RICH

There is a thread in Aus forum I read, but I want a local opinion. It sounds good to me. What are the pitfalls, and what would be a better option?

I have $400 odd to spend. I have a HP pavillion desktop on XP, Office 2000. I don't need the latest greatest, just a decent upgrade for leisure use.

Thanks

Hiro11

The RT version of the Surface is apparently not worth buying. I would just get a cheap laptop or desktop. We got my daughter one of these for Christmas:
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-X200CA-HC...ds=asus+laptop

It's a solid little machine at that price.

Bob

Depends on what you want doing.

You can get on Newegg.com a refurb Samsung Galaxy Note 2 10" and 8" for $250 right now, well last night.

Nutek

This.

AT WORK...

We have Surface Pros. The library staff use them for running their Follet/Destiny software and the coaches use them for... sports... stuff.. ( I dunno... it's outdoors). They are a perfect replacement for a business laptop.

We have some Surface RTs. Not ideal for a lot of things, but they come with MS Office installed, work with our networked printers, have USB and are (relatively) inexpensive. We use them for student lab work.

We have iPads... These get used for... something. Not sure what exactly, no one seems to be able to tell me what they are actually good for, but it must be something because we keep buying them.

AT HOME...

We have iPads and I just bought a Kindle HDX. The iPad has more apps, the Kindle is my shiny toy to play with Amazon content (which really is the only place I buy anything anyhow, so fits perfectly). Suprisingly (to me anyway), the Kindle also will print to all of our network printers at work. Seamless printing capability may not seem like much, until you find that you need it and your $#@%! iPad cant do it.

Bob

You can get the Kindle store installed on most Android devices. Don't have native Instant Video, but go to website, check the "desktop" version and it works....clearly not ideal as that's harder to share, but it works....and yes, printing to the cloud works. I even printed a document to pdf on my tab and was able to print it at the library, and view it instantly on the ipad and desktop at home, which is nifty. Because I've yet to figure out how to print from the iPad, other than sticking it on a photocopier to print screen :/

Nutek

I can walk into work and all of our networked laserjets work directly from the Kindle.. Even the large collating machines. The only thing I couldn't get to work was the stapling function. Amazing.

The Surfaces obviously will work as they are Windows devices and drivers are plentiful, but the Kindle was a real surprise.

The iPads make great electronic magazines, but from what I can tell they suck for doing any actual, useful, productive work.

Steve_

Didn't we just have this thread? The regular Surface is a waste of time, RT is a crippled version of Windows and Microsoft is apparently going to discontinue it anyway.

Surface Pro is basically just a PC, hey if you like it, buy it, but there are many other similar Windows-based gizmos out there.

rpjs

I've got a first-gen Surface RT. It's a nice little device for consuming media, me and OH sometimes watch netflix on it in bed. I've got the Nook and Kindle apps and it makes a decent e-reader. I loathe and detest the Win 8 "metro" interface on our non-touchscreen laptop, but on a touchscreen I rather like it; if MSFT could have got it out a bit earlier, it might have given iOS a run for its money.

BUT, I only have it because my brother used to work for the Beast of Redmond. When it eventually breaks I'll by an iPad, like a normal person.

RICH

You're a winner!
That looks like what I want.
Who can tell me why I don't want it?

scrubbedexpat097

Because the guys in Best Buy said the Lenovo would be better, so I went along with what they said. Not entirely sure if I made the right decision, one good thing is the webcam is really good when I talk to my son

(I had originally decided to buy an Asus)

sir_eccles

Ordinarily I would doubt any advice from Best Buy. That said most Lenovo stuff is ok particularly the Thinkpad stuff.

Bob

Win8
3 cell battery
Celeron processor

Saying all that, Asus are rock solid.

scrubbedexpat097

It cofuses me. But that is not a hard thing to do.

DebzinUS

Agree, Windows 8 is appallingly bad. I downloaded a little program called Classic Shell. I now have a Win 7 start menu back, without removing Win 8. Works like a dream.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/20267...-for-free.html

RICH

Does that mean battery life is crap?

Win8 and celeron l can live with!