Awkward to use as a tablet in landscape and portrait

Jazmac

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I just don't agree with people who think 4:3 aspect ratio is better than 16:9. How is it better? Having the aspect ratio match the standard for most modern media makes it a significantly better media consumption device. The extra width also allows for better multitasking by having more width for multiple apps.

The overall size and weight have more to do with how comfortable it is to hold a device. No one would argue that most modern smart phones are hard to hold, and their aspect ratios are much closer to 16:9 than 4:3.

I don't think most people hold a tablet most of the time that they use it. I would bet that people have their tablets resting on a surface for more than 90% of their usage. Hence the popularity of cover/stands. To judge a tablet by how comfortable it is to hold just seems silly to me.

I respect his points of view but he has that IOS filter on so MS will never quite measure up. I use it portrait taking notes at work. Easier on the thumbs for typing and the page looks like a sheet of that yellow legal pad... only white. lol.
 

steve_w_7

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There are obviously times when it makes more sense to use the Surface in landscape mode vs. portrait mode, but I would never consider it to be awkward. If it's awkward to you, you're doing it wrong. I have found many times where it makes better sense to use it in portrait mode and I find it easier to hold. I use a stylus to take notes in OneNote using the handwriting keyboard and portrait mode is far superior to landscape mode in my opinion. Books and magazines are also much easier to read and feels more natural in portrait mode and it's easier to hold with one hand - it feels more balanced to me. I think MS nailed it with Surface - the most under-rated tablet on the market in my opinion.
 

SeeVuPlay

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Also with regards to it being narrow in portrait, it is the same width (in portrait) as the ipad mini in portrait, and folks don't seem to have an issue with how narrow the ipad mini is in portrait...at least with the Surface, you get more screen!
 

WillysJeepMan

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Also with regards to it being narrow in portrait, it is the same width (in portrait) as the ipad mini in portrait, and folks don't seem to have an issue with how narrow the ipad mini is in portrait...at least with the Surface, you get more screen!
If you think that the issue is the absolute dimensions rather than the aspect ratio then you have missed the point.
 

Ebuka Allison

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I respect his points of view but he has that IOS filter on so MS will never quite measure up. I use it portrait taking notes at work. Easier on the thumbs for typing and the page looks like a sheet of that yellow legal pad... only white. lol.
ios filter?, nice making of assumptions there. The only tablet I have is an old and much hated bb playbook. I'm a teeny weeny teenager who saves up money to buy new tech gadgets. I only use Windows phone 8 and W8.1
 

xboxonthego3

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I must say tablets with this kind of Screen ratio are great for the pinball game in portrait. I also feel that in portrait it feels like a menu from a restaurant. The portrait is a little awkward but it isn't awful in my opinion. And for landscape? I never would of thought that someone would think it is awkward for landscape. I find it perfect. I mainly use my tablet in Landscape. But I do use my tablet in portrait for certain games like pinball I mentioned above. Or I will sometimes switch it up when reading a website or book. Also I find portrait good for social media like twitter or facebook. Longer feed to view.
 

WillysJeepMan

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Also with regards to it being narrow in portrait, it is the same width (in portrait) as the ipad mini in portrait, and folks don't seem to have an issue with how narrow the ipad mini is in portrait...at least with the Surface, you get more screen!

no I don't think that the issue is absolute dimensions...so....do you have anything else?
You mention that the Surface in portrait mode is the same width as the iPad mini in portrait and claimed that people don't have an issue with the narrowness of the iPad mini in portrait. That is clearly talking about how wide the devices are in inches.

It's not that the Surface is 6.75" in width (portrait mode) that makes it uncomfortable, it is the fact that the ratio between the height and the width is 16 to 9.
 

Christian Kallevig

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Yeah, size does matter here. One big issue with Surface in portrait mode is weight distribution. You see, with a phone or even a mini tablet, the weight of the device is spread out pretty evenly across the hand you hold it in. However with Surface its tallness means that it has a high center of gravity when held in portrait mode. This makes it somewhat awkward and unwieldy to hold in one hand. The way the weight is distributed will make it feel heavier than an iPad held in the same orientation. Another consideration here is the UI. With a phone or other small-screened device, UI elements have to be larger relative to the size of the screen, so having a longer screen is a good way to accomplish this while still leaving room for content. As screen sizes increase, UI elements don't need to scale one to one with the device in order to remain large enough to be practical, and therefore they require less screen real-estate. This is one of the major reasons why holding a Surface in portrait mode looks award, although there's more to it than this.
 

AccentAE86

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You gotta remember that MS is marketing their Surface line as "work and play". I use my tablet (non surface, but still 16:9) for WORK. And for work, it's great.

I just like the 16:9 portrait mode because when the on screen keyboard pops up, there's still enough screen to actually see your content! Makes editing in combined inking and typing a beautiful experience. On a 4:3 screen, it would be painful as you'd have to scroll all over the place just so you can edit one page, unless you shrink the page down small enough to fit, which will then be super tiny and not very friendly for editing and especially inking.

