Maps Preview

Microsoft has recently released Maps Preview. The feature that really separate this apps from tether maps Apps is the 3D view of some cities land marks. It's known when MS will have at least most of the cities using this feature but so far what I have seen is really impressive. Just check the below pictures.

Installing a WiFi printer to your Surface 2

This is one of those questions that I find a lot in forums relative to Surface RT and Surface 2. The beginning of the procedure is the same as in a regular desktop, you open the Control Panel, Device and Printers, add a printer and here is where the real fun begins. In my case, I want to add a HP Deskjet 6800 WiFi network printer. The Surface detects the printer and the shared installation in my Lenovo Desktop.

I'll pick the second from the above list that is the actual printer. Then I proceed with the driver installation:

 

The printer driver is not found and I have to pick the closest to my printer the HP Deskjet 6800 which in my case is the HP Deskjet 6520. To be sure that I picked a model close enough to the one I have, I do a Google search for that model.

 

Just by looking at the picture you can have an idea of how close is that one to the one that you own. If they look similar you can pick that one and install the driver.

 

 



 

 

Click on Print the Test Page and you should be getting your confirmation that your printer is ready.

 



Surface Forums

Lately I'm hanging more and more at this forum:

http://www.surfaceforums.net/forum/forum.php

I don't know anything about the owner or owners. I found it accidentally about a year ago and during this year the forum has grown to be one of the biggest community all about the Surfaces. What attracts me to this one is that no all the threads carry the negativity found at answers.Microsoft.com where everything is about issues and problems. It's not that at surfaceforums.net you won't find people reporting issues but you also find people reporting and sometime bragging about the good things they enjoy from Surfaces. And that gives you a break.

Any other good forum out there?

Surface Contest

You can win 1 of 4 prices it you win the contest announced at Surface Blog.

Are you geeking out with Surface? Tweet us your unique Surface scenario with #geekoutsurface from November 18 & 20 for your chance to win* 1 of 4 Surface prize packs – there will be bonus points for pictures and videos . Watch for a post on the @Surface Twitter account at 10:00 am PT on November 18, 2013 that will kick this off – we’ll then begin taking your responses until 11:59 pm PT on November 20, 2013.

Huge update released today for Surface 2

A huge update was released today for Surface RT, Surface 2 and Surface PRO. The Surface PRO 2 was left behind this time. One point that impressed me was the more than 100 MBs of this patch on the Surface 2 and the amount of drivers changes coming from NVIDIA. A sign to Microsoft that clearly ask to increase the quality control in the software coming from this company.

Surface RT only: Battery issue when updating from Windows RT 8.1 Preview

If you updated Surface RT from Windows RT 8.1 Preview to Windows RT 8.1, you may notice a decrease in battery life. During the update, the wireless adapter power policy isn’t migrated. Instead, the power policy is set to a default value that consumes more power both during use and in the connected standby state.

To restore the wireless adapter power policy to the correct settings, open an administrator command prompt:
 Step 1: Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.)
Step 2: In the search box, enter command prompt.
Step 3: Touch and hold (or right-click) Command Promptto bring up the context menu. Tap or click Run as administrator.
Step 4: On the User Account Control dialog box, tap or click Yes.
Step 5: At the Administrator: Command Prompt, enter the following:
powercfg -setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT 19cbb8fa-5279-450e-9fac-8a3d5fedd0c1 12bbebe6-58d6-4636-95bb-3217ef867c1a 3
Step 6: Then enter
powercfg -setactive scheme_current

Mocha VNC

Finally a VNC application for Windows RT: Mocha VNC. This application allows you to connect remotely no just to any PC but also to any Mac.

I tested in a Surface 2 and it works very well using TightVNC as VNC server.

RT 8.0 Recovery DVD

According to Microsoft's investigation, 1 every 1000 users that applied the Windows RT 8.1 upgrade failed. Thanks God I'm within the other 999 users. And I think that it wasn't luck but my paranoia of keeping my RT updated with the latest released patches.

Anyway, if you are one of the unlucky ones here is the link to the RT recovery DVD released by MS.

