Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 21, 2012 Hash Fellow Share Posted June 21, 2012 NYT coverage of announcement: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/technolo...92C0DB90EB9960A It seems to have many things people complain the iPad doesn't have. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/s..._n_1610331.html Apparently it comes in an ARM version for mere iPad functionality and an Intel version for serious "Photoshop" work. I suppose A:M would not run on the ARM version? "hands on" review: http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/18/hands-on-...inside-and-out/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fae_alba Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I read somewhere that it also uses a stylus, though I can't remember where I saw that. It'd be interesting to see if it could replace a good laptop, complete with A:M, MS-Office, dev environments etc.? Might be worth saving my pennies up for. [Edit] At the tech conference I attended a few weeks ago, the vast majority of folks were carrying around iPads. I schlepped my monster laptop around, a real pain going thru Orlando International Airport. A good, reliable tablet like Microsoft promises with the Surface, would certainly go a long way to easing the back pain of carrying around that laptop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largento Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 My impression was that it was going to run Windows 8 and Windows apps (as opposed to a mobile OS and mobile apps.) I think it does come with a keyboard and stylus and it seems to be a miniature Tablet PC. So, presumably, it could run A:M. This doesn't sound like competition for the iPad, but competition for the laptop/ultrabook market. Especially since that would probably make the cost of the device more than what the iPad costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMZ_TimeLord Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I just watched through the keynote for the Surface. I think the PC version will be able to handle any A:M design tasks you may have. I look forward to next summer, after it's been out a little while, to see some real world reviews. Just on the initial specifications, demonstrations and hands on reviews, I think I would probably get one around this time next year. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ'd Beast Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I read somewhere that it also uses a stylus, though I can't remember where I saw that. It'd be interesting to see if it could replace a good laptop, complete with A:M, MS-Office, dev environments etc.? Might be worth saving my pennies up for. [Edit] At the tech conference I attended a few weeks ago, the vast majority of folks were carrying around iPads. I schlepped my monster laptop around, a real pain going thru Orlando International Airport. A good, reliable tablet like Microsoft promises with the Surface, would certainly go a long way to easing the back pain of carrying around that laptop! Yes, only the Surface Pro has the (Wacom?) stylus. The Surface Windows RT is aimed at iPad users whereas the Surface Windows 8 Pro is aimed at laptop replacement users. See this link for specs. http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en...cespecsheet.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted June 22, 2012 Looks like the Pro version will be somewhat more than 2 lbs. Is that a lot for a laptop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ'd Beast Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Looks like the Pro version will be somewhat more than 2 lbs. Is that a lot for a laptop? I'm not sure if you were being facecious with your question but to be more specific the Surface Pro is competing in the Ultrabook class laptop market. The current Ultrabook class notebooks are in the 3 pound range give or take a few ounces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted June 22, 2012 So two pounds is pretty good then. It was about 40% heavier than an ipad so I was wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ'd Beast Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 So two pounds is pretty good then. It was about 40% heavier than an ipad so I was wondering. The Surface Pro yes, the Surface RT only a few grams. Personally I wouldn't buy the RT because I want all the extra bells and whistles that come with the Pro. The only advantage the iPad has is screen resolution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMZ_TimeLord Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 At two pounds, the Surface Pro weighs less than my 12V Lithium-Ion powered drill/driver at work (2.5 lbs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakerupert Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 The real difference for me would be build in wacom style pressure sensiitivity. When they offer a tabletdevice with that technology, i m sold. (could be as well be the next i-pad) Though win 8 would offer the great advantage to me, that i could use all my software on it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuchur Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 The real difference for me would be build in wacom style pressure sensiitivity. When they offer a tabletdevice with that technology, i m sold. (could be as well be the next i-pad) Though win 8 would offer the great advantage to me, that i could use all my software on it... I really dont like the IPads... for me it is all about freedom of choice of software&formats&own content and the IPad is that limited in that aspect, that I never would buy one. Android is a little better, but if you really can run all the programs of your normal computer on it, win8-based tables would be the real winner for me. (A Wacom-pressure-based display would be a really nice addition of course.) My biggest problem with tablet-computers however is, that they are slower than other devices... a laptop is faster than a tablet and a stationary