The Glade 4.0

With or without a data plan?

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These aren't cellular tablets. Wifi only.

So it is more expensive than a full-sized iPad (with a data plan) and it has less than 1/10 the number of apps? What was Microsoft thinking? They should've just made these things free to get people using Windows 8 and developers rolling out apps. *sigh*

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What are you talking about? This thing runs Windows 8 Pro. It can run every single application that you're running on your PC right now. It's not an iPad competitor. It's going to take shits on iPads.

The Surface RT (running Windows RT) is the iPad competitor, and on it you can get double the storage of an iPad for the same price.

And run out of space after installing Office.

Hmm. Nevermind, I just looked at my Office install. I thought it had bloated much larger than that. Kind of takes the wind out of my good-natured hyperbole, though.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Haha

These things can also be expanded with sdxc cards, up to 64gb I think.

Misunderstood what version it was (and am now much more interested), how much space does Windows 8 Pro (and systems) take up on the internal drive?

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64gb RT's have 45gb available, I assume the Pro would be the same. The 128gb version will probably have 110gb or so available. More info here.

This thing is Microsoft's answer to the baseline Macbook Air.

I would worry about 64g. it might be sufficient early on, but for an open operating system, 64g is really not going to last very long after a year or two of OS updates, software installs and updates, etc...

If I decide to go this route in January, I would go with the 128g version.

I'll be getting the 128gb and spending another $50 or so on a 64gb sdxc card.

I would assume that the "full" version of Windows would take up significantly more space than the "lite" RT version?

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The most notable difference between the two are user permissions. I doubt any added extras take more than 1-2gb.

Is that true? I read that the OS stack alone eats half the storage - i.e. that while its true the spec is double the space, only half of it is available for you to use.

I haven't yet read any good things about using surface for 'non touch' apps - but looking forward to your review ;-p

You can get a Surface RT with 64gb for $599 which has 45gb available space. The iPad equivalent is $699 and has about 57gb of available space.

That said, the Surface can be expanded both with SD cards and external hard drives. The iPad cannot.



You haven't heard anything because you can't install very many non-touch apps on the RT. It's limited to installing applications through the MS Store, which are all touch friendly. The Pro version of the Surface is going to change that, because users will be able to install any applications they like on it, legacy included.

Surface Pro reviews are hitting the net, since it's releasing in a couple of days.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6695/micr ... pro-review


http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/5/395513 ... pro-review

Yea, I had originally thought I would get a Pro when they came out, but I'm hedging on that now.

It just seems like it's trying to be a great tablet and a great PC (ultrabook), and it's really not either. Too bulky and power hungry to be a a good tablet, and too small and not enough storage to be a great PC.

I think there are more Win 8 Pro devices coming out this spring. I think I'll wait a bit and se what else shows up.

I'm still very highly considering it. The pen would allow me to replace (upgrade, really) my wacom tablet, and my storage concerns are not very high these days.

Here is ARS Technica's take

Windows 8 Pro - Hotter, Thicker, Faster, Louder


In Summary:
The Good

The screen is pretty
Touch Covers and Type Covers are still good typing solutions
The build quality remains first-rate
Runs Windows apps with aplomb

The Bad

Runs hot
Runs loud
Runs short
The whole resolution scaling situation is unsatisfactory
Metro-style apps still lacking in breadth, number, and quality

The Ugly

The design fundamentally doesn't work

ASUS VivoTab slates with 8 Pro are getting better reviews than Microsoft's own Surface tablets.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

The VivoTab Smart? Keyboard looks like crap, display is smaller and lower res, no pen support, only 2gb ram, maximum of 64gb hdd, no full USB port... No thanks. I don't really see how they're comparable.

The included ASUS keyboard is *better* than the keyboard for the Surface (that you have to buy separately).. and it's not even close.

Of course, all of this is moot if you use your own external keyboard.

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Go back to zero, take a pill, and get well ~ Lemmy Kilmister

... Why would you do that? Take an awful interface, and make it LESS usable?

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Yeah...it might be geek chic to say "hey, lookit my tablet, it looks like a Star Trek thing," but Star Trek has some of the worst-designed UI in the history of fictional ever.

It's just an app, not a full-blown interface. So, you play 'Star Trek' for a while, then go back to business as usual once you've had your fix.

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Go back to zero, take a pill, and get well ~ Lemmy Kilmister