WinRT 8.1 is here, my first impressions

After a 6 hours update, one of the longest updates I have done in my 18 years of IT career, I'm using now WinRT 8.1 in my Surface RT. Very quick sometimes, very slow other times, 8.1 is a complete different experience than Windows 8. The experience is overall positive but not without a learning curve because of the changes in some applications such as Mail and IE. This last one is version 11 and instead of using a top and bottom bars now it uses the bottom bar for all it's needs. IE11 open pages quicker but some, specially a google's do not render correctly.

Mail is now a totally different application. Nothing to do with it's first version. Now we have a new interface and a lot more options, and the most important, a better performance.

On of the new features that I love is the way IE opens when you click in a link inserted in an incoming email. To show Apple's fan a real multitasking.

Most of the old Apps have now a new Interface and there are some new ones like Reading List. This App is a must have and use, let's say you found an article online that you want to read but you don't have time. You open the right charm, pick Share and then Reading List.

 

 

 

Then you click Add...

 

The article is saved in your Reading List and synchronized between all devices where you are using your account.

 

Once you have read it you can delete it.

 

 

Very simple but useful application!

Finally a decent Benchmark tool

The famous 3DMark has now a version for Windows RT where we can compare the results against other platforms such as iOS and Android.

Unfortunately I still don't have the score for the Surface 2 but using this same tool we can get an idea of how other devices already using the Tegra 4 are scoring.

The average score for the Surface RT is 3205, judging the score from the above table, the Surface 2 should be performing from 3.5 to 4 times faster. I hope that I'm right in this comparison.

Two videos demostrating what can be done in a Surface RT

I don't know how may times I have discussed online and with my friends about how unfair the so called "specialized press" has been in reference to the Surface RT. But videos are more robust in explaining and proving that the reality is far from what you read in the web. Here are two videos from a Surface RT owner showing real life scenarios of him using his RT.



In the second half of the second video you will see why talking or pointing to the impossibility of running the so called "legacy applications" in a Surface is the highest level of none sense that I have ever seen. I'm running legacy applications from my RT a lot better than any hack or shell or port that anyone including MS can come out with!

The new Surface

Today Microsoft has announced the new Surface. Both, the PRO and the now just Surface have been refreshed obtaining more battery life and performance. The PRO is getting a docking station that converts this machine in a workstation. The cover keyboard has been also redesigned now with backlit and more touch points, a lot more, up to the point that now you can use gestures on it. Both machines have been updated with Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 RT. The price in both 2 versions is a little bit lower than the initial price from last year release.



The whole event can be seen here

Moving your libraries to removable drive

I have tested two methods to move the libraries to the MicroSD card in a Surface RT and so far this is the only method where everything works as supposed after the trick. The method is long but believe me, it's well explained and it's not too complex at all. Summarizing, it's based in the idea of using a Virtual Drive. By using a Virtual Drive you are getting the possibility of indexes the folders included in the libraries and that's the main ingredient to have features like Photos, Videos and Music, working properly.

Paul Thurrott is wrong

First of all I need to say that I have been following Paul since long time ago. And I do that because most of the time, the majority of the time, he is right in his honest opinions about current technical matters. But to be honest doesn't means always to be right.

I found his article written right after the price cut of the Surface RT which is full of his negative opinion about the Surface RT and Windows FT when I was reading many other articles from finances sources quoting his words as a proof that the Surface RT was a bad business from Microsoft. After reading his article I read the comments left there by many users, many of them contradicting his opinions which he defends believing that many, including me, take buying decisions based on them. I have to say that I posted few comments and stopped thinking that it was not the right place to express what I also honestly believe about the Surface RT.

So here I'm writing my own article/response. So let's start by clarifying that a Surface RT is a Tablet, and Tablets following the concept introduced by Apple are not intended to replace your home PC, being a Mac or a Windows Based PC. So, if you bought a Surface RT and found that you can't run iTunes, Visual Studio, or any other PC Software, that means that you bought the wrong device nothing is wrong with THAT device. You needed the PRO version which have been labeled as Tablet too but in my account it's a TabletPC.

