Microsoft unveiled a revolutionary tablet made by them tonight called the 'Surface'


It's like they made it with shoppers in mind. The touch cover has a keyboard built into it should you need to type, and the pro version has optional pen input and you will be able to use to write on the tablet to take notes as needed.

It's as thin as the latest ipad with many more business friendly features.


I will be picking one of these up when it comes out, without a doubt.


[www.microsoft.com]

The keyboard you see in the initial picture is actually the cover, since the keyboard is embedded into it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2012 02:59AM by techman01.

When is it due out? I was always a PC girl, but since my experience with my iPhone I am leaning towards an iPad. They also have a cover with the built in keyboard and the extra appeal, it is practically indestructible. Vital for someone like me who tries to act like I have eight arms when carrying stuff back and forth to the car

Did it mention any cost for the unit.

LOL

I just bought my iPad 3 (to upgrade from my iPad 2) today from a Big Box electronics store for 20% off.

I guess that the "Surface" is, um, the new Zune.

I dont think apple's keyboard is the same as the one for the Surface. From Microsoft:"Some activities call for a keyboard. Surface comes with an integrated Kickstand and a revolutionary, 3mm thin, pressure sensitive cover that doubles as a fully functioning keyboard and trackpad. Your Touch Cover connects to your Surface with a single magnetic click. Now you can chat with friends and respond to emails comfortably."

It also uses gorilla glass 2 so the screen doesnt scratch.


They didn't specify price other then to say it would be competively priced which means in the 400-600 range for the rt version and higher for the pro version. Ill be getting the pro version for the pen input. They showed and said it's as if your writing on regular paper because of the cleartype display.

If they can get this in at the right price point, it will be something consumers embrace. It has usb ports so being able to connect a flash drive and put your camera's memory card directly into it, is big for shoppers.

Is that sale still going on? When you mentioned it before I went online and the only things I saw on sale were iPods. With my luck it's over, I'm always a day late and a dollar short!

For $29 I also bought a dual port for my iPad that will let me upload shop photos via either a USB port or with the memory card.

Plus - it has 4G connectivity, and for an additional $50 I bought a personal wi-fi hub that's the size of a candy bar.

I'd much rather embrace proven technology (Apple iPad) than a second-best imitation.

(Is my hate for Microsoft showing much?)

Lisa - yes it is.

I've done 40+ shops for the BigBox electronics store - LOL, ended up going to the one I have consistently shopped every 3-4 weeks.

They did NOT recognize me, even though I have been in there a half-dozen times this year asking about refrigerators and 42" TVs and laptops endlessly.

Goes to show you that we "customers" really are just a blur unless we do something incredibly memorable during a shop...

Apple.com has refurbished ipads. They come with the same warranty as brand new ones.

@missy, you know how many customers go into electronics stores and shop the same products over and over before actually buying something? Happens more often then one would think, so they are used to it and even if they do recognize you, dont think anything of it.


Microsoft rarely enters a market first, but once it commits to a market, it usually will stop at nothing until it dominates it.

It did this with Windows(vs mac), then with office(vs wordperfect), then with internet explorer(vs netscape/aol), microsoft keyboards/mouses, and it took 5+ years, but their xbox is now the #1 game console worldwide.

We will have to agree to disagree about Apple vs. PC. Just like in the commercials

I just think it's awesome that I got paid to figure out what type of tablet I wanted.

And probably 75 percent of the total cost of my new iPad system (I also got the wifi hub, screen protector, leather case, and 2 year extra protection) was paid out by one company that had me shop the same two BigBox department stores over and over and over.

And I'm going on a route through the hinterlands of Texas beginning tomorrow.

Planning on putting my iPad through the wringer of report-writing at the site (during the revealed shops, of course).

Question: Does anyone have the Samsung Galaxy 2 Tablet?

I've been giving those the side-eye since March when I started doing revealed audits and believe you me, my willpower is going out the window!

I just know nothing about picking up a tablet - and then having to pay extra every month just for mobile internet/service kinda freaks me out with a budget in place!

I also don't know how I'd do without a keyboard since I'm not a swipey-type person and I really don't like touch-screens.

R@iny - you should sign up for a few of the BigBox electronics shops and ask the store associates tons of questions.

The tablets are in the "laptop" section, and I kept signing up for those shops and bugging the clerks until I felt completely comfortable about what I wanted. Then when there was a 20% off sale, I jumped.

See if there is a keyboard peripheral that will lock onto a Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet for you. They make them for the iPad ($100), I bet they do for the Samsung as well.

Get an extended protection plan and a screen protector (like a Zagg) if you're planning to take your tablet to gas stations, etc. With all the truck stops and diesel I'm around, I need that!

Good luck, R@iny!

galaxy tablet is a good product, just make sure you are getting the latest version. Big performance differences. They come in 7 inch and 10 inch sizes.

Depending on your wireless carrier, you can add a mobile hotspot to your line for 20 a month that acts as wifi to use your tablet on. If you have verizon, starting june 28, they are introducing share everything plans, where all lines(including tablets) can share one bucket of data and mobile hotspot will be free.

