Official "I have the Surface 2" thread

[Marc_SP]

Just picked up the Surface 2 and the original Cyan touch cover to replace my iPad 2. Now all my friends (who are iPad users) are giving me a hard time. Guess we will see who has the last laugh

They are just showing they are insecure with their choice, otherwise they should just be curious about your new tablet and have a look at it.

It is similar to the situation when most people in a party is drinking alcohol (beer, wine, whatever) and if you don't drink all the rest feel uncomfortable and try to make you drink at all cost. They might think you make them look bad or highlight their incipient alcoholism. They prefer we all do the same, so they feel assured they are doing the "right" thing, and that there is no other viable option. That way they are not responsible of their choice: "Everybody does this, I don't need to think or choose, I have no responsability. I feel relieved!"

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I've been enjoying Media Monkey which supports playlists.

Yes, it supports playlists but doesn't properly handle metadata tags... in particular the difference between "Artist" and "Album Artist". When displaying albums, it should use "Album Artist", but it uses "Artist" instead, resulting in 1 album of 15 tracks by different artists appearing as 15 albums.

Media Monkey also does not refresh its internal library database. If tracks are physically removed (ie. SD card swap between invocations of Media Monkey), it doesn't know that there are different tracks.

 

[calebcre]

I got my Surface 2 yesterday and i'm loving it. Put my Micro SDXC card in and Windows RT treats it like it belongs, which means even XBox Music (which I still have issues with) finds the music without the need to create junctions .

Has anyone else noticed that the SD card is acting natively for media files etc? This was a a big reason why I was considering cheaper tablets over the surface 2. (didn't want to pay $550 for 64gig.) Also, does anyone know if apps / games can be saved on the SD card?

 

[sinic999]

I found out that the surface 2 microphone is quite soft. Is anyone experiencing the same thing???

 

[HeyCori]

Has anyone else noticed that the SD card is acting natively for media files etc? This was a a big reason why I was considering cheaper tablets over the surface 2. (didn't want to pay $550 for 64gig.) Also, does anyone know if apps / games can be saved on the SD card?

You can't save apps on an SD card without hacking the registry. However, in order to get Windows to add a SD card to your library, right click on the SD card and choose "Include in Library" > Library. You can also create a folder inside the SD card and do the same. I have 11 gigs of music in a folder labeled Xbox Music that I keep on my SD card.

 

[calebcre]

You can't save apps on an SD card without hacking the registry. However, in order to get Windows to add a SD card to your library, right click on the SD card and choose "Include in Library" > Library. You can also create a folder inside the SD card and do the same. I have 11 gigs of music in a folder labeled Xbox Music that I keep on my SD card.

Thanks so much for answering my question. Being that the SD card stores music and media but not apps, do y'all think the 32 gig model would be adequate? I am leaning towards yes bc 16gigs was more than enough with the iPad I had a while back, but I am not sure if rt apps are heavier than ios apps.

 

[azcruz]

Thanks so much for answering my question. Being that the SD card stores music and media but not apps, do y'all think the 32 gig model would be adequate? I am leaning towards yes bc 16gigs was more than enough with the iPad I had a while back, but I am not sure if rt apps are heavier than ios apps.

In 8.1, go to Change PC Settings -> PC and devices -> Devices and click on Start saving here under Default save locations. It will make the SD card the default save location and make the necessary folders for your current account.








Sent from my Windows Phone 8S by HTC using Tapatalk

 

[azcruz]

Thanks so much for answering my question. Being that the SD card stores music and media but not apps, do y'all think the 32 gig model would be adequate? I am leaning towards yes bc 16gigs was more than enough with the iPad I had a while back, but I am not sure if rt apps are heavier than ios apps.

My Surface RT is 32GB and I have 64GB SD card, both of which are not full for what I do. So yes, it depends.

The Surface is my only tablet does most of my work too outside of Hyper-V and Visual Studio, which is what my Acer S3 is for.





Sent from my Windows Phone 8S by HTC using Tapatalk

 

[matthoms]

I won my Surface 2 with a music kit. I won't get it until the end of December or beginning of January. Anyone have any thoughts on key things I need to do on the Surface 2 or things I need to watch out for? I have the Surface RT currently.

I was also thinking about selling the music kit. Anyone have any thoughts on the price range for that?

 

[jonathanrn]

Congrats! As far as the price of the music blade, it hasn't been announced yet so I have no idea. It'll probably be comparable to the other keyboards. Sounds like you'll have a good month and a half to figure out how much to sell it for.

