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Microsoft Surface Book : Front ViewThe Surface Book it not
strictly a laptop. Rather, it's a powerful detachable-hybrid Windows tablet that
gives you the best qualities of a laptop PC, with the ability to detach the
screen for use as a tablet.
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We have long wondered when Microsoft would release a laptop, and now
we have the answer. With the Surface Book, the company has taken a lot of the
miniaturization and system-building expertise it gained from making its Surface
and Surface Pro tablets, and used it to build a premium laptop that also
happens to be a detachable-hybrid Windows tablet.
We've been using the Surface Book for a bit since it launched. Here are
some nifty features that stood out for us.
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Microsoft Surface Book : Left ViewOn the left side of the
keyboard base, you'll find a pair of USB 3.0 ports and a SD card reader.
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Microsoft Surface Book : Right-Side PortsOn the right side,
you'll find a mini DIsplayPort and the Surface Dock port, which doubles as the
jack for the charger.
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Microsoft Surface Book : Back CameraThe rear-facing
8-megapixel camera can also shoot 1080p videos.
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1. The Latch
The latch that attaches the tablet portion to the keyboard, which Microsoft calls the dynamic fulcrum hinge, takes care of some of the most annoying nits we have with detachable-hybrid tablets. Having the motherboard, some of the battery cells, and the heavy screen glass built into the tablet/screen portion makes the system top-heavy, which means tipping over in Laptop mode is a concern. By using a set of parallel hinges to open the screen and by putting the majority of the battery cells in the keyboard base, the Surface Book has a self-stabilizing center of gravity. The fact that it engages and disengages its locking mechanism in only two seconds (electronically!) is pretty cool, too.
The latch that attaches the tablet portion to the keyboard, which Microsoft calls the dynamic fulcrum hinge, takes care of some of the most annoying nits we have with detachable-hybrid tablets. Having the motherboard, some of the battery cells, and the heavy screen glass built into the tablet/screen portion makes the system top-heavy, which means tipping over in Laptop mode is a concern. By using a set of parallel hinges to open the screen and by putting the majority of the battery cells in the keyboard base, the Surface Book has a self-stabilizing center of gravity. The fact that it engages and disengages its locking mechanism in only two seconds (electronically!) is pretty cool, too.
2. Windows 10
After living through Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, it's a relief to be using a version of Windows that works well with either a keyboard and touchpad. The last versions all but required some touch-screen use, particularly in the Start Screen (aka, Metro interface). That was annoying at best, and counterintuitive at worst. Don't get me wrong, the touch screen on the Surface Book is one of the best on the market, but I still wouldn't want to use it full time for typing, navigation, and cursor control.
After living through Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, it's a relief to be using a version of Windows that works well with either a keyboard and touchpad. The last versions all but required some touch-screen use, particularly in the Start Screen (aka, Metro interface). That was annoying at best, and counterintuitive at worst. Don't get me wrong, the touch screen on the Surface Book is one of the best on the market, but I still wouldn't want to use it full time for typing, navigation, and cursor control.
3. Battery Life
On our battery rundown test, the Surface Book lasted a whopping 15 hours 41 minutes (in comparison, the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch lasted 11:10). That's longer than the Dark Knight Trilogy (7.6 hours), the complete Lord of the Rings Extended Edition (12 hours), or the first six films in the Star Wars saga (13.8 hours). You won't even have to fast-forward through the Jar Jar bits. To put that another way, that's enough time to last the whole non-stop flight from NYC to Hong Kong, especially if you take breaks for take-off and landing.
On our battery rundown test, the Surface Book lasted a whopping 15 hours 41 minutes (in comparison, the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch lasted 11:10). That's longer than the Dark Knight Trilogy (7.6 hours), the complete Lord of the Rings Extended Edition (12 hours), or the first six films in the Star Wars saga (13.8 hours). You won't even have to fast-forward through the Jar Jar bits. To put that another way, that's enough time to last the whole non-stop flight from NYC to Hong Kong, especially if you take breaks for take-off and landing.
4. Detachable
Discrete GPU Option
A discrete graphics processor unit (GPU) lets you play 3D games more smoothly, or help speed multimedia creation tasks like editing photos and videos in Adobe Creative Cloud or Creative Suite. You can order an optional Nvidia GeForce GPU with the Surface Book. It sits in the keyboard base, so you can leave it behind and save battery power when you need the extra portability in Tablet mode.
A discrete graphics processor unit (GPU) lets you play 3D games more smoothly, or help speed multimedia creation tasks like editing photos and videos in Adobe Creative Cloud or Creative Suite. You can order an optional Nvidia GeForce GPU with the Surface Book. It sits in the keyboard base, so you can leave it behind and save battery power when you need the extra portability in Tablet mode.
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Microsoft Surface Book : With Surface PenThe included
Surface Pen features pressure sensitivity, quick access to Cortana and OneNote,
and an eraser tip.
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5. Surface Pen
The included Surface Pen attaches to the side of the screen magnetically, which is much more convenient than the fabric loop on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3£596.98 at Amazon. The eraser-like button on the top of the Pen automatically brings up OneNoteFree at iTunes on the Surface Book with a single click, and opens Cortana if you hold down the eraser for a second or two. The Surface Pen has 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, which is sufficient for prosumer-level artwork. It also varies the thickness of lines when you're writing, so you can make delicate or bold pen strokes.
The included Surface Pen attaches to the side of the screen magnetically, which is much more convenient than the fabric loop on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3£596.98 at Amazon. The eraser-like button on the top of the Pen automatically brings up OneNoteFree at iTunes on the Surface Book with a single click, and opens Cortana if you hold down the eraser for a second or two. The Surface Pen has 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, which is sufficient for prosumer-level artwork. It also varies the thickness of lines when you're writing, so you can make delicate or bold pen strokes.
6. Design
Last, but not least, if you want to fly the Windows flag, there's no better system than the Surface Book. It has a shiny chrome Windows logo on the top lid. The rest of the system simply has an elegant aesthetic, with its all-metal body, book-like hinge, super-bright PixelSense screen, and the Surface Pen that clings to the side of the screen like a koala on espresso. The fact that it has the power to back up those looks just adds to the appeal.
Last, but not least, if you want to fly the Windows flag, there's no better system than the Surface Book. It has a shiny chrome Windows logo on the top lid. The rest of the system simply has an elegant aesthetic, with its all-metal body, book-like hinge, super-bright PixelSense screen, and the Surface Pen that clings to the side of the screen like a koala on espresso. The fact that it has the power to back up those looks just adds to the appeal.
Source: PcMag
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