Why can't the Surface 2 use an active Digitizer pen?

[ChefFabrizio]

So I was thinking... I know, first mistake. But back to the Windows Mobile days, pen support was great. Ink to Text, etc.

And since Samsung has pen support for it's note 3 or Note Tab, etc. I would like the Surface a LOT better with an active digitizer pen, than a keyboard.

Odd as this sounds, I'd like to take a tablet to church. One for the Mass readings, but also to take annotations of the Homily. Further, I'd use a Surface at the garden center, to look at pictures of my planting beds, and then be able to mark them up, with a pen. Last time I used my finger for diagraming I was playing sandlot football at 15, now 35 years later, I'd rather use an Active Digitizer pen.

And while the Dell Venue Pro (Am I the ONLY person who thinks a venue (android) and venue pro (windows 8.1) is just a BIT confusing?) is a nice size, I just wouldn't use windows 8.1 at that size. I'd rather have RT. I know, I know, I'm in a small group just wanting RT.

I want a 14 inch tablet for home, to use with a Bluetooth keyboard, and control my heating system, security, email, and other tasks that are easier to do on a bigger screen, but still a tablet first. I already have a Dell xps15z if I need a traditional notebook, and 2 in 1's just kind of leave me cold.

So I ask again, why can't surface 2 use an active digitizer pen. It would really help me for my use case.

 

[HarisA1]

The surface pro has an additional layer in the screen which interacts with the pen, the RT does not have the digitizer

 

[ChefFabrizio]

Thanks, but would the OS, RT that is, support the additional layer?

 

[bilzkh]

Thanks, but would the OS, RT that is, support the additional layer?

Microsoft managed to bring Windows to ARM, I'm sure they can figure out active digitizer compatibility with Windows RT.

My guess as to why it hasn't been done or pushed to market is that there's a perception (courtesy of Steve Jobs) that tablets shouldn't have styli, and on top of that, an added belief that the average user probably doesn't care about it. So why add to the cost of your product with a relatively niche addition?

In my opinion, Microsoft should consider a cheaper version of the Pro, one that uses Intel's i3 or i5 Y chips (mobile) but retains the Wacom digitizer, Windows 8 Pro, etc. Offer it from $599.

 

[HarisA1]

They won't bring the pen to RT because it also separates the RT from the PRO line up

 

[jason8957]

That was the only thing that bothered me, but it wasn't enough to stop me. My Surface 2 is on order. I am sure that Microsoft was trying very hard to hit a price point here and this was on the cutting board. I am an electrical engineer designing electronics and I see the way features fall off the list for sake of other strategies like cost or schedule.

I don't know how I'd feel about bringing it in to mass. Perhaps in a parish with a lot of younger folk, like at a university, but I think that it might be too distracting and misunderstood by many in my church and I don't know if it would add much to the experience.

Your garden center idea does have me thinking though. I need to change how my front walk looks.

 

[HarisA1]

You can still get a stylus for the surface rt just can't use the pros stylus

 

[Christian Kallevig]

Well, yeah, but that would be a capacitive stylus, which is naturally going to be less precise than a proper digitizer pen, and is really just a stand in for a finger, so it lacks the ability to hover over the screen, to right click and to use palm blocking.

 

[jaimeastin]

So I was thinking... I know, first mistake. But back to the Windows Mobile days, pen support was great. Ink to Text, etc.

And since Samsung has pen support for it's note 3 or Note Tab, etc. I would like the Surface a LOT better with an active digitizer pen, than a keyboard.

Odd as this sounds, I'd like to take a tablet to church. One for the Mass readings, but also to take annotations of the Homily. Further, I'd use a Surface at the garden center, to look at pictures of my planting beds, and then be able to mark them up, with a pen. Last time I used my finger for diagraming I was playing sandlot football at 15, now 35 years later, I'd rather use an Active Digitizer pen.

And while the Dell Venue Pro (Am I the ONLY person who thinks a venue (android) and venue pro (windows 8.1) is just a BIT confusing?) is a nice size, I just wouldn't use windows 8.1 at that size. I'd rather have RT. I know, I know, I'm in a small group just wanting RT.

I want a 14 inch tablet for home, to use with a Bluetooth keyboard, and control my heating system, security, email, and other tasks that are easier to do on a bigger screen, but still a tablet first. I already have a Dell xps15z if I need a traditional notebook, and 2 in 1's just kind of leave me cold.

So I ask again, why can't surface 2 use an active digitizer pen. It would really help me for my use case.

I take my surface rt to church and use one one for everything like my teaching material t, sermon notes, administration notes/tasks, plus. I have not really had to desire to hand write my notes yet... I do wish the surface 2 had that feature. I'm sure it will next version or two.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

You can still get a stylus for the surface rt just can't use the pros stylus

In my testing, the use of a capacitive stylus on the RT is significantly worse than using your finger. It appears that the Surface's "passive" digitizer is a lower resolution than the iPad's and assumes finger usage.

 

[ChefFabrizio]

Microsoft managed to bring Windows to ARM, I'm sure they can figure out active digitizer compatibility with Windows RT.

