The Surface Tablet: A Contender to the iPad and Galaxy Tab?

One of the most exciting releases from Microsoft recently was their new tablet, aptly named the Surface. As we sit down with Donna Tapolini, one of our senior electronics experts, it's clear that this device is not just a copycat, but a legitimate contender in the world of tablets.

So, does having "Surface" mean that you can do everything on it that you can do on your computer? Well, unfortunately, not exactly. This version of the Surface comes with Windows RT, which means that while you'll have access to all of the apps available in the Microsoft Store, there are some limitations. For example, special versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and other office apps will be available for download, but these won't be as robust as their full desktop counterparts.

Now, let's talk about those tiles that we see on the screen. These are Live Tiles, which is a new interface that Microsoft is using in Windows 8. What they do is provide real-time updates to your favorite apps, so you'll always know what's going on without having to check them manually. For example, there's a tile for your mail, social networking, photo tiles - the list goes on. You can swipe around these tiles and launch programs by tapping on them. The best part? These tiles are customizable! You can make some of them larger or smaller, move them around, and even rearrange their order to suit your needs.

Speaking of the display, we're impressed with how bright it is - perfect for reading in sunlight. It also has a great viewing angle, which means you won't have to worry about squinting to see what's on the screen. The colors are pretty good too, and the touch response is top-notch. Microsoft has made a big deal about their Clear Type technology, and it seems like this feature is living up to its promise.

However, when it comes to taking photos, things get a bit more complicated. While the text is clear and easy to read, the actual images aren't quite as detailed as those on the iPad. This may be a drawback for some users, but it's still worth noting that the Surface has made significant strides in this area.

Now, let's talk about the physical tablet itself. It looks pretty cool, with a sleek design and a stand in the back that makes it easy to prop up and use. However, we do have to note that it weighs a bit over a pound - which is on the heavier side for tablets. But what really impresses us is the variety of keyboard options available for this device. They snap in with magnets, making them easy to pull out and into place.

Finally, let's talk about battery life. With more than 10 hours of usage, we'd say that's quite good - although not as long-lasting as some other devices on the market. Still, it's a respectable amount of time, especially considering the Surface is still a relatively new player in this field.

So, what do we think? Is the Surface a possible contender to the iPad and Galaxy Tab? Our expert, Donna Tapolini, thinks so. And one reason for this is that Microsoft's operating system allows for seamless syncing across a variety of devices. This means that you'll be able to easily pick up where you left off on any device that supports Windows 8 - no matter what it may be.

In short, the Surface tablet has made a strong showing in our books. While there are some limitations to its capabilities, its strengths make it a solid choice for anyone looking for a reliable and versatile tablet experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi i'm here with donna tapolini one of our senior electronics experts to talk about the surface which is the brand new tablet from microsoft donna because it is a microsoft tablet does that mean that i can do everything on it that i can do on my computer actually not not with this version this is the surface with windows rt that means you can use all of the apps that are available in the microsoft store and there are also special versions available of microsoft word excel and other office apps gotcha what about these tiles that i'm seeing on the screen so these are the live tiles this is the new interface that microsoft is using in windows 8 and what they do is there's there's a tile for your mail there's a tile for your social networking things there are photo tiles and they're live because they change as things in each of those apps changes and you can swipe around and just by tapping on them you can launch a program and can you customize it yeah you can customize them you can make some of the tiles larger or smaller you can move them around and put them in whatever order you like and what about the display what do we think of that it's very bright so you can read in sunlight it's got as good a viewing angle as the ipad and the colors are pretty good as well the touch response is also great microsoft has made a big deal about this clear type technology how is that working out for the tablet photos on here are not quite as detailed as those that you'll see on the ipad the text is pretty good but even the text is not as good as on the nook hd as on the ipad what about the physical tablet it looks pretty cool here with a stand and everything yeah well it weighs a pound and a half so that's on the heavy side for tablets that's actually among the heaviest tablets um but it does have this great stand in the back and it's and you can get a couple of different types of keyboards for it and they just snap in with magnets they're really easy to pull in and out it's easy to use it's got a track pad it's got little places to click and it's basically got all the keys that you'll find on the keyboard tell me donna is there anything else we like about the surface we got more than 10 hours of battery life so that's quite good uh not as long as the ipad but it's still a respectable amount of battery life all in all would you say that the surface is a possible contender to the ipad and the galaxy tab i think it is and because it's microsoft's operating system and you probably be able to sync across a variety of devices i think it's right up there great thank you so much thank you i'm ann bertentoff with consumer reports youhi i'm here with donna tapolini one of our senior electronics experts to talk about the surface which is the brand new tablet from microsoft donna because it is a microsoft tablet does that mean that i can do everything on it that i can do on my computer actually not not with this version this is the surface with windows rt that means you can use all of the apps that are available in the microsoft store and there are also special versions available of microsoft word excel and other office apps gotcha what about these tiles that i'm seeing on the screen so these are the live tiles this is the new interface that microsoft is using in windows 8 and what they do is there's there's a tile for your mail there's a tile for your social networking things there are photo tiles and they're live because they change as things in each of those apps changes and you can swipe around and just by tapping on them you can launch a program and can you customize it yeah you can customize them you can make some of the tiles larger or smaller you can move them around and put them in whatever order you like and what about the display what do we think of that it's very bright so you can read in sunlight it's got as good a viewing angle as the ipad and the colors are pretty good as well the touch response is also great microsoft has made a big deal about this clear type technology how is that working out for the tablet photos on here are not quite as detailed as those that you'll see on the ipad the text is pretty good but even the text is not as good as on the nook hd as on the ipad what about the physical tablet it looks pretty cool here with a stand and everything yeah well it weighs a pound and a half so that's on the heavy side for tablets that's actually among the heaviest tablets um but it does have this great stand in the back and it's and you can get a couple of different types of keyboards for it and they just snap in with magnets they're really easy to pull in and out it's easy to use it's got a track pad it's got little places to click and it's basically got all the keys that you'll find on the keyboard tell me donna is there anything else we like about the surface we got more than 10 hours of battery life so that's quite good uh not as long as the ipad but it's still a respectable amount of battery life all in all would you say that the surface is a possible contender to the ipad and the galaxy tab i think it is and because it's microsoft's operating system and you probably be able to sync across a variety of devices i think it's right up there great thank you so much thank you i'm ann bertentoff with consumer reports you\n"