computer is faster than a laptop of the same pricerange... (if you built something smaller, it has to be that way as long as both are developed with the same speed...). And of course a real mouse and a keyboard for the computer with someone used to it is just faster and more precise than anything else... (there are exceptions like when drawing, but for normal computer work with text to be inputed, menus to be used, etc. it is like that) It is nice if you can go to a park (or something like that) and have a compact computer (whatever it is) with you, but you still have these disadvantages... What really would be cool would be a fast system where you can control your computer at home or work with a tablet (without noticeable delay) so you have the real power of a desktop computer and the portability of a tablet. The question is, if there is a real market for that... most people just want to go to some websites or hear music, etc. For those there is no real difference between an IPad or an good Android-device (like the Asus Transformer or something like that). See you *Fuchur* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 24, 2012 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted June 24, 2012 . The question is, if there is a real market for that... most people just want to go to some websites or hear music, etc. For those it does not really make any difference between a IPad or an good Android-device (like the Asus Transformer or something like that). Maybe the iPad's biggest effect is to reduce people's expectations of what a portable computer needs to do. It's somewhat more than an mp3 player and email reader but not much. Are these things actually readable outdoors? Could you actually go to the park not be bothered by the glare off the screen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuchur Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Maybe the iPad's biggest effect is to reduce people's expectations of what a portable computer needs to do. It's somewhat more than an mp3 player and email reader but not much. Are these things actually readable outdoors? Could you actually go to the park not be bothered by the glare off the screen? Jep, another bad thing about it. People imagine it to be a great step forward, being able to do everything from everywhere, but it has many bad side effects. Displays which are just not readable is one more. And I have social concernces too... Being mobile sounds like a great thing, but lets think it through: The park has been there to relax to get away from work and computers, feel the nature have fun with friends doing sports or just relaxing... Now we are trying to make it possible to work from everywhere (which takes us even more time to work, because we are distracted and the solutions which make it as fast as really doing one thing and the other thing after that is not invented yet) which sooner or later will result in no "work-free"-areas of our life. Is that really that desireable? (sorry, if I turn this thread in that direction... but it really bothers me.) See you *Fuchur* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 24, 2012 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted June 24, 2012 And I have social concernces too... Being mobile sounds like a great thing, but lets think it through: The park has been there to relax to get away from work and computers... I recall a meeting at work about 12 years ago or so where a co-worker brought up a news story about how a guy had done special effects for STAR WARS(!) on his laptop(!!) while he was on vacation in Hawaii(!!!). My co-worker thought that was so cool that you could just take a laptop anywhere and do Hollywood stuff but I thought it was really sad that the guy was stuck working while he was supposedly on vacation. Everyone thought I was a terrible buzz-kill for looking at it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bigboote Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Yeah... but if it was a 'permanent vacation' it would sound a lot better. I am currently driving almost 1 hour 2 times per day to get to a god-forsaken cubicle, in which I try to be creative. I would LOVE to have no drive at all, and have my view be of some sparkly Michigan lake, hop in the speedboat for a zip into town for lunch and groceries... maybe stop in the middle of the lake on the way back for a swim... that's MY dream. And I would like to get to it before I go 'toes up'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 24, 2012 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted June 24, 2012 I would LOVE to have no drive at all... I'll tell ya about "telecommuting"... About 1998 Nortel made a big push to move a bunch of us out of the office to work from home. They begged, they pleaded, they promised make the interactions work so that the telecommuters wouldn't be at a disadvantage or have to pick up a lot of loose ends and that we'd only have to drive in for very important meetings. But within a year it was apparent that the telecommuters had become easy scapegoats for every planning and communication failure of the people who were still on-site. And almost every meeting was declared "very important" so i ended up driving in for something about three out of every five days anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largento Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I had a big freelance job go through a few months ago and an iPad was my "fun" purchase. I'm enjoying it greatly. I don't understand this desire to work portably on a tiny device. When I work, I want as much screen real estate as possible, the fastest machine I can afford and privacy. I really really hate having someone look over my shoulder when I'm creating. This is where I think MS is making a mistake. There were reasons that tablet PCs weren't widely adopted and even smaller ones with flimsy input devices are going to be even less desired. The folks buying Surfaces won't want the "lesser" version. The iPad isn't a replacement for any