away.

3. The magnetic power plug: It does not 'snap' easily into its socket.

4. Unlike other Windows RT tablets like ASUS VivoTab, it does not have NFC and GPS chips included. Not a big deal for many, but nice to have them in the Surface . despite its cool design
the touch/type cover is a little too pricey.

Overall, this a tablet is a very solid, stable and well built and it's convertible/extensible design offers the best productivity features to date, and at the same time a very good entertainment experience for the whole family.