My Best Prosumer tablet

It has been a little more than a year ago since I got my Surface RT tablet from the Microsoft BUILD event and I have committed myself to use it as my only computing companion device (other than my smartphone) when going into meetings. The experience has been getting better and with the release of Windows RT 8.1, I would now officially call it my best prosumer tablet.

I know there have been many articles pronouncing the death of Windows RT and Windows RT-based devices like Surface RT. However, if you read those articles closely, they mostly focused on the lack of support for legacy applications and the fact that some OEMs can offer a x86-based Windows 8.1 tablet at a price cheaper than Surface RT. I would argue that those writers had not really used a device like Surface RT long enough and they were simply missing the important points. It is not just about the Windows RT or cheaper price. It is about the new WinRT framework and a high-quality computing device that delivers the modern OS experience to the end user.

Do you still remember the days when you get a new Windows PC, you spent hours trying to set up your new PC and migrate all of your apps? Afterward, you again spent hours cleaning up your old PC; so nothing is left behind. Or do you still remember the days when your PC will just get slower and slower to a point where you have to get a new PC or re-install Windows? How about the days when you have to compare a dozen antivirus programs and decide which one will give you the best protection to your PC? With Windows RT, you no longer have those issues. You login with your Microsoft Live account just like what you would do with your Android or iOS devices. Your account settings is synced to the cloud. When you log in to a new Windows device with your Live account, it will download your settings from the cloud and all of the apps will be there for you to download again. As for the old device, it has the options to completely refresh or reset the device. The catch is that you have to use just the Windows Store apps because each app is managed in your account and sand-boxed when executed. Windows RT gives you this ideal environment where your device is not polluted by any poorly-coded 3rd party legacy apps or drivers. Whenever there is an update to the app or the system, you download and install the update(s) over the Internet from a trusted source. My Surface RT run the same today as I have received it a year ago. With the release of Windows RT 8.1, I would even argue it run faster than a year ago.

The inclusion of Microsoft office in Windows RT is important for my day-to-day work. I never have to worry about incompatibility issue or last-minute editing. With a mini-hdmi-to-vga converter, I can simply hook up to a projector and choose the different projection modes just like what I would do with my laptop. Microsoft also makes Outlook 2013 available as part of Windows RT 8.1 update and this is hugely important for companies that use Microsoft Exchange as the backend mail/calendar server. Now, the Surface RT tablet is not just the only tablet that I bring into my meetings. It is pretty much the only computing device I would bring home with me from work unless I need extra computing power for heavy editing or code development. In that case, I will then use my laptop. The flexible split window feature is also very handy. I was rehearsing Rod's excellent web optimization presentation for the Taipei ARM Technology Symposium and the split window feature was just what I needed -- with power point deck on one side and the video replay on the other.

The multi-user support turns out to be a surprisingly useful feature for me since quite a few people took interest on my Surface tablet during the meetings and wanted to play around with it. I could quickly switch to a test account; so others can experience with the tablet without worrying about leaking my data. I was also able to find several of my favorite apps on the Windows App Store like Minion Rush or PPTV, keeping me entertained in the off-work hours.

Obviously, this tablet is not perfect yet. I do feel that I need a little bit more computing power when running Microsoft PowerPoint and there is still no Cisco WebEx app available. Recently, I was able to test the latest Surface 2 tablet running Nvidia's Cortex-A15 based Tegra 4 SoC and it offered the much needed performance upgrade from the Surface RT tablet. The PowerPoint presentation is now much more smoother and I feel no lag when opening up several large PowerPoint decks for editing. The Surface 2 tablet now looks more like a primary computing device rather than a companion computing device. While the app selection from the Windows App Store is still a weak point compared to Android or iOS devices, it is getting better approaching 150k according to MetroStore Scanner. As more people are starting to use and appreciate what's being offered by Windows RT devices, they will also help pushing the app ecosystem as in the case of Cisco WebEx app. With the Windows RT 8.1 release, regular patch updates and the improving app ecosystem, using the Surface RT tablet is no longer just a commitment, but rather a logical choice for me as a professional consumer -- not to mention that it is now being offered at a much more attractive price. With a bit more budget; however, I would strongly recommend the Surface 2 tablet. It offers the much needed performance upgrade, better resolution (1080p), better kickstand (2 positions instead of 1) and overall spec upgrade from the Surface RT. It will certainly be the top of my recommendation list for anyone looking for a new tablet.