The SmallBizWindows Consumer Product Of The Year 2014: Microsoft Surface 2
In revving the product from SurfaceRT to ‘2’, Microsoft addressed most of the shortcomings in Surface.
While weighing about the same, Surface 2 is slightly thinner, and now sports full 1080p HD resolution. It runs Windows RT 8.1, an NVIDIA Tegra 4, and has ditched the twin 720p cameras in favor of a 5.0 MP (rear) and 3.5 MP (front) solutions.
Idle time is up marginally, but is now comes with a USB 3.0 slot.
For those who require a lot of primary space, Surface 2 is also available with 64 GB of drive space in addition to the standard microSD slot. Incidentally, SanDisk introduced a 128 GB microSD card at the recently-concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
When you mix in the included Microsoft Office 2013 – now with Outlook, there is no doubt that this is one great consumer product, and a fantastic value.
If only Microsoft would include a keyboard at the flyaway price…..
Nonetheless, this product is good enough to win the SmallBizWindows Consumer Product Of The Year 2014 Award.
Honorable Mention
Dell Venue 8 Pro
This product surprised me.
We had tried an Asus 8” tablet sometime last year, and I was greatly underwhelmed.
Dell Venue 8 Pro is different.
Utilizing the latest Intel Atom, it is a full-fledged Windows Tablet in one’s pocket.
With Microsoft Office 2013 installed, this small device seems ready to take on tasks of larger-screened units, and has completely displaced the Apple iPad Air for small tablets as far as we are concerned.*
* We never gave the iPad any chance of a foothold anyway.
© 2002 – 2014, John Obeto for Blackground Media Unlimited