Now, let's compare the two versions, RT versus PRO, the PRO is bigger, runs at a higher temperature and has less battery life. Why? Plain and simple, we do not have available and never will the technology to pack the power, performance wise, of current PC's in a Smaller space and keep the same performance, cooler temperature and more battery life. If we could, we would not see any PC with the size of those PCs that you see available everywhere where you can buy a PC. While when you buy a TV you want the bigger you can get, when you buy a PC you want the smaller you can buy without compromise performance. Now, do you believe that MS did not do their best trying to get the PRO to the same size, temperature and battery life than what we see in the RT? Oh and let me do not forget to mention price! ARM processors are 14% cheaper. To believe that MS did not do their best is exactly what Paul is implying in his article where he tries to convince everybody that using the ATOM processor in the PRO, MS could have got the RT being a better device with same battery life. So, if this is the case, why other PC makers have not come already with a Tablet the size of the RT using the full version of Windows? Because they can't. A year after the Surface release and they still can't. Eventually they will but at that time you will see ARM devices with Windows RT smaller, lighter and with better battery life than those using the full version of Windows.

So everything comes to what's better for you. Do you want the full OS with less battery life, hotter, bigger but without any restrictions in what Software do you want to use or do you want something smaller, cooler, with a decent performance and the restrictions in the software that you can run (this description applies to any Tablet including the iPad)?.  Keep in mind that the Surface RT is packed with a full version of Internet Explorer that Support flash, a full version of Office, and email Support, soon to be Outlook. 90% of all the users do not need anything else. They don't need Visual Studio or iTunes having a decent media player installed in their Surface. Use your home PC to sync your iPod, we already said that Surface RT like any Tablet is not a replacement of your Home PC, it's a companion.

Is Surface RT so slow like Paul makes us believe in his article? No at all. I do not keep 20 applications running in the background. If I'm not using them I just close it. But this is something that being always a mobile user I learned. Less applications opened allows you to preserve battery. But other than that I can't find any other reason or condition where the Surface RT has performed that bad that Paul feels that should be mentioned and making a big deal out of it. Like I said in one of my comments in his article, my wife complains about poor performance in her iPad 2. I'm using my Surface RT daily as my Main PC. And performance is not a concern to me. If it could be faster I won't stop anyone to try to make it faster but to stop those willing to buy it saying that it's slow to me is misleading. With a little bit of education and good practice Surface RT will satisfy any user coming fro owning an iPad.

And now that I reached this point, why I bought RT after owning an iPad for more than 2 years? Simple, too many restrictions. Let say that you have a Document A that you want to modify but those modifications can't be done with just one Software. That will result in two copies of the same file, one for each program. And to avoid that you will have too spend lot of time in synching. I ended many times confused and with an outdated version of a document. The lack of a clear and easy to use file system was a big deal to me. Printing, big deal in an iPad if you do not use any other Apple devices. With RT was just a matter of picking where I want to print. Browsing, you have many sites that are not compatible with Safari and when that happens your only option is to wait until that page decides to create an App for iOS, and that's what it's, Apps are there to go around the shortcomings of iOS. When the Surface RT was released you heard people complaining because they did not see an Apps for Facebook or one for Twitter. Come one! Use the web site! It's full functional for the first time in a Tablet! You don't need any Apps. Full USB Support. There is not a USB port in an iPad unless you buy adapters and devices, etc. Yes, Paul, I know that the USB to Ethernet adapter does not work. Yes, but it's because MS is forcing hardware makers to follow certifications and guidelines in their drivers. But you know that having the driver we have the USB Support there, so this point can be solved in any moment if both MS and the hardware maker want.

And my last point... IF you want to try a Surface RT, go and get it now that's $350. You won't get any Tablet in the market with a full version of Office and an Internet Browser for that price any where. Should you wait for the second version? You may be end waiting, if we are all lucky, few months. If we are lucky. After all the bad press coming even from experts like Paul, I doubt that there is going to be a second version of RT. A sad reality. The incomprehension and confusion with Windows 8 and the big mistake of rebranding TabletPC as Tablet will kill the future of a good device.

PS: This article was entirely written and edited in a Surface RT device, without using any Apps, just Internet Explorer. Something I could not do using my iPad.