 

[diego15nets]

Finally took the plunge on a Surface 2! Used the 10% student discount from the microsoft store website bringing it to $430 with taxes (it's just a code sent to an .edu address so you can ask a college friend/relative to generate a code for you.) Also found a good deal on a 1st gen touch cover on ebay new for $40. I was contemplating between the 2520 and Surface 2, and in the end the built-in kick stand and industrial look made me choose. Can't wait to play with my new toy!

 

[SwimSwim]

Finally took the plunge on a Surface 2! Used the 10% student discount from the microsoft store website bringing it to $430 with taxes (it's just a code sent to an .edu address so you can ask a college friend/relative to generate a code for you.) Also found a good deal on a 1st gen touch cover on ebay new for $40. I was contemplating between the 2520 and Surface 2, and in the end the built-in kick stand and industrial look made me choose. Can't wait to play with my new toy!

Sounds awesome! Just take heed, the first gen-Type Cover is hit-or-miss (mostly miss, based on reviews and using the won I got from Panos) when it comes to accuracy. That lack of sensors really comes back to bite it.

 

[cbreze]

Had mine two weeks now and really love it. No big issues I can find yet. A bit of user error on my part caused some things, but all good now. Got the kb2 the other day and what a great piece of tech this is. I hope it holds up for the long haul, but loving this kb so far. My iPad kb is a pos compared to this one. Sweet!

 

[matthoms]

I won a Surface 2 about 2-3 weeks ago. I've been looming at forums and quite a few people are complaining about the sound quality and loudness of the Surface 2. Does anyone have anything to say regarding this being poor or lacking?

 

[hagjohn]

Ordered Surface 2 (RT)

Just traded in an old iPhone and iPad mini for a Surface 2. FYI... There is only 1 best buy store in Virginia, I believe, that has any in stock (they looked in lower PA, MD, WV and Virginia).

If you plan on getting one for Christmas, I would be doing something sooner than later.

 

[SwimSwim]

I won a Surface 2 about 2-3 weeks ago. I've been looming at forums and quite a few people are complaining about the sound quality and loudness of the Surface 2. Does anyone have anything to say regarding this being poor or lacking?

Quality is awesome (on the Pro 2, at least, but I think they use the same speakers). Problem is, they get washed out by noise very easily. They can get loud, yes, but even just some quiet chatter in a caf?, and they just get washed out so that you can't hear.

Maybe a firmware update will help, but for now: awesome quality, but the slightest bit of noise causes that to vanish.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: Ordered Surface 2 (RT)

Cool! When did they tell you it will be available?

 

[MDak280]

Re: Ordered Surface 2 (RT)

Hmm. I want to get one on Black Friday because I'll have the money by then, but this thread is making me nervous about stock issues lol. Best Buy, I have a feeling, is probably one of the scarier places to shop at on Black Friday Maybe I'll just have to order online... or I could go to Staples, I feel like that would be less crowded.

Anyways, congrats, glad you could get one! I wonder if the stock issues are because of low inventory, or high demand.

 

[NJ1193]

Re: Ordered Surface 2 (RT)

I agree. Just checked my local Best Buy store - unavailable. I've been in the store maybe 5 or 10 times since the Surface 2 was announced, and it seemed like they were in stock each time (salespeople talking to customers about them). Must be high demand. I checked some Dallas stores and they even say "unavailable" online. There's an Arkansas and a Louisiana store that has them, though.

BTW - I was looking up the Surface 2 32GB - the 64GB might be easier to find, I don't know.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Re: Ordered Surface 2 (RT)

I agree. Just checked my local Best Buy store - unavailable. I've been in the store maybe 5 or 10 times since the Surface 2 was announced, and it seemed like they were in stock each time (salespeople talking to customers about them). Must be high demand. I checked some Dallas stores and they even say "unavailable" online. There's an Arkansas and a Louisiana store that has them, though.

BTW - I was looking up the Surface 2 32GB - the 64GB might be easier to find, I don't know.

This lack of inventory is tracking with what I said a month ago. Microsoft had over-produced the Surface RT (as they did the Zune 30), and then adjusted their production numbers conservatively which will result in a shortage this holiday season (as they did with the Zune 80, 2nd gen Zune, back in 2007).

I would recommend that anyone who seriously wants a Surface 2 for the holiday season should pick one up sooner rather than later. I still am of the opinion that the Surface 2 will be in short supply. There's also the possibility of some Black Friday deals on the Surface RT... obviously nothing official, just my spider-sense tingling... or maybe a bad piece of pizza.