What Surface Pro improvements would you like to see in Windows Blue?

[J515OP]

I'd like the option to enable the F keys by default on the type keyboard.

Did you see this post? http://www.surfaceforums.net/forum/microsoft-surface-help/3337-function-keys-2.html#post23494

 

[bikeazoid]

I'm 6'3 and like the angle of the kick standed Surface, but I do slouch and lean back like a gamer. F Keys would be nice.

So it sounds like we get Blue as a free upgrade then.

 

[mitchellvii]

Again - It was a tradeoff, they wanted to include thekickstand but also wanted it to survive constant opening and closing and makethe "thud" which was inspired by the Mercedes Benz doors, so what weended up on the end product was the best combination/compromise of the IronTriangle of Projects.

No wait you are joking right? MS gave the kickstand one (very steep) available angle and their thinking was this would be ok because it makes a cool "thud" sound when you close it? Lol, you seriously cannot make this stuff up.

In this day and age of super tough aircraft grade plastics I think MS could have come up with a hinge that allowed multiple viewing angles. What luxury car is the power connector (which is almost impossible to put in in the dark and constantly falls out) modeled after? The Edsel? How about the idea to store the pen in the same place I plug in with the understanding that I will most likely want to store the pen at the same time I am charging the device making it twice as dumb. I am guessing they were after a 72 Pinto with exploding gas tank on that one.

No matter, I bought a nice case where I can set my own angles. The only thing I regret is that I won't get to feel like I've just gotten into my $80,000 sports car every time I close the kickstand, lol.

Sadly I must now seriously consider suicide as I have officially heard it all.

 

[J515OP]

No matter, I bought a nice case where I can set my own angles.

This is the exact solution so what is the problem? Don't like the kickstand, don't use it and treat it just like every other tablet that doesn't have one. There are literally dozens and dozens of tablet stands that address this issue

 

[mlknez]

I thought this thread was about improvements in windows blue, not about improvements in surface hardware

 

[HD_Dude]

From what I've seen, Blue looks good.

I'd like it somehow help battery life.

 

[tonyz3]

This is the exact solution so what is the problem? Don't like the kickstand, don't use it and treat it just like every other tablet that doesn't have one. There are literally dozens and dozens of tablet stands that address this issue

this reminds me of the original Arches 101 I had with a kickstand. The difference everyone was complaining on how the kickstand did not hold up, got loose and was useless. I for one love the current kickstand as I use it on a table. And when I am using it in a diff position I either don't use it or I figure a way to use it without complaining. The grass is not always greener as they say. Too much angle would probably add to it breaking or getting loose quicker.

 

[kristalsoldier]

This isn't a software improvement but I have a question. Was the guy who designed the kickstand on the SP literally 4 feet tall? If I place it on my desk and try typing with the keyboard the screen is literally pointed at somewhere about the center of my chest! Seriously MS? To be able to look directly at the screen on my desk I either need to push it so far from me I cannot see the screen or scrunch down to the height of an 8 year old child.

Did they even focus group this at all?

Why couldn't they have built in a number of positions understanding that the Americans come in all shapes and sizes? This is yet another example of MS saying "You'll do it our way and you'll like it!"

Seriously?

 

[Rvacha]

I like all of the ideas so far. If Blue were to make PC settings more encompassing like the control panel (that's clearly happening) AND fix search then I could very easily live without the Start orb.

Search is by far my biggest gripe. IMHO it was designed with consumption in mind, not productivity. What it can't do:
1. Allow me to open more than one file at a time
2. Allow me to "send to" or drag to an app. Say I want to add a file attachment to an Outlook E-mail I am writing. There's no way to use the search charm to do this
3. Remember the search results as opposed to the search terms. For example, if you search in Store, get lots of matches and click on an app to see more about it, when you go back the results are still there. By contrast find a file with the search charm, open it, and when you go back the results are wiped out

In addition to making search charm do the above I would like to see:
1. Speed improvements. It baffles me as to why file searches using Windows explorer are way faster than charm searches
2. Search by file type. It used to be if you wanted to find all videos for example, you just typed "video". Pretty simple. In search charm the equivalent is "kind:=video" It works, but I'd rather have a submenu that is touch friendly
3. Yes, there ARE files in the Program Files folders worth finding (user guides for example)... but search charm refuses to show these even if the indexing service is thusly configured

The other improvement I would like to see:
1. A real touch friendly file manager

 

[Arizona Willie]

I would like to see the ability to SNAP applications to the sides of my monitor WHEN I HAVE TWO MONITORS.
Currently I can SNAP one app to the right side but cannot SNAP an app to the left side.
It knows the resolution of the monitor why can't it count the pixels and SNAP to a pixel count or something along those lines?
But, with two monitors the SNAP is pretty much useless.

 

[J515OP]

The other improvement I would like to see:
1. A real touch friendly file manager

Many people like Metro Commander.

Metro Commander for Windows 8 on Great Windows Apps

 

[Rvacha]

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't looked at Metro Commander so I did. I passed. In terms of freebies, I like "File Browser" by Dozrekt better simply because it feels more "Metro-ish". I am currently trialing "Modern File Browser" by paul.tallett. It too is quite Metro-ish. One of the nice features here is that searches "stick" within the app. You use the search charm to search for something once and the browser stays in "search mode", meaning that as you jump from folder to folder the only things displayed are search matches in the current folder.