Monitor for the SP2?

[clemgrad85]

Curious as to which touch screen monitors some are using with their SP2? Are you finding it to work well? It looks like they are working on being able to have dual monitors, any idea when that might be available?

 

[MBytes]

The Surface Pro 2 supports an external monitor. For touch screen support, you'll need to use the USB cable to attach the monitor (touch enabled of course) to the computer.

You have different offerings available (no experience with them).
You have an adjustable monitor: the Dell S2340T, it's also a doc station with speakers. This is a fancy one
You have a less expensive, but is just a touch screen monitor, and does not feature a such adjustment when using the monitor (just tilt, but can be put near flat), it's the S2340T, there is a 27inch version S2740T available.

The monitors mentioned above, all have a 1920x1080 resolution, all features an IPS panel (the same type of panel technology found in your Surface Pro 2).
Touch screen aspect and the fact that it is an IPS panel, contribute to the higher price tag of such monitor.

I strongly recommend to always get an IPS panel monitor. They cost more, but as you can see from the Surface line, colors are better, the image is a bit more sharp over cheaper technology offering (TN) of the same size and resolution, and view angles allows you to perfectly see the screen no mater how you sit. Also, as IPS panels are targeted at high-end consumer grade monitor solution, and up (professional grade), you have a nice strong build quality and great features.

 

[unstoppablekem]

Since MBytes answered most of it, I can only answer the other.

Dual monitors has been there since windows 7 I think, so I don't see a problem on dual monitors for the pro 2. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[MBytes]

Dual monitors exists since many years ago. It was costly as you needed powerful graphic card solution to keep things up, or had to buy a special PCI solution (or use multiple computers together... but that is of course absurd)

Windows 98 was the first version of Windows that supported multiple monitors natively (no additional software or tweak needed to be done).

Windows 8 is the first version of Windows that allows you to have the task bar on multiple screen, and have new options that will appear in the Task Manager Properties panel, to customize it, all natively.
Windows 8.1 brings further improvement with window scaling to help mitigate issues revolving different DPI settings per display. For example, by default the Surface Pro 1/2 has the DPI set to 200%. On a normal desktop 23inch display at 1080p, everything will be too big. Nice looking and smooth, but too big. Windows 8.1 does some tricks to mitigate the problem meaning you can have the Surface Pro screen be at 200% DPI and the monitor at 100% DPI. It's not perfect the way it works, but it's something. For the best visual experience, until further improvement is done, is to have both displays at the same DPI settings. However, if you plan to use the Surface Pro as a display, 100% DPI on it might be too small for some.