Friday, December 21, 2018

'Tis the Season

It's that time of the year when ornaments are dug out for the Christmas tree. When I left for Barrow, there were no ornaments just lights. There are three motorcycle themed ornaments on the tree. But this is the only one with a sidecar. There are a couple with cruisers probably modeled after HD as that's really the largest market. At least in the U.S. though I'm not sure about the rest of the world.

Bridget had picked up the trailer ornament last year and, I believe, that it is the only RV ornament. This wasn't picked up on any of our trips but was found in Fairbanks last year. There are probably about 150 ornaments on the tree. Bridget seems to have gone all out on the Christmas decorations this year with decorations all over the living room.

Anyway, I arrived back from Barrow on Thursday afternoon. While in Barrow, I had received a message that the Surface Pro 6 that I had ordered had arrived. I picked it up that afternoon and started to get it set up. To be fair, I'm going to try to use it exclusively for the next couple of weeks.

My first impression, it looks just like Windows 10 on the Lenovo Helix. Some things work much better such as the touchscreen. The touch resolution of the Helix wasn't as accurate. Photo transfer through Google Photo seems to work great. Within minutes of taking a picture on my iPhone, it's available on the Surface. On the Helix, it took hours to sync and on iOS it wouldn't show up until the next day. Maybe there is a setting somewhere. The keyboard on the Surface is much nicer to use than the iPad Pro Smart Keyboard. So my first impression is that the functionality as a tablet is much better than any iOS device. It's a decent laptop though I still prefer OS X. There is only one USB-3 port. A USB-C port would have been much more functional. My son mentioned that a lot of the functionality is due to the stylus. I didn't get the stylus since I never really used the one on the Helix or the iPad Pro.

The best feature has to be the kickstand on the back. It is infinitely adjustable and holds in just about any position. The keyboard angle is close to ideal. About the same as a MacBook though the MacBook keyboard is terrible. 
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10 comments:

  1. redlegsridesDecember 22, 2018 at 5:19 AM

    I've used the Surface Pro 3 for work for the last 4 years and it does the job, it was my first touchscreen computer and at first I didn't even think to use it!

    The docking station for the 3 are mediocre at best, ports cease functioning for no apparently reason.

    Still, not a bad machine.

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    1. RichardMDecember 22, 2018 at 9:05 AM

      You are one of several who seem to like the Surface. It seemed reasonable to try it out. I rarely use the iPad as a tablet. With the keyboard, it's closer to a laptop and that's generally how I used it.

      Delete
  2. Lynne GoebelerDecember 22, 2018 at 3:48 PM

    Your decorations look beautiful. With the house for sale, we don't have any decorations up this year, but we do have a number of MC ornaments in a box that people have given us over the years. No RV ornaments though, come to think of it.

    I don't have a Surface, but I do have a Dell that acts like one. I kind of like the ability to use the touchscreen, but I usually use it like a regular laptop with an external keyboard. Just easier.

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    1. RichardMDecember 23, 2018 at 4:12 PM

      House is for sale? Does that mean full-time?

      Delete
    2. Lynne GoebelerDecember 24, 2018 at 8:49 AM

      Yes! There's no time like the present, Just do it, and all those other mottos! 😀

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    3. RichardMDecember 24, 2018 at 2:47 PM

      Amazing!

      Delete
  3. Geoff JamesDecember 22, 2018 at 9:44 PM

    Cool decorations Richard and all the best for the festive season. At least you should get a true snowy Christmas, or at least some ice!

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    1. RichardMDecember 23, 2018 at 4:13 PM

      Thank you, we got the snow but it's too cold for it to actually snow.

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  4. CanajunDecember 23, 2018 at 2:04 PM

    I'm currently in the market to replace an aging Windows desktop and I'm leaning towards a good laptop. This might be a good option, so thanks for the info.
    Merry Christmas Richard, and all the best for 2019.

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    1. RichardMDecember 23, 2018 at 4:15 PM

      The Surface is a pretty good laptop with a removable keyboard. And the keyboard is pretty good too, especially with the back-lit keys. I got the I5 w/ 256 GB drive and 8 GB memory.

      Delete

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