Presentation Compatible?

[oliver_c]

I travel multiple times per year, at least once internationally, to provide training that includes PowerPoint presentations (avg = 15mb) and/or picture shows (avg = 300mb). I would like to travel with a tablet instead of my laptop. I want to be able to access the internet and my email, plus run MS Office software (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint). I would also like to be able to watch movies and listen to music. I am not be interested in 4G LTE. My questions: 1. Is the Surface 3 a good platform for running PowerPoint? 2. Does it have an output compatible for interfacing with a projector and/or TV? 3. Is it really a tablet plus laptop? 4. Can I type on-screen w/0 having to pack a keyboard? 5. Is it wireless-mouse compatible? 6. Can it be used with a presentation remote 7. Is it worth the xtra bucks to go with the 128gb vs the 64gb? 8. Any major concerns about going in this direction? 9. What should I know that I haven't asked?

 

[Girevik]

Hi Oliver,

I'm still getting the feel for my new Surface, so hopefully I'm not steering you wrong here, but from what I know:

1. You shouldn't have any issues running PowerPoint from what I understand, but I've not tried it.
2. There is an output port, but you'd likely need an adapter to connect it to a projector.
3. Yes, it is a full Windows laptop minus a significant hard drive (but not as powerful as the more expensive Surface models).
4. Yes, it has a tablet-like keyboard you can use rather than the external key cover. However, the key cover is very compact and if all you are worried about is "packing" it, I would not let that concern you.
5 & 6. I would assume the answer is "yes" to both, but cannot verify for sure. Be aware that there is only one USB port, however, so you'd need some kind of USB router if you wanted to connect more that one device that way (it also has Bluetooth as an option).
7. I would say no because you can add a micro sd card or even USB hard drive. If I were to spend the money (I did not) it would be for the extra 2GB of ram rather than the storage (opinions may vary).
8. I would have none, but you can always get it somewhere like Best Buy where you have a 14 day test drive to make sure you have no issues.

 

[oliver_c]

Hi Oliver,

I'm still getting the feel for my new Surface, so hopefully I'm not steering you wrong here, but from what I know:

1. You shouldn't have any issues running PowerPoint from what I understand, but I've not tried it.
2. There is an output port, but you'd likely need an adapter to connect it to a projector.
3. Yes, it is a full Windows laptop minus a significant hard drive (but not as powerful as the more expensive Surface models).
4. Yes, it has a tablet-like keyboard you can use rather than the external key cover. However, the key cover is very compact and if all you are worried about is "packing" it, I would not let that concern you.
5 & 6. I would assume the answer is "yes" to both, but cannot verify for sure. Be aware that there is only one USB port, however, so you'd need some kind of USB router if you wanted to connect more that one device that way (it also has Bluetooth as an option).
7. I would say no because you can add a micro sd card or even USB hard drive. If I were to spend the money (I did not) it would be for the extra 2GB of ram rather than the storage (opinions may vary).
8. I would have none, but you can always get it somewhere like Best Buy where you have a 14 day test drive to make sure you have no issues.

Thank you for the feedback. It is really helpful, and most appreciated!

 

[jnjroach]

I travel multiple times per year, at least once internationally, to provide training that includes PowerPoint presentations (avg = 15mb) and/or picture shows (avg = 300mb). I would like to travel with a tablet instead of my laptop. I want to be able to access the internet and my email, plus run MS Office software (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint). I would also like to be able to watch movies and listen to music. I am not be interested in 4G LTE. My questions: 1. Is the Surface 3 a good platform for running PowerPoint? 2. Does it have an output compatible for interfacing with a projector and/or TV? 3. Is it really a tablet plus laptop? 4. Can I type on-screen w/0 having to pack a keyboard? 5. Is it wireless-mouse compatible? 6. Can it be used with a presentation remote 7. Is it worth the xtra bucks to go with the 128gb vs the 64gb? 8. Any major concerns about going in this direction? 8. What should I know that I haven't asked?

Yes to all of the above, the Surface 3 is a full fledge PC in tablet form. Add the Type Cover (for laptop experience) and Mini-DP to HDMI adapter or Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter you can do everything you want. You can type on the screen if you want, I do it all the time.

 

[oliver_c]

Yes to all of the above, the Surface 3 is a full fledge PC in tablet form. Add the Type Cover (for laptop experience) and Mini-DP to HDMI adapter or Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter you can do everything you want. You can type on the screen if you want, I do it all the time.

Yes to all of the above, the Surface 3 is a full fledge PC in tablet form. Add the Type Cover (for laptop experience) and Mini-DP to HDMI adapter or Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter you can do everything you want. You can type on the screen if you want, I do it all the time.

