Microsoft Surface 2 (32 GB)

I received a Surface 2 tablet from my job. (I work in IT support and these are being handed out to one of the user groups at my company). It has quickly become my favorite computer/tablet/all-purpose-device. The Surface 2 hits the sweet spot between portability and usability.One thing to be aware of is that to get the most out of this device, you really also need the Power Cover 2 (NOT the Touch Cover, which I've heard is basically a useless piece of garbage). The reason for this is twofold:1) The Power Cover 2 is a great, useable keyboard. I'm a fast typist, and I have had no problems touch-typing on the Power Cover keyboard. It's a little smaller than a standard keyboard, but is very well-designed as far as tactile feedback and the size of the keys. It's really fun to be able to type a lengthy comment, or review, or email, and then go back to using the touchscreen. After years of carrying around devices with a touch-only interface, it is so great to have a keyboard back!2) The Power Cover 2 functions as a backup battery for the tablet. Basically you have two batteries, one in the tablet and one in the keyboard. (The tablet connects to the keyboard via a magnetic connector that makes a satisfying click as you snap them together. Sexy!) When the tablet is connected to the keyboard, it uses up the keyboard battery first, then the tablet's internal battery. Likewise when you charge, it charges the tablet first, then the keyboard. In theory, you have up to 20 hours of battery life with the Power Cover 2 attached. I don't know about that, but I do know I've been able to use the device pretty much all day without running out of battery life.(One drawback is that there is no way to charge the keyboard separately while carrying the tablet around. The keyboard has to be attached to the tablet in order to charge.)Included with the tablet is a full version of Office 2013 including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. This allows you to do "real work" if your work involves using any of these applications. You can use these applications on the "desktop" side or the "tablet" side. Basically you have two different home screens you can look at: the mobile screen with the tiles (this is the one I use the most), or an interface that looks more like a traditional Windows desktop. There are actually separate versions of the Office applications depending on which interface you're using; the ones on the desktop side are more full-featured, but I find myself using the tablet interface for most things.Unfortunately, there is no way to install other Windows desktop programs (you would need a Surface Pro for that), but you can install apps on the "tablet side" via the Store.Have I mentioned how awesome it is to have both a touchscreen and a keyboard? Web browsing becomes much more intuitive and fun. (The downside is that now I keep trying to touch the screen of my Windows 7 laptop, which of course doesn't do anything).The form factor of this device is ideal. The screen is large enough for comfortable reading and viewing, but the whole thing is so small and light -- even with the Power Cover attached -- that I can easily slip it into my bag for the day. As a result, I have the device with me all the time. It's the device I go to first now for most uses.This is also the device that got me using OneNote. Learn to use OneNote! It's practical and surprisingly fun.Pros:- Excellent form factor- Good battery life- Office 2013- AffordableCons:- Power Cover 2 keyboard must be purchased separately- No app to watch Amazon Prime video- Can't install Windows desktop applications.

I bought this just because I wanted to use office in anytime & read ebooks with a bigger device. So far, it's so good. The design is good, the weight is light and really useful. It will definitely be one of my daily use devices.I used half of the storage in a day though... I can use SD card so I guess no problem. The screen size is big enough as well.As someone said, iPad is just a junk(no office, I have PC so I do have something to see movies), and Kindle is just a reader. This is worth the price as long as you need office. You can make documents even in the train. I am so excited!I heard this device is probably going to be the last surface office installed. and actually, it is discontinued! So if you miss this one, you will need to buy office 365 every single year.(office365 is good if you always need the latest office but not wallet-friendly) If you want an office installed latest device, this is the one n the last one(probably. as i went to the store, there's no office installed surface anymore since MS wants more money.) and once it is gone, you cannot buy the brand new one. It is getting like a sales talk(I'm not paid by MS) but I truly loved this and recommend!!!!The biggest surprise that I didn't expect is, "OneNote". This is the reason I believe MS will win within a few years. This app is the best for taking notes because it allows you to type, draw something using your fingers, insert some pictures & graphs and record voice or movies...! It is the best for students, even workers. This is the new style of "notebook" but much easier to see(because my handwriting is pretty bad).Of course, as you see in commercial, you can do 2 things at the same time. I browse Internet, and if it takes longer to open, immediately open twitter or different app not to waste time.Only 2 cons. 1st, "few apps" but that's ok for me since I just wanted Kindle & office. If you just want to enjoy games, don't buy this! It might be not for you. 2nd, reading list requires Internet access... As an iPhone user, this is a bit annoying feature of MS products. I take a screenshot, then read offline.