Microsoft Surface Laptop/Tablet
As I wrote a few days ago, my not quite two year old HP X360 laptop bit the dust during a thunderstorm over the weekend. It crackled and sizzled loud enough for Sheila to hear it in another room. It was fried and about as dead as dead could be.
This HP X360 model could be flipped around so it could be used as a tablet which came in handy for certain situations. This HP model allowed me to handle photos and video while on the road and also allowed me to backup all my photos and video. I did, however, have problems with this laptop as well as some regrets.
Before I get into the history of how I got to this point, let me quickly say that my new laptop of choice (for my specific needs) is a new Microsoft Surface 3. Here is a short promo video for the Surface Pro 3... the non-Pro version I bought is slightly smaller at my preferred 11 inches, full HD resolution, and significantly less expensive yet with few compromises...
So, let's go back to some boring info about how I got to this point and why I feel this Microsoft Surface laptop/tablet will meet my needs....
Two years ago, when I bought this HP laptop, it was the only laptop available which checked the most boxes suited to my needs... and it was in my price range (which, admittedly, was/is far too low considering the features I need). That being said, although this HP laptop was the best available in my price range at the time, it was a source of frustration since day one.
Some of the problems... It is a heavy, big clunky computer (laptops should be lightweight and small)... it was rather slow (it had good specs but it was still like an old dog of a computer)... the responsiveness was rather poor... it was too big for my portable needs making it difficult to fit into over-the-shoulder bags (it had a 13" screen... in my opinion, laptops should NOT be larger than 12" to keep them as portable as possible)... the resolution of the touchscreen was far too poor (1280x768) making working in graphics programs for photography or video a nightmare and terribly frustrating... the displayed color was slightly askew and there was no way to correct it (which always drove me crazy when working with photos, graphics and video)... and, did I mention that it was absurdly heavy? This HP X360 laptop was not my first choice but, unfortunately, finances overruled and this laptop best fit my criteria at the time so I had to make do with what I could afford.
Computers never seem to last as long as one would hope. I beat on my computers as a result of the amount of graphics work I do on a daily basis. My computers not only run all day long but they are computing heavily which quickly kills hard drives and can easily cause overheating of far-too-fragile electronic circuit boards. My computers are always pushed to their computing limits... sometimes beyond... especially when I edit video or work with three dimensional graphics. Basically, I know I beat on my computers and history has proven that my computers rarely live more than 2 years. This HP laptop was just about at the two year point... the electrical storm didn't help any!
Before I bought this old HP X360, I had a really nice Acer Aspire netbook... small (11 inch screen)... lightweight... it really was the perfect size for travel and portability. When I had to find a new laptop two years ago, netbooks were no longer fashionable and had been replaced with crippled yet significantly larger Chromebooks.
Unfortunately, a Chromebook is not usable for my needs and purposes. I had to find the smallest laptop which, at the time, was 13 inches and terribly heavy. To this day, I miss that old Acer Aspire netbook! It truly was the perfect size... the perfect compromise between size and functionality.
So now I'm in the market, again, for a new laptop which meets my needs. It was time to start searching the available laptops...
Right from the beginning, I knew that I would not even consider certain brands... Apple was out (for many, many reasons)... Dell was out... Toshiba was out... and now, HP is out. I don't think I will ever buy another HP computer after my experiences with this dog of a laptop.
While shopping at our local Best Buy store, I've been very impressed with the Lenovo Yoga laptops but price of the models which meet my criteria was putting it financially out of my reach. Lenovo was a front runner though.
Then I came across a few videos showing the newer Microsoft Surface tablets. The last time I was in the market for a new laptop, these Surface tablets didn't even come close to meeting my needs for various reasons (which I won't get into here since the newer models have since improved significantly). These newer Surface models looked very intriguing in these videos I found online!
I need USB ports for transferring files to portable Passport hard drives... the Surface 3 has it. I need a small, lightweight computer yet sports full HD resolution... the Surface 3 has it. I need a fast, responsive computer which can run graphics intensive programs such as Photoshop CC... the Surface 3 can do it. So far, so good.
I often connect a graphics tablet and pen to my computer for graphics work which includes photo editing, drawing and painting... this Surface 3 is actually a graphics tablet which eliminates my need for a separate graphics tablet and pen! I like that... a lot!
Because of my spinal injuries and my deteriorating health, a laptop being physically small in the 11 inch range is important to me... being lightweight is vitally important to me... and being a multi-functional graphics tablet is simply beautiful. This Surface 3 should meet my needs just fine.
Truthfully, if I had the finances to support it, I probably would have bought one of the more powerful Pro models. This Surface 3 should handle my needs just fine though.
My new Microsoft Surface 3 arrived last night (I bought it through Amazon since I could not find one locally). I spent the night downloading and installing all the software I use regularly and then I tested it out briefly. So far, this lightweight and small laptop tablet is so sleek and fast that it makes my two year old HP X360 laptop seem like a relic from 1995! The resolution is beautiful... the clarity and crispness is impressive. And, perhaps most importantly, it is lightweight and small!
The Surface 3 is a powerful, inspiring artist's tool... it is a student's dream... it fits perfectly in any business or administrative environment as a preferred tool of choice... I do believe I'll be much happier with my Surface tablet/laptop than any previous laptop I've ever owned...
