Posted: 3/11/2013 1:36:34 PM EDT [Last Edit: 3/12/2013 5:00:13 AM EDT by JBlitzen]



Here's my preliminary review from 8 days ago, as JBlitzen:



I've since gotten used to the type keyboard and it rocks. I've also gotten a great case for it, a rooCASE Netbook, iPad Carrying Case Deluxe Bag for 10,11.6 Inches - Black:



I have to say, after a couple weeks with this thing, it is FUCKING AWESOME.



You guys saying "what's that fancy doohickey need a them thar touchscreen for?" just don't get it. You've gotta break out of hillbilly land and think about what the actual user experience is like.



Most of my non-gaming activity on any computer is through the keyboard. And when I need to interact with something through the mouse, what happens? I reach my hand over to the mouse, 12 inches away. Then I get a good grip on the mouse and move it another few inches to try to get the mouse cursor onto the target UI element to click it. I might then click a couple more things, and then what? I let go of the mouse and move my hand 12 inches back.



Compare that with the Surface Pro. I'm typing on either the type cover or the onscreen keyboard (which itself has four different layouts including a thumb-friendly one and a full keyboard equivalent, which is absolutely awesome), and the type keyboard is only about 8 inches from the touchscreen. So guess what I do? I don't reach for a mouse, I just move my hand forward a bit and *touch*. Done.



And touching the screen doesn't move it because the Surface uses a kickstand, so the angle of the screen is fixed compared to the keyboard. It doesn't bend back or anything.



And if the finger isn't precise enough, I reach for the attached precision pen and use that.



It's very difficult to explain until you see it or try it, but it really is awesome.



And this thing runs everything. Here's SOME of the software I've installed on it so far, using the normal desktop and not the metro interface of course:



1. Office 2010 Professional

2. mIRC

3. Microsoft SQL Server 2012

4. mySQL

5. Internet Information Services

7. FileEdit (my own thing)

8. Textpad

9. Adobe Photoshop CS2

10. Adobe ImageReady CS2

11. Steam and a swath of games I haven't really tried yet

12. SmartFTP

13. .NET Framework SDK (aka Windows SDK)

14. Numerous custom business applications including a Wordpress/PHP/mySQL plugin which runs fine, many ASP.NET 3.5/MSSQL applications (two guesses what I do for a living...), and the latest monster which is ASP.NET/MSSQL/jquery/jquery-ui/json/ajax/SVG/and some other shit. Everything runs great, except that jquery-ui draggables need the -ms-touch-action css attribute set to override the default so as to permit touch dragging. But that's a cinch and it ends up working really well.

15. Firefox

16. Safari

17. Chrome

18. Remote Desktop is pre-installed but I've used it and it works fine.

19. PHP



etc., etc. And it multitasks just fine.



This thing is a fucking monster, I love it. It is everything I've wanted that laptops could never deliver. True portability and the ability to work on an iPad-esque form factor that can very easily be converted to a full, albeit small, desktop if desired, or anywhere in between.



And if you're looking at the Surface Pro and saying "that's ridiculously expensive, I'll just get an iPad, Microsoft is dum!" then you really have no fucking clue what you're talking about. The difference is the ability to run serious productivity software and background applications. iPads and Surface RT's and such are for CONSUMING content. The Surface Pro is for PRODUCING content. It's a massive difference, and only laptops currently compete with the Surface Pro.



(It's been fairly pointed out to me by a reddit user that cloud-based, RT, and iOS apps are advancing to the point that serious productivity in some tasks is performable purely from thin clients, in no small part due to software devs like myself automating and webinating everything we touch. This is a very good point, and I don't mean to sneer at people who get value out of those tools. I should rather say that the SP is a thick client whereas most tablets are thin clients.)



I see a few people mentioning some Surface Pro killer coming out in like six months for half again the price, and in a totally untested form factor. I can't imagine the thought process required for someone to say "haha that gadget sucks because I saw an ad that someone has a similar gadget coming out at some point in the distant future and they say it'll be super cool and it does basically the same stuff!"



I don't have the patience for that.



Pics with other crap for scale:



















The SP screen looks dim because the flash is fighting with it and winning, and I've got the brightness set to like 25% to begin with, which I should really change.



Also notice how small and handy the damned SP is compared to that little composition notebook. I'm not positive but I think its width and height mean it could comfortably hide behind an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. And the case itself isn't much bigger, notice above how it's barely longer than my boot.







(And props to the Zebra F-701 pen)







This is what the screen actually looks like, with the desktop background and colors and borders and such I rigged up through photoshop from a bing-found image. Did the photoshop work ON the SP and it went fine.



