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Tag Archives: microsoft

Microsoft Surface Go Review – Tablet, Laptop, Desktop – “The Nintendo Switch of PCs”

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I’ve always been a fan of the Microsoft Surface products since the first one rolled out years ago, but when I heard about the specs of the Surface Go, my first reaction was… why would anyone want this?!

 

Surface Go is basically a smaller Surface Pro with a seemingly underpowered CPU. A 10-inch ultraportable tablet/laptop did pique my curiosity so I picked one up and have used it for a month…

 

My main portable devices on the Go have usually been an iPad Pro and 12-inch MacBook combination. Sometimes taking the iPad Pro, although a very capable device in most of my tasks, feels limiting. And then taking the 12-inch MacBook by itself, feels overkill when I just need a tablet to watch my Netflix on. Believe me, I love both devices but carrying both can be a hassle, and sometimes carrying only one of them could be a bigger hassle.

Continue reading→

Microsoft Surface Go First Impressions – great tablet if you use Edge

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Yeah that’s me looking at Reddit lol. I’m day 3 on the 8/128 surface go and so far have used it mainly as a laptop vs a tablet. I’m looking to see if this can replace my MacBook 12inch and 9.7 inch iPad Pro.

So far it’s been pretty good as a laptop. Sure it was laggy during the first few hours during updates but it’s performed pretty well on all the software I use for work which is Office 365 and Chrome.

Today I’ve finally decided to just use this as a tablet laying on the couch. Chrome runs like garbage in tablet mode. However, Edge runs very well. As well as Safari in the iPad except with much more versatility since the Surface Go runs on a fully functional operating system.

Still wish the Go had better hardware though and i would definitely pay more for 16GB RAM and a better CPU on this form factor. Excited to see what Microsoft will announce in October.

Pick one up here: https://amzn.to/2wXrJrs


What’s In My Bag Dec 2016 – Surface Book and MacBook Pro Edition

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A what’s in My Bag Video featuring the new Surface Book 2016 with Performance Base as well as the MacBook Pro 15 Inch 2016 with Touch Bar! Two different devices, two different bags, one awesome 4K video!

► Product Links
• Macbook Pro 15-inch 2016 Touch Bar – http://amzn.to/2fYWz9I
• Microsoft Surface Book 2016 – http://amzn.to/2g8DBAl
• Dude Wipes – http://amzn.to/2h5Iisu
• Bose QC 20 Noise Cancelling Headphones – http://amzn.to/2gdEB7y
• Bose QC30 Noise Canceling Headphones Bluetooth – http://amzn.to/2h8AXZX
• Thule Stravan Backpack – http://amzn.to/2gdprKr
• iPad Pro 9.7 Inch LTE – http://amzn.to/2gdGYqL
• iClever Boost Cube USB Wall Charger – http://amzn.to/2h8uxMw
• HooToo Shuttle USB-C HDMI SD Reader – http://amzn.to/2h8Hjbs
• Logitech M557 Bluetooth Mouse – http://amzn.to/2gdiU2t
• Nintendo 3DS XL – http://amzn.to/2hiLep7
• Sony RX100m3 (RX100m4 Available) – http://amzn.to/1MuKfaj
• Sony A6300 – http://amzn.to/29xhUGV
• Manfrotto Mini Tripod – http://amzn.to/1UXhs6E
• iPhone 7 Plus – http://amzn.to/2frAVyi
• Zoom H1 Voice Recorder – http://amzn.to/2gqkHCz

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 First Impressions

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Sold my MacBook Air 13″ 2013 i7. I am loving the Surface Pro 3. I’ve had the Surface Pro 1 and 2 and returned those after trying them out for two weeks. However with the Surface Pro 3 I am instantly in love with this thing.

Here are my thoughts on it so far…

Good

  • Much thinner form factor than it’s predecessors. Also lighter
  • Screen is much easier to read in desktop mode thanks to the 3:2 ratio
  • Windows 8.1 still has it’s quirks but has come a long way
  • My work involves a lot of travel – don’t have to take this out of the bag at the airports
  • The Surface Pro 3’s pen is the best that it has ever been for note taking. Love how well executed One Note is too
  • Don’t need to worry about the compromises of an iOS or Android tablet
  • You get the full working desktop experience of a desktop in the form of a tablet
  • Battery life isn’t as good as the MacBook Air but it does last through an 8-hour workday
  • Really cool when using this hooked up with another monitor and mouse. It knows to use natural scrolling in Metro mode, and standard scrolling in desktop mode!
  • Very good overall performance – I have several apps open at once and it has not slowed down
  • Kickstand is very well executed and has flexible viewing angles
  • Keyboard is great, although not as good as the MacBook Air’s but it’s pretty darn close
  • Touchscreen makes a huge difference in working on a computer. Super useful and more efficient to navigate through the OS, websites, etc
  • Touch interface for Microsoft Office is well done
  • Thanks to the cloud, syncing between my iMac and Surface has been pretty seamless such as One Note, Evernote, and DropBox


Bad

  • Swinging back and forth between my iMac and Surface Pro due to different OS took some time to get used to… like 2 hours. For a geek, that’s an eternity.
  • It sometimes gets warm depending on the intensity of your applications so I wouldn’t recommend using this on your lap for long periods of time. Look for a desk or table if you are doing serious work, if not tablet mode works great. I value the longevity of my huevos.
  • Metro mode still needs more time to develop. For simple apps and to use as a consumption device, the iPad Air is still the best, which is why I am keeping it for bed and couch surfing.
  • Third party Metro apps suck for the most part, you are better off using the desktop version
  • If you rely heavily on Google calendar, either use the web version or switch to Outlook

Stay tuned for a full review!

Geek Life – Taiwan and Guam Vacation 2014 (Part One)

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Karo and I finally took some time off out of the country and went to visit some friends and family in both Taiwan and Guam this February and March. We tried the make the most of out of two weeks but it is definitely not enough time to explore Taiwan and Guam… well Taiwan mostly. You can get through Guam in a day or two 😉

I was born in Guam and moved to Southern California till I was 17 so I was there for most of my life. Karo is born in Taiwan  so we decided to visit each other’s birthplace.

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On this trip, I left the iPad Air and MacBook Air 13-inch, and digital camera back home and decided to try out the Surface Pro 2 for my computing needs and the iPhone 5S to take pictures with and to keep myself entertained on flights. It turns out I didn’t even use the Surface Pro 2 that much as it was sort of cumbersome using it as either a tablet or a laptop. I relied heavily on the iPhone 5S for everything else.  Continue reading→

Dell XPS 12 Review

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At the time of this writing, there is a large variety of Windows 8 based notebooks, tablets, and hybrids giving you some choices that would best suit your needs. The Dell XPS 12′s swivel screen convertible tablet is unique, but really nothing new as it takes a page from the Dell Inspiron Duo which was released in 2010 but the design was ahead of it’s time since Windows 7 wasn’t really built for a touchscreen interface. Now that we have Windows 8, the Dell XPS 12 combined with it’s flip screen convertible notebook to tablet design makes it a very attractive product.

Is this the one product that Windows 8 users are looking for? Or should we look past the “gimmicks” and find a dedicated notebook and tablet instead? Let’s find out!

Check out my review on Put That Back!

Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse Review

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The launch of the Windows 8 touched based operating system makes a very blatant statement that the computer industry is heading in the direction where the computer mouse will be irrelevant. Ironically, Microsoft has released the Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse to compliment Windows 8 devices such as laptops, tablets, and desktops. With the starting price point of $69.99, lets see how well the Wedge handles on both Windows 8 and OSX Mountain Lion.

Check out my review at Put That Back!