11 ms·

Surface Pro 3 Review

131 points by lispython 12y ago

melling 12y ago
How good is the speech recognition Windows 8? I've become a fan of Siri on the iPhone, pretty good. I get the feeling that were pretty close to very accurate speech recognition. Between Microsoft, Google, and Apple I think we're going to get over the line really soon. This post was done entirely with Siri. The missing words or her fault. :-)
- pweissbrod 12y ago
  speech recognition is just as good as android EXCEPT windows doesnt recognize punctuation. It sounds like a small difference until you try to speak multiple sentences and it gets registered as a single run-on sentence
- qntmfred 12y ago
  just use siri then http://myechoapp.com/ http://myechoapp.com/
  - melling 12y ago
    I'd like a slightly improved Siri, and almost no one wants to screw around with one device to dictate to another device. I simply want to say "Siri|Google|Cortana..." then start dictating. With iPhone sitting on my coffee table: "Siri, display on Apple TV... open Evernote.. New Note ... "
fumar 12y ago
I agree with Anandtech the Pro 3 is almost there, but not quite. The Surface Pro 1 sold me on the idea of an everything device. It had its limitations, but it worked as a laptop, desktop, and a tablet. Each scenario had its limits and the most limited one was the laptop perspective. As a tablet it worked great with movies, browsing the web, light gaming, etc. As a desktop it was powerful enough to run the adobe suite on an external monitor. But as a laptop the kickstand and keyboard were not ideal. The Surface Pro 3 removes some tablet usability and improves on the laptop experience. I am not sure if this is ideal. I recently upgraded from the Pro 1 to the Pro 3. I am having a hard time using the 12" screen as a tablet in bed and on the couch. Using the device with pen in hand is harder due to the larger screen real estate. Even using the Metro side of things is more cumbersome due to the larger screen. Tiles and settings on touch interface are too far apart now. After a few days, I have concluded that the Pro 1 was a better "tablet" with the ability to be a desktop and laptop. The Pro 3 is more of a laptop/tablet hybrid with a focus on laptop-ability. Even with all the new enhancements, I think I will return the device and purchase a Pro 2 instead. Edit: I used the Pro 1 as my main machine for almost a year. The pen was useful in photoshop/illustrator. I also used it for gaming; Fifa 2013, Civ 5, and some indie games.
- bcoates 12y ago
  The article makes it sound like there's no place at all to attach the pen on the Pro 3, is that true? I'm a heavy pen user w/ my Pro 1, that would be a dealbreaker for me.
  - fumar 12y ago
    True. It comes with an attachable pen holder, but it is held on by glue. I do miss the pen's ability to attach to the Surface. The eraser nub is now a button on the pen. The top of the pen activates OneNote. The pen does feel more durable and better in hand. I would check it out in person.
    - RyJones 12y ago
      I kept losing the pen on my Surface Pro because I needed power more than the pen. Very annoying.
      - lstamour 12y ago
        Now that it doesn't attach there, I think you'll develop new habits to avoid losing it in the future. Happened to me too because the pen was tiny, black and ... less useful.
        RyJones 12y ago
        Yeah, I bought an aftermarket pen and promptly list it, too.
  - dworin 12y ago
    I clip mine onto the cover, the same way I used to clip regular pens onto the cover of my notebooks.
  - lstamour 12y ago
    You can "attach" the pen magnetically to two positions on the surface device itself, including the power area where you're used to, and magnetically to the power bar also, iirc. Plus a loop for the keyboard if you buy one. Personally, I used the Universal 13" Snugg case I also got at the Microsoft Store and was very happy putting the pen in with the power adapter.
lps41 12y ago
To resolve the lack of edge gestures when the screen bezel is covered, they should configure the TrackPad to also work with edge gestures.
- dworin 12y ago
  It does - at least sliding from the left or right. I'm not sure if there are others I don't use.
el_duderino 12y ago
