2012年11月27日星期二

Microsoft Surface Review

So far the tablet market has been dominated by one company - Apple. One of the main reasons for this is that Apple has designed every aspect of the experience including, crucially, the software which runs on it.

Android on the other hand is written and designed by Google but run on hardware made by hundreds, if not thousands of third-party manufacturers. It makes for an inconsistent and muddled experience at best.

With the launch of the tablet-specific Windows RT version of its latest operating system, Microsoft would have known that getting the hardware experience right would be crucial to getting significant market share from Apple.

It could have sat back and relied on its OEMs to come up with the perfect design, but it didn't. Instead it stood on some toes and launched its own hardware, the Surface tablet.

Microsoft says Surface was created to show the full potential of what Windows 8 could do,The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. adding that it will appeal to both casual and business users - with its combination of 10.6in tablet and unique keyboard covers.

The Surface tablet uses a new VaporMg (pronounced Vapor Mag) construction, which Microsoft says is half the weight of aluminium but much tougher. Indeed at the launch at the end of October, the company dropped the tablet a number of times to show off just how robust it was.

I didn't drop the Surface during my week using it, but it feels solid, and like Apple's iPad there is no flex in its construction.

At the rear you'll find the kick-stand, which Microsoft says took a lot of time to get right,Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. wanting to recreate the feeling you get when you open and close the door in a luxury car.

Again the all-metal construction feels unbreakable and even under strain never felt as if it was going to give way or break.

The tablet weighs 680g, which is 60g heavier than the iPad 4. Both tablets measure 9.4mm thick, meaning the surface is sleek and slim, fitting easily into your bag or backpack.

The 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen means the Surface is more elongated than most tablets on the market. Using it in portrait mode therefore is not a good experience. It's difficult to hold and Windows 8 is simply not designed to be used like this.

Held in landscape mode, the Surface is not the most comfortable either, though I found for short spurts of use, it was perfectly acceptable.

The Surface comes into its own however, when combined with one of the two keyboard covers which Microsoft has produced to accompany it.

The Touch Cover, which is available in black, white and cyan, is the slimmer of the two, adding just 3mm of thickness and negligible weight when closed. Like the Type Cover, it attached magnetically to the bottom of the Surface.

Two magnets either side of the central connector guide the cover into place, with the third central magnet attaching the covers with a very satisfying click. The connection is so solid you can hold the tablet upside down by the cover and it won't fall off. Another example of the thought and precision Microsoft has put into the tablet's construction.

With the kickstand extended and the keyboard attached you have what is a very viable laptop alternative.

The Touch Cover, as the name suggests, features keys which are little more than felt squares etched onto the surface of the cover. You get a typical keyboard layout, with the function keys replaced with Windows 8-specific keys including the Charms keys.

There is also a touchpad, along with left and right clickable buttons, which supports some gestures such as swiping, but considering you are using a touchscreen,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. you rarely find yourself using the touchpad - though it's still nice to have the option.Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products.

I expected a pretty serious learning curve when I got it first, but from the start I found it to be superb. It does take getting used to, and the noise the keys make (which can't be turned off unless you mute the whole tablet) can be distracting.

However, I wrote several articles and part of this review with the Touch Cover and unlike with the Asus Transformer keyboard, never once felt like giving up and flinging it out of the window.

Obviously I wasn't typing as fast on this as I would on a desktop keyboard or the Chiclet keyboard of an Apple MacBook, but considering how thin and light it was, I was amazed at how good the typing experience was.

Moving onto the Type Cover, as you may have guessed from the name, this is a thicker cover with is aimed at those who want a more traditional typing experience.

Despite being almost twice as thick as the Touch Cover (5.75mm), when it is closed it doesn't really add that much additional bulk to the Surface. It is identical to the Touch Cover in every way (connecting, layout, touchpad) except that you have physical keys which depress when you hit them.

This is not the Chiclet style keyboard of an Ultrabook,A specialized manufacturer and supplier of dry cabinet, but resembles a netbook keyboard from a few years ago. The keys are close together but are large enough so that you don't mash four of them at once when typing - even with my chunky digits.

The Type Cover is a pleasure to use. Significantly faster than the Touch Cover, I found it comparable in speed to a traditional laptop keyboard, and in use with the touchscreen, it makes for a formidable combination.

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