JimUBC

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  JimUBC 12:20 am on May 9, 2016 Permalink | Reply  

  Surface Book and 4K Monitor 

  With 4K TVs coming down in price I was curious to see if I could use a 4K TV as a monitor with my Surface Book.

  

  For this discussion I’m using the UHD-1 definition
  4K is  3840 x 2160 pixels
  That’s the equivalent of four 1920 x 1080 monitors.

  Why would anyone want to do this? Well in my case it was because I was already running four 24” monitors with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. When I came across a great deal on a 48 inch 4K TV it held the promise to get the equivalent of my four monitors all on one screen.

  I had already shopped around and tried a couple of those 21:9 monitors. These are 3440 x 1440 and there are several of these 34” monitors..  The result was less than I wanted because there wasn’t enough screen real estate to replace my four monitors.
  (3440 x 1440 vs. 3840 x 2160)

  I had already tried several 4K monitors and found that the Surface Book could run with fine in Duplicate mode (3000 x 2000) on both the Surface Book and the external monitor, but in Extend Mode, I couldn’t get the external monitor to run 3840 x 2160. I have since found out that not all mini-display port to HDMI adapters are equal.

  In my hunt to find just the right combination I found a retail store that was willing to let me try different 4K TVs who happened to have a mini-display port to HDMI adapter that worked.   I got a 48” curved screen TV.  Got it back to my place and it wouldn’t run at full resolution.  The difference – I wasn’t using the same mini-display port to HDMI adapter, so I went back to the store to get one of theirs.  And it all worked.

  This is the TV that I got. This is information NOT a recommendation. It’s too soon for that.
  Samsung UN48JU6700 Curved 48-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV

  

   

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  JimUBC 7:37 pm on January 23, 2016 Permalink | Reply  

  Microsoft AC Power Cord Recall for Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and Surface Pro 3 

  Microsoft is doing a voluntary replacement for power cords for the Surface Pro family of devices.  It’s not the whole power supply; just AC power cord.

  

  See if this applies to you and the rest of the details here:

  https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-ca/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/powercord

   
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  JimUBC 7:36 pm on December 9, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  The First Application I Install on a New Surface 

  When I set up a new machine there is a suite of applications that I install immediately. ActiveWords is at the top of the list and has been for over a decade.

  I do a lot of writing every day and a great deal of it is repetitive. Snippets of text, links to references, common phrases and I do this dozens of times an hour. ActiveWords sits there quietly monitoring my keystrokes and it automatically substitutes text, runs scripts to do tasks, opens documents, opens websites.  And it does all this from within any application that I am running.

  There’s a nifty little tool that  calculates the productivity savings you gave gained from running ActiveWords.  On my Surface Book ActiveWords has typed 16,532 characters for me in the last month. That is over 6% of my total input.  If you could see how hideously slowly I type you could well understand that this has saved me hours of typing.   Licensing is per user on unlimited machines. Although I use my Surface Book as my daily driver, I still use the Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 too. There are even a few desktops and servers around here. I have ActiveWords running on all of them.

  The scripting feature is very clever allowing you to pause and prompt for inputs, read from and write to the Windows Clipboard, call programs and pass data. All of this is beyond simple text substitution and saves me a great deal of time. Adding or modifying new ActiveWords is really fast and intuitive. I will often notice that I have done something two or three times lately so I’ll copy/paste those into ActiveWords, assign an ActiveWord (e.g. answers – see below), and it’s done.

  One of the main reasons I first got ActiveWords is that it also recognizes Ink!  I can use the Surface pen to write an ActiveWord too.
  

  This opens the thread on Microsoft Answers that I like to follow.

  ActiveWords just did an update to version 3.0 and with that comes automatic syncing between devices. That is, when I add or change an ActiveWord on one machine it is available on all of them. This is a major upgrade for me given all the machines that I have on the go.

  In my most conservative estimates ActiveWords more than pays for itself (overcomes the $30 annual license) within the first 10 days of any given month.  And that’s why it’s the first application I install on all of my machines.

   
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  JimUBC 7:33 pm on November 13, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  Battery Indicator in the Notifications Area 

  This is a Windows 10 thing, not a Surface thing I know, but if you’ve got a Surface you watch the Battery Icon. It’s more fun with a Surface Book though.

  This morning I glanced down at the notifications area to check on the status of the battery. The Battery icon was gone, and so too was the option to customize the hidden icons.