I'll post what I said in the comments of the article. Well, this is the device basket in which I'm throwing all of my eggs. My mobile devices are currently a 2006 Dell 17" laptop running Windows 7 and an HP Touchpad running CM10.1. I've been waiting to upgrade until the right "hybrid" device came along, and this is the one I'm banking on, albeit the i7/512 model. My usage is a little atypical. My work requires me to occasionally spend time on construction sites creating sketches and recording measurements. I am hoping this device will allow me to skip the full size (24" x 36" or larger) architectural prints and the paper sketch pad and simply carry everything on the SP3. After I finish on site, I am often going back to a hotel room for the night, or spending the next few hours in an airport/airplane. I make heavy use of AutoCAD, and being able to make tweaks in the field, or even the hotel, should be amazingly helpful. I don't expect to be at full productivity, but then again, even on a typical laptop, running AutoCAD on one small screen will never be as productive as running on 2 or 3 large desktop displays. In theory, the SP3 should be perfect for me. I do worry about the batter life though. I suspect that I might need to pick up an external battery pack for those times I'm on site without access to a wall outlet. Time will tell, I guess. I also think about general durability. I am generally not on fully active construction sites with lots of dirt and dust, but I will be in environments that are not office-like. So we'll see if there is some sort of rugged case or screen protection available for those scenarios. All in all, I am really looking forward to getting my SP3 in August. I just wish they would release it already since I could really use it mid-July. But I've waited this long, so what's another couple of weeks. Thanks for the nice review. This is the one I've been waiting for, and it didn't disappoint.
withdavidli 12y ago
Just got mine yesterday (typing on it for this post). There are some problems on it I wasn't expecting. - Drawing apps like Fresh Paint don't work sometimes when on split screen. By doesn't work, I mean it won't recognize the pen on start up. I would have to full screen the app, use the pen, then I can use the pen on split screen. - Apps aren't adjusted to split screens correctly. The resizing of the apps gets rid of functions like creating a new page that can only be seen when app is in full screen. - Chrome Windows 8 mode sucks. That thing resized to a quarter of the screen, blacked out the other 3/4ths and it took me 30 minutes to figure out how to undo it because the menu button on Chrome was blacked out. Figured out that they were still there, just not visable. - Chrome sometimes disables my trackpad click recongniztion? I can activate links and tabs via the touch screen, but not by clicking the trackpad. All was good after restarting Chrome. - Tablet does not recognize that I took off the keyboard sometimes. This causes orientation lock. I would have to reattached and detach keyboard. - Trackpad kinda stuttering with movements. Sometimes jumps around so not very precise. This happens more when using on my lap for some reason.. - Changing screen orientation is sorta laggy, definitely more than a 1 second change. I have the 8gb/256gb version. - I'm pretty sure Flux crashes this tablet. Froze it twice in 30 minutes after install. Perfectly fine now after uninstall. I'm actually getting used to Windows Metro...strange. This is the first Windows machine I bought myself after 4 years. I was a Windows user for most of my life until college. EDIT: Pen holder could have been designed better. Everyone at the store trying it out was confused it wasn't there. It's basically a stick on piece that comes with the keyboard, but none of the floor models have them at the Microsoft store. It's also uncomfortable placing the pen in there. I know it has to be tight so it doesn't fall out, but it's a struggle every time. Probably takes a good 3 seconds to fully place it in. If you don't think that's a long time wait until you're leaving a meeting and everyone is waiting on you. Bad user experience on the pen holder. - Too heavy to hold for tablet use. Wasn't really expecting it, but have heard reviews about it, and this is the lightest pro version too. Good thing the kick stand can rest on my knees (actually pretty good for posture with knees bent because you're neck won't be pointed down the entire time).
- fumar 12y ago
  I am experiencing many of these issues. I think they will continue to roll out firmware updates. But, the software needed a little bit more work. For Chrome I would disable scaling. 1. Right click Chrome shortcut icon and choose "Properties." (if you do this on an icon in you startbar, then you'll need to right click again on the third one up that says "Google Chrome.") 2. Click Compatibility tab. 3. Check box for "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings." 4. Click OK. 5. It will show small fonts, but you can change that in Chrome Settings under "Show advanced settings" --> "Web Content" --> "Font Size." The workflow between Metro and Desktop becomes easier and better over the course of a week.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
