M$ Surface RT 10.6 tablet question

[fuzzy70]

Hi All, I have some questions with regards to the Windows RT tablets.

I will be taking my Dad & Stepmum shopping the day after Boxing Day to buy a new laptop to replace their 8yr old one & have just learned they want to buy a tablet as well when out & about. The most important thing to keep in mind is neither of them are in any way technology minded, in fact more technophobic than anything else 

Basically they use the laptop for email, Facebook, eBay & general browsing like booking holidays etc (& writing the very occasional letter). I have very little Windows 8 knowledge as I follow the "If it ain't broke don't play with it rule" & Win8 offers me nothing I class as needed nor any of my apps require it, besides if it delays the hassle of re-installing all my apps etc then my current Win7 (which works perfectly) is more than good enough.

However the "Simpleness" so to speak of Win8 I think will do well for them & I presume the look & feel of the tablet is near enough the same as the desktop OS. So of anybody has any experience of both of these your comments/help would be useful.

• Are the main OS & tablet versions pretty much the same in regards to usage?
• Is transferring pictures etc between the two made more simple due to them both being Win8 based?

The above are the 2 most important questions I have & any help would be appreciated.

I will go Android if need be but seeing as neither of them have any Android experience I don't want to confuse or make things more difficult for them if possible.

For those interested in the specs of the Tablet it has the following

• NVIDIA Tegra T30 processor (1.4 GHz, quad-core)
• 32GB Storage
• 2GB RAM
• 10.6 inch screen
• 5 point Multitouch

Cheers

Lee

[Ian Price]

Windows 8. Shudder!

No seriously Win8 isn't too bad and the "Metro" OS IS the same OS as the tablet. So once they get to know one, they'll know the other.

I would look at other Win8 tablets instead of the RT though - there are better and cheaper alternatives - PC WORLD

EDIT - The M$ one offers a lot more than the cheaper alternative, including full-size USB ports, although it doesn't have HDMI output (for connecting to a HD tv).

Transferring of images to tablet/Win8 is pretty simple, once you get used to the new Win8 interface.

However, I would seriously recommend that you get your folks to try before they buy. Test them out in the shop and see if they click. Also, do they really need both? Their lappy might be 8 years old, but does it do what they want it to do still? Are they comfortable with it? Would a netbook be better?

[fuzzy70]

Thanks Ian.

Where the idea of a tablet came from I still haven't got to the bottom of it. Someone somewhere mentioned it to them & they want one, when I asked have they ever used one the answer was no.

They don't even have touch screen phones but tiny screen ones with buttons because of "I don't need all that touchscreen stuff it's too complicated, as long as it has buttons & makes calls thats good enough for me" so a tablet took me by surprise as you can imagine.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the laptop they have as like I mentioned in my 1st post nothing that they do requires anything powerful. I did manage to persuade them out of buying an iBook after a friend of theirs told them that they "last forever & are built a lot better than PC laptops". After explaining that their current laptop still works fine after 8+ years & cost £299 from Tesco's (it's an Acer) do they really want to spend an extra £7-800+ on something that's overkill for their usage (i.e 1-2 hours max per week if lucky).

Alas they are old & stubborn so although I won the iBook argument they are not budging from a new laptop & tablet combo. The M$ tablet I looked at online in PCWORLD was £249 which I though was pretty reasonable for a 10.6" screen, again going back to oldness & also eyesight not being spot on plus more real estate may help them with their 1st touch screen experience, also states it does have AV out "HD Digital AV x 1" although I will be honest & not done any full research into specs or other models yet.

So basically if they both operate the same & transferring items from one to the other is straight forward then its a win-win scenario for me, and yes I do still get calls on what setting the surround sound should be on when watching a film along with how do I record a freeview channel on my digibox even 2-3 years after I went shopping with them & installed it all & showed them  .

I did toy with the idea with a netbook briefly then remembered when I was round theirs once with mine all I got was "how on earth are you meant to see anything on that tiny screen let alone type on that keyboard" lol, so decided to skip that option.

Cheers

Lee


edit: And yes Ian I agree on the Windows 8 shudder comment 

[Ian Price]

AV Out will likely also require a phono cable for sound. A HDMI solution is one cable, full HD no messing.

I agree with the tiny screen/keyboard problems of a typical netbook, but you can buy larger ones.

Also remember that there are also cheaper options that PC World/Currys.

BTW My Mum & Dad are exactly the same where tech is concerned. However, they are embracing it.

[fuzzy70]

I know there are cheaper options available but unfortunately they do not live local to me so it's a case of buy/setup/migrate existing data to new laptop (or whatever is purchased on the day) in the one day that I am over there. This was sprung on me today & I only have the one day round there as they are shooting off on holiday the following day, far from an ideal situation I know but they wanted it all sorted before they go away (yet more stubbornness lol).

So thanks to the short amount of time & it being Xmas etc it looks like a PC WORLD/Currys only option as cannot guarantee an alternative/cheaper option would get there on time, plus aesthetics comes in to play so they want to see & touch what they are buying & to them online purchasing is a no-no lol. They look online at holidays yet still go to a travel agent to book it so that gives you an idea of what they are like.

I'm glad your parents are embracing it but mine keep it at the end of a very long stick, it took me years to get this far & the still own & use a typewriter.

The tablet has still floored me & I know for a fact that will get used only on holidays & will probably be stored in the suitcase they use on holiday when they are not away  .

With any luck I may be able to get away with them just getting a tablet & they can use their current laptop as an emergency backup as a tablet does all the things that they require, but I will have to fight their stubbornness & see what transpires on the day.

Thanks for the tips Ian 

Lee