by Bill Adler
Is there a perfect car? Is there a perfect restaurant
meal? A perfect outfit for going to a party? Probably not, and it's the same
with computers. There's no perfect desktop, laptop or tablet computer. Even if
there was, there would be a more-perfect one tomorrow.
It's with that reassuring notion that I bought a
Microsoft Surface Pro, a Windows 8 tablet computer built by Microsoft.
In my next column, I'll review the Surface Pro in more
depth, but now I want to discuss the Surface Pro a little (a very little
because I've only been using it for 3 hours), and talk about how to actually
find the perfect laptop, even though one doesn't exist.
First, the Surface Pro. Microsoft pushes the Surface Pro
as a tablet computer that can also be a laptop. It is not a tablet. I mean,
yes, sure, it's got a touch screen and a tablet form, but at two pounds the
Surface Pro is about as comfortable on your lap as an Algebra I textbook.
So why get the Surface Pro? I bought it because I was in
the market for a light laptop. As light as possible. I travel often and abide
by the backpacking mantra, "Take care of the ounces and the pounds will
take care of themselves." There are any number of lightweight ultrabooks
on the market, but what attracted me to the Surface Pro is that it's very
light, weighing in at under 2.5 pounds with the optional --or mandatory,
depending on your perspective-- keyboard. It weighs almost exactly what my
occasional travel companion, the Chromebook, weighs.
As an ultrabook, the category of super-light PCs, the
Surface Pro is as good as I hoped. You can get it with two keyboards, a
membrane keyboard that feels like you're typing on toilet paper, or a Surface
Pro Type Cover that's responsive and accurate for touch typists. Because the
Surface Pro strives for thin and light, the type keyboard keys don't travel
far, but I adapted to it quickly.
The screen is bright and crisp, but small. If you aren't
crazy about small screens, this machine isn't for you. But if you're looking
for something that can fit onto an airplane tray and leave room for a
dangerously close cup of coffee, then the Surface Pro works well.
There are a few downsides to the Surface Pro. First the
battery life sucks compared to other traveling PCs. Figure 3 to 3 1/2 hours
during normal use. It has a kickstand support, which means that you have only
one viewing angle, and you can't use the Surface Pro on your lap as you would a
regular latptop. It's because of these two considerations that more than with
most laptops, it's imperative that you try out a Surface Pro before buying it.
If you're too tall, too short, need to be close to the screen, or something
else, the Surface Pro's kickstand solution may be a disaster for you.
Then there's Windows 8, which can either be a downside or
a plus. I won't regurgitate the litany of complaints made against Windows 8,
but there's been a lot of undeserved fuss. Windows 8 takes time to get used to,
and it is different from Windows 7 (though you can invoke Windows 7's interface
if you want), but transitioning from Windows 7 to Windows 8 involves a lot less
change and acquiring new skills than it does to go from Windows to a Mac
environment.
The Surface Pro's power brick isn't bulky or heavy and it
has a clever twist: There's a USB power port in the power adapter so you don't
have to also carry a power plug for your cell phone. The brick uses a two-prong,
not three-prong plug, too. Yay for that.
When buying a laptop it's important to decide what your
most important needs are because you're not going to get everything in a single
package. Make a list and stick with it. My top priorities were weight, a
machine than can run Evernote, my essential note-taking program, and
instant-on. Instant power on is a taste I acquired from having an iPad. It's
great to be able to turn on and shut down a device without seconds bleeding
into minutes. Another consideration for me was size: smaller is better. I don't
need a large screen while traveling. Smaller devices are easier to manipulate
in the claustrophobic seats on airplanes and trains.
Because you'll never find everything you want in a single
PC, prioritizing your needs is helpful. That list might lead you to the Surface
Pro, but if it doesn't, you'll be happy with whatever you get.
---
Bill Adler is the co-publisher of the Cleveland Park
Listserv, www.cleveland-park.com.
He is the author of "Boys and Their Toys: Understanding Men by
Understanding Their Relationship with Gadgets," http://amzn.to/rspOft. He tweets at
@billadler.
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