- darksim905 12y ago
  All the reviews I've read & all the posts I've seen said the digitizer they went with on the SP3 is far superior.
homerowilson 12y ago
I was jhust on an airplane trip and watced with some amusement my aisle-mate fumbling with a new surface pro. When first using it on his lap, the screen kept flopping around as the kickstand slid off his legs--he eventually used the back of the seat in front of him to prop it up a bit. Then when the tray came down, he clearly could not get a comfortable typing angle. At some point, he dispensed with the keyboad and used it as a tablet with the kickstand on the tray, and that looked like a pretty good set up. I asked him if he liked it near the end of the flight, and alas he said he plans to dispense with tablets all together and go back to laptops.
- untog 12y ago
  To be fair, I've never found a satisfactory way to use my laptop on a plane. There's not enough leg room to put the screen at the right angle and the keyboard ends up too close to my body. Tablets are better, but as you say, when he switched to using his Surface as a tablet it worked OK. So it seems like a bit of a wash to me.
- WorldWideWayne 12y ago
  I was using a laptop on a plane one time and the person in front of me put their seat back without even turning around to see what was going on. It cracked the screen hinge, but luckily everything still worked. So now I'll never bring anything but a tablet on the plane.
  - tjdetwiler 12y ago
    You just have to be careful you don't wedge your screen up into where the tray table folds up into.
niels_olson 12y ago
Has anyone load-tested that hinge at 150° extension? I'm concerned the weight of my hand while drawing might destroy the kickstand, or at least the hinges.
fit2rule 12y ago
I'd love to get one of these, but I simply cannot fathom investing in hardware on which Linux will not run. I suppose it would work in a VM, but .. really .. what a pity that its so locked down and unworkable to change ones OS in this day and age. Register this one protest non-buy, fwiw ..
- WorldWideWayne 12y ago
  Apparently it's really easy to install Ubuntu [1] on a Surface Pro 3. "...you’ll find that most things work out of the box. WiFi works, but only 2.4GHz networks can be detected. The touchpad on the Type Cover works, but the keyboard does not. You’ll need to activate the virtual keyboard in the accessibility setting to get much of anything done, and Ubuntu’s virtual keyboard is lacking in desirable features. There are some third party alternatives you can install, but the initial experience here will likely have you scrambling for a USB keyboard. The pen works as a pointer and as a left-click when you press down, but because Bluetooth does not work out of the box you lose the buttons on the pen." [1] http://www.geek.com/microsoft/linux-users-rejoice-heres-ubuntu-on-the-surface-pro-3-1594864/ http://www.geek.com/microsoft/linux-users-rejoice-heres-ubun...
  - swdunlop 12y ago
    That's a big improvement, then. The original Surface Pro was awful, with serious problems [1] in the mwifiex driver. I also found its wireless support was unstable when bluetooth was also in use, even in Windows 8, which was the final deal breaker for me. I would recommend waiting on adopting any Surface devices until there is general acclaim that they got the hardware right, beyond a reviewer who just used it for a few days then rushed to press. [1] https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=69661 https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=69661
  - fit2rule 12y ago
    Ah well that is a relief .. as long as we can boot it without having to go through arcane enchantment, we can fix all of that. I wonder why MS decided not to implement the Type Cover keyboard as a standard USB device, seems pretty weird to me, but then again maybe they've created a new accessory market for themselves, yet again .. Good to know Ubuntu at least boots on the thing and you can get on a network. I guess it'll be a matter of a small amount of time before the rest of the device works. When that happens, I'll seriously consider getting one ..
teeray 12y ago
We also reviewed the Surface Pro 3 in our labs, looking at things like screen performance and battery life among other things. You can find all of the graphs under "Science & Testing" http://tablets.reviewed.com/content/microsoft-surface-pro-3-tablet-review http://tablets.reviewed.com/content/microsoft-surface-pro-3-...