Better later than never

Better later than never. When the Surface RT was released in October 2012, many of us including me, pointed to Microsoft that the price for the 32GB version should have been between $350-$400. But somebody came out at Microsoft with the idea that a low price could send a wrong message about low quality and the Surface was top of the line in quality. Well, we were right. A product with 4.8 stars out of 5 in many stores could have done better in sales if the Software Company had listened to those with experience in this potion of the hardware market. Of course, things are not that simple, a low price could have killed the rest of MS’s partners with plans to make WinTables, but the reality was that they did not jump into that boat like we were expecting so now that this is clear so this move makes a lot of sense.

Another nice move was to let well known resellers to sale the Surface.

 



Update: just on hour after this announcement, TigerDirect sold out their online inventory!

Real multitasking

Sharing a folder in your Surface RT

Recently a friend of mine asked about how to share a folder located in a Surface RT. Something that I have to confess a have not had tried in my Surface. After a little research on line I found that the Surface RT has by default the server service disabled but the good news is that is there and it can be enabled if you want. So that's the first thing to do. Open the services application and Start the Server Service.

Once the setting is activated you need to check that you have the capability of Sharing files and printers activated in your Surface RT.

After that you are ready to share any folder and map it in any of your PCs gaining access to your Surface RT folder after providing the proper user name and password.

Joining a Domain with a Surface RT

This is an option that MS has deactivated in Windows RT but that can easily changed using the instructions in this article.

Press Release from TabletKiosk

TabletKiosk® Upgrades Sahara Slate PC® i500 line of Enterprise Tablets
with New Intel® Processors and Expanded Functionality

 

Newest Tablet PCs Feature Enhanced Graphics Performance, Greatly Improved Battery Life, Integrated Front and Rear Facing Cameras, and True RS-232 Serial Connectivity.

 

Torrance, CA, June 20, 2013 — TabletKiosk, a leading provider of slate-style Tablet PCs and customized mobility solutions for the enterprise, today announced two new additions to its flagship line of 12.1” Tablet PCs. The Sahara Slate PC i575 and Sahara Slate PC i535 are premium, enterprise-grade Tablet PCs powered by 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors and offer enhanced performance and security features, greatly improved battery life and expanded connectivity. 

 

The new Sahara Slate PC i575 and i535 Tablet PCs offer many upgraded features over the existing models that make them even more valuable for business use, including:

 

·         Improved performance, greatly enhanced battery life, and hardware embedded security features with 3^rd generation Intel Core vPro™ processors

·         User upgradable to 16GB of RAM and 1.0TB HDD or 480GB SSD

·         Built-in front and rear facing cameras

·         2x USB 3.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2 and Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)

·         WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) Dual Mode

·         A true—not USB emulated—RS-232 Serial Port for interoperability with legacy industrial devices

 

“I am very excited about the release of these new Sahara Slate PC Tablet PCs and the incredible value they offer our enterprise customers,” said Martin Smekal, President and CEO of TabletKiosk. “In addition to improved battery life and security features, the new Sahara Slate PCs feature a true RS-232 serial interface to control and communicate with legacy equipment used in various industries including Diagnostic Automotive Testing, HVAC system control, Advanced A/V systems and CNC manufacturing.”  

To extend the backward and forward compatibility between product generations, all of the same interchangeable accessories created for the original Sahara Slate PC i500 models can be used with the new Sahara Slate PC i575 and i535. Additionally to ensure operating system continuity for large scale deployments, the two new models will run Windows® 7 Professional, Windows® 8 Pro or Linux. 

“Because the new Sahara Slate PC i500 tablets are based on 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors, customers can be confident that they will have the compatibility, performance and security features needed in the most demanding commercial environments,” said Jason Kennedy, Intel Business Client Marketing Director. “In addition, these tablets offer the durability, functionality, and flexibility needed for computing on the go, anywhere at any time.”

