With Nexus 7 getting all the attention these days, I decided to take a step back and rant about my next tablet purchase. First of all, let me say that I like Google’s new tablet as it offers an incredible bang for the buck. However, it has a darn small screen by today’s standards. I used to love 7-inch tablets more than their 10-inch counterparts, but these days the situation is different. I’m about to get the Samsung Galaxy S III that has a 4.8-inch display and want my tablet to have a much bigger screen. 10 inches isn’t perfect size for my taste — it’s 8.9-inch — but it’s definitely a better option and the one, as the rumors are saying, that is also considered by Google.
The problem with all Android tablets (and iPad for that matter) is that they’re all made for media consumption and gaming. Sure you can browse and even edit documents, manage your email and notes… and that’s about it. My issue is that I want a portable office with serious software installed (not “bigger mobile apps”) and no modern tablet released thus far can do the job. Again, my needs (and the software I use) may be different than yours.
So I was thinking that the Microsoft Surface could be the solution. I want the cheaper model with NVidia Tegra 3 processor since I already have a pretty light laptop (Toshiba Portege Z835 with Core i7 CPU) which weighs less than 2.5 lbs (about 1.13 kg). The more expensive Surface with Win 8 Pro isn’t that much lighter than my current laptop and is definitely less powerful [than laptop]. And although I need a portable office that solution doesn’t have to be as quick and responsive as my main computer – that wouldn’t be fair to expect. I just hope the RT version will be up for the task. Being able to access regular Windows apps and have a relatively light device (Surface RT weighs 23.81 oz or 675 grams) that can do the trick sounds like a dream come true. I may expect too much from Microsoft but if they manage to deliver on that front, I’ll love ’em…