Microsoft Surface

The Microsoft Surface is a great machine its is so versatile and pretty powerful

Microsoft Surface RT tablet

Positives:

This is a great device, think of it a 'two in one', it's a tablet and it's a desktop. As someone that has always worked with MS Office on a desktop I can't get on with tablets, but this one enables me to have the best of both. I mainly use it for e-mails (I don't use Outlook, I use Yahoo on a web page) and it's great to use proper webpages without resorting to unreliable apps. It's easy to flick over from the desktop to the tablet. I bought the keyboard too as I'm a touch typist who doesn't like tapping on the screen.

Negatives:

What they don't tell you is that if it arrives uncharged, you have to charge it up and let it do its updates before it will let you do anything. It then kept asking me to create a Microsoft account, but gave me an error message which prevented me doing so. I checked the error message online (via my PC) and it turns out you have to manually set the date and time before it will let you create an account. If only this information popped up on the screen it would have saved me a lot of time and stress. However, now it's all okay and working fine. It also doesn't tell you how to switch it off, so you either right click on the windows icon in the bottom left of the screen or hold the power button until the screen tells you to close it.

Overall:

I would recommend this product if, like me, you are not too keen on tablets but want the facilities a desktop and MS Office offer. If you are used to a 'proper' keyboard, you need to tap a little slower on this keyboard until you get used to it.

Last month I bought the surface pro 2 tablet and the office 360 package. It arrived two days later which was fantastic however the good news ends there!

When I switched it on, it wouldn't work. I contacted support and was told it needed 99 updates. BUT I can't do all of them in one go as apparently the tablet will crash! I must do approximately 10 at any one time, then restart and do the next 10! This took the whole day. Shouldn't all these be done at their end before shipping out?

Next morning, I rang support up again and was told I now need to update the windows from win 8 to win 8.1. This took another half a day with me working full time as well.

When that is finally done, I was referred to their office team to load the office 360 package. This is where the fun began. At first, the operator haven't heard about the university package I was sold by their own Microsoft store!

I was told by the Microsoft store that I would receive a separate email with the key code for me to download this office package and as I have not received this email, I queried. Yep, the Microsoft office team operator was confused! At each junction, she kept going away to consult someone and then came back no wiser.

Eventually I hinted that I have had enough and might consider returning the entire package. I was shocked when at this juncture, she seemed to come alive and was really helpful in advising me where to go, who to talk to inorder for me to get a full refund! It was an offer I couldn't refuse so I took her advise.

The return process was in itself an experience. As soon as I have registered to return the kit, I was bombarded with lots of offical emails with links to pleothora of Microsoft's corporate do's and don't. As I peruse through each document, I came across a section that says that I will be refunded in full less shipping and handling cost. This is in contradiction to their website boast of free delivery and return.

So I again contacted Microsoft on TWO occasions, pressed their relevant numbers to get to the correct team, listened to various telephone wait music and was assured and reassured that I will be refunded in full if I returned the entire kit etc.

The finale is not the end as far as Microsoft is concerned. I duly packaged and returned the entire kit and when they confirmed they had received everything, they initially made a token refund. Then 4 days later, they made another token refund. Both amounts do not tally nor give any inkling of whether a refund is for the tablet or the office package! Therefore confused, I was again on the phone to Microsoft, went through their charade of pressing their buttons and listening to their music before I was told that this is how their accounting system works! Refunds are done in drips and draps but I was assured I will EVENTUALLY get both refunds for the tablet and office package in due course in full. I am asked to keep checking my statement!

Unfortunately it is a shame that a good product is let down so draconianly and terribly by support. I have got myself an Asus tablet which I am using to submit this review.

I bought this tablet a couple of months ago as it had Office already loaded but I wish I had bought a laptop now. Within a month a crack appeared in the screen, without dropping or damaging. Subsequently it takes ages to load, and the touch screen often does not work. Is not compatible with my printer, and keeps telling me I need an app with every bloody request I give to do something. The pointer often goes awol and the connection between tablet and keyboard attachment stops working. All in all a waste of £360. Not recommended.

it only opens one pdf file at once, it always glitches its horrible

The Surface is very easy to use. The Key pad is very good. The downside for me is, its very Limited to the sites I can get onto. Got it for using on my School websites for my GCSE. And every time I try to access it comes up with cannot run this site. Tried to run adobe guess what!! Can't run this app on this PC so I think its a load of rubbish. Mum just bought me a Acer Aspire V5 Touch Screen Brill....

I just love this device. Half tablet, half latop it's really nice and compact. Most of all i love the clip-on keyboard, i think that gives it a lot of usability style.

The Microsoft Surface is very cool. There isn't alot more to say but i'll try! We were staying in a hotel in Seattle that had this as a table in their bar, it was so much fun to play with. You can go through photos, changing their size and aspect by moving your hands closer together/ further apart or spinning them round, you can also slide photos around the table with a flick of the wrist. Google maps was also really fun to play with as is anything else that was designed to be touch responsive. The barman said they had had it for around 6 months, and the novelty had not worn off at all. It would make a really useful meeting room addition or a very swanky coffee table if you have a spare $20,000 kicking around!

The Microsoft Surface, codename Milan is a great new invention for those great innovators. Its a table surface that people use as a way of moving around all digital media using hand movements.If you've seen the film minority report, its very similar to that except on a table surface, with compatible hardware file can be transfered almost instantly. Photos and documents can be manipulated and moved about with ease as if you were re-organising on a coffee table.So restaurants are currently trialling the Microsoft Surface as their table tops to see in what ways customers can benefit but this is far from being everyday use in offices around the world.