gcb0 12y ago
The review was sounding good until it mentions the high speed camera for measuring pen performance... And do not include videos, not which models were tested in the table selling the 3 as faster. Was it the i5? i7?
victorvation 12y ago
The Surface Pro 3 seems an awesome device for students. Being able to read PDF textbooks, hand-write notes while using diagram/drawing tools, browse the internet, follow along with (and write on/annotate) lecture slides, word processing with a physical keyboard, writing on PDF practice exams, etc, all in a single device is extremely convenient.
- _archon_ 12y ago
  I agree that a device which can do all these is an excellent choice for students. As an engineering student, I used all of the above versatility on my HP TX2510US, and dealt with the burns that the poor heat management gave me :-) I haven't played with the SP3, but I'm sure there are a multitude of other options as well which are well-suited to student use.
- storgendibal 12y ago
  I have been using the SP1 as a student for over a year now and love it. I print all PDF hand-outs to OneNote and annotate them with notes from class. Everything is indexed so I can search across 5 quarters worth of notes in an instant and access them from any device. I'm in business school (don't hate :) ) so most of our content is in the form of HBS case studies and diagramming and drawing graphs/charts is pretty common. I see a lot of people using Notability on iPads. If I could get a Wacom or NTrig active stylus on an iPad, that would be sweet, but alas, not possible.
  - lstamour 12y ago
    If you haven't seen it in person, you'll love the new 3:2 aspect ratio. I want all my laptop/tablet devices in that ratio in future. So productive :)
vxNsr 12y ago
Just a note: I too have noticed that my trackpad (on my HP envy laptop) will sometimes lose 2-finger scrolling or any multitouch support, usually it's just in chrome but sometimes it'll be for eveything. I have a touchscreen as well so it's not as big a deal but often the only way I've found to fix the problem is to restart the machine. I'm assuming its a driver problem possibly with symantic. I'm dreading calling HP support about it because the first 4 or five layers seem to be ignorant knowledge-base-only-readers. (They really are only about as effective as google. They'll recognize a keyword and use that as the basis for their response. No matter how insignificant that one word is.)
- akuma73 12y ago
  This happened on my Zenbook prime as well. You need to restart the synaptics driver, which was very annoying. I got rid of it and just went with a Macbook Air. It's just better in so many ways.
  - vxNsr 12y ago
    right except that my laptop costed ~$700 and had a dedicated graphics card and touchscreen while the macbook has nothing at that price point.
    - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
      Well, you still get what you pay for. Is there a PC laptop with a decent trackpad experience at any price point?
      - sremani 12y ago
        Does a macbook has touchscreen at any price-point ? At least with the windows machine if you have trouble with trackpad, touchscreen will come to rescue. Its insane how people get hung up one thing and talk as if that is central. When Apple released Retina branded hi-res, its all about resolution, now that Macbooks are not hi-res than their competition somehow its not that important anymore. Dude, its just a tool - use it if you can. Your reality or competence of usage of a tool is always subjective, so lets all chill and pick the marbles we like respectively.
chenster 12y ago
Microsoft, stop bombarding us with your ads, you've already missed the train even after your 3rd try.
- stevoo 12y ago
  I have been a linux user for the past 10 years. Didn't event want to bother with Windows for all that time. This machine is the only thing that will get me to use windows again (if i dont end up installing linux on it) As far as hardware i believe this is superb machine. They might have lost the train, but if they keep it up the version 4 will be much much better. They just need to continue improving the software
  - chenster 12y ago
    The real problem is innovation. Don't forget Apple iPad and Android-pads are also evolving too. Until that's changed, Sadly, MS will always be playing me-too.
baconstrp 12y ago
OK mine decided to shut down itself for the second time ever since I had it. Full battery charging, No BSOD, not even useless crash report after boot. I'm done, eBay there it goes, bye.

