kristalsoldier
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I've now had my RT for about 3 weeks or so. In this time, I have used it extensively. I have also invested quite a bit of time reading various reviews about it - both here and elsewhere.
One thing bothers me - most of the reviews (but not all) are quite negative about it. But based on my usage I can't say that I agree with these negative reviews.
Here are some salient points in this regard:
First, battery life. Well, my use of the RT closely approximates how I used to use my laptop (notice the past tense). Yes, the RT has pretty much become my laptop and my existing laptop has become deskbound! Usually, I use Office, to do stuff online and for some media consumption (mainly music). The battery easily lasts me around 8+ hours. In my books this is a plus.
Second, the lack of apps. I agree, not too many apps in the Store. But I ask - how many apps does one actually need? Here is an example. In addition to the RT, I have the Nexus 10. On that I have 42 apps. Out of the 42, I use not more than 20-25 apps on a regular basis. I use things like multiple PDF apps, Skype, e-book readers, calendar, mail, travel and weather apps, media-related apps (Netflix etc.), and other stuff like Google Currents etc. I also have Docs-to-Go (but nowadays I seldom use that). I have not tried any of the travel apps on the RT, but aside from that I find that most of the other things are available and that too as free apps. Sure, I don't play any games (well, aside from Angry Birds), but how many games can one have? And, best of all, I have Office on the RT, which immediately puts the RT into a functional space that the Nexus 10 can only approximate (granted that is a function of Docs-to-Go and similar apps). So, where is the problem?
Third, the question of switching between the Modern UI and the Desktop. Most of the reviews make a big deal about this. Maybe I am a bit slow, but I am not getting it! What is the problem really? Unless you want to create a new Office document, there is little need to access the Desktop - at least in my experience. If you receive a mail with a document attached, if you choose to open it (say, a PPT file), then the system opens up the Desktop by itself, fires up PowerPoint and opens your document. So, I ask again, where is the problem?
Fourth, the presence of two versions of IE. Seriously, how is this a problem? As I see it (though I stand to be corrected), you use the version in the mode that you are in. If in the Modern UI mode, then use the IE app applicable; if in Desktop mode then use the Desktop version of it - if anything, it saves you from switching between modes (if that is a problem in the first instance). In this connection, however, there is one valid issue that has been pointed out in most of the reviews - the fact that the two versions of IE don't talk to each other. I can see how this would pose a problem and I hope MS has a solution for this in the very near future.
Fifth, the mail and calendar app. The reviews state that this app is very basic. I agree. The reviews also say that this is one of those critical apps that MS should have polished BEFORE releasing the RT into the market. Again, I agree given our collective dependence on email etc. And, again, I hope MS does something smart about it and quickly. Else, it will then be a matter of investing in a third-party solution, which I don't mind doing as long as the solution is stable, elegant and is updated to reflect improvements. Only time will tell whether this will happen or not. But I remain hopeful.
Sixth, the screen. Here the reviews are generally positive. I can't compare the screen to Apple's Retina display as I don't have access to it. But I do have access to the Nexus 10 screen, which is excellent and to be honest I do find reading for extensive periods of time more comfortable on the Nexus. That being said, however, I don't find the RT's screen as being bad. If anything, it is actually quite good.
Seventh, on the question of accessing common commands such as increasing font size across apps etc. Is the system different from what most of us are used to? Yes! But then that is to be expected as Win 8 (and RT in particular) is a new OS and things will be different. Will it take time to get used to? Yes, of course. Can these things be further optimized? Absolutely. Do I expect them to be optimized down the road? I certainly hope so. But - and this is the bottomline - do they affect my productivity? Not really. It always takes time to get used to a new way of working. It is an opportunity to learn and not an occasion to moan about - at least that is my personal option.
On other counts too the RT is proving itself to be an excellent device. It is light (in fact, it's ultra-ultra-portable (which in my books is a big plus with the caveat that YMMV), has an excellent integrated keyboard which does not use any system resources. The design is excellent and ergonomically, it is not too bad. All in all, I'd say, it is an excellent device.
So, the question stands - given that I am not a fanboy of MS (though I have used MS products for the longest of times and Android only recently) - what am I missing that the reviewers seem to find so objectionable about the RT? The Surface Pro, of course, is another matter and since I don't have it and thus have never used or even seen it, I refrain from expressing my opinion.
Edit: Apologies in advance for this long post!
