Microsoft Surface
Its hard to not know about Xbox but one thing you may not know about it is that you can use your Xbox Controller with Windows PCs (if you have a wireless controller you will need one of the Windows PC wireless receivers).
What makes this even better is you arn’t limited to using it with Windows 8 but also Windows RT (just as you would find on Microsoft Surface), all you need to do is follow the instruction guide in the video below.
Naturally only games that are designed to use the controller will work with it – the best way to find those games is to put Xbox Controller into the search box.
If you are in the market for a Wireless Xbox Controller that will work with Windows RT then Microsoft have them for £39.99 at this link here.
Encryption still seems to be a bit of a dirty word in the world of IT – all to often we hear about a notebook PC being stolen and that it had unencrypted data on it. Luckily the Microsoft Surface RT comes with encryption built in right out of the box and to make things even better it
- Uses the same Bitlocker Encryption that you will find and trust in Windows 7/8
- Uses a v2.0 TPM chip that is built into Surface RT (which keeps the encryption keys safe)
- The fact that Encryption is enabled is highly visible through My Computer and also the Bitlocker management tool
- Is turned on right out of the box without having to wait for any additional setup or ‘encryption time’ – just take it out of the box and you are already protected from data loss
Naturally encryption is only one part of any decent security policy and users should be using strong password to help protect your PC.
One of the new features included in Windows 8 that helps with security is Picture Password more details of which can be found at this link here.
Lets all face it we don’t live in the paperless office…yet…and from time to time you will find a need to print something. With most modern tablets printing maybe an issue, maybe you will be lucky have you have the latest HP printer next to you with Apple AirPrint (to see the rather short list click here) but if you are like most people out there that just wont be the case.
So in steps Windows RT with support for a wide range of printers including (but far from limited to) the HP CP1515 which I demo printing to in the video above.
Just in case anyone asks if you have a network printer (Wi-Fi or LAN) then yes you can print to it as well from Windows RT just hop into Settings > Devices and from there your tablet will search out any printers available in your network.
So Microsoft Surface + Windows RT + USB Port + Printer = work anywhere the way you want!
To check if your printer is compatible with Windows RT (because some older models might not be) just visit the Microsoft website at this link here.
In this video I look at how you can run a full PowerPoint presentation from your Microsoft Surface RT tablet PC.
The key thing about Windows RT over other mobile operating systems is the inclusion of a full version of Office 2013 which includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
This means if you go to present a PowerPoint that you made on your desktop it will show the same on your Windows tablet as well – animations included (something you wont get for sure on the cut down editions on other tablet PCs).
The other thing that surface holds above all others is its inclusion of a full USB port and mini HDMI (adaptable to VGA) port – this added advantage of a USB port means you can use your wireless presentation remote just as you would on a notebook PC.
So to find out more sit back relax and watch the video above 🙂
As you may have taken from the photo above I did indeed get a Microsoft Surface RT in the end!
That’s my surface and I sitting in Heathrow T5 waiting to head out for the weekend, this is also me using the tethering on my Windows Phone 7 to get to the internet to type up the post I am working on.
So down to business – in this series of posts I will be looking at the wonderful world of Microsoft Surface and all of the very cool things you can do with it that you cant with pretty much every tablet out there.
If you can’t wait for me to publish the articles then do feel free to dive right into the videos which you can see on YouTube here-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FFa5YGPVIs&feature=share&list=PLRxbdlgJzwyhpgOUDMZaIRZlEbmamJ3d7
Please Note – Microsoft have now confirmed that there will not be 3G/4G in the Surface through the complete specs which can be seen here.
As the momentum builds for a midnight release of the Microsoft Surface (thanks to the Reg) Microsoft are still keeping very quiet about a lot of key things – most notably will it have a 3G/4G connectivity.
Even in its RT version Surface has a lot of things going for it over other tablets like full USB, HDMI, TPM encryption (Bitlocker managed in the Pro version), integrated kick stand, Microsoft Office, a design and build quality that IMO rivals the iPad and its touch covers which build in a cover and keyboard into one item.
We do know that the Asus Vivo RT comes with 4G (in at least the US) but still no mention of the Surface getting it.
Personally this is the biggest feature that the Surface needs to succeed – without it the Surface would become a tablet that you can only use at home/at work (assuming you have Wi-Fi). Yes you may say you could hook up to a coffee shop Wi-Fi network or your phones tethering ability while out and about but nothing beats the seamless nature of 3G built right in.
So I say to Microsoft-
Unless you have had your head buried in the sand for the past few days you will know that Microsoft has showcased their take on Windows 8 tablet PCs.
Dubbed Microsoft Surface (the big table surface has been renamed PixelSense) this new family of tablets comes in a ARM processor based version (aimed at the day to day consumer) and a x86 Intel processor based version (aimed at the business professional).
Microsoft are saying that the ARM based version (Windows RT) will be available at ‘competitive prices’ when Windows 8 goes on general sale (I’m thinking that could be around October) and that the Intel version will come 90 days after.
The specifications sheet of both tablets can be found on the Microsoft website here.
Furthermore you can watch the 45min long keynote/demo from Microsoft here.
Anywhos that’s enough of the facts that we know so far time for some impressions……
Screen/Case
It makes sense that Microsoft would go for the larger end of the tablet PC screen sizes, for Windows 8 to be able to multi task (i.e. have two applications side by side with one snapped) you need to have a screen resolution of at least 1366 pixels wide to get that kind of pixel density on a 7″ tablet isn’t easy and if you want to be multi task class productive on a tablet PC a 7″ screen just dosn’t make sense.
One thing I like a lot is the inclusion of Gorilla Glass in the screen which makes the screen ultra strong, the magnesium case gives a very professional look to the whole device as well – it certainly is heads and shoulders above some of the plasticity cheap looking Android tablets out there.
The only thing which I don’t get about the case design is the start button in the middle of the tablets bezel – the way I see it if the button were on the far left hand side (as it is on the Acer W500) then if you were holding the tablet with two hands it would be more than easy for you to reach out with your thumb and get right back to start. Continue reading