Covering the Windows Phone 8 launch with a Microsoft Surface
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 8 at a San Francisco event on Friday – read our full recap here – making it the perfect opportunity to put the newly-released Surface through its paces. Last summer, I wrote about my experience covering the Windows Phone Summit with a Windows Phone. Read on to find out how the Surface compares.
I elected to carry the tablet around with me the whole time, rather than place it in a backpack. My arms never tired of carrying the device, and it was easy to pull it out and just start typing. Last week, I wrote about my initial impressions of the Surface, and not much has changed since. I had a great front row seat with a table, so naturally I flipped out the integrated kickstand and started typing on the Touch Cover. While I still make the occasional typo – usually related to the spacebar – the actual typing experience isn’t much different from my old ASUS laptop with a chiclet keyboard. As a result, I had no difficulties keeping up with what the Microsoft executives and guests were saying on stage.
WordPress doesn’t have a dedicated app on the Windows Store yet, but I didn’t need one at all. I was able to access the Pocketables content management system through the full-screen IE10 app just like I would on a regular PC. I had an excellent seat, so I was able to snap photos of the stage using the front-facing camera and upload them directly to the site. And thanks to Windows 8’s multitasking features, I was also able to snap MetroTwit or the camera to one side of the screen, allowing me to keep up with Twitter and take photos while focusing on my writing.
After using the Surface at this event, there’s no way I could go back to lugging around a traditional laptop or bringing a somewhat limited tablet with me, not to mention trying to use a smartphone. I was curious to see how well the Surface would work in the real world, and the results exceeded my expectations.