  If this happens to you, you can click in the Notifications area ^ “Show Hidden Icons” and drag the Battery icon (or any of the others) back to the Notifications area.

  In this video you can see me move the Battery Icon from the Notifications Area to the Hidden Icons area, them move it around in there. Then finally I move it back to the Notifications Area.
   
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  JimUBC 7:31 pm on November 5, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  The Surface Book Has Arrived 

  

  And how could you not make this association?
  

  First impression – Microsoft has hit the sweet spot! Much though I hate to admit it, I’m a little tired of being hunched over my Surface Pro 3 when I’m in desktop mode, and the Surface Book is just that little bit larger, and it makes a huge difference.

  In my workflow I absolute must have the ability to use my main device as a tablet for taking notes with a pen, or sketching out ideas, and making mind maps. The Surface Pro 3 did an excellent job of that and I’ve been very happy with it for fourteen months.  But it’s always felt like a bit of a compromise when I was in desktop mode. The Type Cover was fine when I was out and about, and until I started typing on the Surface Book, I had no complaints.  But Microsoft, you did a great job on the Surface Book keyboard, and now when I switch back I realize what I was missing.

  Why get a Surface Book when my Surface Pro 3 was doing a stellar job as my main machine? People have been asking me that and now that I’ve got it I can tell them:

  The larger screen size DOES matter. I can tile four windows on the screen and they are all comfortably readable.  (Hint: Windows+Left, Windows+Up puts the current window in the top left corner. Open another application and use Windows+Left, Windows+Down and that application will sit in the lower left corner. Do the same on the right side and you’ve got four windows up). I wish that I had found these keyboard shortcuts sooner. Trying to do that with a touchpad is tricky. Here’s a screen shot of what I’m seeing right now.
  

  I think Microsoft got it right with the 80:20 idea that many people will use the Surface Book 80% of the time as a laptop and 20% of the time as a tablet.  I might be a little heavier on the tablet side of things but much of that extra time, I’ll probably flip the screen over and keep it attached to the keyboard for the prolonged battery life.

  Why get the Surface Book instead of a Surface Pro 4?

  The point a which you can make a direct comparison is when you configure a machine with

  • Core i5 / 8 GB RAM / 256 MB of storage

  Comparing the  Surface Book to a Surface Pro 4 with a Type Cover, the difference is about $370 USD.  I’m seeing a lot of value for the difference.  You’re getting:

  • Larger screen. That is physically larger, and higher resolution.
  • More battery life. It’s so nice to glance down at the battery indicator and NOT have to think about managing your life around the battery.
  • A device that you can fully use and type on in your lap or in a car or other cramped or awkward situations.
  • The keyboard is so good that I won’t need to have a second, full-sized keyboard for prolonged work sessions at a desk (as I did with the Surface Pro).

  I still like to work with two screens up for production/development, and I’m keeping the Surface Pro 3. It’s a perfect complement to the Surface Book. I’m using Mouse Without Borders to allow me to do all my typing on the Surface Book.

  I’m really liking the Surface Book so far. It’s a joy.

   
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  JimUBC 7:30 pm on November 1, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  Microsoft Surface Data Eraser 

  

  Microsoft Surface Data Eraser is a tool that boots from a USB stick and allows you to perform a secure wipe of all data from a Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 2, or Surface Pro device. A Microsoft Surface Data Eraser USB stick requires only the ability to boot from USB. The USB tool is easy to create by using the provided wizard, the Microsoft Surface Data Eraser Wrapper, and easy to use with a simple graphic interface, no command line needed.

  Read all about it here: Microsoft Data Eraser

   
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  JimUBC 7:26 pm on October 29, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  Surface Pro 4 Adapter for Surface Pro 3 Docking Station 

   

  

  I’m a big fan of the Surface Pro 3 Docking Station, but the Surface Pro 4 is a little thinner. You can use the Surface Pro 4 in the older style docking station but it’s not an exact fit. There’s an adapter available for free.  Get it at the Microsoft Store (call ahead to make sure that they have stock), or order it through Send my Surface in for Service

  The new style Surface Dock is a completely different approach. Much more portable and it works with Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book.

  

   

   

  Source:How to Obtain the Surface Pro 4 Adapter for Surface Pro 3 Docking Station

   
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  JimUBC 7:24 pm on October 29, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  Surface Book: October 26th Can’t Come Soon Enough 

  Here’s a quick video review: Surface Book – It really is this good.

