I love sitting next to folks with iPads.

[revmike]

Convinced a new church that I started attending to move from their current MBP connected to a projector running OpenLP Presentation software + a whiteboard with a dry-erase marker, to my SP2 + netgear Push2TV Wireless HDMI via Miracast w/the same OpenLP software and OneNote w/digitizer pen Test run this sunday.

I'd be interested in knowing the outcome of the test run.

 

[Dim-Ize]

I'd be interested in knowing the outcome of the test run.

I would be too. After reading this post - I looked at the Push2TV on Amazon. It seems very affordable and easy to use. I wonder if you're limited to distance and line of sight to the device to minimize lag. PowerPoint should work well. Video may be sluggish if too far. Two weeks ago, I was teaching and I used HDMI to a 65" TV that was in the classroom.

It would have been much more convenient to not be tethered.

 

[jnjroach]

I've used both the Netgear PTV300 and Actiontec ScreenBeam Pro, the ScreenBeam as less lag then the Netgear but requires a Power Outlet where the PTV3000 uses a USB adapter. I used the PTV3000 with PowerPoint and DEMOs at the Microsoft Store in Bellevue, WA recently presenting "Using the Surface 2 in Business"



That is an 80" TV behind me using Miracast from my Surface 2 on battery and Wireless....I also realize I have a face for radio

 

[Nismode]

I would be too. After reading this post - I looked at the Push2TV on Amazon. It seems very affordable and easy to use. I wonder if you're limited to distance and line of sight to the device to minimize lag. PowerPoint should work well. Video may be sluggish if too far. Two weeks ago, I was teaching and I used HDMI to a 65" TV that was in the classroom.

It would have been much more convenient to not be tethered.

Being that the size of the device is very small, I'd imagine that the range isn't great. Then again, at home on my personal WiFi, I'm never farther than 10 feet away with my tablet from the device (TV on one end, me on the other end). Video and audio from TV speakers (or external speakers if you have them plugged into the TV) are in sync with each other, and as a unit less than half a second or so lag between what is seen on the Surface Pro 2.

I actually just put up a review on Amazon (Brandon L) outlining my experiences.

I'll chime in here with results from the test run after this weekend.

 

[Dim-Ize]

I've used both the Netgear PTV300 and Actiontec ScreenBeam Pro, the ScreenBeam as less lag then the Netgear but requires a Power Outlet where the PTV3000 uses a USB adapter. I used the PTV3000 with PowerPoint and DEMOs at the Microsoft Store in Bellevue, WA recently presenting "Using the Surface 2 in Business"

That is an 80" TV behind me using Miracast from my Surface 2 on battery and Wireless....I

Indeed this is a unique setup. I love that!!! Okay, so you assert the ScreenBeam has less lag. How is that measured? Is that your take - or is that for sure, for sure...? Also, any comparison on distance for the to devices? I so love this! Just researching today WiDi and Miricast from reading this thread. It seemed that you could use the PTV without being on a wireless network, just having the two devices talk directly to one another.

I'm going to buy one or the other this weekend.

 

[jnjroach]

I own both the PTV3000 and the ScreenBeam Pro, I'm able to use the ScreenBeam attached to my external monitor to do work which I could never do with the PTV3000. The latest Firmware for the PTV3000 has made the lag less though but I still would only use it for Presentations or Video Streaming. And yes it uses WiFi Direct so no network required but keep in mind that HDCP only allows for one HDMI connection. Also I've successfully used Miracast from up to 40 feet.

 

[Devolver]

Man I am also guilty of being smug as hell with my SP2, I've had three random people come up to me to know more about it. Once at my uni canteen and twice at the uni library. The only time that they did not respond with amazement was when I mentioned the price.

I also love sitting next to apple people, I had a similar showdown with a guy in my project group who had a macbook pro for heavy programs and his ipad for note taking. Besides having to run a win7 VM to access the programs, he use he also had to do some cumbersome switching between the two devices.

It began with the usual questions "what is that, what can it do?" and so on. He began editing and referencing his notes for the assignment, and had to switch between his notes and the calculations on the macbook pro .
I pointed out how I also could take notes "yeah but then you are going to have to switch apps all the time" he said
I told him that I could split between my desktop and onenote with no multitasking problems. He gave me some excuse that tablets were not meant for real work, and that I wasn't going to be as productive, and that the screen was too small.
While the screen is small, I pointed out the irony about his two devices in regards to productivity.

The SP2 is a great device, it has unfortunately made me smug and competitive, just like my stereotypical views on mac hipsters.

and yes I know comparing an ipad to a SP2 is unfair... but comparing it to an ipad and a macbook pro is not

 

[machistmo]

Did you get his phone number? Sounds like a connection to me...

It seems to me that iPads are taking over the world. I recently went to buy a car and almost EVERY dealership I visited had the iPad in service in one form or another. Everything from selling me the car on the iPad to searching dealer inventory to find the car I was searching for right there where we stood... So While this is a laptop and its neat, it still runs Windows 8, which is getting better, but honestly will I think be forgotten in the annals of Windows ME and Vista.. The iPad for whatever it WONT do, and that's a lot, it DOES what it DOES VERY WELL. I work with a guy that HATES the iPad but loves the one his wife has because as he puts it "I think we have had it two years and its never been turned off or had one problem that she had to ask me about". It's hard to argue with that statement.

People love them and therefore they are infiltrating into places that you would not have guessed they would pop up. I don't think having a brand affinity gets us anywhere and we al have them to some degree. As I get older I realize that I have them less and to a lesser degree and I am forced to admit the obvious. Glad you love your SP and all that but honestly this 10 inch screen makes me a little batty sometimes and until recently I had perfect vision and still see like a hawk.