(Incidentally, I'm not a huge fan of "look at me I spent money!" posts, but the SP has been getting a lot of flak so I thought I'd try to balance things a little. Despite being a senior software dev, I've never actually spent a penny on a portable computer beyond my aging smartphone, and I'm not a gadget hound at all, but this thing is obviously a good investment for me.) I bought a Surface Pro 128gb around 2/28 at Best Buy. The black type cover from MS.com arrived a few days later, as BB was out.Here's my preliminary review from 8 days ago, as JBlitzen: http://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/19b7oc/developing_on_the_surface_pro/ I've since gotten used to the type keyboard and it rocks. I've also gotten a great case for it, a rooCASE Netbook, iPad Carrying Case Deluxe Bag for 10,11.6 Inches - Black: http://www.amazon.com/rooCASE-Netbook-Carrying-Deluxe-Inches/dp/B002TYO3RQ/ref=pd_sim_pc_13 I have to say, after a couple weeks with this thing, it is FUCKING AWESOME.You guys saying "what's that fancy doohickey need a them thar touchscreen for?" just don't get it. You've gotta break out of hillbilly land and think about what the actual user experience is like.Most of my non-gaming activity on any computer is through the keyboard. And when I need to interact with something through the mouse, what happens? I reach my hand over to the mouse, 12 inches away. Then I get a good grip on the mouse and move it another few inches to try to get the mouse cursor onto the target UI element to click it. I might then click a couple more things, and then what? I let go of the mouse and move my hand 12 inches back.Compare that with the Surface Pro. I'm typing on either the type cover or the onscreen keyboard (which itself has four different layouts including a thumb-friendly one and a full keyboard equivalent, which is absolutely awesome), and the type keyboard is only about 8 inches from the touchscreen. So guess what I do? I don't reach for a mouse, I just move my hand forward a bit and *touch*. Done.And touching the screen doesn't move it because the Surface uses a kickstand, so the angle of the screen is fixed compared to the keyboard. It doesn't bend back or anything.And if the finger isn't precise enough, I reach for the attached precision pen and use that.It's very difficult to explain until you see it or try it, but it really is awesome.And this thing runs everything. Here's SOME of the software I've installed on it so far, using the normal desktop and not the metro interface of course:1. Office 2010 Professional2. mIRC3. Microsoft SQL Server 20124. mySQL5. Internet Information Services7. FileEdit (my own thing)8. Textpad9. Adobe Photoshop CS210. Adobe ImageReady CS211. Steam and a swath of games I haven't really tried yet12. SmartFTP13. .NET Framework SDK (aka Windows SDK)14. Numerous custom business applications including a Wordpress/PHP/mySQL plugin which runs fine, many ASP.NET 3.5/MSSQL applications (two guesses what I do for a living...), and the latest monster which is ASP.NET/MSSQL/jquery/jquery-ui/json/ajax/SVG/and some other shit. Everything runs great, except that jquery-ui draggables need the -ms-touch-action css attribute set to override the default so as to permit touch dragging. But that's a cinch and it ends up working really well.15. Firefox16. Safari17. Chrome18. Remote Desktop is pre-installed but I've used it and it works fine.19. PHPetc., etc. And it multitasks just fine.This thing is a fucking monster, I love it. It is everything I've wanted that laptops could never deliver. True portability and the ability to work on an iPad-esque form factor that can very easily be converted to a full, albeit small, desktop if desired, or anywhere in between.And if you're looking at the Surface Pro and saying "that's ridiculously expensive, I'll just get an iPad, Microsoft is dum!" then you really have no fucking clue what you're talking about. The difference is the ability to run serious productivity software and background applications. iPads and Surface RT's and such are for CONSUMING content. The Surface Pro is for PRODUCING content. It's a massive difference, and only laptops currently compete with the Surface Pro.(It's been fairly pointed out to me by a reddit user that cloud-based, RT, and iOS apps are advancing to the point that serious productivity in some tasks is performable purely from thin clients, in no small part due to software devs like myself automating and webinating everything we touch. This is a very good point, and I don't mean to sneer at people who get value out of those tools. I should rather say that the SP is a thick client whereas most tablets are thin clients.)I see a few people mentioning some Surface Pro killer coming out in like six months for half again the price, and in a totally untested form factor. I can't imagine the thought process required for someone to say "haha that gadget sucks because I saw an ad that someone has a similar gadget coming out at some point in the distant future and they say it'll be super cool and it does basically the same stuff!"I don't have the patience for that.Pics with other crap for scale:The SP screen looks dim because the flash is fighting with it and winning, and I've got the brightness set to like 25% to begin with, which I should really change.Also notice how small and handy the damned SP is compared to that little composition notebook. I'm not positive but I think its width and height mean it could comfortably hide behind an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. And the case itself isn't much bigger, notice above how it's barely longer than my boot.(And props to the Zebra F-701 pen)This is what the screen actually looks like, with the desktop background and colors and borders and such I rigged up through photoshop from a bing-found image. Did the photoshop work ON the SP and it went fine.(Incidentally, I'm not a huge fan of "look at me I spent money!" posts, but the SP has been getting a lot of flak so I thought I'd try to balance things a little. Despite being a senior software dev, I've never actually spent a penny on a portable computer beyond my aging smartphone, and I'm not a gadget hound at all, but this thing is obviously a good investment for me.)