Surface RT advice needed...

[quadtronix]

Hey all.... I'm thinking about getting a Surface RT and looking for advice. For those with one already: how is battery life, what do you use the Surface RT for, Surface RT vs Pro, would you recommend it, what if all I really do with tablets is surf the web a lot... is it good for that? Also should I wait for the rumored 7 inch Surface mini? Predictions and thoughts on Surface mini? How is evernote on the Surface? I use evernote a lot! Surface vs other tablets? Please keep in mind that I have a Nexus 7, iPad mini, and iPad 2 already among other tablets as well but mostly just use the n7 and mini... I also have an aging laptop with windows 8... The thing is... I am very into mobile tech and need my computers to be able to travel with me and my laptop is 17.3 inches and weighs too much! So that stays home... Lol. So generally I'm just looking for thoughts on the Surface. Thanks in advance and nice to meet you all.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Hi...in my experience...

...Battery life around 8-9 hours (medium to heavy usage)
...Primary use: Office (including using Skydrive extensively), Web (including blogging), Music. In many ways, the RT is almost a replacement of my laptop.
...Surface Pro...For me it would be an overkill. Why? Because I don't have too many legacy apps and I like the fact that the RT comes with an almost full version of Office
...7" tabs...Not my cup of tea...too small a screen. That said, YMMV.

Last thoughts on the RT...Love it. It's like a machine I have been waiting for. Note, I am saying this though I also own and extensively use a Nexus 10 (which I also like very much).

And, very nice to meet you too. If you do end up getting the RT, have fun..wait...have fun regardless!

Edit: Surface and other tabs

My experience with other tabs has been limited to the Android world. Till date, I have owned a Acer A500 (which was not a bad piece of kit at all and included a full USB port though updates were very slow), and now the Nexus 10. I do like Android and hope to always have an Android unit (currently, I have an aging smartphone - a Samsung S5850 (I think) - and the Nexus 10). I also own a 1st generation Kindle (which I don't use anymore).

Originally, I thought that the Android tabs would do what I currently do with the Surface. To that end, I tried the various Office-type apps but honestly, they suck! But I do use the Nexus 10 for my e-reading and for watching movies - the excellent screen helps. It is also very light.

So, now when I leave home, I carry 3 things - my phone, the Nexus 10 and the Surface RT. It's light and gives me a rounded capability especially when I use clod services like Skydrive and Gdrive.

 

[quadtronix]

Thanks for the writeup on Surface RT! I also had an Acer A500... loved it. Now my iPad 2 is my only full sized tablet but the Surface has definitely caught my attention. I just really want to give Win 8 a try on a tablet. When I played with one at Staples I was impressed with the weight, the kickstand and the price. Not to mention the build quality and as you know... I'm a fan of quad core tech! So I think I will be getting one soon... hopefully. Again thanks for the great advice.

 

[Griff]

LOVE my RT. It replaced my ipad and MacBook pro. I don't have any legacy apps, so that's not an issue for me. The Surface completely meets my needs and I use it constantly for work and entertainment.

 

[capdad]

+1 on love my RT. Yes it has it quirks but honestly it's a nice OS and I do enjoy using it. It will only get better including the apps.

 

[gpstrucker]

I've been using the RT since December and love it. I use it daily for web surfing, watching movies and music videos, and for sending/receiving/printing work related documents (PDF). Battery life is excellent. While I still have my Nexus 7 I rarely use it now. I gave away my iPad.

 

[ArnoldC]

It really depends on your needs. If not being to run legacy application will cause you pain, then RT isn't for you. As for my needs, I have to be honest that while the Surface RT serves most of my needs, and has caused my use of the Acer to be limited, it still is not 100%. I have to run Hyper-V which obviously is something the RT will never have. I also need to run Nikon Capture NX and that is a legacy application. These two, predominantly is what my Acer is for.

 

[dougpaw57]

I probably would have bought an RT over a Pro except for two reasons. The RT would need to have the 1920x1080 resolution screen and a full version of Outlook.

 

[quadtronix]

It really depends on your needs. If not being to run legacy application will cause you pain, then RT isn't for you. As for my needs, I have to be honest that while the Surface RT serves most of my needs, and has caused my use of the Acer to be limited, it still is not 100%. I have to run Hyper-V which obviously is something the RT will never have. I also need to run Nikon Capture NX and that is a legacy application. These two, predominantly is what my Acer is for.

Well I have my laptop for legacy apps so I'm not too worried about that and since battery life is better on the RT I'll probably go with that... Plus the price, size and weight...