On the Surface

A new tablet computer from Microsoft with better performance than its predecessor and improved features, the new 10.6-inch Surface 2 is easy to tote around with a skinny body that’s just 8.9mm thick and weighing in at 676 grammes.

Sleek with a magnesium body in silver, it looks neat either on its own or when it’s attached to the Surface keyboard cover, which magnetically latches to the tablet.

Another improvement is its built-in kickstand that now has two positions: a 24-degree angle that’s ideal for desk work and a 40-degree position that’s good when you’re typing on your lap.

Surface 2 now runs on Windows RT 8.1, which offers easier access to your favourite apps and key controls, more mouse and keyboard options as well as simpler ways to find new apps.

It’s also more powerful than the first edition thanks to a NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor running at 1.7 GHz. The first edition runs on NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core running at 1.4 GHz. Both editions have 2 gigabyte of RAM or working memory.

Another nice improvement is the display. Surface 2 now features 1080p resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels compared to 720p resolution of the first edition, which has 1366 x 768 pixels.

Surface 2 also has better cameras – 1080p compared to the earlier edition’s 720p.And Surface 2’s 3.5MP front-facing camera and 5MP rear-facing camera feature improved low-light performance.

Battery life is longer too with up to 20 hours of video playback.

Surface 2 comes with a full-size USB 3.0 port, allowing for transfer of music and video files.

Microsoft has added noise cancellation to the built-in microphones and Dolby audio technology to the stereo speakers for better sound quality.

The new Surface also provides easier access to its microSDXC card slot for extra storage and easier file transfer.

During the test, I found that Surface 2 had fast and smooth performance. It took about 19 seconds to start up and turn on the log-on screen assuming that you log on with your Microsoft account and less than a second longer on the Windows Tiles screen with a local account. Shutdown took about 8 seconds.

Outlook, Internet Explorer and Facebook scrolled impressively fast and smoothly. Menus and the five-point touch screen worked well and web pages were rendered very fast.

I tried a few casual games too and they ran fast and smoothly.

The Surface 2 comes with Office 2013 RT meaning you can work on Office applications, like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on the go. I tested Surface 2 with Type Cover 2 keyboard and had no problems working in Word. The Outlook application was good for checking and writing mails on my Hotmail account and the Calendar worked well reminders.

And while working on Office 2013 RT, I could easily access my OneDrive cloud storage account for editing and storing files. Microsoft says each buyer of Surface 2 is eligible to use 200 GB of storage on OneDrive for two years.

Surface 2’s screen has impressive high resolution for viewing photos and watching videos. I also enjoyed reading web pages and an e-book on it. The ClearType Full HD technology makes the fonts look sharp and easy to read.

Microsoft Surface 2 retails for Bt14,500 for the 32 GB storage model and Bt17,500 for 64 GB. If you want a keyboard, you will have to pay another Bt4,490.

 

Key specs:

OS: Windows RT 8.1 with Microsoft Office 2013 RT

Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core 1.7 GHz

RAM: 2 GB

Storage: 32 GB/64 GB

Display: ClearType Full HD 10.6-inch touchscreen (1080p, 1920x1080 pixels). 5-point multi-touch

Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0

Ports: Full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, Headset jack, HD video out port, Cover port

Cameras, Video and Audio: 5.0 megapixel rear-facing camera, 3.5 megapixel front-facing camera, 2 microphones, stereo speakers with Dolby sound

Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Proximity Sensor

Battery life: Up to 10 hours of video playback on Wi-Fi

Dimension: 275mm x 173mm x 8.9mm

Weight: 676g