My guess as to why it hasn't been done or pushed to market is that there's a perception (courtesy of Steve Jobs) that tablets shouldn't have styli, and on top of that, an added belief that the average user probably doesn't care about it. So why add to the cost of your product with a relatively niche addition?

In my opinion, Microsoft should consider a cheaper version of the Pro, one that uses Intel's i3 or i5 Y chips (mobile) but retains the Wacom digitizer, Windows 8 Pro, etc. Offer it from $599.

Thanks for your thoughts, for me though, I don't want Windows 8.1 pro on my tablet. I would like the pen layer, but alas, not this round.

 

[ChefFabrizio]

That was the only thing that bothered me, but it wasn't enough to stop me. My Surface 2 is on order. I am sure that Microsoft was trying very hard to hit a price point here and this was on the cutting board. I am an electrical engineer designing electronics and I see the way features fall off the list for sake of other strategies like cost or schedule.

I don't know how I'd feel about bringing it in to mass. Perhaps in a parish with a lot of younger folk, like at a university, but I think that it might be too distracting and misunderstood by many in my church and I don't know if it would add much to the experience.

Your garden center idea does have me thinking though. I need to change how my front walk looks.

Thank you for the robust reply.

My wife and I are Catholic, and there are some decent apps, on our Nokia 925's, that we bring into church for Eucharistic adoration. Printed prayer books just aren't available with some of our prayers. We have a Breviary, and access to certain web pages with amazing prayers, that are just not in written form.

I hear you about how it would appear to others. And yes, we do go to Mass at my University most Sundays, but also a few others depending on scheduling. And for us it would be much better to have a tablet. We could record the audio of a homily. We could take written notes (we've seen others taking notes on Paper). We could also have a checklist for preparing before mass. Heck, if we hit the Lottery, we even want to right THE DEFINITIVE Catholic app. But that aside, we are making the transition to electronic reading and this would be critical to a "personal" device that is the center of our days. Like the old Filofax or Day Planners. Carried everywhere, used all the time.

Imagine taking notes in OneNote with the Parish announcements, and adding the entry to the Family Room Calendar. Parish Picnic, Saturday, October 25, bring a cake. And done once, and everyone has it. No more "I didn't right down the day, time or needed item".

My wife and I went to a parish planning meeting, and the priest wanted to open with a prayer and the day's gospel reading. But noted that he forgot his bible. Out came my phone and I just started reading the passage. And all that would have been so much easier on my 8 or 10 inch modern day planner, aka a Surface 2, with a pen.

just my thoughts, but thanks for yours too.

 

[ChefFabrizio]

They won't bring the pen to RT because it also separates the RT from the PRO line up

to me, the more important defining criteria, is a useable desktop. If MS got smart and had a 8 or 9 inch portrait Surface RT, with pen, and a 12-14 inch Surface Pro, I'd buy BOTH, not just one or the other. But when the Surface 2 and Surface pro 2, are the same size, I wouldn't consider both. And in fact, without a pen on the Surface 2, I'm strongly considering the Dell Venue Pro at 8 inches. yes, it has full windows 8. But critically it has a pen.

I used to own two HP convertible tablets. Granted they ran windows 7, but the PEN was a critical piece, used it all the time. It's way easier to critique a resume (I volunteer as a career counselor at my University), with a pen input, than with a keyboard. Keyboards put people off. They create a distance, but not a lot of folks are upset about using a pen, and it's very easy to highlight text to bring out your point. Then forward the marked up word document.

 

[lafester]

You could also get the venue pro 11 w/ 10.8" screen.
I don't see any reason to restrict yourself to RT since you can use full 8.1 just like RT if you desire.

 

[Christian Kallevig]

Yeah, the only reason to stick with RT is wanting the Surface's form factor and construction. Otherwise you could just as easily pick up a Bay Trail tablet that has a digitizer for a similar price.

 

[HarisA1]

The feel of the RT is just too nice and premium to let it ago lol

 

[ca_meo]

What about an optional blade with a digitizer layer? Not the best solution but a possibility

 

[Christian Kallevig]

That could happen, but if Windows RT has drivers for a cheap Wacom tablet, that might be preferable. I have no idea if it does though

 

[Letros]

Surface with Baytrail + active digitizer for $500-600, I would drop cash on that without hesitation. I understand MS wants to keep RT alive, because it does have a future with the phone merging plans, but we need some more options.

 

[ChefFabrizio]

To me a blade further distances the use. Why have a touchscreen if you will use a blade? I know you said it wasn't the best solution. So, I'm just being the Devil's advocate. I don't even really want a keyboard with this device.

And I know there are options with full windows, but I really want my phone experience on an 8 inch device, with an active pen. The Dell pen's I recently read, are synaptic pens with batteries, and to me they look awful.

I guess I want, in round 2, the device that isn't coming. An up to 10 inch devices, with RT and a Wacom pen. I very much want to use OneNote with a pen, and not a keyboard.

What about an optional blade with a digitizer layer? Not the best solution but a possibility