Surface Pro 2 my everyday Device

As more and more time passes I seem to be using my surface pro 2 further and further! Sometimes I still fire up my laptop to work on the odd spreadsheet from the comfort of my sofa. That is one place I still feel the pro 2 falls down. Using it on your knee! It just doesn't quite have the stability.

Having said that apart from working on a long word or excel sheet I don't often need to rest a laptop on my knee! Plus when you are relaxing on the sofa really you should be watching YouTube or playing some flappy game ;)

But I have noticed a continuing trend in my tech life, one that has surprised me. Not only is the Surface Pro 2 replacing my laptop and desktop, it has completely replace my iPad as well. I also find that my phone gets left glancing at me from the coffee table for longer!

It has kind of taken on two personalities, it is my work horse consuming spreadsheets and work tasks for fun. Then opening up as a gaming tablet via steam or halo! I especially like the ability to play Fifa via a wired xbox controller!

I keep feeling more and more comfortable with it as well. I regularly plough up and down the east coast main line. Sometimes I get a treat in 1st class. I always catch people having a glance at my surface pro 2. They probably wonder what the heck it is as outside the tech world it is still relatively unknown. That is changing with all the adverts Microsoft currently have running around TV and the Internet.

The battery life seems to get better overtime as well. It might just be me but I am sure it lasts an hour longer than it used to. Maybe I am getting forgetful or maybe the latest software improved the battery life further still. I get over 10 hours fairly regularly when I am just working, obviously watching cats on YouTube will drag that down.

Anyhow if you are thinking about a surface get the pro 2! You won't be disappointed.

Microsoft Office 365 used in the field!

One of the great things about my job is that I get provided with a great number of gadgets and software to get things done.

One the main drivers to my daily work life is Microsoft Office 365. I have access to both the full version via my SurfacePro 2 and the mobile version via my Galaxy Note 3.

Firstly I should admit that I don’t often make use of the mobile platform. On the occasion that I do it is to quickly edit or view a document while travelling between jobs (tube not driving!). For this purpose it is very useful and enables quick corrections and adjustments a breeze. I wouldn't want to be writing full word documents or working on complicated excel spreadsheets via the mobile platform. But then it hasn't really been designed for that. It works perfectly for the purpose it was produced.

I am always using outlook on my surface pro 2 keeping in the loop with corporate emails is a must. My calendar is organised and synced via outlook within my employers system. It has been the bedrock of my emailing life for over a decade! While some of the 2013 features were not entirely to my liking I have got used to it.

Publisher is always useful for quickly editing graphics and images that I have collected. I don't really make full use of Publisher but then it isn't really a tool for the work I do.

I seem to spend an eternity working on spreadsheets and word documents. Forming reports and project plans is simple and well used/understood throughout my line of work.

My 9-5 routine is heavily linked into Office 365 and I wouldn't have it any other way. Microsoft has excelled in the production of software for more years than I care to remember. While it isn't always everyone’s cup of tea I appreciate the hours of development and resources that go into making a product that can best serve a huge spectrum of users/customers.

When you consider the flexibility Office 365 provides you can begin to understand why and how Microsoft have dominated for so long.

Thanks for reading MW.

Surface Pro 2 an Office outside the Office!

Here I am on a Monday evening working from my hotel base in London. Today I was at a clients premises conducting my day job. Producing electrical audit information for future and current electrical maintenance works. I have used my surface pro 2 all day gathering information and data into my corporate program. Replying to emails and uploading image files relating to my work duties.

Now back at the hotel I have my web browser open penning this blog whilst listening to Spotify and checking in on twitter. I use the EE network for my cellular connection and am fortunate to have a generous data allowance which I can tether to my surface pro 2. The result is a full office environment and connection whilst away from the comfort of my desk or home.

My surface pro 2 copes easily with my media and web browsing during the evening. I plan to watch a movie later (superman for those interested!) on it. Once upon a time I would have my laptop, phone and perhaps tablet on work trips. These days I have my phone and the surface pro 2, all linked together working hard to make my daily life as easy as possible. This has helped reduce the number and weight of the bags I carry whilst working. Believe me when your on the train and tube small things like the size, number and weight of your bags make a huge difference.

Along with saving the weight it also saves me tons of time. I would regularly gather data whilst working and type it up on my laptop later in the evening. Now I can enter all that data whilst I work enabling my office and support staff to get stuck into all that data almost instantly. Also I have much more free time in the evening, time to write my tech posts, which I hope people are reading!

The other amazing thing with the surface pro 2 is the battery life, I easily get through a work day without worrying about reaching for my charger. I did suffer from the bad software update late 2013 and had to hang in their with the Microsoft team to fix the issue. It took a little longer than I would have liked but it wasn't a huge inconvenience and showed the desire from Microsoft to make the right update and make it once. Now things are back to normal which is great and even during the issue things were not so bad. I just had to remember to turn the surface pro 2 off overnight and charge it.

I am mentioning the software bug as I don't want people to think I am just a huge Microsoft fan. I use an iPad and have a Samsung Galaxy note 3 and iPhone 5s as phones. I like my gadgets and I will fill this blog out with further topics on Android and iOS. It just seemed like a good place to start with the surface pro 2 as I use it so much at the moment. Issues come up on all the formats at one time or another and Microsoft were great they even offered to swap my surface pro 2 for a new one! It shows strength to respond to issues in the right way and not just focus on sales targets etc.

The surface pro 2 has made an immeasurable difference to my working life and I am grateful such a wonderful device was available and I dug deep into my pockets to get one. After all for a desktop/laptop/tablet the comparative cost is actually quite good. The real one device.

