Getting connected on a Surface Pro

I devoted Day 21 of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series to connecting the Surface Pro tablet to the Internet–particularly when out and about using it as a mobile device.

I’ve already demonstrated over the first few weeks that the Surface Pro is perfectly capable of acting as–and replacing–a traditional desktop PC. Sitting at my desk, connected to a monitor, keyboard, mouse (or touchpad), and other peripherals, there is functionally no difference whatsoever between the Surface Pro and using my Dell XPS M1330 laptop in the exact same way.

When I take the Surface Pro on the road, though, and head out to explore the world with it, the experience changes obviously. One thing that doesn’t really change, however, is connecting the Surface Pro to the Internet. The Surface Pro does not have an Ethernet port, so I have it connected to a wireless network whether I am sitting in my office, or sitting at a Starbucks, or using my iPhone 5 as a personal hotspot to connect the Surface Pro over 4G.

Day 21 dives a little deeper into the network settings, and how to go about connecting to different networks–and also takes a peek at enabling and disabling airplane mode. Read Surface Pro, Day 21: Getting connected for more about how to connect a Surface Pro to the Internet.

Touch and Type keyboard covers for the Surface Pro

Since I’m taking the Surface Pro show on the road and going mobile, Day 20 of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series is about the cool Touch and Type keyboard covers, which seem to be virtually synonymous with the Surface Pro.

I’ll be honest. I don’t really mind typing on the glass. It slows me down a bit, but my chief complaint is that the virtual keyboard uses up half of the display and doesn’t leave me much room to work with. I’d have an issue with a physical keyboard as well if I had to set it on top of my monitor display.

I’m also not a fan, though, of the more notebook-like approach of the Samsung ATIV docking station. At first, I thought it was cool that I could turn the Windows 8 tablet into a legitimate ultrabook. But, then I had a thought–”What do I do with this docking station thing, if I’m hanging out at Starbucks and I just want to use the tablet as a tablet?”

The Touch and Type covers seem to be an effective way to provide a physical keyboard and protect the display of the Surface Pro at the same time. And, they’re thin enough, and fold out of the way so they aren’t an obtrusive burden when you want to use the Surface Pro as a tablet.

Read Surface Pro, Day 20: Touch and Type keyboard covers for more about the pros and cons of these keyboard covers, and which one I prefer to use.

Let’s take the Surface Pro show on the road

I’ve spent the vast majority of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series up to this point checking out how the Surface Pro works as a “desktop PC” when connected to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse (or touchpad). Day 19 is the beginning of my exploration into using the Surface Pro as a mobile computer on the go.

On the one hand, the Surface Pro has a number of weaknesses as a tablet. It’s thicker and heavier than it’s counterparts–including the Surface RT. It runs hotter and louder (at times). The battery life is sorely lacking (I’ll spend more time on that another day).

If the Surface Pro were just another tablet, it would be easy to dismiss it out of hand as an also-ran doomed to failure. But, it’s not “just another tablet”. The Surface Pro is a tablet that packs an Intel Core i5 processor, and 4GB of RAM, running the full Windows 8 operating system. It has a digitizer pen. It has Touch and Type keyboard covers that essentially turn it into an ultrabook.

Basically, the Surface Pro can “out-PC” any leading tablet out there, and it can “out-tablet” any traditional notebook or ultrabook mobile PCs. It’s not the best tablet available, and it’s not the best mobile PC out there, but it is the best at being both at the same time.

Read Surface Pro, Day 19: Let’s take this show on the road for more details.

Using the Surface Pro as an ereader

Over the course of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series so far, I think I’ve managed to prove that the Surface Pro tablet can hold its own as a “desktop PC” when connected to an external keyboard, mouse (or touchpad), and monitor. Starting with Day 18, it’s time to start checking out how the Surface Pro fares as a mobile device.

To be honest, even the iPad is a bit unwieldy for lengthy periods of one-handed reading. The iPad Mini (or other 7-inch tablets) is better, and the best choice for pure ereading is the Kindle Paperwhite. But, I’m not trying to find the best ereader, I’m trying to see how the Surface Pro functions as an ereader when the need arises.

Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble have developed ereader apps for the Windows 8 Modern / Metro interface. So, for Day 18 I take a closer look at how each of these apps works, and examine how the display resolution compares with other tablet options.

Read Surface Pro, Day 18: Using the Surface Pro as an ereader for more about reading your digital library from the Microsoft tablet.

How to make money with Windows Store apps

If you’re a developer, it makes sense to go with the platforms that have the most traction. You have a much larger pool of potential customers with an iOS app, than you do with a BlackBerry or Windows Phone app.

That said, it would be a mistake to bet against Windows. The pool is so huge, that even a small success on Windows can be more lucrative than a grand slam on other platforms.

So, if you haven’t already, you should take a look at developing Windows 8 apps. And, you should definitely check out the flowcharts in this post to help you determine the best possible revenue model to help you make money from your efforts.

