A Surface RT on the go
Table of contents:
This summer I have planned a vacation that includes a long flight of two and a half hours across half of Europe, which I get on with my Surface RT in the backpack.
It is certainly the first plane trip with the new device, and I have the excellent experience with the Asus ultrabook that has accompanied me for the last two years as a point of comparison.
Born to travel
The first advantage to point out, and a lot, is the weight. The backpack feels empty compared to earlier times. Even if I had brought the Surface PRO, it would still be under the weight of the Ultrabook.
The second advantage, and this one I didn't expect, is that it fits perfectly on the airplane table The angle in that situates it on the support of the Surface is perfect for consuming information on the tablet; such as reading, watching movies or listening to music.
And if what I want is to play or interact with the programs, I put it horizontally and it's still very comfortable.
However, when typing on the keyboard, and being plump like the person writing these lines, I see that I occupy both arms of the seat, leaving no armrests for my travel companions.
In addition, the keyboard mouse pad (Touch Cover) is too close to my belly and, in order not to bother my seat neighbors too much, I have to contort myself to be able to handle the pointer and press the mouse buttons.
A third advantage, which I have savored more and more, is having a fully functional Word – which is a joy - , and that gives it that plus over the iPad that makes this tablet deserve, and a lot.
For example, I have started writing the long draft of this article inside the passenger cabin, while we waited for the aircraft's left engine to start.
Disconnected use of the Internet
True is the saying that indicates that you lack something when you no longer have it. And this happened to me with the Surface RT when I put it in airplane mode.
The first consequence is to check how many travel applications that Windows 8.1 brings by default need to be connected. Therefore, inside the cabin they work in a reduced, or very reduced way.
This is how I learned the hard way the importance of planning and downloading all the content that I anticipate wanting to consume along the way.
And here comes the fourth advantage of having an RT device: the USB connection.
Take my 32Gb USB 3.0 Pendrive out of my pocket; plug it in for the first time to the tablet; that you recognize it; and being able to fully access all that information is – simply – what I expect from a modern tablet.
So I started to store or retrieve images and videos to view them, and order them on the PenDrive through the RT desktop.
Something unthinkable on an iPad, and that can give you headaches on an Android, depending on its version and your USB device.
Conclusions
We are arriving at the destination, and the flight attendants tell us to put the seats upright and turn off the electronic devices, to prepare for landing imminent.
After writing this draft – which I have edited after my return -; played a couple of games; leave the Surface to my wife so that she can enter with her own account and continue reading the Zombies book that she likes so much; I have finally put it in the pocket of the seat in front of me, and where it fits perfectly.
In this review I used a Surface RT, but I can affirm that any RT device represents a very important advantage over its technological competition.
It has allowed me to spend a journey consuming information and, much more important, being able to generate and manage it. And with the full security that I will be able to access all my data, as soon as I reconnect to the internet and synchronize with SkyDrive .
In XatakaWindows | Microsoft Surface RT review