This SP2 I am typing this on has only recently started behaving in anything that I would call a serviceable fashion. Until the last firmware update the unit would not even sleep properly to say nothing of waking from sleep, which it just would not do... Its battery life is impressive for the power it offers but I don't find that I avail myself of that power unless I am using it on a large display and so then on power anyway... In fact, this thing stays docked most of the time and I use the iPad to tote in the garage for consumption or the odd how-to video on changing my weed-eaters head to a non-factory model. I don't think that either solution is better than the other, but I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone else that feels this way.... The world is finding ways to make the iPad productive... Wow reading this - I sound like an i-Diot, but I assure you I am not... Its just how it is. Apple is eating everyone's lunch and it isn't because of what the iPad wont do, because that list is pretty long. Its because what it does do - IT DOES REALLY WELL. They were also first to get it right and so people are invested in it and yadda yadda yadda... iTunes is TERRIBLE, I think anyone will admit that, but people put up with that because they LOVE the hardware and the simple to use OS. They count on it to work and it does... They count on it to last a whole day playing movies and videos and it does... They count on it to go to sleep and save the battery and wake up instantly and do what they want and it does...

I like my SP2 a lot but I am in IT and have uses that most of the world does not... Not saying there are not upsides to the SP2 but man I don't know.. Its pretty hard to trash the iPad.. Whatever it does not do, it does what it DOES do pretty damned well and for most, that's all they want....

 

[redbrick]

We (surface pro fans) should be very careful about this attitude. The surface pro is a good device, but it still does have its serious shortcomings where the ipad really shines. Power endurance, weight, and connectivity are still its biggest weakness. The flexibility is easily trumped by the vast library of ‘apps for that.'

 

[sharpuser]

They are different.
Each provide different pros and cons for different life situations.
That is why both exist.
The best one is the one you choose at that moment.
This comparison for "which is better" is fruitless.

But comparisons of specs are very helpful - especially for deciding which to consume.

 

[kristalsoldier]

We (surface pro fans) should be very careful about this attitude. The surface pro is a good device, but it still does have its serious shortcomings where the ipad really shines. Power endurance, weight, and connectivity are still its biggest weakness. The flexibility is easily trumped by the vast library of ‘apps for that.'

Actually, the comparision should be between the iPad and the Surface 2 (RT, not the Pro). The iPad has a patently mobile OS (iOS), while the Surface Pro2 has the full-fledged operating system. Arguably, the Win 8.1 RT OS (if the rumours of the merging with Win Phone 8 OS are true and actually do happen) is a comparable OS to iOS.

A comparison between the RT machines and the iPad comes up with some interesting results. The iPad (at least the Air) is lighter, has one of the - if not the - best app ecosystem and can be a productive machine (when paired with a keyboard). The Surface (RT) is designed with productivity in mind. Big advantage in having one of the most popular Office Suites, power consumption, while not as good as the iPad, is much better. App eco-system is growing and will probably get a boost as and when the merger with Win Phone 8 marketplace is complete (supposedly to happen in 2015). Multi-tasking is an inherent feature of the Surface (unlike the iPad). The thing that I think would have made the Surface (RT) a highly competitive device to the iPad is if MS had included an active digitiser (like in the Pro devices). I also think MS should have bundled at least the Touch Cover with the Surface (RT) to increase the value proposition.

 

[fonzman78]

It seems to me that iPads are taking over the world. I recently went to buy a car and almost EVERY dealership I visited had the iPad in service in one form or another. Everything from selling me the car on the iPad to searching dealer inventory to find the car I was searching for right there where we stood... The iPad for whSo While this is a laptop and its neat, it still runs Windows 8, which is getting better, but honestly will I think be forgotten in the annals of Windows ME and Vista..

Yes, it does seem that way. Everywhere you look, iPads are used for just about everything. I hope to change that, one Surface at a time. I certainly do not want the Surface to be forgotten and will continue to do my Surface thing. I want there to be a Surface 3, 4, 5, etc.

People love them and therefore they are infiltrating into places that you would not have guessed they would pop up. I don't think having a brand affinity gets us anywhere and we al have them to some degree. As I get older I realize that I have them less and to a lesser degree and I am forced to admit the obvious...

This is spot on. I always expect and see small shops using iPads to conduct business. However, I do hope things change as more and more folks break out of the Apple mindset and see what a Surface can do. I went to a local, small Theatre to see a play. I was waiting in line to buy some snacks. I noticed the cashier was taking orders on a tablet. An iPad of course. Right? Wrong. They were actually using a Surface tablet. I was pleasantly surprised. Some folks are starting to see past the Apple.

The world is finding ways to make the iPad productive... Wow reading this - I sound like an i-Diot, but I assure you I am not... Its just how it is. Apple is eating everyone's lunch and it isn't because of what the iPad wont do, because that list is pretty long. Its because what it does do - IT DOES REALLY WELL. They were also first to get it right and so people are invested in it and yadda yadda yadda... I like my SP2 a lot but I am in IT and have uses that most of the world does not... Not saying there are not upsides to the SP2 but man I don't know.. Its pretty hard to trash the iPad.. Whatever it does not do, it does what it DOES do pretty damned well and for most, that's all they want....

Apple certainly has the advantage. Great marketing and a huge fan base. There is no doubt that their products are quality albeit overpriced (said the pot to the kettle). Being first, they have the lead. But others are slowly creeping up on them. They had best keep innovating. The world is starting to wake up. On a larger scale, Delta has chosen to use the Surface for all their pilots to use.

Delta to equip 11,000 pilots with Microsoft Surface 2 tablet devices - Sep 30, 2013

So, I encourage you all to keep on doing the Surface thing. Folks small and large are starting to notice.