Seriously considering an RT but.....

[oneniner]

I was an early adopter of the Toshiba Thrive. Needless to say like many others I am not a happy camper and I'm in the market for a replacement. The iPad is attractive but the cost, Apple only cables, and lack of USB put me off. Android tabs a plenty and the Nexus 10 seems a good choice. However, it has serious memory leak and stability issues and Google won't acknowledge it. Not to mention I just have a bad taste in my mouth right now with Android. This led me to check into the Surface RT. I like the build quality, the fact that the hardware and software are developed by the same company, full size USB and HDMI. I don't require a ton of apps. Browser, email, Netflix and Kindle and the ability to use Office is a bonus.

In my research I saw a lot of discussion about HDMI connection to 720 HD TV. The discussions seem to indicate that the surface can't connect and display to 720p HDTV. Is this true! This is a biggie for me. My TV in exercise room is 720p and I travel a lot. Many hotels have 720p only.

How is the stability of this tablet? Are there known bugs waiting to addressed? I don't mind a bug or quirk as long as I know the manufacturer cares.

How is your overall experience with it?

I appreciate any feedback and comments. The recent announcement of a free cover makes the RT more desirable.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[quadtronix]

I've only had my RT for a few days now but in general I am very pleased with it... I did however read in a review, that the kindle app does not work all that well with the Surface RT or Win 8. This is what the tech site The Verge had to say: "The Amazon Kindle application had an extremely annoying bug which showed a jarring flash of a book graphic every time I turned a page, and would sometimes have to load for absurd amounts of time between page turns." Here's the link: Microsoft Surface review | The Verge

I can't confirm this as I have not downloaded the Kindle app myself but just thought I'd let you know. Overall though I'm very pleased with the Surface RT. Good luck and welcome!

 

[Russ]

The Verge had to say: "The Amazon Kindle application had an extremely annoying bug which showed a jarring flash of a book graphic every time I turned a page, and would sometimes have to load for absurd amounts of time between page turns."

Quadtronix & Oneniner --

I have both an RT & a Pro. I have read a number of books on the RT with the Kindle App and have seen nothing like what The Verge reviewer describes. He/she must be having flashbacks.

Although I do have the Kindle App from the Store on my Pro, I mostly use the Kindle for PC app because it allows me to sideload my Mobi books, which the Store Kindle app will not.

Oneniner: Welcome to the forum.

Regards,
Russ

 

[quadtronix]

I'm glad to hear that cause I was thinking about downloading the kindle app. I've noticed The Verge can be very negative alot of the time in their reviews, nitpicking on things, sometimes that no other reviews from other sites have even mentioned. I liked what I read in the Anandtech review which was very positive and helped me in my purchasing decision.

 

[Russ]

I was thinking about downloading the kindle app. I've noticed The Verge can be very negative alot of the time in their reviews, . . ..

Quadtronix --

For a lot of "reviewers," the goal of negativity is more important than that of objectivity. The Verge is often in that category.

About the Kindle app for RT: Understand that it will only allow you to read books from Amazon. The older Kindle apps allow sideloading of .mobi books, but Amazon tidied up that little oversight when they wrote the new app. I tried diligently to find a way to sneak other books into the app, but never managed to find a way. I gave up when I got the Pro and could use the Kindle for PC app.

Regards,
Russ

 

[mitchellvii]

The Verge pretty much hates anything that doesn't have "Apple" somewhere in the name. The weirdest thing about their reviews is that quite often they will complement many aspects of a device throughout the review then in their conclusion say, "It sucks" and give it 6 out of 10 stars. They just did this with the new Acer R7. The reviewer went on and on about how beautiful and cool the new "Easel" hinge was and how well it worked and made viewing the screen easier on his eyes then he gave it a 4 out of 10 for "design". Weird.

They are Apple fanboys and snobs over there.

 

[Russ]

They are Apple fanboys and snobs over there.

Mitchell --

And they probably think that's a deep, dark secret that nobody will ever discover.



Russ

 

[brocharlieb]

Kindle app has worked fine for me.

 

[compnovo]

Quadtronix --

For a lot of "reviewers," the goal of negativity is more important than that of objectivity. The Verge is often in that category.

About the Kindle app for RT: Understand that it will only allow you to read books from Amazon...
Regards,
Russ

...And from your local library that you can send to Amazon (assuming you have an Amazon account) then download to your RT.

 

[oneniner]

Thanks to all for the replies. Any info on questions connecting to 720p tv

 

[jnjroach]

It will connect fine, but you may need to down scale to 1024x768 for Modern UI Apps to work....if the TV supports 1368x768 you'll be fine, but many of the 720p sets support 1280x720 which is to low for the Modern UI, but for whatever reason they tend to support 1024x768.

 

[oneniner]

Thanks for the info