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I'd like to get a Windows Tablet: help me decide.
Stoic Joker:
I also like the fact that i can use my software like pdf xchange etc, which i prefer over my android reader (ezpdf).
-superboyac (July 23, 2014, 10:51 AM)
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Do they have a native app? If not... don't really plan to use it. Non-native app use sucks unless you're not in tablet mode, i.e. have a keyboard installed.
-wraith808 (July 23, 2014, 11:27 AM)
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really why? no it's not native. just regular. I don't understand what could suck.
-superboyac (July 23, 2014, 11:45 AM)
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I think he's referring to the tablet required Finger Friendly Factor. I love the PDF Xchange application version for DT use, and am about to switch to it here at work on my 8.1p workstation. I did my best to make peace with the native Metro PDF viewer, but it just annoys the hell out of me (can't search/print/move the damn thing).
So you're saying that PDF Xchange has an app version??
superboyac:
I also like the fact that i can use my software like pdf xchange etc, which i prefer over my android reader (ezpdf).
-superboyac (July 23, 2014, 10:51 AM)
--- End quote ---
Do they have a native app? If not... don't really plan to use it. Non-native app use sucks unless you're not in tablet mode, i.e. have a keyboard installed.
-wraith808 (July 23, 2014, 11:27 AM)
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really why? no it's not native. just regular. I don't understand what could suck.
-superboyac (July 23, 2014, 11:45 AM)
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I think he's referring to the tablet required Finger Friendly Factor. I love the PDF Xchange application version for DT use, and am about to switch to it here at work on my 8.1p workstation. I did my best to make peace with the native Metro PDF viewer, but it just annoys the hell out of me (can't search/print/move the damn thing).
So you're saying that PDF Xchange has an app version??
-Stoic Joker (July 23, 2014, 12:09 PM)
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ok i see what you guys are saying. it's an issue with navigation with the finger vs. mouse. My assumption and experience from trying it out is that, yes, it's not perfect, but it's fine by me. But maybe i haven't experienced something that you long term users have.
No, pdf xchange doesn't have an app version. I was just going to use it in desktop mode.
wraith808:
ok i see what you guys are saying. it's an issue with navigation with the finger vs. mouse. My assumption and experience from trying it out is that, yes, it's not perfect, but it's fine by me. But maybe i haven't experienced something that you long term users have.
No, pdf xchange doesn't have an app version. I was just going to use it in desktop mode.
-superboyac (July 23, 2014, 12:45 PM)
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Try it for yourself. I'd suggest trying it before. It really sucks.
Ever try to hit a normal menu with your finger? It's an exercise in frustration. And styli only make it possible... not friendly.
superboyac:
I found this on reddit, i want to comment on it:
The hardware is pretty impressive. The digitizer is excellent, the pressure sensitivity is basically perfect in OneNote and seems sufficient in art applications. The folding stand is useful in almost all situations.
The real issue is Windows 8.1: It's nowhere near ready as a tablet OS. If you put a keyboard on your Surface and use it as a laptop you might not care. If you try to use it without a keyboard as a pure tablet you are going to run into problems constantly. Everything that's not a Metro app (and that's every app you've ever used, for the most part) is a second class citizen in Windows 8.1, relegated to the desktop. The "desktop" acts like a single metro app, so all of your legacy applications are all stacked in there. Some of those apps aren't going to cope well with the scaling required for the super high res display.
All of the Metro apps for core "tablet" activities like email, IM, and web browsing are glaringly inferior to what you're used to on iOS or Android. You don't get notifications when the device is asleep (or sometimes ever, in the case of IMs). The email app expects to have a live connection to the server and cannot reflect actions like flagging or deleting email in a responsive fashion. Your phone makes a note to delete the email when you're in cell range and hides the message immediately. The Metro app just acts like it has ignored your attempt to delete a message while it frantically tries to connect to the server. Metro IE is very basic. Oh, you think you'll just install Chrome? Chrome is horribly broken when placed in Metro mode on a Surface Pro 3 (and it's hard to get out, because it doesn't manage to draw the half of the screen with the menu that lets you escape!). Chrome on the desktop has all the problems of a desktop app on Windows 8 and a very poor UI for touch.
Metro OneNote is pretty awful (missing key features like handwriting recognition for your handwritten notes), but you can download OneNote 2013 for free and install it on the desktop (ah, the desktop again). With some work configuring the ribbon and the quick access tools it's really quite nice on the surface. It's actually so useful it has converted me to OneNote and I consider it to be the killer app for the surface.
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So it sounds like most of the complaints are attributed to metro mode. Well, if that's true, i just won't use metro mode. I'm more interested in using desktop mode anyway. I want to use my desktop programs. I feel like I must not be understanding how annoying desktop mode is with the tablet.
Can't we use third party tools to make the desktop experience better? I can use LBC for bigger buttons or as a launcher. THere's also truelaunchbar. I can use a tool to customize swiping gestures. I don't really mind if buttons or options are very small, but maybe there are tools to make things bigger.
Someone recommended this keyboard for use with the surface:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/0B47189/460/60AC6A0372B14F5BA7B12F1FF88E33C7
I think I agree, I've always liked the lenovo trackball.
superboyac:
One apparently REALLY DUMB thing MS has done with the SP3 is this:
The SP3 is slower than the SP2. Because of the power management issues and some kind of throttling when it reaches a certain heat. So stupid, microsoft. Microsoft is turning into the Sony of previous decades. Make genius hardware and completely ruin the implementation/marketing. SUpposedly, this can be fixed with a firmware update. It's really the most ridiculous thing i've heard about the surface. imagine getting a new iphone and finding out it's actually a little slower than the previous model. that would never fly.
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