131 points by lispython 12y ago

How good is the speech recognition Windows 8? I've become a fan of Siri on the iPhone, pretty good. I get the feeling that were pretty close to very accurate speech recognition. Between Microsoft, Google, and Apple I think we're going to get over the line really soon. This post was done entirely with Siri. The missing words or her fault. :-)

pweissbrod 12y ago
speech recognition is just as good as android EXCEPT windows doesnt recognize punctuation. It sounds like a small difference until you try to speak multiple sentences and it gets registered as a single run-on sentence
qntmfred 12y ago
just use siri then http://myechoapp.com/ http://myechoapp.com/
- melling 12y ago
  I'd like a slightly improved Siri, and almost no one wants to screw around with one device to dictate to another device. I simply want to say "Siri|Google|Cortana..." then start dictating. With iPhone sitting on my coffee table: "Siri, display on Apple TV... open Evernote.. New Note ... "

fumar 12y ago

I agree with Anandtech the Pro 3 is almost there, but not quite. The Surface Pro 1 sold me on the idea of an everything device. It had its limitations, but it worked as a laptop, desktop, and a tablet. Each scenario had its limits and the most limited one was the laptop perspective. As a tablet it worked great with movies, browsing the web, light gaming, etc. As a desktop it was powerful enough to run the adobe suite on an external monitor. But as a laptop the kickstand and keyboard were not ideal. The Surface Pro 3 removes some tablet usability and improves on the laptop experience. I am not sure if this is ideal. I recently upgraded from the Pro 1 to the Pro 3. I am having a hard time using the 12" screen as a tablet in bed and on the couch. Using the device with pen in hand is harder due to the larger screen real estate. Even using the Metro side of things is more cumbersome due to the larger screen. Tiles and settings on touch interface are too far apart now. After a few days, I have concluded that the Pro 1 was a better "tablet" with the ability to be a desktop and laptop. The Pro 3 is more of a laptop/tablet hybrid with a focus on laptop-ability. Even with all the new enhancements, I think I will return the device and purchase a Pro 2 instead. Edit: I used the Pro 1 as my main machine for almost a year. The pen was useful in photoshop/illustrator. I also used it for gaming; Fifa 2013, Civ 5, and some indie games.

bcoates 12y ago
The article makes it sound like there's no place at all to attach the pen on the Pro 3, is that true? I'm a heavy pen user w/ my Pro 1, that would be a dealbreaker for me.
- fumar 12y ago
  True. It comes with an attachable pen holder, but it is held on by glue. I do miss the pen's ability to attach to the Surface. The eraser nub is now a button on the pen. The top of the pen activates OneNote. The pen does feel more durable and better in hand. I would check it out in person.
  - RyJones 12y ago
    I kept losing the pen on my Surface Pro because I needed power more than the pen. Very annoying.
    - lstamour 12y ago
      Now that it doesn't attach there, I think you'll develop new habits to avoid losing it in the future. Happened to me too because the pen was tiny, black and ... less useful.
      - RyJones 12y ago
        Yeah, I bought an aftermarket pen and promptly list it, too.
- dworin 12y ago
  I clip mine onto the cover, the same way I used to clip regular pens onto the cover of my notebooks.
- lstamour 12y ago
  You can "attach" the pen magnetically to two positions on the surface device itself, including the power area where you're used to, and magnetically to the power bar also, iirc. Plus a loop for the keyboard if you buy one. Personally, I used the Universal 13" Snugg case I also got at the Microsoft Store and was very happy putting the pen in with the power adapter.

lps41 12y ago

To resolve the lack of edge gestures when the screen bezel is covered, they should configure the TrackPad to also work with edge gestures.

dworin 12y ago
It does - at least sliding from the left or right. I'm not sure if there are others I don't use.

