New user: A Few Questions

[danweis1]

Hello all,
I recently acquired a nearly new Surface 2 in a trade for a Macbook Pro. I've owned several Android devices and iPads in the last few years, and am intimate with how they operate. I've also been a very long time user of Windows, since the beginning. There a few things about the Surface and Windows 8.1 I just can't figure out, compared to Android or IOS, so I'm hoping someone can help me.

First, the email client. It setup easily and works ok. I use Gmail mostly, which works fine with the built in email. When I click on a link, the link opens in a small window on the right side, which is so small I can barely read it. I want the link to open in a FULL window. Is this possible? Also, is there a setting to control which email opens after I delete one? Currently, the next oldest one opens. I want the next newest one to open. Why would I want to read one I already read?

Keyboard. A lot of times, the keyboard does not lower after I hit return, especially after typing a URL in the browser. This seems to be random. Any ideas why?

Spell check and predictive typing. This seems not to work while typing in the browser? I really depend on this function. I'm typing this in a browser and it's taking me 10 times longer than normal (with spell check and predictive text). Ya, I'm terrible at typing.

All these things work just fine in other tablets. I realize this is a hybrid between Windows and a tablet, so maybe I'm asking too much.

Thanks in advance,
Dan

 

[GreyFox7]

It will take some time to work through your list however this definitely has nothing to do with being a hybrid and is just differences in software in general.

Re: mail client opening next item after deletion. Looking at it another way... with mail sorted newest first and you start deleting from some point lower in the list than the top... yes however if you started at the top and worked your way down deleting or not then opening the next item makes perfect sense. off the top of my head I don't know were you change this ... will have to look unless someone else has it.

will check back later...

 

[GreyFox7]

Um to be sure is this a Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2? Surface 2 comes with Office which includes Outlook and that has all the options you want in the mail client although its currently a desktop app. likewise if you've installed Office on the Pro 2. I don't see where you have much config options in the current built-in Mail app.

When you click a link in mail it opens side-by-side, just drag the center line to the edge for Full Window.

I'm not clear what problem you want to solve re: spiel-check [sic]

 

[danweis1]

Surface Pro 2. Ok, dragging to the left did it. Also, spell check and predictive text is working as I type?? So, which browser opens when you slide to the left from email? IE or something built into the email client? As far as the way email works, it's like a lot of other email clients on Android and IOS. Just got spoiled by Gmail I guess, which lets you decide which way to go after deleting, next newer or previous. Only thing left from the original questions is why the on screen keyboard stays up after hitting return, after typing a URL in the browser.
Thanks you both for your help.
Cheers, Dan

 

[GreyFox7]

Surface Pro 2. Ok, dragging to the left did it. Also, spell check and predictive text is working as I type?? So, which browser opens when you slide to the left from email? IE or something built into the email client? As far as the way email works, it's like a lot of other email clients on Android and IOS. Just got spoiled by Gmail I guess, which lets you decide which way to go after deleting, next newer or previous. Only thing left from the original questions is why the on screen keyboard stays up after hitting return, after typing a URL in the browser.
Thanks you both for your help.
Cheers, Dan

OOB Its launching Metro IE . without checking ill assume this is the default browser.

 

[danweis1]

Thanks. I think part of my problem was I had Chrome installed as my default browser., which probably opened as default when I clicked a link in email. Maybe spell check and predictive text don't work in Chrome, at least on this device. I uninstalled Chrome and spell check and predictive text started working.

 

[GreyFox7]

Thanks. I think part of my problem was I had Chrome installed as my default browser., which probably opened as default when I clicked a link in email. Maybe spell check and predictive text don't work in Chrome, at least on this device. I uninstalled Chrome and spell check and predictive text started working.

I seem to recall someone saying Chrome was using a old API that didn't work with all the features.
Besides which there a serious bug in Chrome that drains your battery.