Potential First Time Owner

[Deleted member 11423]

Hello, I'm a first time poster here and a college student that's considering getting the Surface Pro 2 as my first Windows 8 tablet/laptop/desktop but I do have some reservation I hope experienced users can answer. The first is running music or video metro apps in the background while I'm using the desktop. The second is continuing to running programs and downloading/uploading data with only the screen off to save power while at school. The third is using Bluetooth headphones which I've read have problems such as audio lag, losing connection, etc. And using 2 Bluetooth devices at the same with such with a mouse?

Other problems I see people are having includes WiFi, corner screen input/bleeding/flickering, audio, Windows scaling. The Microsoft Complete Extended Service insurance is also something I am a bit unclear what it entails from their website. Such as additional limited warranty coverage, accidental warranty coverage, deductible, accessories. The first web page states additional 1 year of limited warranty coverage then this page states up to 3 years of warranty so are there multiple Complete Warranty packages? And how much do they cost?

 

[ALLCAPS]

You can run metro music apps in the background, and they'll keep playing while they are off-screen. You can even use the media keys or controls on Bluetooth devices to control them while they're out of sight. You even get a transparent overlay showing the current track and volume, skip/pause controls, etc.

I have had no issues using a Bluetooth speaker. I have a Logitech one that doesn't lag and hasn't lost connection since I set it up yesterday. I don't use a Bluetooth mouse, though, so I can't tell if there'd be an issue with having more than one device at a time. I don't see why there would be.

You can set the power options however you want. You have the same mobility center/power control panel as any laptop. There isn't an easy way to just turn the screen off, though. You can set the screen to turn off after a certain time, and it will, but I don't know of a way to turn it off on command that doesn't put the surface to sleep.

The Wacom pen works well on the edges, not as well in the extreme corners. Talking like the most extreme square centimeter. All Wacom devices are like this though. Some better than others, but they're all a little jittery in the very corners.

As for screen imperfections, that's gonna be a specimen to specimen thing. Mine is perfect, but that doesn't mean they're all perfect. I also haven't had any issues with my WiFi, but again, just because mine is perfect doesn't mean they all are. Some laptops (and the original Surface Pro) that use this WiFi chipset have trouble with it not wanting to connect after sleep. For original surface pro owner and for those laptops a very common solution is to just turn off the low power state for the WiFi radio. I haven't had to do this, but it's a tip I've read.

No idea about the Microsoft warranty stuff, I didn't get it. Didn't even know it was available actually.

 

[Deleted member 11423]

Metro IE11 and Xbox Video for example suspends whenever they get moved to the background so is there any way to prevent that from happening? On laptops the display can be turned off while everything else remaining functional with "When I close the lid: Do nothing" but I don't know how that will work on the Surface with the cover.

 

[ALLCAPS]

Setting it to "Do Nothing" and then closing the cover does not turn the display off. Just tested it.

 

[mitchellvii]

If I were you I would wait until the holidays to make a purchase. By that time all the new kit from Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Samsung and Sony will be out and you can compare. Surface Pro 2 is a fine device but Microsoft has (unwisely) decided to make it and its accessories very expensive. Better to wait a little while now than to have buyer's remorse later.

And of course you will also be able to take advantage of holiday sales prices.

Surface Pro 2 may be the device for you, but why not compare and make sure?

 

[oion]

You can run metro music apps in the background, and they'll keep playing while they are off-screen. You can even use the media keys or controls on Bluetooth devices to control them while they're out of sight. You even get a transparent overlay showing the current track and volume, skip/pause controls, etc.

Metro IE11 and Xbox Video for example suspends whenever they get moved to the background so is there any way to prevent that from happening?

Metro by default disconnects audio/video from running in the background by default design; MS devs explained why in a tech blog a while back. As far as I know, the only way to get around this is if the capability of background audio is programmed into the app itself. The only real workaround is to snap the apps so both are "up front."

The wifi problems you read around here are very difficult/impossible to troubleshoot because everyone has different setups and hardware and other devices that can cause interference (even baby monitors and microwaves). Actual hardware defects like screen bleed are going to be a loud minority--you have to realize that this is a tech user forum, a severe minority of owners ever post, so we're talking about a combination of self-selection bias in population statistics and the fact that people are far more likely to vocalize complaints (i.e. if you're happy with something, you usually just go about your business with it). Forums, mailing lists, etc. are never good sources for overall population generalization. Even product review aggregates have bias and sampling skew problems, so you can really only start to see a pattern when there are a significant number of inputs: The second generation has been out for less than a week.

For the warranty questions, see here. It's $99 for Surface 2, and Surface Pro 2 might have the same deal like MS did last year (normally it's $149 for a Pro, AFAIR). On the account, it comes out to 2 years total (additional 1 year). The second link you found is interesting, but judging by the URL and the support link, that's for businesses/commercial use and not consumers.

 

[Deleted member 11423]

I have considered similar ultrabooks and tablets from other manufacturers but the Surface design and keyboard implementation looks appealing to me. I do hope to get the Power Cover with the tablet for next semester in January if I decide go with Microsoft. I can live with metro apps not running in the background but the inability to only turn off only the screen is concerning me.

 

[oion]

I have considered similar ultrabooks and tablets from other manufacturers but the Surface design and keyboard implementation looks appealing to me. I do hope to get the Power Cover with the tablet for next semester in January if I decide go with Microsoft. I can live with metro apps not running in the background but the inability to only turn off only the screen is concerning me.

Under Power Options > Edit Plan Settings, you can "Change advanced power settings." There is a separate Display option tree, where you can set the number of minutes for "Turn off display after..." (This is a Windows 8.x setting, not limited to Surface.)

 

[Deleted member 11423]

Under Power Options > Edit Plan Settings, you can "Change advanced power settings." There is a separate Display option tree, where you can set the number of minutes for "Turn off display after..." (This is a Windows 8.x setting, not limited to Surface.)

I don't want it to turn off only after a set time but whenever I want, like I can with closing the lid of my laptop.

 

[oion]

I don't want it to turn off only after a set time but whenever I want, like I can with closing the lid of my laptop.

This is a feature in Windows 8, and has been a feature in Windows for a while now.

 

[Deleted member 11423]

This is a feature in Windows 8, and has been a feature in Windows for a while now.

I have my laptop set to only turn off the screen when closing the lid to save power while on battery. ALLCAPS said closing the Surface cover does not turn off the screen so I'm asking how to do so without waiting for a set time.

 

[oion]

I have my laptop set to only turn off the screen when closing the lid to save power while on battery. ALLCAPS said closing the Surface cover does not turn off the screen so I'm asking how to do so without waiting for a set time.

Whoops, ALLCAPS is right. I must've been thinking of sleep or something. Windows 8.x doesn't seem to support merely turning off the screen with the cover closed; I suppose MS didn't add that specific option because usually when people close the lid of a laptop that means they aren't using it and want it "off" (or suspend/sleep for fast access).

That said, you could choose "Turn off screen after..." and then set close lid to "do nothing" as a workaround.

If this is a problem, then it doesn't look like you can buy a Windows 8 machine.