   
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  JimUBC 7:20 pm on October 19, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  Surface Book: First Look 

  I finally got my hands on a Surface Book. It’s a work of art and it looks like the device that could actually replace everything else around here.

  

  I was hesitant to pre-order it until I could see it first hand, experience detaching the clipboard (tablet portion), holding, standing, walking, writing and doing all the things I do with my Surface devices.  I was concerned that it might be too big, too bulky, too heavy.  It is none of these things. It may just be perfect.

  If you’re like me you spend a lot of time with your devices, and the experience is at least as much visceral as it is intellectual. And that’s why didn’t pre-order a Surface Book. I needed to see, feel and use it, especially the pen in order to being to understand how it would fit into my lifestyle. After all, it’s going to a near constant companion.

  And now that I’ve had some time with the demo unit (Core i7 16 gig) at a local Microsoft store, I can’t wait for my Surface Book to arrive. Yes I pre-ordered it.

  I’ve had laptops and tablet PCs from 17” down to 7” and as time has gone by, I’ve struggled with the conflicting needs: power, portability, screen size, battery life. The Surface Pro 3 (Core i7 8 gigs 512). is as close to perfection as I’ve found up to this point. As a tablet it is brilliant, on a desktop and in the docking station it does most of what I need, and the only places that it felt wanting were screen size, and the laptop experience. And yes, I’ve wished for more RAM memory. I think that 16 gigs will do fine thank you.

  Looking at the Surface Book, it hits all the points on my wish list with at big bright screen, and an overall form factor that will still fit into my lifestyle. It’s a little heavier than the Surface Pro 3 with keyboard, but think that I can forgive that if I really can leave the power adapter behind.

  The Surface Book does not lean back as far as the Surface Pro 3, but since you can flip the screen around the writing on a desk experience is fine.

  

  I prefer a little angle with I’m writing or drawing on a desk and this looks like it will work just fine.

  Here’s a nice video review that lets’ you see the Surface Book from all sides.
  Surface Book – It really is this good.

  and

  Surface Book at the Microsoft Store

   
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  JimUBC 7:18 pm on September 1, 2015 Permalink | Reply  

  Surface 3: Why? 

  Surface | Windows Touch & Tablet

  

  I’m probably not the target audience for a Surface 3.  I’ve had the other Surface devices, my daily driver is a Surface Pro 3, and I’m probably going to get a Surface Book. As it turns out, I really like this tiny marvel.

  I’ve always bought top end Surface devices opting for the fastest processors, highest memory and storage capacity. Each decision taken in isolation was on the assumption that the machine I was getting would be my primary and possibly my only device. I didn’t really expect the Surface 3 to compare well with my previous Surface devices.

  I got the Surface 3 with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, the Surface 3 keyboard and pen.

  Here’s what I got.  The friendliest and most likeable Surface so far. For an everyday user, I’d be quick to recommend this. Friendly means that it’s quick, light, has decent battery life, it’s tiny  it’s silent and it stays cool.

  It’s light, quick enough for most things, and it gets great battery life. I haven’t done a formal battery run-down test, but I’ve as yet to have it run out before I was done with it in a day.

  I say that it’s friendly because it’s small. It’s easy to toss it into my backpack with little concern for its weight or size.  Instead of taking the power supply I can use an external battery pack for extended work.  Being able to charge it through the micro-USB port makes this possible. Even a cell-phone charger can extend the battery life in a pinch. I do that in the car with power accessories that  I already owned for my phones.

  Silence is golden, and the Surface 3 is silent. When I’m using my Surface 3 for music related applications it’s an easy choice.

  With Office 365, Windows 10 Pro (and option for business users), keyboard and pen this makes for a great, general purpose business machine.  I would take it on a business trip without hesitation. To my surprise I find that I’m more likely to take it out than my Surface Pro 3, simply because it has great battery life, and it’s smaller and lighter.  When I’m meeting with others I am not likely to need all the processing power that comes with the Surface Pro 3.

  

  And let’s not forget the pen. The pen is fully functional on the Surface 3 and in that, it compares with Surface Pro 3 working just fine with all my drawing applications. I also use the pen a lot with OneNote.

  In short, this is a very productive machine. I’m using much more than I expected, and I’m enjoying it.  Highly recommended.