 

 

Availability

Sahara Slate PC i575 and i535 Tablet PCs will begin shipping at the end of June. For additional details, pricing, or to place an order please visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

 

 

 

About TabletKiosk

TabletKiosk is an early innovator of business Tablet PC solutions for the enterprise and was one of the first to offer touch screen enabled Windows tablets. The company regularly integrates modern technology with key legacy components to create forward thinking mobile systems, while still providing backwards compatibility and long product life cycles.
As a manufacturer and distributer of proven mobile computing solutions since 2003, the company’s line of Tablet PCs, including the Sahara Slate PC, has been widely used in Healthcare, Hospitality, Government and Manufacturing both as TabletKiosk branded and OEM / private label deployments. For more information about TabletKiosk, visit www.tabletkiosk.com.

#  #  #

 

Web Resources:

 

 

Sahara Slate PC i500 Product Page:  http://www.tabletkiosk.com/products/sahara/i575_overview.asp

Full Specs for Download:  http://tabletkiosk.com/mediaroom/collateral/sahara/TK_i535-i575_product-sheet-US.pdf

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/tabletkiosk
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TabletKiosk
Twitter:  twitter.com/TabletKiosk

Intel and Intel Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Bestbuy approved the Surface RT

This is the type of TV Adds that Microsoft should be shooting about the Surface RT, videos that show what this device is good at. Showing it doing what the iPad can't do.

What do you do in your Surface RT?

Recently I read this question in one of the pages about the Surface hardware around the web and I found the question interesting enough to make me create an account to answer the question. And here is what I wrote:

In my case probably would be easy to say those things that I don't do in my Surface RT. I have been using for more than 20 years all kind of mobile computers as my main PC, from Laptops, TabletPC, UMPC and Tablets. When I began using UMPCs I quickly comprehended that those and later on the Tablets are companion PCs, they are here to complement our computing needs in an era of full connectivity and constant communication. And about two years ago I bought an iPad 2 which I quickly converted and my only PC I used at home and that forced me to find workarounds to all the shortcomings of the iPad + the Tablet platform. The solution, very simple, prepare a PC as you home media server. With that PC constantly on I connected my iPad to it to do everything could not be done in the iPad. That configuration is to me the ideal for those willing to forget the idea of having to sit at home on front of a desk to use a PC. Later last year when Microsoft released the Surface RT I was one of the first ones to get one.

My set up and experience with my ex-iPad served me to overcome the lack of applications in the first few months after the release. So once again I'm using my Surface RT as my primary PC at home, connecting to my Media Server using remote desktop whenever I do tasks that can't be done in my Surface RT. For example, copying and converting a DVD movie to mkv. Why I should even think about using the limited Surface resources for a task like that? Yes, it could be probably done in a Surface RT if the needed Software becomes available but the fact is that you can't pack yet in any Tablet the amount of hardware resources that you can put in any desktop. So it's more logical to just connect remotely to a desktop and from your surface control remotely the tasks/Software needed to copy and convert a DVD. The same thing happen with other activities such as video editing, etc.

Comparing my iPad 2 with my Surface RT, I gained with the RT the control of my device, something that I never fully had in my iPad which I had to constantly jailbreak to have just some control. I'm enjoying my Surface RT every single day. And I do in or from my Surface RT everything I need to do in a PC.

One more time Microsoft is doing a good job

This is what should had have happened since day one of Surface RT release. But better late than never. One of the things that impressed me a lot was how easy was to print from my Surface RT compared with the same process done in my ex-iPad. But telling that does not have the same effect than seeing it done in a video. And here is the video:

Less talking and more doing

Excellent words used by Microsoft in it's last marketing campaign.

VPN connectivity with a Surface RT

The Surface RT is not supported by some VPN Clients but that doesn't mean that you can’t use VPN in this machine. Here is a guide of how you can connect via VPN your Surface RT to your home network.

HBOGO.com works on Surface RT

HBOGO.com is one of my preferred sites to catch up with all those good series from this premium channel. The site uses flash and for some reason, I believe it was a firmware update, it was not working anymore in my Surface RT. HBO still have not jumped in the boat of WinRT and we still do not have an App. So I decided today to spend sometime trying to get it back working and the good news is that I got it.

