Surface Pro 3 - Must-have apps and accessories?

[Dantheman]

Work bought me a Surface Pro 3 to replace my aging laptop. So far I'm really liking it and don't see myself missing my laptop. Does anyone here have one of these things? Any must-have apps and accessories I should look into? I already have the keyboard cover.

ETA: This won't be my primary computer. Just for travel and other on-the-go situations.

[stfu&gbtw]

I just had a chance to work on one of those last week. Worst. Keyboard. Ever. Completely nullified 35+ years of typing experience.

So, get a keyboard. Or as it would be typed on the SP3 - get a "lrtvisef".

[MontuckyFried]

^^
Not sure why the hate for the keyboard. I think it's pretty great given its size. It does take some getting used to though, I'll admit, but I've actually come to prefer it to my old laptops keyboard. But yes, a standard keyboard would be a nice addition, which brings me to the next thing I'm ordering for mine. The docking station. Plug your SP3 into it and bam, extra usb ports (5 to be exact), where you can keep a regular keyboard and mouse plugged in at all times, and a display port for an external monitor.
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...ctID.300191900

Now the biggest thing I've enjoyed on this thing (along with the pen) is my subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. I've been using the heck out of Photoshop and Illustrator. There is NO going back to doing any drawing related stuff with just a mouse. If your company will pay for a subscription, it's well, well worth it.

[riser4]

Can you run a real OS on the SP3 instead of the annoying cunted up toy OS?

[crackboy]

aren't there two different keyboard cases for it? i had heard the plastic one sucked but the other was pretty good

[zion zig zag]

Yes, it will run normal windows. I always just click on desktop mode when I power up.

Yeah, get the docking station.

[alfajores]

The Pro line of Surface tablets runs full blown Windows. The Atom based models run Windows RT which is like the iOS of windows. Not a huge fan but it gets the basics done.

I have used the Pro 3 and RT, but think most people would still like the Lenovo Yoga Pro more.

I am curious about the rumored iPad Pro and the possibility of running a hybrid iOS OS X. It could just be iOS apps in Launcher off the dock, but that would do it for many people.

[Dantheman]

Can you run a real OS on the SP3 instead of the annoying cunted up toy OS?

Yup, full Windows 8.1.

aren't there two different keyboard cases for it? i had heard the plastic one sucked but the other was pretty good

Yeah, there was an earlier version that was touch-only. I've never tried that one but it was not well reviewed. I have the newer one with physical buttons and I think it types great.


I edited the OP to note that this won't be my primary computer. Just for travel and other on-the-go situations so I don't see much need for the docking station yet.

[riser4]

Yup, full Windows 8.1.

Yes, but can you run a real OS on the SP3 instead of the annoying cunted up toy OS Windows 8.1?

[stfu&gbtw]

Yes, but can you run a real OS on the SP3 instead of the annoying cunted up toy OS Windows 8.1?

Google much?

[riser4]

Google much?

Shhhhh, you are going to ruin the fun.

[MontuckyFried]

Yes, it will run normal windows. I always just click on desktop mode when I power up.

You don't even have to do that. There's a setting to boot straight to the desktop. For those who hate the new start menu, you can also pretty much have the old one back if you so choose. However, I decided to spend the 5 minutes it takes to actually learn the new OS, the new gestures, shortcuts, etc., and I am quickly coming to prefer it to Windows 7. Win 8.1 is great WITH a touchscreen. Not much use without. The SP3 is a great match for 8.1.

Shhhhh, you are going to ruin the fun.

I know you're just trolling to get a rise out of us, Riser, but way too many people honestly don't realize how good of an OS 8.1 actually is, and have just jumped on the bandwagon in their nerd rage. Again, if one just spends the necessary time to learn it and get used to it, they actually might like it, even prefer it!

One thing I've loved with my SP3 is how when I have the keyboard attached, the OS automatically behaves a certain way (more keyboard/mouse friendly) and when I pop it off, it behaves more like a traditional tablet and works more off of gestures and stuff. Also REALLY enjoying how Adobe Illustrator will also automatically (if you want it to) switch to a touch mode when the keyboard's not detected. Great stuff!

[riser4]

I am a spaz, anything the works with gestures is a disaster for me. I am prone to random muscle spasms that are bad enough with a normal interface.

[johnnyg82]

I just had a chance to work on one of those last week. Worst. Keyboard. Ever. Completely nullified 35+ years of typing experience.

So, get a keyboard. Or as it would be typed on the SP3 - get a "lrtvisef".

Did you use the Touch or the Type cover? The type cover is like any other laptop keyboard and works well; the touch one though, doesn't have keys to push, but a funky/rubbery thing going on. I've played with a lot of similar devices (Dell Venue, Panasonic ToughPad, Fujistu stylistic) because that's my job and I still prefer the MS Type cover.

[johnnyg82]

The Microsft Arc Touch mouse is pretty slick, you may want to look into one of those. Folds flat when powered off, and when folded into it's usable position it powers itself on. The scroll whell isn't a scroll wheel at all, but the haptic/audio feedback certainly makes you think it's a wheel.