I use my tablet for electronic signing of contracts all the time. I'm going paperless! And every client who signs it (and owns an iPad, let's face it there's a lot of them) actually mentions how nice it is that you can see an whole page of a document on the screen WITH the keyboard activated. It's kinda cool, they all have this "wow" moment and then suddenly they start asking questions about my device, showing an actual genuine interest in it. No pen, bad screen ratio makes iPad a crappy work tool.

Here's a sample screenshot of the view that my clients get when signing electronic contracts. Can't do this on an ipad.

portraitWindows.jpg
 

Christian Kallevig

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Now that is legitimately really nice in your particular situation. But again, this really calls back to the point that a Surface is not the same kind of device as an iPad, or at he very least it's a version of that meant for a different set of situations. In most tasks traditionally associated with tablets (browsing the web, viewing pictures... most anything, really) Portrait mode is somewhat awkward. Being able to do what you are doing there is cool, but it's a very specific scenario (for example, most people using the Surfac for MS Word will likely have it propped up on the kickstand with a keyboard cover plugged in)

Of course I am glad that your Surface is a good fit for you, and I'm not even suggesting that the aspect ratio of Surface is a bad thing. My only point is that it really isn't designed for that and most people would feel awkward using it like that.
 

Ebuka Allison

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Imo, the Lumia 2520 being not quite as long in landscape or as tall in portrait makes it easier to use, as well as the weight. If MS had reduced the width a bit, it would've been better
 

SeeVuPlay

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Use it for a week and then you won't care about weight distribution and all this weird petty stuff you guys make up. Seriously, you're way deep into "surface is meant for x and not meant for y". i hold it all the time in portrait and landscape for all kinds of use cases. And i'll add one more thing, the aspect ratio for the surface is much more ideal for use as a skateboard than 4:3
 

SeeVuPlay

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You mention that the Surface in portrait mode is the same width as the iPad mini in portrait and claimed that people don't have an issue with the narrowness of the iPad mini in portrait. That is clearly talking about how wide the devices are in inches.

It's not that the Surface is 6.75" in width (portrait mode) that makes it uncomfortable, it is the fact that the ratio between the height and the width is 16 to 9.

I get that, but for me personally, and i know i dont speak for anyone but me, but i love the portrait mode of the surface. in my theoretical world where i could introduce an ipad and a surface to a caveman, he would prefer the surface portrait mode as he has not yet used to the ipad. Im holding my surface right now in portrait mode typing this and i dont see the awkwardness. But i can definitely see people who have been using the ipad holding surface saying to themselves....this is awkward, but in reality, they just have to hold it slightly different.
 

jaimeastin

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I love the surface in portrait mode. I can use the onscreen keyboard and still have almost a full screen view of what I am doing. When I am reading or browsing, I have so much more to see.

The weight has not been an issue and when I am laying on my back or leaning back, the extra length allows the tablet to rest on my chest/stomach which removes the weight factor. The height now presents a way better view when my head resting in a more comfortable position.

This was not the case with the iPad when I used it in similar positions.
 

Christian Kallevig

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Use it for a week and then you won't care about weight distribution and all this weird petty stuff you guys make up. Seriously, you're way deep into "surface is meant for x and not meant for y". i hold it all the time in portrait and landscape for all kinds of use cases. And i'll add one more thing, the aspect ratio for the surface is much more ideal for use as a skateboard than 4:3
I'm not trying to tell you that you're using your Surface wrong. You like using it in portrait mode and that's fine. I get that. All I'm saying is that it was designed around use in landscape mode. Portrait mode was an afterthought. If you don't believe me on that then I'd recommend reading some relevant posts on the Building Windows 8 blog. There's also the fact that portrait mode was supported very poorly by Windows 8 initially. It is completely fair to say that use in portrait mode was not the focus in development of either the OS or the Surface itself. It is also fair to say that most people likely won't be using it that way, and that many would find that orientation awkward given the size and proportions of the device.

Anyway, I don't know why I'm even participating in this debate. This is silly. Who cares how people use the thing? What's important is whether or not those people are happy with it. I'm out of here.
 

SeeVuPlay

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I'm not trying to tell you that you're using your Surface wrong. You like using it in portrait mode and that's fine. I get that. All I'm saying is that it was designed around use in landscape mode. Portrait mode was an afterthought. If you don't believe me on that then I'd recommend reading some relevant posts on the Building Windows 8 blog. There's also the fact that portrait mode was supported very poorly by Windows 8 initially. It is completely fair to say that use in portrait mode was not the focus in development of either the OS or the Surface itself. It is also fair to say that most people likely won't be using it that way, and that many would find that orientation awkward given the size and proportions of the device.

Anyway, I don't know why I'm even participating in this debate. This is silly. Who cares how people use the thing? What's important is whether or not those people are happy with it. I'm out of here.

It doesn't matter that the original design didn't have it, whether it's an afterthought or a forethought...(maybe they intended it all along and didn't have time to implement it, even though, it's a second case usage intent) it's now included and it works great! And I don't agree that it is fair to say that most people will not be using it in portrait. On this thread alone there were at least 3 people that love it in portrait mode, and that is already a huge chunk of the Surface userbase :grin:
 

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