Here is what I learned. To sign in HBOGO.com this site sends you to your TV provider where you have to sign in. This process was failing for me. To troubleshoot the whole process I used Fiddler a tool to track your internet web traffic. This application is for x86 but thanks to the tools posted at xdadevelopers I was able to use it in the Surface RT. With this tool I was able to find few things, one of them is that HBO uses a cookie with the information from, in my case, Comcast to grant you access to its site. In my Surface I had Cookies disabled and I thought it was a good idea to keep it in this way. So I went to in the Internet Options from IE10 in Desktop mode and allow cookies for both sites, HBOGO and Comcast. Summarizing, after adding the involved sites to the Trusted Sites List and allowing Cookies for both sites, the HBOGO.com site allowed me to stream video in my Surface RT. And no just in Desktop mode but using IE10 Metro.

This is one of the reasons why I love WinRT, it carries a full version of the IE which allows you to enjoy sites that in other platforms, specifically iOS (translate this as iPad), are impossible to access unless you have an App for that. In another words, some or most of the Apps available for iPad are the result of this device impossibility of using the original websites which these applications substitute.

Sharing: So easy that a caveman can do it

Sharing in Windows 8 is easier than in any previous Windows Operating System.

Lets say that you are navigating the web and you found a page that you want to share with your friends. All you have to do is to slide your finger from right to left in the right side of your Surface to get the right side menu.

 

You click on Share.

Once you do that you click on People and from there either Twitter or Facebook. Next time you are sharing a website you will see in the list of most recent picks your favorite social page listed.

After picking your social site a new slide opens where you can add a note to the link that you want to share like I did in the above picture. When you are done with your note all you do is click in the little icon on your top right below the two little people icon and that's it. Sent to Facebook.

So easy that a caveman can do it.

Virtual Router

Virtual Router is a tool very simple to use that allows you to convert your PC or laptop in a virtual Router. When this is useful? Well imagine that you and your WiFi decide to pass the day camping in a place where the only Internet access is via a 3G Modem connected to your laptop. You can share your 3G connection with your wife's Surface RT using this software. Very simple.

New update for RT and PRO

Microsoft released yesterday a new update for both versions of the Surface. According to some reports the update has fixed issues with WiFi Limited connectivity. The update is available using Windows Update.

The Surface Pro is a PC

Finally the head of the Microsoft Surface Division says what I have been saying since the beginning. The Surface PRO is not a Tablet, it's a PC, he says. I hate to correct him a little bit but I will. Mr. Panay, what you call PC is being known as Tablet PC since long time ago. The Surface RT is in fact a Tablet according to the concept created by Nokia, Google and Jobs. The Surface PRO is  a TabletPC according to the concept created by Bill Gates in 2001.

And the updates keep coming

It's good to see how Microsoft keep updating individual Apps that are part of the OS such as Mail, Calendar and People. And this is something that differentiate the update process from Microsoft to the one from Apple were everything comes in the shape of firmware updates.

In todays update a lot of improvements were done and more details about them can be found here.  Another good news was posted at Surface Blog. Panos Panay acknowledged the Limited Connectivity Issue in Surface RT and the lack of pressure functionality in Adobe Photoshop with Surface Pro and expressed Microsoft's commitment to fix these issues.

And nobody says anything

Google has been selling Chromebook for around two years already. Today it has been published around the Web that in all this time the amount of units sold of this device is around 500,000. The interesting thing is that Microsoft reportedly has sold the same amount of Surface RT in just few months but I do not read in any big "technology" news site that Chromebook is a fiasco.

Why the same number is so bad for Microsoft and no so for Google? Why Microsoft is constantly and furiously attacked and other companies are not so much?

Windows 8 Desktop Manager is buggy.

Windows Desktop Manager uses as much battery as Mail! And it doesn't stop even when the device is on standby. Here is what happened to me: I changed the desktop background in desktop mode and picked a picture located in my SD card. I was under the impression that when you do that the picture is copied by windows and saved somewhere else. Later on I changed the configuration of the SD card to use a folder instead a letter. So the path to my picture was not anymore the same to the eyes of Windows. Let my Surface go to Standby during the night and when I tried to turn it on in the morning I couldn't. The Battery was completely drained. When I finally could turn it on after having connected to power for around 15 minutes I found that was the Windows Desktop Manager the cause.

