I want your honest opinion on the Surface RT

[v10type-r]

I don't want to spend over $1000 on a tablet which will be used mainly as a tablet and not as a laptop replacement.

I was just curious to know if there are any "performance gains" in buying the Samsung 500T Intel Atom powered Win8 tablet vs the Surface RT?

As in, if I am browsing, checking email, watching youtube and playing a game will the 500T perform faster and better than the Tegra 3 powered Surface RT? If it is, then I could justy purchasing the Samsung 500T over the Surface RT.

 

[NickA]

The honest opinion is that the Surface RT is not yet what it should be. Either wait for the Pro version or get a x86 based system. If you look past the ****** love, there really is no good enough reason to get the RT right now.

Cool story, bro.

There is no "****** love". The product has been out for a month; hardly enough time to give it that kind of love.

I think there are a couple issue here:
1. You don't own the device, so you are basing your opinions on what you read from blog sites, which have their own agenda.
2. See #1

You say the Surface RT is "not yet what it should be". What should it be? And there is "no good enough reason" to get the RT. What are you basing that on?

Like I mentioned in this thread (I think) is I have no preference to a brand on OS, and I own and use them all. But to make uninformed statements like you did does no one any good. Come back with reasons and personal experiences why you feel the way you do. You know, facts. Something to backup your claims. Then maybe there can be a discussion about your options..

 

[StevesBalls]

I don't want to spend over $1000 on a tablet which will be used mainly as a tablet and not as a laptop replacement.

I was just curious to know if there are any "performance gains" in buying the Samsung 500T Intel Atom powered Win8 tablet vs the Surface RT?

As in, if I am browsing, checking email, watching youtube and playing a game will the 500T perform faster and better than the Tegra 3 powered Surface RT? If it is, then I could justy purchasing the Samsung 500T over the Surface RT.

Yes, the Atom is faster. Plus, you'll have support for desktop apps, which is a huge plus.

But if you really want just a tablet (and not a semi-laptop replacement) then get the iPad (or the Nexus 10, if Android suits your cup of fancy better).

 

[v10type-r]

Again, I don't want an iPad. I have a Lumia 920 and I want to have 1 ecosystem, Win7 (or Win8) on my PC, WP8 and either a Win8 tablet or WinRT tablet.

I like the Samsung 500T, but at $699 with no keyboard dock it is quite expensive. I think the dock (if I can get one) is around $175ish. Which makes the 500T closer to $900 when compared to the $700 Surface RT.. I have no legacy programs I want to install either, I have my PC for those tasks.

 

[martinmc78]

Again, I don't want an iPad. I have a Lumia 920 and I want to have 1 ecosystem, Win7 (or Win8) on my PC, WP8 and either a Win8 tablet or WinRT tablet.

I like the Samsung 500T, but at $699 with no keyboard dock it is quite expensive. I think the dock (if I can get one) is around $175ish. Which makes the 500T closer to $900 when compared to the $700 Surface RT.. I have no legacy programs I want to install either, I have my PC for those tasks.

Reading what youve just written - I think youve just convinced yourself on getting a Surface I bought the 32gb version without a cover and picked up a 64gb sdxc card pretty cheap. Like you I wanted one ecosystem. I already have a win 8 pc for heavy duty stuff a windows 8 phone and an xbox. I spent over a month researching all the available tablets on offer and the Surface seemed the best option. I use it all the time and it fits in perfectly.

 

[v10type-r]

Well, this is annoying...

I just found that I can get the Samsung 500T from the US shipped to me with a keyboard dock for $50 more than the 64GB Surface RT...

$50 isn't much of a spread between the 2 devices..

Samsung vs Microsoft
Intel Atom vs Tegra 3
Win8 vs WinRT
Plastic vs VaporMag
Hard keyboard dock vs Touch cover
Digitizer vs No-digitizer?

Everything else seems to be about on par..

 

[VagrantWade]

Getting around the white list isn't a hack lol. You just add your own sites to the local whitelist file and tell ie to not update the file on it's own. I watch all my show streams and sports streams on my rt.

The build quality of the surface vs anything Samsung makes should be a guiness world record for quality gap. I don't buy 500 dollar plastic tablets. And windows 8 pro on a tablet is pretty meaningless when you are stuck with an atom processor. You can't run any decent games on it so you basically just get legacy apps that are mostly replaceable in the windows store.

 

[StevesBalls]

Again, I don't want an iPad. I have a Lumia 920 and I want to have 1 ecosystem, Win7 (or Win8) on my PC, WP8 and either a Win8 tablet or WinRT tablet.

I like the Samsung 500T, but at $699 with no keyboard dock it is quite expensive. I think the dock (if I can get one) is around $175ish. Which makes the 500T closer to $900 when compared to the $700 Surface RT.. I have no legacy programs I want to install either, I have my PC for those tasks.

