Surface Pro: My week as engineer and train commuter

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The Microsoft Surface Pro is not for everyone.

But after snagging the elusive 128GB Pro and using it daily for over a week -- at home, at the office, and during my two hour daily train commute -- I find that so far it is perfect for me. I wrote why the Surface RT couldn't cut it for me while I was on the road, which drove me to the Surface Pro. While I could have purchased another Windows 8 computer or a MacBook Air (running Windows for my engineering apps), the attraction of the Surface Pro was the extreme portability with the two pound weight and ultra-slim form factor. I used to carry my 4.5 pound work laptop during my daily commute; having the Surface Pro at less than half the weight is great.

 

Engineering applications and use for work

In my previous article, people wanted to know what types of applications I needed to run on a Windows computer. Some of the apps I use include GHS (General Hydrostatics), Deadweight, Deltek Vision, Microsoft Project, Rhino, and AutoCAD. I also need full access to the drives on my company's servers and the VPN connectivity of the Surface Pro works perfectly.

I was concerned that the screen size of the Surface Pro would limit the usability of these kinds of applications. While the smaller screen is not optimal for design work, it works just fine for when I am out and about. Previously with the Surface RT or iPad, I couldn't even use these applications so the ability to get most of the same experience on the Surface Pro meets my needs. I also have the ability to output to a second larger screen and am setting up an external display to test this out this weekend.

 

read the entire story @ ZDnet > http://www.zdnet.com/surface-pro-my-week-as-engineer-and-train-commuter-7000011369/