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Docking Setup

I know Microsoft do a Surface docking rig via the Microsoft store. But it seems to keep going unavailable and in some cases disappearing for direct order. You can check it out here for details etc. I found it was quite expensive when I was looking into having a quick system to setup a desktop environment. Especially as I have both a home and office desk and I don't want t be carrying round additional weight in the form of a docking station.

Anyhow I started to look into a home made system and I found it is relatively straight forward, you can if desired setup multiple monitors via a USB hub and monitor output cables and the built in mini display port. But as I have a 32" monitor which is quite enough screen real estate for me!

The components I decided upon to provide the most suitable and simple/cost effective option are below.

• Mini display port to DVI adaptor 
• Audio cable (standard pc audio cable from the headphone port to monitor)
• Charging pack
• Wireless keyboard
• Wireless Mouse
• Wireless USB adaptor for Keyboard and Mouse

Here are some pictures

I have linked to the devices I ordered and have now used for a couple of months. So far they have worked flawlessly and it can be plugged in within a matter of seconds.

The most expensive part was the wireless keyboard and mouse. I opted for a Logitech system and it was around £22 but you can get basic wireless systems for under £15. In honesty it is worth spending a little bit more if you plan to type and work from a desk a lot.

The mini port adaptor was under £12 and works brilliantly, the quality is excellent. I use the charging pack that came with my surface pro 2 and already had a ton of audio leads so I was good to go with the above two items. The audio leads are available for under £2 so if you don't have any at the bottom of a draw or laptop bag it wont break the bank.

I also opted for a new case to carry my surface pro 2 around in, I went for this. It fits everything in nicely even with the pen attached on the side. You can even (just) fit a small wireless keyboard in the back sleeve. For £30 it is great value considering what it protects! The leather is good quality and it offers ample protection whilst in a bag etc. I highly recommend you invest in at least a good case like above.

You can see from the above my home made desk system costs under £40 even with the audio lead. My build came in at around £34! This is well under the retail value of the Microsoft docking station, even resold ones on EBay.

When I am next at my desk I will post a picture of what things look like. It is all quite tidy and once everything is in the right place, easy to connect. Simply connect the charger (if your running low), plug in the audio lead to the headphone port, connect the mini display port adaptor and connect the USB wireless dongle that came with your keyboard.

Of course during the build process you will have to connect the mini display port adaptor to your monitor cable (DVI) and the audio lead. But once connected you can leave these in place. Make sure you check your monitor supports a DVI connection. You might need a VGA adaptor instead or if your really lucky a HDMI option might be available. Either way the adaptors retail for about the same price and you can even use a DVI adaptor with a cross over VGA/DVI monitor lead. DVI leads normally have a white plug on the end whilst VGA is blue.

VGA

DVI

If you are in doubt or want to ask a question please feel free I am more than happy to help.

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 - Daily Use

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is an incredible machine, I had my doubts before I made my purchase but boy has it paid off. Initially what drew me to the surface pro 2 was a client requirement to provide real time data on site audits I conduct. I had dabbled with Android and Apple apps but none had the ability to collect and then distribute the range of data that my job entails.

I had read a bit about the original surface pro and it was in the back of mind that I should be looking towards these devices. My job entails examining buildings for electrical wear and tear, all very boring in the grand scheme of things I am sure. But my daily work life involves a lot of site work at client premises. Laptops have provided the foundation of most of what I do over the years. But this usually involved collecting data on paper or more lately an app on my phone. Then sitting down to enter this data into my laptop application for distribution back into the business and our clients.

What the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 has enabled me to do is gather all this information cutting out the paper or phone part. It is light weight and portable enough to collect the data directly into my application whilst conducting site audits. As it runs full blooded windows and has the performance to match or exceed most laptops my daily work life has got a whole lot easier. I simply engage into tablet mode and directly input all the data via the touch screen.

The screen is really responsive and I was surprised how pleasant it was to use after earlier poor experiences with windows tablet systems. I find myself wanting to use the pen even when I am at my desk with the tablet docked into desk top mode.

Performance is really sharp which is great considering the fairly high price point for this system. I have to tell myself that when I bought the surface pro 2 it wasn't a laptop, tablet or desk top purchase but all rolled into one device. When you stack up all 3 devices you begin to see what great value the surface pro 2 actually has. Yeah its my desktop when I hook it up to my home made rig. You can buy dedicated docking stations but my mini video to monitor hook up and speaker system is easily connected. I also use a wireless keyboard and mouse via the usb port on the surface pro 2. So when I am at my desk I get the full windows desktop experience with monitor and a range of connected devices.

When I am out in the field I can use my wireless keyboard and setup a laptop system in seconds. I can also use it in tablet mode for data collection and Internet browsing on the sofa at home after work. It really is the ultimate device for both productivity and media consumption. I now couldn't imagine going back to not using it. I know I managed before but things are so much easier now.

Whilst the range of apps is still a long way behind what we are all used to with apple and android some of the big hitters are slowly finding there way over to windows. But it matters little when you have the full blown desktop environment of windows to fall back on. You don't need apps or quick games to pass the time as you can simply load up Halo or another game of choice from Steam.

It is my everything device plain and simple, I haven't used my iPad in weeks and find myself spending less and less time on my phone. I love it.

From the i5 processor and 4 Gb of RAM to the super sharp screen and incredible battery life (8+ hours!) it really is the complete package for those of us who both work in the office and out at client sites or meetings. I can highly recommend it to anyone.

The support from Microsoft is 1st class and the ability to link up to my Xbox One via the glass app is great. I can control movies and even games directly from the surface pro 2. Screen shots are quick and intuitive to collect which is a must for me. Videos and movies are sharp and the sound of a surprisingly good quality.

I will be posting more about some of the specific features I like best about this device in the coming days. But for the minute I hope you found this outline useful.

MW