existing devices, it's a new category of device. It's for sitting in your recliner and playing casual games while doing a bit of surfing and answering simple emails. (or posting on a forum like I'm doing now. ) I don't need a laptop, but I do like having a larger screened device for my downtimes. The retina display makes reading comics an awesome experience. As to the "park" question, I don't know. I never go to a park. It's hot outside and there are bugs. Also, I don't think they have free wi-fi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejobe Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 all these years i just dont see the purpose for a tablet. i mean laptops do just as much (actually a lot more) and they are cheaper in most cases. can anyone explain to me why a tablet would be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fae_alba Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 all these years i just dont see the purpose for a tablet. i mean laptops do just as much (actually a lot more) and they are cheaper in most cases. can anyone explain to me why a tablet would be worth it. I suppose if you want to be part of the cool gang, then you need to be carrying around a tablet all of the time. As expressed earlier...I work hard to not work on my time off, and only carry a laptop around with me when I'm traveling for work, then there are times when a tablet would come in handy. A good example was at the last conference I was at I noticed many folks using their tablet as a notepad, hand writing recognition makes it easy to take notes. No I, since I had a notebook, had to pull out a pad of paper, take notes, then transcribe later on; sooooo '80s! I'd look into the Surface Pro if I were in the market for a new laptop. Then I might be inclined to limp along with my current desktop and invest in the Pro...assuming that the device lives up to the current hype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenH Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Sometimes I get tired of clicking with a mouse. Sometimes I'd love to be able to take off my screen and touch it. I say! I think a surface type device has a market. Why pay for a laptop and tablet when you can combine them. If you want a large screen, use the hdmi port. Anyway, we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 25, 2012 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted June 25, 2012 People seem to like the form factor of the iPad. If you could get more useful functionality into that, as the Surface intends, that ought to be good, right? I'm surprised no one has gotten rid of the big border around the edge of the screen. You could either have a larger screen or smaller device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I like my ipad but I use it a lot less than I imagined I would. Got a couple of games on it but I'm not a gamer, got some drawing apps on it but drawing with a finger is not as intuitive as I thought it would be. I have a stylus, but I still prefer paper and pencil. I currently use it in the morning to read the NY Times (we recently canceled the physical paper delivery after about 25 years of having it), check email, but the smtp server has gotten screwy and I need to figure out how to fix it so currently can't send email, and I use it to read online and check user forums etc. I do like it for music, photos and YouTube, and I keep *meaning* to check out what's new in the app store but never seem to get around to it, who has time? Downloading an app just means more of a time investment. I find Facebook to be very sluggish on the ipad, have to click things two or three times and often they never load, so that's sort of hit or miss and ends up not being much fun. So on balance, yeah it's a cool gadget, but I don't think I'm the target demographic. I don't care to watch any long-form video (movies or TV shows) on it and I realized soon after I got it that I would need to make time in my daily schedule to use it. So, yeah, I use it every day but not for very many things. Doing "work" on it doesn't really have any appeal for me. I don't sync it with my iMac because it seems to be doing stuff in the background that I can't control, so I never even hook it up for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largento Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I'm surprised no one has gotten rid of the big border around the edge of the screen. You could either have a larger screen or smaller device. You need that area around the edges to grip it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largento Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Gerry, there's a free game called "Temple Run," which is a lot of fun. You are an Indy Jones type archealogist/graverobber who has taken an idol from a temple and you are running from these scary people-eating ape creatures. You use gestures to make turns, jump over obstacles and slide under things. You tilt the screen to edge to the left or right. It's simple, but fun and addictive. It's also, as I mentioned, free. :-) I also play Bejeweled Blitz (also free) which syncs with my playing it on Facebook. Words with Friends I find easier to play on the larger screen than I did on my phone. Right now, my favorite game(s) is called Pinball Arcade. They create exact replicas of classic pinball machines and it's the best virtual pinball game experience I've ever had. You use your thumbs on either side of the screen to hit the flippers and the camera follows the ball in a way that doesn't make you seasick or show too little of the playing area. I kicked into a kickstarter campaign to help them get the license for the Twilight Zone game and it's looking like they may be able to do another ks campaign for the Addam's Family pinball game, which was my absolute favorite ever. It comes with a few free tables and then you can purchase other tables. One of the reasons I bought one was that it's a fantastic way to show Stalled Trek to someone. I can easily move through it and show