Is that a Surface under the tree? 6 tips for new Microsoft tablet owners

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Congratulations! Someone loved you enough to give you the gift of a Microsoft Surface with Windows RT. I’m imagining you sitting there next to the tree with the package unwrapped, and a gleam in your eye as you consider returning it for a new iPad or several Kindle Fires. Before you check to see if your… Read More…

Surface Diary: Microsoft’s tablet finds a home in our house

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As many of you predicted, my decision to spend my family’s iPad budget on a Microsoft Surface is causing some friction around the house. But not for the reason you would expect. My wife has actually developed a fondness for the Microsoft tablet — so much that she gets exasperated when I take it downstairs… Read More…

Microsoft Surface Diary: Here’s my keyboard advice

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One of the big decisions people have to make when considering a Microsoft Surface tablet involves the keyboards: Which one should you get? The options are the TouchCover pressure-sensitive keyboard ($119 on its own or included with a $599 32GB or $699 64GB Surface) or a TypeCover keyboard with moving keys ($129). Here’s my first… Read More…

Microsoft Surface Diary: Bing, SmartGlass and settling in with our tablet

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Here’s a good sign: For the last couple of mornings, I’ve gone looking for my family’s Microsoft Surface tablet — at one point thinking it had either been lost or left at the office — before finding it under my wife’s pillow or next to the bed. In other words, she’s using it after I’m… Read More…

Microsoft Surface Diary: ‘Remind me how you control this thing again?’

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Before my family started using our new Microsoft Surface tablet, we spent a little time going over the navigation techniques — basically, if you’re lost or wondering what to do, swipe in from one of the edges and something helpful should happen. But one experience this week illustrated the learning curve that the new device… Read More…

Microsoft Surface Day 3: Hardware, Skype, and trying to link Surface to iPhone

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Microsoft’s new Surface tablet is the first computer developed end-to-end by the longtime software company. So how is the hardware? Equal parts cool and disappointing, at least in my initial experience. After using my family’s Surface for a couple days now, I’ve come to understand why Microsoft’s initial wave of advertising has focused on the satisfying “click”… Read More…

Microsoft Surface Day 2: Setting up our new ‘iPad’

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In my house, our gadgets tend to go by alternative names that speak to the ways certain members of the household view them. For example, the Xbox 360 controller is the “Netflix clicker.” And our new Microsoft Surface has quickly become known as “the iPad” — meaning that my wife expects it to live up… Read More…

No pressure, Microsoft, but I just spent my family’s iPad budget on a $599 Surface

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The stakes for Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Surface launch just got a lot higher, at least in my house. Here’s the story: My wife and I have been talking for a while about buying an iPad for the family, primarily for her to use for checking email, Twitter, Facebook and light web browsing. Last night,… Read More…