Oh yeah... in order to avoid future problems with power surges, brownouts, and fluctuations, I've added a UPS/surge protector for when charging this new laptop tablet.
This HP X360 model could be flipped around so it could be used as a tablet which came in handy for certain situations. This HP model allowed me to handle photos and video while on the road and also allowed me to backup all my photos and video. I did, however, have problems with this laptop as well as some regrets.
Before I get into the history of how I got to this point, let me quickly say that my new laptop of choice (for my specific needs) is a new Microsoft Surface 3. Here is a short promo video for the Surface Pro 3... the non-Pro version I bought is slightly smaller at my preferred 11 inches, full HD resolution, and significantly less expensive yet with few compromises...
So, let's go back to some boring info about how I got to this point and why I feel this Microsoft Surface laptop/tablet will meet my needs....
Two years ago, when I bought this HP laptop, it was the only laptop available which checked the most boxes suited to my needs... and it was in my price range (which, admittedly, was/is far too low considering the features I need). That being said, although this HP laptop was the best available in my price range at the time, it was a source of frustration since day one.
Some of the problems... It is a heavy, big clunky computer (laptops should be lightweight and small)... it was rather slow (it had good specs but it was still like an old dog of a computer)... the responsiveness was rather poor... it was too big for my portable needs making it difficult to fit into over-the-shoulder bags (it had a 13" screen... in my opinion, laptops should NOT be larger than 12" to keep them as portable as possible)... the resolution of the touchscreen was far too poor (1280x768) making working in graphics programs for photography or video a nightmare and terribly frustrating... the displayed color was slightly askew and there was no way to correct it (which always drove me crazy when working with photos, graphics and video)... and, did I mention that it was absurdly heavy? This HP X360 laptop was not my first choice but, unfortunately, finances overruled and this laptop best fit my criteria at the time so I had to make do with what I could afford.
Computers never seem to last as long as one would hope. I beat on my computers as a result of the amount of graphics work I do on a daily basis. My computers not only run all day long but they are computing heavily which quickly kills hard drives and can easily cause overheating of far-too-fragile electronic circuit boards. My computers are always pushed to their computing limits... sometimes beyond... especially when I edit video or work with three dimensional graphics. Basically, I know I beat on my computers and history has proven that my computers rarely live more than 2 years. This HP laptop was just about at the two year point... the electrical storm didn't help any!
Before I bought this old HP X360, I had a really nice Acer Aspire netbook... small (11 inch screen)... lightweight... it really was the perfect size for travel and portability. When I had to find a new laptop two years ago, netbooks were no longer fashionable and had been replaced with crippled yet significantly larger Chromebooks.
Unfortunately, a Chromebook is not usable for my needs and purposes. I had to find the smallest laptop which, at the time, was 13 inches and terribly heavy. To this day, I miss that old Acer Aspire netbook! It truly was the perfect size... the perfect compromise between size and functionality.
So now I'm in the market, again, for a new laptop which meets my needs. It was time to start searching the available laptops...
Right from the beginning, I knew that I would not even consider certain brands... Apple was out (for many, many reasons)... Dell was out... Toshiba was out... and now, HP is out. I don't think I will ever buy another HP computer after my experiences with this dog of a laptop.
While shopping at our local Best Buy store, I've been very impressed with the Lenovo Yoga laptops but price of the models which meet my criteria was putting it financially out of my reach. Lenovo was a front runner though.
Then I came across a few videos showing the newer Microsoft Surface tablets. The last time I was in the market for a new laptop, these Surface tablets didn't even come close to meeting my needs for various reasons (which I won't get into here since the newer models have since improved significantly). These newer Surface models looked very intriguing in these videos I found online!
I need USB ports for transferring files to portable Passport hard drives... the Surface 3 has it. I need a small, lightweight computer yet sports full HD resolution... the Surface 3 has it. I need a fast, responsive computer which can run graphics intensive programs such as Photoshop CC... the Surface 3 can do it. So far, so good.
I often connect a graphics tablet and pen to my computer for graphics work which includes photo editing, drawing and painting... this Surface 3 is actually a graphics tablet which eliminates my need for a separate graphics tablet and pen! I like that... a lot!
Because of my spinal injuries and my deteriorating health, a laptop being physically small in the 11 inch range is important to me... being lightweight is vitally important to me... and being a multi-functional graphics tablet is simply beautiful. This Surface 3 should meet my needs just fine.
Truthfully, if I had the finances to support it, I probably would have bought one of the more powerful Pro models. This Surface 3 should handle my needs just fine though.
My new Microsoft Surface 3 arrived last night (I bought it through Amazon since I could not find one locally). I spent the night downloading and installing all the software I use regularly and then I tested it out briefly. So far, this lightweight and small laptop tablet is so sleek and fast that it makes my two year old HP X360 laptop seem like a relic from 1995! The resolution is beautiful... the clarity and crispness is impressive. And, perhaps most importantly, it is lightweight and small!
The Surface 3 is a powerful, inspiring artist's tool... it is a student's dream... it fits perfectly in any business or administrative environment as a preferred tool of choice... I do believe I'll be much happier with my Surface tablet/laptop than any previous laptop I've ever owned...
Oh yeah... in order to avoid future problems with power surges, brownouts, and fluctuations, I've added a UPS/surge protector for when charging this new laptop tablet.
Comments
Post a Comment