The Surface Pro 2 look and feel better than the first version. Please ignore the idiot RT (stand for Rotten Trash I suppose) version that runs only Windows Store apps. That RT version should not have existed. If you think Surface Pro 2 as a laptop. This is a great slim laptop. If you think it it is pad, man is it clumsy big compared to the slim-and-pretty iPads and Android pads.
If you can put up with Windows 8's interface, the Surface Pro 2 actually is a reasonable choice. Waita minute, a reasonable working laptop costs may be HALF as much. Is it supposed to have Windows 8.1? Where is that reincarnated Start button? I wanted to verify, wanted to run good old "winver" on the DOS prompt. Boy that's hard. Where the heck is the DOS prompt (cmd)? Windows-R to launch it you say? How do you do this in the tablets (without keyboard attached)? The softkey keyboard... where the heck is the Windows key? (I don't remember able to find it). Finally I found it in c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe. Waita minute it still says Windows 8 (not 8.1). And the version is wha? 6.3.something? This is nuts.
The keyboard is still too expensive. The total cost of the machine + keyboard should be around the price of an iPad to be competitive.
Face it, that Metro/Modern UI is a failure. The ugly tiles just suck. Where is the idiot who says well originally people object to the mouse and people will get used to it later guy? It is hard to find things. How do I explore what programs are on the computer? There is just no good way to do so when inside the desktop now that the Start button is whacked. Even 3.0's Program Manager would be nice to bring back, ok?
In the Start page, I'll have to scroll scroll scroll in the WIDE screen. Why can't you have little folders in to collect your titles? and when you turn it 90 degrees? You still have to scroll scroll scroll to the right in the narrow screen. (That's not how the scrolling work in the Windows phones right?) That aspect ratio is screwed up. When you turn it 90 degree to read a pdf novel it will feel not right.
In the old days... there are UI to wrap around ugliness, such as DOSShell to wrap around DOS.. The Windows 8 desktop is alright but I am not liking its wacky corners and the charm bar and I want Aero back. Someone out there should write a better desktop to run on these machines.. Yes, there is Linux! But can I still deal with C:\Program Files\whatever and not /usr/bin/whatever and able to run existing apps. Ah there is Windows 7, sure. But the merit of Windows 8 that everyone forgets: it is faster to boot now.
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Additional notes:
Ok, the best way to find a program in the "Desktop" is to do the charm bar. Windows-C, or just slide to the left from the right edge, and then use the search icon. Dude, this is outrageously not obvious. If the right hand side is interact-able, it should have a damn little tab. This is still not a LIST of program for me to choose from, but a full page of irrelevant things on the Metro screen.
Needing to must-jump out of Desktop stinks. Get an email with a PDF attachment? Click on it and boom, it is at your face.
In fighting video games, it is ultimate humiliation if you beat your opponent and destroy his score board and energy bar. Metro is doing this to me.
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