A bit of a dilemma

[Milkybarkid]

With little funds at the time when Surface came out I went for a Kobo Arc, as it was mostly for reading, with the intention of trading up later. The 7inch was too small but it fitted the bill at the time, although I was no fan of the Android system. An an unfortunate accident with the cat while it was charging before Christmas meant I had to buy fast and cheap, which gave me the Asus T100. Okay for what I wanted but it is a bit of a cow to turn on, has to think about it, screen not brilliant although passable, and only a 5 point whatsit.

Anyway when the Surface 3 was announced and with time to save the pennies, I ordered. Now I'm thinking it will be too big for simply reading, a bit of internet, email etc and a few lightweight games. I don't really go out with what I have, probably because it can be tetchy, I only used the keyboard on the Asus when I set it up and other than reading (I normally use a made to order 15.6 laptop) and I've not even registered the copy of Office on it.

My lust is for the Surface 3 but in all honesty for me it will be overkill and a waste. I'm retired so my life is as busy as I want to be and sat on the sofa is where I do most of my work, only vacating to a desktop when I want to print something off or scan.

So what, I like the idea of the Surface 2 because it is lighter. The RT puts me off a little although apart from a few books that use Adobe Digital Reader, the rest are Kindle and Kobo, both of which are on RT although I do like Firefox and not IE. The other thing with the RT and Pro is that I could sneak it in and my other half wouldn't even notice because the size will be about the same. Even he will notice that the 3 is larger.

So what would you do, save money and go for the Surface 2, lighter, better battery life, or go for the Pro?

 

[scottysize]

First off, no one really needs a tablet. There. I said it. (Go ahead and start yelling at me.)

OK, now, looking at what you do, you are probably correct. I doubt you need a full blown computer, which this is, however, you can get rid of your laptop, if you pick up the keyboard with it. It is a good laptop replacement. So, do you want to replace your laptop? If so, get the SP2 or SP3 with keyboard. I think the SP3 does a better job of replacing the laptop, but the 2 might work for you. Go to the MS or Best Buy store and see the two devices and make an informed decision that way.

Now, if you don't want to replace your laptop, then I'd probably look at another Android device. They are cheaper, and do a lot of things. But you might want to get a better device than A Kobo Arc. Look at the Nexus and see if you can get one of those.

However:
If you plan on doing mostly reading, I'd say go with the Kindle and forget about anything else. You'd still have your laptop to do productive things and watch YouTube, etc., and then you'd have the Kindle as your reading device. Keep in mind however, Kindles are not really good for anything else. I have a Kindle. It sits beside my bed and I use it to read each night. I use it nightly and would never get rid of it, or try to replace it with anything larger because it's just a reading device. I recommend them to anyone that reads a lot.

Hope I helped. It's always a tough choice.

 

[lparsons21]

When I decided I wanted a Win8/8.1 tablet, I looked at the SurfacePro and Pro 2 and the ASUS T100.

Ended up getting both the SurfacePro (not 2) and the ASUS T100. I find the T100 to be my lap goto machine as it is very light and has superb battery life. Nothing on it prevents me from doing the things I would do while one-eyeing the TV in the recliner. But it is slower and sometimes twitchy about coming back to life. Irritating.

I got the SurfacePro w/128Gb SSD for around the $500 mark as an open box at BestBuy. The battery life is a bit disappointing, so I bought a 2nd power supply for it for when I'm away from the desk. Most times it is connected to power and my PS3 3D display as a desktop replacement, but I do use it on the lap occasionally too.

If I were doing it today, I think I'd still get the SP original because my uses are about like yours. Nothing really heavy duty that needs more ram, speed and SSD size. Now that the SP3 is starting to show up, the prices on the original should tumble a bit more.

 

[Milkybarkid]

I do know I don't want Android as suggested, tried it, okay but don't like it. I like my laptop, which is one reason why I never used the keyboard on the Asus. What I want is something to read books mostly but not a Kindle, I don't want to be committed to Kindle (and Android), although the books are usually cheaper there. Keeping the Asus would give me the best of both worlds if the book was only in the Adobe Digital and also my library uses this format. The more I think about what I do, I think the more I'm leaning to Surface 2, especially if there are bargains to come. The Surface 3 looks luscious and I'm truly sold but I would never get full use of it like I would if I were still working and it would be a waste, in fact I didn't even bother ordering a keyboard. I just want something I can pick up and play with without having to unpack the laptop (bird dander and cat hairs cause to much dust if left out).

