Microsoft Surface Mini to debut in mid-May? | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft Surface Mini to debut in mid-May?

zdnet.com

38 pointsBrajeshwar21 comments

If it has a proper digitizer and if it's not _extremely_ expensive then it's an instant buy. The reason is OneNote. OneNote + ultraportability + high quality (as every Surface so far) + digitizer = unique, killer product. At least for me.

Me too.

I'm using ASUS VivoTab Note 8 for a couple weeks now and I'm very happy with it.

It has proper(IIRC Wacom) digitizer and the Atom processor is is handling OneNote touch + web browsing quite well.

The only let down is screen resolution(8" 1280x800), which could be higher, but the screen itself is quit good(IPS, OK visibility in full sunlight & etc)

Do you consider an N-Trig digitizer to be proper? I've heard that some people prefer Wacom, but I haven't been able to discern a difference.

I am not a designer/graphic artist, I just need it for proper handwriting recognition and quick sketches of ER diagrams :)

I thought this for a bit. Had a pile of shit (100+ notes) in OneNote on OneDrive and then suddenly WHAM half my notes disappeared out of the blue. Fortunately I had a backup but I'm not going to trust it again. If you're offline you're probably OK though.

Gone back to a lab notebook and space pen for the mean time.

Side issue: does anyone know where you can get decent lab notebooks in the UK - shipping them from the US is expensive?

> If you're offline you're probably OK though.

Isn't the recent OneNote free version only able to work with the MS syncing? Copies coming with Office packs probably aren't limited that way (corporate users wouldn't take it), but your average Joe consumers are stuck.

That is correct.

You don't have to sync if you paid for anything from Office 365 Home and above.

However it bugs you constantly to do it and all the save dialogs in Office 2013+ promote saving to "The Cloud". It's terribly irritating.

> However it bugs you constantly to do it and all the save dialogs in Office 2013+ promote saving to "The Cloud". It's terribly irritating.

File - Options, Save, Save to Computer by default.

> Microsoft execs also announced at Build 2014 that Microsoft would be making Windows free on Windows Phones and tablets with screen sizes of nine inches and under.

I wonder if this could be applied to a dongle type device? A winRT HDMI stick combined with a nice keyboard/mouse presenter would be a nifty platform, since WinRT has a better track-record for keyboard/mouse support than Android.

Microsoft used language construction "available at zero cost" instead of "free". They also said that they have plans to make "Windows for Internet of Things" as a special version of Windows for enthusiasts who want to create experimental devices, also "available at zero cost".

I thought I saw one of these under this Bing for Schools "earn a surface" page, second pic down, but I could be wrong and it might just be a ref design from someone:

https://www.bing.com/explore/rewardsforschools

Mirror:

http://imgur.com/lANCUd8

Microsoft Surface is amazing. Only MS would simplify development of this platform.

Netbooks, round 2?

The stylus/digitizer is really the killer feature for me. I'd looked at the Surface Pro, but it's just too bulky for what I want.

A 7-8" Windows device with a 1080p display and stylus would be perfect for me during meetings. I'd be able to leave my similarly sized 5x8" notepads in the office and have access to my systems when needed.

EDIT:

I had previously looked at the Note Tab line, but couldn't get over the cheap build quality and god awful Samsung software.

So they're just now jumping on the mini-tablet train? Wasn't the time for that like two years ago if they wanted to get into the market? They really need to get their act together and figure out how to be at the front of innovation, not always years behind.

Like when they did a mini-tablet in 2001?

I was referring to their new touch screen windows version.

I wasn't trying to imply that they were never in the market, just that they haven't released anything to compete with the nexus 7 or ipad mini.

In some regard, they were on the front of innovation on tablets, if you definite it as getting tablets out to consumers early on. Unfortunately that burned them for years because the tech was not there, not the batteries, touch screen or OS. This is a better move, especially if affordable and has real pen input, that would make it unique. hopefully it's an 8 inch tablet. That seems to to be the sweet spot for work, weight and portability.

My point was that the nexus 7 and ipad mini have been highly successful in these markets for a while now. I want to see competition but they're coming kind of late.

Making a mini tablet is not innovation. Any Joe can look at a tablet and think, "Hey what if this was small enough to fit in my cargo pants". Making a good one with great input & user experience would be.

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