Has the surface totally replaced your tablet?

[hughlle]

That's exactly right. OSX-iOS tethering, too. If Win 10 had a feature like that it'd make me seriously consider switching phone platforms.

For those who aren't familiar, how it works is once a client device has connected to a hotspot, that hotspot connection from then on shows up as a network connection and you can bring it up without having to touch the host device. Pretty much the next best thing to having a device with its own cell radio.

So tethering is always turned on, or the ipad can remotely turn it on on the phone?

 

[zhenya]

As long as both devices are signed into the same iCloud account, it uses that as it's authentication mechanism. That will allow you to initiate the tethering directly from the iPad or Mac computer without having to enable tethering on the phone or entering a password.

 

[hughlle]

Sounds good, however much like my position on wireless payment instead of just entering a pin, id not see that as any kind of selling point, takes all of two seconds (a swipe and one touch) to turn on a hotspot on my phone that my surface then automatically connects to. Almost the same thing really. One would require you to manually turn it on from the ipad by connecting to the network, the other involves manually turning it on on the phone, with the client automatically connecting. Swings and roundabouts if you ask me, or at least for my usage, although my real usage would make it no different, i never walk around with mobile data turned on, no need for it, i just turn it on as and when i need it which isn't really very much at all.

 

[Y2HBK]

I use my SP3 exclusively for work every day. When I'm in bed at the end of the night though, laying down and looking to consume media... I still grab my iPad. I still prefer some of the iOS apps and the iPad is MUCH more comfortable to use from a weight and size perspective.

 

[VickiFL]

Yes, my SP3 has completely replaced my laptop.

 

[macmee]

Sort of. I use my SP3 for school and for my goto portable computer for when I don't want to lug around my 15" rMBP. I read books on a nexus 9 because it's smaller and lighter.

 

[mitchellvii]

Surprisingly I rarely use my SP3 as a tablet or with the pen for that matter. I'm not a student and I don't visit my client's offices and take notes while speaking with them. I can blaze typing so it's just more efficient to type that handwrite when clacking away wouldn't be rude.

But I do like the option of being able to use the pen when I need to.

 

[fonsecaj]

So tethering is always turned on, or the ipad can remotely turn it on on the phone?

The client device (ipad/OSX 10.10 computer) can remotely turn on the hotspot on the phone. It also displays the cell signal strength, data network type (ie LTE/3G) and battery level of the phone whether the hotspot is enabled or not. Of all the over-hyped Continuity features this was the one to me that was actually pretty useful.

 

[Moonsurface]

I didn't think my surface pro3 would replace my nice little Nexus 7 tablet, but it has. After I got the surface the nexus just didn't get used any more... So I sold it! I don't miss it at all. I thought I would due to the size difference bit the surface offers so much more I don't mind the size!

 

[kundas1]

what is weird is, since I connected my Lumia 1520 via Bluetooth my tethering is always "there" so I can turn on my tethering from my SP3 without having to goto my phone to turn it on, before I always had to goto my phone then turn on tethering then connect the SP3 and then start surfing the net.. now it's just a 1 button "connect" and boom I'm on... very convenient

 

[ptrkhh]

The analogy is referring to two-wheeled vehicles. If you want to extend the analogy to four wheeled vehicles than a surface is high performance SUV while an iPad is a Smart (sic) car...

I would say that SP3 is like a sport wagon, something like the Audi RS4 Avant or Merc E63 AMG wagon, or Cadillac CTS-V wagon. It offers the 'fun' part of a sports car and the 'versatility' part of a minivan. As a result, its quite expensive.

Toy tablet is like a 2-seater Miata, it offers more fun than pretty much any other car on the market, but you practically cant fit anything or anybody in it. Laptops are like minivan, its all about versatility and no fun. SP3 offers both, but at a price premium.

What I'd like is a device that connects to the cellular network without me having to do anything except turn it on (like an ipad with cellular). At it is now, I have to wake up my phone, go into settings, turn on the hotspot function, and then wait for the SP3 to see it and then connect.

That's one area where Apple wins... the connectivity between iPhone's & iPad's is fantastic when it comes to tethering.

That's exactly right. OSX-iOS tethering, too. If Win 10 had a feature like that it'd make me seriously consider switching phone platforms.

Actually, the feature has already been included in 8.1 nearly a year before Apple implemented it in Yosemite.
If your SP3 (or any W8.1 device) is connected to your Windows Phone via BT, you can initiate tethering from the SP3.
Your WP shows up in the WiFi networks list of your SP3, as if it was a WiFi hotspot. Just press 'Connect' and it will handle the rest.

offers so much more I don't mind the size!

That's what she said. lol, cant help it.

 

[fonsecaj]

That's interesting. I had no idea. To be honest, I haven't kept up with Windows phone since Windows Mobile 6. Isn't tethering via BT a lot slower than using 802.11, or is that no longer the case with current BT standards?

This is an unrelated question, but what's the state of Windows phone in terms of shared text messaging? For example, on iOS/OSX you send/receive SMS on all your devices logged in to your iCloud account (if you want) and on the Android side the same thing if you use Mighty Text.