el_duderino 12y ago

I'll post what I said in the comments of the article. Well, this is the device basket in which I'm throwing all of my eggs. My mobile devices are currently a 2006 Dell 17" laptop running Windows 7 and an HP Touchpad running CM10.1. I've been waiting to upgrade until the right "hybrid" device came along, and this is the one I'm banking on, albeit the i7/512 model. My usage is a little atypical. My work requires me to occasionally spend time on construction sites creating sketches and recording measurements. I am hoping this device will allow me to skip the full size (24" x 36" or larger) architectural prints and the paper sketch pad and simply carry everything on the SP3. After I finish on site, I am often going back to a hotel room for the night, or spending the next few hours in an airport/airplane. I make heavy use of AutoCAD, and being able to make tweaks in the field, or even the hotel, should be amazingly helpful. I don't expect to be at full productivity, but then again, even on a typical laptop, running AutoCAD on one small screen will never be as productive as running on 2 or 3 large desktop displays. In theory, the SP3 should be perfect for me. I do worry about the batter life though. I suspect that I might need to pick up an external battery pack for those times I'm on site without access to a wall outlet. Time will tell, I guess. I also think about general durability. I am generally not on fully active construction sites with lots of dirt and dust, but I will be in environments that are not office-like. So we'll see if there is some sort of rugged case or screen protection available for those scenarios. All in all, I am really looking forward to getting my SP3 in August. I just wish they would release it already since I could really use it mid-July. But I've waited this long, so what's another couple of weeks. Thanks for the nice review. This is the one I've been waiting for, and it didn't disappoint.

withdavidli 12y ago

Just got mine yesterday (typing on it for this post). There are some problems on it I wasn't expecting. - Drawing apps like Fresh Paint don't work sometimes when on split screen. By doesn't work, I mean it won't recognize the pen on start up. I would have to full screen the app, use the pen, then I can use the pen on split screen. - Apps aren't adjusted to split screens correctly. The resizing of the apps gets rid of functions like creating a new page that can only be seen when app is in full screen. - Chrome Windows 8 mode sucks. That thing resized to a quarter of the screen, blacked out the other 3/4ths and it took me 30 minutes to figure out how to undo it because the menu button on Chrome was blacked out. Figured out that they were still there, just not visable. - Chrome sometimes disables my trackpad click recongniztion? I can activate links and tabs via the touch screen, but not by clicking the trackpad. All was good after restarting Chrome. - Tablet does not recognize that I took off the keyboard sometimes. This causes orientation lock. I would have to reattached and detach keyboard. - Trackpad kinda stuttering with movements. Sometimes jumps around so not very precise. This happens more when using on my lap for some reason.. - Changing screen orientation is sorta laggy, definitely more than a 1 second change. I have the 8gb/256gb version. - I'm pretty sure Flux crashes this tablet. Froze it twice in 30 minutes after install. Perfectly fine now after uninstall. I'm actually getting used to Windows Metro...strange. This is the first Windows machine I bought myself after 4 years. I was a Windows user for most of my life until college. EDIT: Pen holder could have been designed better. Everyone at the store trying it out was confused it wasn't there. It's basically a stick on piece that comes with the keyboard, but none of the floor models have them at the Microsoft store. It's also uncomfortable placing the pen in there. I know it has to be tight so it doesn't fall out, but it's a struggle every time. Probably takes a good 3 seconds to fully place it in. If you don't think that's a long time wait until you're leaving a meeting and everyone is waiting on you. Bad user experience on the pen holder. - Too heavy to hold for tablet use. Wasn't really expecting it, but have heard reviews about it, and this is the lightest pro version too. Good thing the kick stand can rest on my knees (actually pretty good for posture with knees bent because you're neck won't be pointed down the entire time).

