I broke down and ordered a Surface RT last weekend. After what felt like the longest week ever, I finally got it today. The thing that I was most looking forward to was the Touch Cover keyboard, so I figured what better way to try it out than by writing a quick blog post!
The honeymoon is just beginning, so you won’t catch me saying anything negative here. I’m not sure what I expected from the Touch Cover, but it’s definitely cool. The buttons have a fabric-y texture to them. There’s definitely a learning curve, but my ability seems to be improving by the sentence. The trick seems to be in figuring out how hard to “punch” the buttons so they register. Touch too lightly, and it won’t go. But, the more I use it, the faster I’m able to go and the more I like it.
The keyboard/kickstand combo works surprisingly well for lap-computing, too. I’d read mixed reviews about that. Some said it was completely inadequate. Others said that it was sturdy enough but not idea. I’m finding that it’s perfectly acceptable. I’m currently typing with the kickstand balancing on my thighs, and, aside from the screen bouncing a bit as I type, it seems perfectly fine. I’ve also used the keyboard with no kickstand, propping the screen up on my crossed leg. That worked fine, too.
I haven’t gotten into the software much, yet. It’s mostly been installing apps that I already know like Netflix. I checked out Office, and that was really cool. It definitely gives a desktop experience, even switching into “desktop mode” and displaying the taskbar.
I’m looking forward to getting more familiar with my new friend over the coming days and weeks. I’ll be giving it a conference trial tomorrow at 1DevDay Detroit, too.
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