[johnnyg82]

^^
Not sure why the hate for the keyboard. I think it's pretty great given its size. It does take some getting used to though, I'll admit, but I've actually come to prefer it to my old laptops keyboard. But yes, a standard keyboard would be a nice addition, which brings me to the next thing I'm ordering for mine. The docking station. Plug your SP3 into it and bam, extra usb ports (5 to be exact), where you can keep a regular keyboard and mouse plugged in at all times, and a display port for an external monitor.


Now the biggest thing I've enjoyed on this thing (along with the pen) is my subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. I've been using the heck out of Photoshop and Illustrator. There is NO going back to doing any drawing related stuff with just a mouse. If your company will pay for a subscription, it's well, well worth it.

I'll also +1 the docking station too, my SP3 is setup as my primary workstation at work, and I'm running two 24" monitors through DP in addition to the Surface screen. It does support DP 1.2 daisy-chaining if you only have a single DisplayPort out but have multiple monitors.

[sethschmautz]

Home office. Don't have the dock, but three connections and I have power, three monitors, Ethernet port, and a bunch of additional USBs.

The Arc touch mouse (be sure to get the surface edition so it doesn't require use of that usb port) was essential on the original SP. I don't find myself using it as much unless I am planning on a long work session in a hotel or somewhere similar.

Classic shell - (see pic) gives you a Windows 7 style "start" button.

OneNote is great, and many people don't realize that the pen can be used for marking up other office documents including Excel spreadsheets...

I bought an extra power Supply from mikeguyver.com that can be powered from AC or DC power sources. I think this will be really helpful when traveling for work.

I really like mine...

Seth

[MontuckyFried]

OneNote is great, and many people don't realize that the pen can be used for marking up other office documents including Excel spreadsheets...

Oh yeah! Almost forgot to mention that. Using the pen to markup documents has been SO useful when collaborating projects or proofing coworkers documents and spreadsheets before final approval.

And OneNote. I never had any idea how much I'd end up using that until after I got my Surface. I have the app for my Android phone, the software for my desktop, and just keep them synced. That's handy, but there are already good apps that do that. But what makes it so special on the SP? The pen. Click the top and it wakes up your computer and instantly loads up one note. Click again to save it. I've finally ended up jotting down ideas and notes all the time that I'd otherwise maybe forget. Can't believe how often I use it. And it comes preloaded, so that's a bonus!

Dan, do you have Office 365? One of the big bonuses with that is getting a full TB of free cloud storage (OneDrive). I primarily use this to keep work docs synced across devices. Very handy when constantly switching between your pc and portable for work. It just shows up as if it were another drive.

[Flounder]

Ah yes, OneNote. It's the reason my SP3 is now Mrs. Flounders SP3. Once she realized she can replace all of her binders full of hard copies with OneNote it was over. She uses it as a laptop in her office and then walks around with it as a tablet as she visits classrooms. Using the pen to take quick handwritten notes is cool. She can then email the text version as needed.

I just finished a photography class at the local high school. We have adobe CC and after a couple of weeks of using the iMacs at the school, I started bringing the SP3 instead. More powerful than the dated macs and a better screen. Using the pen in Photoshop for masking and other tasks is so much easier than using a mouse.

All around great setup.

[warthog]

Heard about a Logitech keyboard that you can make work with all windows devices.
You just toggle between them with a switch on the keyboard.
Not sure how useful it is, if you aren't using a windows phone or such, but might be worth checking out.

[riser4]

Google much?

Did you actually read the review? It most certainly doesn't make me want to go out and buy one for the express purpose of putting Linux on it. If somebody handed me one and didn't care what I did with it, then ya, sure. But for the price I think there are things that are much better that actually work more better.

[sethschmautz]

One more thing. The USB port on mine can't power anything worth plugging into it. Gotta buy a USB power injector cable from Amazon like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JI...110_SY165_QL70

Seth

[RShea]

Can you run a real OS on the SP3 instead of the annoying cunted up toy OS?

The Surface Pros run the standard Intel based Windows 32 and 64 bit software just like laptops and desktops do. The first rounds of the standard Surface tablets run the different CPU and the Windows RT that is not designed to run Windows 32 bit and 64 bit apps.

[riser4]

The Surface Pros run the standard Intel based Windows 32 and 64 bit software just like laptops and desktops do. The first rounds of the standard Surface tablets run the different CPU and the Windows RT that is not designed to run Windows 32 bit and 64 bit apps.

That's some funny fucking shit right there. Fail. It is still Windows and it is still Windows 8 (ok, 8.1, whatever, both are still hella fucked up).

[MontuckyFried]

One more thing. The USB port on mine can't power anything worth plugging into it. Gotta buy a USB power injector cable from Amazon like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JI...110_SY165_QL70

Huh. I've had no problem powering my external hard drives with mine. Do you have the 3 or are you talking about an older model? If it's the SP3 you're talking about, do you just power it with the extra usb plug on the ac adapter?

That's some funny fucking shit right there. Fail. It is still Windows and it is still Windows 8 (ok, 8.1, whatever, both are still hella fucked up).

If you're trying to convince OP not to buy one, it's too late. He already has one. So since you're just just trolling and have no advice for apps and accessories, you might as well go ahead and kindly let yourself out. Bye now.