The one ecosystem dream is a nice idea, but the reality of it does not work out so well (at least not yet). You really gain nothing by limiting yourself to one ecosystem (especially since the Windows and Windowes Phone ecosystems are not really one, but rather two separate systems in reality). Quite the opposite - you lose access to a mature tablet ecosystem (iOS) that is, and let's be frank about this, years ahead of Win RT.

You can have the best of both worlds - WP on your phone and iOS (or Android) on your Tablet. But it's up to you.

 

[VagrantWade]

IOS is trash filled with 600k of mostly trash. And windows rt is nothing like WP8 so there is no overlap there.

 

[StevesBalls]

IOS is trash filled with 600k of mostly trash. And windows rt is nothing like WP8 so there is no overlap there.

Thanks for the mature answer, that really added to the discussion.

 

[martinmc78]

And trying to sell an iPad to someone that's said twice they didn't want one adds to the discussion how?
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express

 

[v10type-r]

Good thing I don't succomb to peer pressure lol.

I'm going Surface RT 64GB. It fits me needs perfectly. The 500T is nice, but to me its no better than a cheap netbook/laptop that will get bogged down in time and might be more susceptible to viruses etc.

 

[derek533]

Not considering the all-christened measure of number of apps as to which tablet is better, I've been using a Surface since launch day and I also own an iPad.

Hands down, the Surface is far and away better than an iPad with so much more functionality. Example, the very first time I booted it, it found my network laser printer and automatically installed the drivers so I was able to print out of the box. Very few printers support "air print'. Also, don't discount how much functionality that USB port adds to the device. Usability wise, consider the fact that I can swipe away on the screen, decide to type an email, and just flip the cover over to expose the keyboard and use it like a mini-laptop. Then, fold it right back into itself and use it as a tablet again within 3 seconds never having to connect a keyboard to it.

The thing is built like a tank. The casing feels great in your hands, and it is every bit as premium feeling as the iPad is. The screen is gorgeous with vibrant colors and text is crisp and easy to read.

Now, if you wanna talk about apps we can, but just remember, that Windows RT has so much functionality baked into the OS that a lot of the popular apps on iOS aren't necessary on the Surface. Performance wise, the Surface is so smooth and fluid and IE10 is much faster rendering webpages than Safari or Atomic Browser could ever dream of.

 

[v10type-r]

Thanks! I just ordered the SanDisk 64GB Class 10 microSDXC card off amazon.

Now I just need to decide if I want to spend $100 and get the 64GB over the 32GB... It's going to be shared between my wife and I, so we will have multiple users.. I'm feeling that since I can't install apps on the microSDXC, that the 14GB of free space on the 32GB version might be a little tight after time..

 

[garak0410]

I like it though now and then, I miss my ability to fire up my classic game emulators (Amiga Forever, C64 Forever) and playing GOG.com games. But it has replaced my laptop for sure.

 

[derek533]

Well there is one "Myst" style game that the name currently escapes me, but it takes up 1gb in and of itself. Most games don't, that is the rare exception but it is definitely a good game and fun to play (and free!!).

 

[illidanx]

Thanks! I just ordered the SanDisk 64GB Class 10 microSDXC card off amazon.

Now I just need to decide if I want to spend $100 and get the 64GB over the 32GB... It's going to be shared between my wife and I, so we will have multiple users.. I'm feeling that since I can't install apps on the microSDXC, that the 14GB of free space on the 32GB version might be a little tight after time..

The same app installed on 2 accounts does not cost twice the space. They simply create another profile for the 2nd user.

 

[StevesBalls]

Performance wise, the Surface is so smooth and fluid and IE10 is much faster rendering webpages than Safari or Atomic Browser could ever dream of.

I am sorry, but that is simply not true:

Surface RT gets crushed in Peacekeeper browser benchmark

 

[NickA]

I am sorry, but that is simply not true:

Surface RT gets crushed in Peacekeeper browser benchmark

Dude, go away. As I stated in response to another of your posts: you don't own a Surface. You are relying way too much on what blogs say. We actually own and use the device, that's why we say things like we do. We have first hand experience.

All your posts here trash the Surface. Well, most of your 17 or so posts do. And your ambiguous blanket statements make no sense and cause conflict. I've seen similar posts from you on iMore. btw, the whole Mobile Nation single sign in has caused a lot of troll posting.

Anyway, go out and buy the device, use it, and then come and comment. You have nothing to offer otherwise, ok??

 

[martinblank64]

I am sorry, but that is simply not true:

Surface RT gets crushed in Peacekeeper browser benchmark

IE10 does not support several of the tests in Peacekeeper, so on those portions, it is equivalent to having scored a zero. Not a fair comparison against a browser that supports all the tests.