Getting other people's thoughts has been very helpful.

 

[lparsons21]

Since you read a lot, note that there are Kindle and Nook apps for Windows that work quite well on the SurfacePro. That said, I find the size of the screen a bit more than I want in a reader so I tend to use either my iPad Mini or Nook e-ink readers more for that.

 

[kristalsoldier]

With little funds at the time when Surface came out I went for a Kobo Arc, as it was mostly for reading, with the intention of trading up later. The 7inch was too small but it fitted the bill at the time, although I was no fan of the Android system. An an unfortunate accident with the cat while it was charging before Christmas meant I had to buy fast and cheap, which gave me the Asus T100. Okay for what I wanted but it is a bit of a cow to turn on, has to think about it, screen not brilliant although passable, and only a 5 point whatsit.

Anyway when the Surface 3 was announced and with time to save the pennies, I ordered. Now I'm thinking it will be too big for simply reading, a bit of internet, email etc and a few lightweight games. I don't really go out with what I have, probably because it can be tetchy, I only used the keyboard on the Asus when I set it up and other than reading (I normally use a made to order 15.6 laptop) and I've not even registered the copy of Office on it.

My lust is for the Surface 3 but in all honesty for me it will be overkill and a waste. I'm retired so my life is as busy as I want to be and sat on the sofa is where I do most of my work, only vacating to a desktop when I want to print something off or scan.

So what, I like the idea of the Surface 2 because it is lighter. The RT puts me off a little although apart from a few books that use Adobe Digital Reader, the rest are Kindle and Kobo, both of which are on RT although I do like Firefox and not IE. The other thing with the RT and Pro is that I could sneak it in and my other half wouldn't even notice because the size will be about the same. Even he will notice that the 3 is larger.

So what would you do, save money and go for the Surface 2, lighter, better battery life, or go for the Pro?

Could I respectfully request you to be precise when making such posts? What was announced recently was the Surface Pro 3 and not the Surface 3 (though I wish they had done so). I make this request because it just makes it easier (and more accurate) for those who may read the post. Thanks.

 

[daniielrp]

Could I respectfully request you to be precise when making such posts? What was announced recently was the Surface Pro 3 and not the Surface 3 (though I wish they had done so). I make this request because it just makes it easier (and more accurate) for those who may read the post. Thanks.

Well not really, as there is no RT version the two can be used interchangeably without it hurting our brains...

 

[Milkybarkid]

Just out of curiosity, you have the Asus T100 and the Surface Pro, can you see the screen difference between the two with the Asus only being 10.1 or is it barely noticeable?

 

[lparsons21]

Just out of curiosity, you have the Asus T100 and the Surface Pro, can you see the screen difference between the two with the Asus only being 10.1 or is it barely noticeable?

I can see the difference if I put them side by side, and the lower resolution of the T100 means some software looks slightly different but it isn't really noticeable for most things. What little I give up in screen look is more than made up for by the big weight difference and vastly longer battery life. That said I wouldn't want to have to use the T100 with the keyboard as that has to be one of the worst keyboards I've used in some time. Too many keys in bad places imo. I can type faster and more accurately with the onscreen keyboard than the T100's.

I use the T100 almost solely with 'modern UI' apps and it works fine for that. The screen resolution, quality and size are more noticeable when using desktop apps. I can and do use both type of apps on the SP because of its superlative screen just fine. IOW, the T100 is a better tablet while the SP is a better laptop, or at least that is the way I see it.

 

[Milkybarkid]

Looks like it will be SP2 then. Better start looking for another price drop, hopefully.

 

[compnovo]

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a "like new" Surface 2 32GB from an Amazon reseller and am in the process of ebaying the RT I've had since it was released. Due to the improved performance, screen resolution, and USB 3.0 support I'm really glad I finally made the move. I bring this up because, after reading the OP's posts, it looks like any of the Pro series may be overkill and an unnecessary expense (and this is from somebody who also lusts after the SP 3).