You should also read 11 Ways to Make Money Developing Windows Store apps.

Changing my mind about Windows 8 split screen

A short while ago, I wrote about multitasking on a Surface Pro. For Day 17 of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series, I take a closer look at how Windows 8 and the Surface Pro deal with split screen, and reconsider my position a bit.

One of the most important aspects of multitasking on a Surface Pro–or Windows 8 in general–is the ability to use more than one app side-by-side at the same time. In desktop mode, Windows 8 looks and acts exactly like Windows 7–including the Aero Snap feature that lets you maximize, minimize, or snap a window to the left or right half of the display.

The Windows 8 Modern / Metro interface has its own version of split screen, but it divides the screen real estate 75/25 rather than in half. That makes sense when I’m using the limited display on the Surface Pro itself, but when I’m sitting at my desk, with the Surface Pro connected to a 23-inch monitor, it would be nice to have more flexibility for how to split screen.

Read Surface Pro, Day 17: Changing my mind about Windows 8 split screen for more details.

Video chat and conferencing on the Surface Pro tablet

Day 16 of the 30 days with Surface Pro series focuses on video chat and video conferencing from a Surface Pro. I looked mostly at Microsoft’s Lync and Skype apps, but I also delve into third-party video conferencing tools like GoToMeeting and WebEx.

One of the primary benefits of mobile computing is being able to work from home, or Starbucks, or wherever you feel like working. As long as you have a connection to the Internet, you can get things done. Sometimes, though, you need to speak with people “face to face”–and that’s where video chat and video conferencing comes in.

I like the Microsoft apps–Lync and Skype. I find the overlap a tad annoying, though. Both tools do essentially the same thing in almost the exact same way. Microsoft should phase out Lync and just use the reputation and brand recognition of Skype as its video chat, VoIP, and instant messaging platform.

For more, read Surface Pro, Day 16: Video chat and conferencing.

Bizarre browser behavior

The browser is one of the most–if not THE most–used applications on the PC. For Day 15 of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series, I’m checking out the different browser options in Windows 8 to see which one I should use as my default browser on the Surface Pro.

Internet Explorer 10 is installed by default in Windows 8. I downloaded and installed Firefox, Chrome, and Safari as well. Browser choice elicits impassioned responses from ardent supporters of specific browsers, but the truth is it’s very subjective.

The speed at which pages load typically varies by milliseconds and isn’t worthy of debating for practical purposes. It really comes down to the look and feel, and choosing the browser that seems the most comfortable and intuitive for you. Opinions vary in this department, so one person might love Firefox, while the next hates Firefox and loves Chrome.

That, however, is not the biggest deal. The weird thing I found is that some of the browsers act differently in Windows 8 depending on whether you’re in the Windows 8 Modern / Metro interface, or in desktop mode, and that the behavior can change depending on whether or not the browser is designated as the default.

Read Surface Pro, Day 15: Bizarre browser behavior for more about the odd ways browsers act in Windows 8.

Ditch the mouse, get a touchpad

Windows 8 is designed to be a touch-based operating system. For Day 14 of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series, I am making the switch from a mouse to a Logitech t650 touchpad that provides a more native touch experience.

After a small initial learning curve, I never had any problem getting around Windows 8 using a mouse. Using a touchpad, however, is a more natural way of interacting with Windows 8, and provides a more consistent experience whether I am sitting in my office using the Surface Pro as a “desktop PC”, or on the go using the Surface Pro as a tablet.

I prefer touch anyway. I bought a 23-inch touch-enabled monitor. Then I discovered that there’s nothing natural about reaching across my desk to tap or swipe the monitor. A touchpad, on the other hand, sits right next to my keyboard within easy reach of my hands so I can work with it seamlessly.

Read Surface Pro, Day 14: Ditch the mouse, get a touchpad for more about making the switch from mouse to touchpad with a Surface Pro.

Dealing with limited storage capacity on a Surface Pro

It’s been a long (very long) time since I’ve tried to run any version of Windows on a PC with less than 512GB of space on the local hard drive. The Surface Pro I’m using has only 128GB of storage capacity, so Day 13 of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series focuses on how to get around that limitation.

The Windows 8 operating system and pre-installed apps use up some of the local storage. So, right out of the box, the 128GB Surface Pro only has about 80GB of space available, and the 64GB Surface Pro has an anemic 20GB or so left. My music collection alone uses more than 80GB of space, so the small drive is a problem for me even before I start trying to install software like Microsoft Office.

Thankfully, there are a few options available. I can invisibly boost the local storage by 50 percent using a microSD memory card. I can add USB thumb drives or external hard drives. I can also use cloud storage like SkyDrive, or Box. Each of these methods has pros and cons, though, so which one makes sense depends in part on how much space you need, how much money you want to spend, and how you plan to use the Surface Pro.

Check out Surface Pro, Day 13: Dealing with limited storage capacity for more about how to use a Surface Pro comfortably well beyond its local drive capacity.