fumar 12y ago
I am experiencing many of these issues. I think they will continue to roll out firmware updates. But, the software needed a little bit more work. For Chrome I would disable scaling. 1. Right click Chrome shortcut icon and choose "Properties." (if you do this on an icon in you startbar, then you'll need to right click again on the third one up that says "Google Chrome.") 2. Click Compatibility tab. 3. Check box for "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings." 4. Click OK. 5. It will show small fonts, but you can change that in Chrome Settings under "Show advanced settings" --> "Web Content" --> "Font Size." The workflow between Metro and Desktop becomes easier and better over the course of a week.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

darksim905 12y ago
All the reviews I've read & all the posts I've seen said the digitizer they went with on the SP3 is far superior.

homerowilson 12y ago

I was jhust on an airplane trip and watced with some amusement my aisle-mate fumbling with a new surface pro. When first using it on his lap, the screen kept flopping around as the kickstand slid off his legs--he eventually used the back of the seat in front of him to prop it up a bit. Then when the tray came down, he clearly could not get a comfortable typing angle. At some point, he dispensed with the keyboad and used it as a tablet with the kickstand on the tray, and that looked like a pretty good set up. I asked him if he liked it near the end of the flight, and alas he said he plans to dispense with tablets all together and go back to laptops.

untog 12y ago
To be fair, I've never found a satisfactory way to use my laptop on a plane. There's not enough leg room to put the screen at the right angle and the keyboard ends up too close to my body. Tablets are better, but as you say, when he switched to using his Surface as a tablet it worked OK. So it seems like a bit of a wash to me.
WorldWideWayne 12y ago
I was using a laptop on a plane one time and the person in front of me put their seat back without even turning around to see what was going on. It cracked the screen hinge, but luckily everything still worked. So now I'll never bring anything but a tablet on the plane.
- tjdetwiler 12y ago
  You just have to be careful you don't wedge your screen up into where the tray table folds up into.

niels_olson 12y ago

Has anyone load-tested that hinge at 150° extension? I'm concerned the weight of my hand while drawing might destroy the kickstand, or at least the hinges.

fit2rule 12y ago

I'd love to get one of these, but I simply cannot fathom investing in hardware on which Linux will not run. I suppose it would work in a VM, but .. really .. what a pity that its so locked down and unworkable to change ones OS in this day and age. Register this one protest non-buy, fwiw ..

WorldWideWayne 12y ago
Apparently it's really easy to install Ubuntu [1] on a Surface Pro 3. "...you’ll find that most things work out of the box. WiFi works, but only 2.4GHz networks can be detected. The touchpad on the Type Cover works, but the keyboard does not. You’ll need to activate the virtual keyboard in the accessibility setting to get much of anything done, and Ubuntu’s virtual keyboard is lacking in desirable features. There are some third party alternatives you can install, but the initial experience here will likely have you scrambling for a USB keyboard. The pen works as a pointer and as a left-click when you press down, but because Bluetooth does not work out of the box you lose the buttons on the pen." [1] http://www.geek.com/microsoft/linux-users-rejoice-heres-ubuntu-on-the-surface-pro-3-1594864/ http://www.geek.com/microsoft/linux-users-rejoice-heres-ubun...
- swdunlop 12y ago
  That's a big improvement, then. The original Surface Pro was awful, with serious problems [1] in the mwifiex driver. I also found its wireless support was unstable when bluetooth was also in use, even in Windows 8, which was the final deal breaker for me. I would recommend waiting on adopting any Surface devices until there is general acclaim that they got the hardware right, beyond a reviewer who just used it for a few days then rushed to press. [1] https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=69661 https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=69661
- fit2rule 12y ago
  Ah well that is a relief .. as long as we can boot it without having to go through arcane enchantment, we can fix all of that. I wonder why MS decided not to implement the Type Cover keyboard as a standard USB device, seems pretty weird to me, but then again maybe they've created a new accessory market for themselves, yet again .. Good to know Ubuntu at least boots on the thing and you can get on a network. I guess it'll be a matter of a small amount of time before the rest of the device works. When that happens, I'll seriously consider getting one ..

teeray 12y ago

We also reviewed the Surface Pro 3 in our labs, looking at things like screen performance and battery life among other things. You can find all of the graphs under "Science & Testing" http://tablets.reviewed.com/content/microsoft-surface-pro-3-tablet-review http://tablets.reviewed.com/content/microsoft-surface-pro-3-...