I was going to say exactly the same thing as techman, scary huh When I've been shopping iPads the WiFi enabled device is $100 cheaper than the other and my plan already allows me to use my phone as a hotspot so no additional monthly charges.

Lisa,

Just be careful using your cell phone as a hotspot.

It's very hard on your cell phone's battery. And if you have an iPhone, continued use of it as a "tether" to get a mobile hotspot will turn it into a brick pretty quickly.

if apple made a better quality product that focused on function instead of design, it wouldn't turn into a brick : )

Missy - ugh - no thanks!

I can't stand those big box electronic shops. I hate the reports. I'd rather write a 15 page all narrative report before writing one of those reports. My husband on the other hand - he loves those shops.

I learned about the Galaxy Tab from doing the *big grin* Cell Phone Audits! Every time I go into those cell phone stores, I have to pause at the Galaxy and drool some! They do have a keyboard with it, I did find that out.

The problem is the cost. It's over 650, without that particular "cell phone company" plan. If I switch carriers - which I don't want to do - it drops the price of the Tablet down to about 450.

What kind of WiFi or MiFi or whatever it is called plan do you use?



MissyH71 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> R@iny - you should sign up for a few of the BigBox
> electronics shops and ask the store associates
> tons of questions.
>
> The tablets are in the "laptop" section, and I
> kept signing up for those shops and bugging the
> clerks until I felt completely comfortable about
> what I wanted. Then when there was a 20% off sale,
> I jumped.
>
> See if there is a keyboard peripheral that will
> lock onto a Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet for you. They
> make them for the iPad ($100), I bet they do for
> the Samsung as well.
>
> Get an extended protection plan and a screen
> protector (like a Zagg) if you're planning to take
> your tablet to gas stations, etc. With all the
> truck stops and diesel I'm around, I need that!
>
> Good luck, R@iny!

Tech - I've been looking at the Galaxy 2 Tab, 10".

We have ATT, and the "wireless" stuff ends up confusing me to no end. I can go into 5 cell phone stores that sell the Galaxy, hear the same spiel 5 times - and completely forget what they have told me because I don't understand it.

Tethering, connecting it to your phone (how on earth do you connect to your phone? I have wifi on my phone, I've never been able to connect it to my router here at the house!), downloading, uploading, apps, good lord, it all actually gives me a bad headache trying to understand what it all means so then I simply just give up.



techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> galaxy tablet is a good product, just make sure
> you are getting the latest version. Big
> performance differences. They come in 7 inch and
> 10 inch sizes.
>
> Depending on your wireless carrier, you can add a
> mobile hotspot to your line for 20 a month that
> acts as wifi to use your tablet on. If you have
> verizon, starting june 28, they are introducing
> share everything plans, where all lines(including
> tablets) can share one bucket of data and mobile
> hotspot will be free.

you can get the wifi version from most electronic retailers of the 10" for usually 399 for the galaxy tab 2.

Then when your on the road just turn your phone into a hotspot. I have verizon and only turn it on, on the days I use it(costs $1 a day), but with att it's 20 a month to add the feature.

For you it's probably best to go to a corporate att store to add the feature and let them set it up on your phone so you can see exactly how its done in person. Notice I said corporate and not authorized dealer/retailer.

Bring your tab with you, but your tab will recgonize it, and any other wifi connection automatically.

Link to getting it at bb: [www.bestbuy.com]

Amazon has it also if your in a non-tax amazon state.

Take it a little byte at a time. (pun intended)

Don't try to understand it all at once.

I'm not going to plug the BigBox shops to you, I respect your hatred of that particular shop - but you can use your questions about connectivity for your mystery shopping work. Make a list. Use one question at a time on your shops.


They're good, legitimate questions - and when you're an internet mega-genius in 4-6 months you'll feel amazing.

And you've gotten paid $10-20 an hour to become a mega-genius.

>
> Tethering, connecting it to your phone (how on
> earth do you connect to your phone? I have wifi
> on my phone, I've never been able to connect it to
> my router here at the house!), downloading,
> uploading, apps, good lord, it all actually gives
> me a bad headache trying to understand what it all
> means so then I simply just give up.
>
>
>
> techman01 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > galaxy tablet is a good product, just make sure
> > you are getting the latest version. Big
> > performance differences. They come in 7 inch
> and
> > 10 inch sizes.
> >
> > Depending on your wireless carrier, you can add
> a
> > mobile hotspot to your line for 20 a month that
> > acts as wifi to use your tablet on. If you have
> > verizon, starting june 28, they are introducing
> > share everything plans, where all
> lines(including
> > tablets) can share one bucket of data and
> mobile
> > hotspot will be free.

I will be interested in this when it finally comes out. We have an Ipad 2, and for a shop that I need to perform on an ongoing basis it requires IE9 or IE8. Being a PC owner, the Surface will help doing regular shops and video shops. I can't wait for IE8, and if any of you have seen any YouTube video of the operating system it is very unique.

I don't care if it competes with Ipad. I want something that can function when on the road, plane or coffee shop. Something sleek and easy to carry. I use a 17.3 notebook.