There is not any reason why applications such as IE, Mail, Desktop Manager and in fact any other should be kept running when the device is in Standby. I understand that it's good to have all the emails retrieved when you switch on your computer but these are processes that take just seconds to performs. No a good reason for having your battery drained in normal conditions up to 7% in less than 9 hours or totally drained like it happened to me.

The Power Management in Windows 8 has been improved but still buggy, no ready to compete against the iPad.

RT vs PRO

Here is an excellent article about why many of us, including me are happy to be using a Surface RT and we are not thinking about switching them for the PRO version officially coming in February.

The Surface PRO is just a Tablet PC! We have Tablet PCs since 2002 and they always have been a product for a very small portion of the market. Why somebody at Microsoft has decided that after more than 10 years in the market this is going to be the next Microsoft winner product? Because now for the first time is made by Microsoft?

Audacity for WinRT

Those who as been in this business of bytes long enough for sure in one time or another as used Audacity, a simple to use audio file editor. Well the good news is that it has been ported for WinRT! The Ported version can be downloaded here.

Teens think Apple is done, iPad is not longer cool

According to an study published by Forbes, teenagers believe that to own an iPad is not cool any longer. They prefer a Surface RT or a Galaxy Samsung. To me that makes since, Apple is stuck in the iPad concept and iOS has not been change with new features and new design since long time ago.

In another hand, they do not feel attractive anymore to own a device that everybody owns including their parents and grandparents!

Map Skydrive as a network drive in your Surface RT

This is a nice trick, very easy to perform. Once the mapping is performed your skydrive will be available in Windows File Explorer as just another network drive.

Jailbreak for Surface RT

Finally somebody has posted a tool to Jailbreak Surface RT, this means, to run any application for ARM that is not distributed/signed by Microsoft. Of course, right away a list of open sources of desktop applications was opened and even rumors of a Firefox version compiled for ARM.

Surface RT updated

The Surface RT got several update packages today via Windows Update. One of them was a firmware update. Unfortunately according to users suffering from the WiFi Limited Connection issue, this update did not fix it.

I installed all the packages, the process took about 5 minutes and so far I have not notice any dramatic change neither anything new.

GoToMeeting for Windows RT released

GoToMeeting has been released for Windows RT. This an important milestone for this device because it opens a big door for the Surface to be used in the enterprise market.

GoToMeeting is together with WebEx one of the most used applications in the business environment letting business to save in traveling expenses creating virtual meetings with remote presentations capabilities.

Create a recovery USB Drive to free space in your Surface RT

Microsoft has posted an interesting article explaining how you can create a recovery disk in an USB memory stick and after that remove the partition currently located in your Surface. Here is how is done:

Make sure your Surface is plugged in and connected to power.

1. Insert your external USB drive into the USB port on your Surface.
2. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
   (If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.)
3. Enter Recovery in the search box, tap or click Settings, and then tap or click Create a recovery drive.
4. Tap or click Yes in the User Account Control dialog box to allow the recovery drive tool to open.
5. When the recovery drive tool opens, make sure the box is checked next to Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive. Then, tap or click Next.
6. Select the USB drive you would like to use for your recovery disk by tapping or clicking on it. Tap or click Next.
7. Tap or click Create. The recovery image and necessary recovery tools will be copied to your USB drive. Your Surface must stay awake during the copy process, which will take 10-15 minutes.
8. When the recovery tools are copied, do one of the following:
   If you want to keep the recovery tools on your Surface, tap or click Finish.
   -Or-
   If you want to remove the recovery tools from Surface and free up disk space, tap or click Delete the recovery partition. To confirm, tap or click Delete. This will free up approximately 3.5 GB of storage space on your Surface. When the removal is complete, tap or click Finish.
   
   Warning  If you choose to delete your recovery partition, you will need your USB recovery drive to refresh or reset your Surface in the future.
    
9. Eject and remove your USB drive. This is now your Surface recovery drive, so keep it in a safe place and do not use it to store other files or data.