gcb0 12y ago

The review was sounding good until it mentions the high speed camera for measuring pen performance... And do not include videos, not which models were tested in the table selling the 3 as faster. Was it the i5? i7?

victorvation 12y ago

The Surface Pro 3 seems an awesome device for students. Being able to read PDF textbooks, hand-write notes while using diagram/drawing tools, browse the internet, follow along with (and write on/annotate) lecture slides, word processing with a physical keyboard, writing on PDF practice exams, etc, all in a single device is extremely convenient.

_archon_ 12y ago
I agree that a device which can do all these is an excellent choice for students. As an engineering student, I used all of the above versatility on my HP TX2510US, and dealt with the burns that the poor heat management gave me :-) I haven't played with the SP3, but I'm sure there are a multitude of other options as well which are well-suited to student use.
storgendibal 12y ago
I have been using the SP1 as a student for over a year now and love it. I print all PDF hand-outs to OneNote and annotate them with notes from class. Everything is indexed so I can search across 5 quarters worth of notes in an instant and access them from any device. I'm in business school (don't hate :) ) so most of our content is in the form of HBS case studies and diagramming and drawing graphs/charts is pretty common. I see a lot of people using Notability on iPads. If I could get a Wacom or NTrig active stylus on an iPad, that would be sweet, but alas, not possible.
- lstamour 12y ago
  If you haven't seen it in person, you'll love the new 3:2 aspect ratio. I want all my laptop/tablet devices in that ratio in future. So productive :)

vxNsr 12y ago

Just a note: I too have noticed that my trackpad (on my HP envy laptop) will sometimes lose 2-finger scrolling or any multitouch support, usually it's just in chrome but sometimes it'll be for eveything. I have a touchscreen as well so it's not as big a deal but often the only way I've found to fix the problem is to restart the machine. I'm assuming its a driver problem possibly with symantic. I'm dreading calling HP support about it because the first 4 or five layers seem to be ignorant knowledge-base-only-readers. (They really are only about as effective as google. They'll recognize a keyword and use that as the basis for their response. No matter how insignificant that one word is.)

akuma73 12y ago
This happened on my Zenbook prime as well. You need to restart the synaptics driver, which was very annoying. I got rid of it and just went with a Macbook Air. It's just better in so many ways.
- vxNsr 12y ago
  right except that my laptop costed ~$700 and had a dedicated graphics card and touchscreen while the macbook has nothing at that price point.
  - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
    Well, you still get what you pay for. Is there a PC laptop with a decent trackpad experience at any price point?
    - sremani 12y ago
      Does a macbook has touchscreen at any price-point ? At least with the windows machine if you have trouble with trackpad, touchscreen will come to rescue. Its insane how people get hung up one thing and talk as if that is central. When Apple released Retina branded hi-res, its all about resolution, now that Macbooks are not hi-res than their competition somehow its not that important anymore. Dude, its just a tool - use it if you can. Your reality or competence of usage of a tool is always subjective, so lets all chill and pick the marbles we like respectively.

chenster 12y ago

Microsoft, stop bombarding us with your ads, you've already missed the train even after your 3rd try.

stevoo 12y ago
I have been a linux user for the past 10 years. Didn't event want to bother with Windows for all that time. This machine is the only thing that will get me to use windows again (if i dont end up installing linux on it) As far as hardware i believe this is superb machine. They might have lost the train, but if they keep it up the version 4 will be much much better. They just need to continue improving the software
- chenster 12y ago
  The real problem is innovation. Don't forget Apple iPad and Android-pads are also evolving too. Until that's changed, Sadly, MS will always be playing me-too.

baconstrp 12y ago

OK mine decided to shut down itself for the second time ever since I had it. Full battery charging, No BSOD, not even useless crash report after boot. I'm done, eBay there it goes, bye.