Great! This is exactly what I needed to know! Thank you for taking the time to read my questions and reply.

 

[bronsky]

1-8. An emphatic yes. Oh wait, you have 2 8's. No to the first and yes to the second.

I do a fair amount of PowerPoint presentations. The only problem you are likely to encounter is the interface of the projector that is at your presentation location. Far too many conference rooms get set up with an ancient projector that has only VGA input. So, you'll need an adapter, since the S3 has a DP port. I have a DP to HDMI but had to get a VGA adapter to deal with ancient equipment that should have been retired years ago.

Office runs flawlessly on the S3. You can type on the screen but the keyboard doesn't add much weight and adds so much functionality. BT works great, so mouse and remote work great. 128GB is the way to go. No concerns bout your intended use and you hit all the issues except battery life which is also great. I love mine.

 

[oliver_c]

Yes to all of the above, the Surface 3 is a full fledge PC in tablet form. Add the Type Cover (for laptop experience) and Mini-DP to HDMI adapter or Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter you can do everything you want. You can type on the screen if you want, I do it all the time.

Thank you!

 

[oliver_c]

Yes to all of the above, the Surface 3 is a full fledge PC in tablet form. Add the Type Cover (for laptop experience) and Mini-DP to HDMI adapter or Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter you can do everything you want. You can type on the screen if you want, I do it all the time.

Perfect! This settles it for me.

 

[oliver_c]

1-8. An emphatic yes. Oh wait, you have 2 8's. No to the first and yes to the second.

I do a fair amount of PowerPoint presentations. The only problem you are likely to encounter is the interface of the projector that is at your presentation location. Far too many conference rooms get set up with an ancient projector that has only VGA input. So, you'll need an adapter, since the S3 has a DP port. I have a DP to HDMI but had to get a VGA adapter to deal with ancient equipment that should have been retired years ago.

Office runs flawlessly on the S3. You can type on the screen but the keyboard doesn't add much weight and adds so much functionality. BT works great, so mouse and remote work great. 128GB is the way to go. No concerns bout your intended use and you hit all the issues except battery life which is also great. I love mine.

Great reply! Just what I needed to know. Much appreciated!

 

[oliver_c]

Hi Oliver,

I'm still getting the feel for my new Surface, so hopefully I'm not steering you wrong here, but from what I know:

1. You shouldn't have any issues running PowerPoint from what I understand, but I've not tried it.
2. There is an output port, but you'd likely need an adapter to connect it to a projector.
3. Yes, it is a full Windows laptop minus a significant hard drive (but not as powerful as the more expensive Surface models).
4. Yes, it has a tablet-like keyboard you can use rather than the external key cover. However, the key cover is very compact and if all you are worried about is "packing" it, I would not let that concern you.
5 & 6. I would assume the answer is "yes" to both, but cannot verify for sure. Be aware that there is only one USB port, however, so you'd need some kind of USB router if you wanted to connect more that one device that way (it also has Bluetooth as an option).
7. I would say no because you can add a micro sd card or even USB hard drive. If I were to spend the money (I did not) it would be for the extra 2GB of ram rather than the storage (opinions may vary).
8. I would have none, but you can always get it somewhere like Best Buy where you have a 14 day test drive to make sure you have no issues.

Thank you for the detailed reply. Sounds like it is exactly what I need.

 

[Girevik]

128GB is the way to go.

Just curious as to why you suggest the 128GB? I'm a notorious cheapskate so went with the 64. With the plethora of external storage options (thumb drives, sd card, external hard drives, online options such as Dropbox or One Drive), the extra storage doesn't do much for me. Is it the extra RAM that makes it worth the money in your mind?

 

[bronsky]

Just curious as to why you suggest the 128GB? I'm a notorious cheapskate so went with the 64. With the plethora of external storage options (thumb drives, sd card, external hard drives, online options such as Dropbox or One Drive), the extra storage doesn't do much for me. Is it the extra RAM that makes it worth the money in your mind?

The RAM is a big part of it. My last tablet was an Asus M80TA with 64 GB on the eMMC and 2GB RAM. 2GB was clearly not enough for my use as my RAM spent most of its active life in the red zone at 100% utilization. But, even on the eMMC, 64GB was very tight for the amount of software I use to run my business. Running programs from the SD card is not as fast as the 4.5.1 eMMC in the AVN8. With the 128, I have plenty of room for programs on the C Drive and an additional 64GB of file, video, picture and music storage on the SD card. It is the better deal IMO.

You can get a 64GB version of the Surface with 4GB RAM if you have access to the business representative at the local MS Store. But I would still get the extra storage. YMMV.