them different shots as I talk about it. I even bought the Amok Time episode off of iTunes, so that I can go to it to show things that are being parodied. The plan was to create a slideshow portfolio of my design work, too, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelplucker Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Looks like the Pro version will be somewhat more than 2 lbs. Is that a lot for a laptop? My brother worked at Visual Technologies way way back in the early 80's and they made the first laptop.. size of a briefcase, weighs just shy of 30lbs so just over 2 on the tablet aint so bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMZ_TimeLord Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I use my Android based ASUS tablet every day at work and then most nights sit in bed with my lovely bride and watch movies I've ripped off our DVD collection on it. I would however like the ability to do more on the tablet when I'm out and about. I can mess with most office documents, but, of course, no A:M on it. Probably wouldn't run very fast on an ARM processor anyway. From the specifications, the i5 processor seems more than adequate for the task of A:M work or even Photoshop. The only drawback I see is the local storage. So, if you only needed to work on project's assets and then sync them back to your main PC, I would suggest a flash drive, or SD card. You COULD, do a USB Hard Drive, but then you need power for that. As I said, I'll wait until they are out a few months before considering them seriously. See what 'issues' pop up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted June 27, 2012 Your lovely bride will be delighted when you can do A:M in bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted May 21, 2015 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted May 21, 2015 It looks like Microsoft has given up on Windows RT. Both the Surface3 and the Surface 3 Pro are full Windows machines now. That is good. I guess the primary difference is the the 3 has an Atom processor while the 3 Pro has i-series processors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*A:M User* Roger Posted May 22, 2015 *A:M User* Share Posted May 22, 2015 It looks like Microsoft has given up on Windows RT. Both the Surface3 and the Surface 3 Pro are full Windows machines now. That is good. I guess the primary difference is the the 3 has an Atom processor while the 3 Pro has i-series processors? Yes, the non-pro is a little smaller screen-wise and has an Atom cpu. The Pro has an i-series CPU and has a 12.5" screen. I had been looking at a Surface Pro but ended up getting a refurbished Helix as at the time, I was able to get the Helix for about 1/4 the price of a similarly specced Surface. My only beef with the Helix is I keep expecting the Windows button to work like the home button on an iPad (it doesn't, quite) and the power button is tricky to use to turn the device on and off due to size. The Helix also has the Wacom pen which has been fun to sketch with. If the Helix was a bit bigger (12.5" with edge-to-edge screen instead of the large bezel it has) it would be just about perfect. It is a little too narrow as is. It is not quite like looking at an 8.5x11" sheet, more like a 6.5x11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingVidiot Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Has anyone tried A:M on these yet? It seems like a good mobile solution for modeling, rigging, and basic layouts and render tests on the go. You can carry around demo animations rendered on the computer and use this to show to clients & friends. It doesn't have to replace a computer since it won't be a primary device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakerupert Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 lenovos thinkpad yoga 14 with wacom active pen seems to be another good alternative now and it has dedicated graphiccard. http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/lenovo-thinkpad-yoga-14-gen-2-usa.66798/page-42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted September 2, 2015 Author Hash Fellow Share Posted September 2, 2015 Has anyone tried A:M on these yet? It seems like a good mobile solution for modeling, rigging, and basic layouts and render tests on the go. You can carry around demo animations rendered on the computer and use this to show to clients & friends. It doesn't have to replace a computer since it won't be a primary device. I seem to recall Marcos (Xtaz) has been using one although I'm not sure which model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuchur Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 If you like a Wacom-Tablet, have a look for the Waccom Companion 2... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakerupert Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 its expensive and no envidia graphics, the lenovo uses wacom technology as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuchur Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 i have been sent one by accident when i bought my cintiq and it was ok and ran A:M quite well (a quite noisy device though...) I've sent it back and got my cintiq later on (which is very nice)... even if i could have kept it i would not have wanted it for the reason that i have a good laptop already (buying all the licences again would have been expensive) and because it just was very noisy... (my laptop felt more powerful and is not hearable at all) the cintiq is now connected as a third monitor to my desktop pc because it is just where i think it is best used at... A:M for instance can be used with it quite well but I still think my mouse and keyboard are just better with it. I use the cintiq for 3dcoat, some photoshop work and if I just need to paint something (it is perfect for that...) For everything else I prefer my mouse and keyboard... it is just much faster to use those... see u *Fuchur* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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