I've now had my RT for about 3 weeks or so. In this time, I have used it extensively. I have also invested quite a bit of time reading various reviews about it - both here and elsewhere.
One thing bothers me - most of the reviews (but not all) are quite negative about it. But based on my usage I can't say that I agree with these negative reviews.
Here are some salient points in this regard:
First, battery life. Well, my use of the RT closely approximates how I used to use my laptop (notice the past tense). Yes, the RT has pretty much become my laptop and my existing laptop has become deskbound! Usually, I use Office, to do stuff online and for some media consumption (mainly music). The battery easily lasts me around 8+ hours. In my books this is a plus.
Second, the lack of apps. I agree, not too many apps in the Store. But I ask - how many apps does one actually need? Here is an example. In addition to the RT, I have the Nexus 10. On that I have 42 apps. Out of the 42, I use not more than 20-25 apps on a regular basis. I use things like multiple PDF apps, Skype, e-book readers, calendar, mail, travel and weather apps, media-related apps (Netflix etc.), and other stuff like Google Currents etc. I also have Docs-to-Go (but nowadays I seldom use that). I have not tried any of the travel apps on the RT, but aside from that I find that most of the other things are available and that too as free apps. Sure, I don't play any games (well, aside from Angry Birds), but how many games can one have? And, best of all, I have Office on the RT, which immediately puts the RT into a functional space that the Nexus 10 can only approximate (granted that is a function of Docs-to-Go and similar apps). So, where is the problem?
Third, the question of switching between the Modern UI and the Desktop. Most of the reviews make a big deal about this. Maybe I am a bit slow, but I am not getting it! What is the problem really? Unless you want to create a new Office document, there is little need to access the Desktop - at least in my experience. If you receive a mail with a document attached, if you choose to open it (say, a PPT file), then the system opens up the Desktop by itself, fires up PowerPoint and opens your document. So, I ask again, where is the problem?
Fourth, the presence of two versions of IE. Seriously, how is this a problem? As I see it (though I stand to be corrected), you use the version in the mode that you are in. If in the Modern UI mode, then use the IE app applicable; if in Desktop mode then use the Desktop version of it - if anything, it saves you from switching between modes (if that is a problem in the first instance). In this connection, however, there is one valid issue that has been pointed out in most of the reviews - the fact that the two versions of IE don't talk to each other. I can see how this would pose a problem and I hope MS has a solution for this in the very near future.
Fifth, the mail and calendar app. The reviews state that this app is very basic. I agree. The reviews also say that this is one of those critical apps that MS should have polished BEFORE releasing the RT into the market. Again, I agree given our collective dependence on email etc. And, again, I hope MS does something smart about it and quickly. Else, it will then be a matter of investing in a third-party solution, which I don't mind doing as long as the solution is stable, elegant and is updated to reflect improvements. Only time will tell whether this will happen or not. But I remain hopeful.
Sixth, the screen. Here the reviews are generally positive. I can't compare the screen to Apple's Retina display as I don't have access to it. But I do have access to the Nexus 10 screen, which is excellent and to be honest I do find reading for extensive periods of time more comfortable on the Nexus. That being said, however, I don't find the RT's screen as being bad. If anything, it is actually quite good.
Seventh, on the question of accessing common commands such as increasing font size across apps etc. Is the system different from what most of us are used to? Yes! But then that is to be expected as Win 8 (and RT in particular) is a new OS and things will be different. Will it take time to get used to? Yes, of course. Can these things be further optimized? Absolutely. Do I expect them to be optimized down the road? I certainly hope so. But - and this is the bottomline - do they affect my productivity? Not really. It always takes time to get used to a new way of working. It is an opportunity to learn and not an occasion to moan about - at least that is my personal option.
On other counts too the RT is proving itself to be an excellent device. It is light (in fact, it's ultra-ultra-portable (which in my books is a big plus with the caveat that YMMV), has an excellent integrated keyboard which does not use any system resources. The design is excellent and ergonomically, it is not too bad. All in all, I'd say, it is an excellent device.
So, the question stands - given that I am not a fanboy of MS (though I have used MS products for the longest of times and Android only recently) - what am I missing that the reviewers seem to find so objectionable about the RT? The Surface Pro, of course, is another matter and since I don't have it and thus have never used or even seen it, I refrain from expressing my opinion.
Edit: Apologies in advance for this long post!
