06Dec 2012 by Grant Fritchey 9 Comments

Microsoft Surface: Top Apps… So Far

Surface
After living with the Surface for a month and trying hard to make it work as a tool for production, not just consumption, I feel like I've got a handle on this thing. There are several that are built in that I'm using all the time like Word, Mail, Internet Explorer, OneNote, Music and Video. But there are a few others that you need to know about if you're looking to get more functionality out of your Surface. One note, I tried to find links to the Windows Store for all the apps, but I can't seem to do that, or at least I couldn't find how to do it. Here's the list: Tweetro: This is the single best Twitter app that I've tried so far. It functions as I…
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11Nov 2012 by Grant Fritchey 1 Comment

Purpose of the Surface RT

Surface
I'm a little over two weeks with the Surface at this point. I've been travelling all of that time, so I have been using the Surface quite a lot, as I used to my (beloved) Android tablet. It took a little while to get functional enough, upgrading the dysfunctional Office that came installed, figuring out how to get various email set up, learning how to use the touch type, and figuring out the operating system. But, at this time, the Surface is close to functional. Close. But what's it for? First, it's a consumption device. I've got a web browser in my hands, wherever I go, as long as I can get WIFI. That gives me a hefty chunk of the world to work with. I can rent movies. I've…
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01Nov 2012 by Grant Fritchey 2 Comments

Surface, Surface, Prepare to Surface

Surface
More stuff about the Surface. Web browsing works extremely well so far. I enjoy how you can swipe to move back a page. I like how the tabs work too. I'm not crazy about how long it takes to get the link option window open. You hold on a link and then eventually a little box appears. Then you remove your finger and you get option such as "Open link in new tab". Since I do this a lot while browsing, I need it to be faster, something like a right click. Which, you can do from the pointer on the keyboard, there are two little spaces right below the pointer area that act as left & right click. Cool stuff. But using the touch screen to do it, not…
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28May 2012 by Grant Fritchey 3 Comments

Rolling out Windows 8 Client: First Impressions

Misc
A virus found it’s way on to my system through a trojan horse, past all the security & anti-virus software. I went through the process of cleaning up, but I kept finding pieces of functionality that had been negatively impacted. Further, I was getting lots of Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) crashes. This was all on my beautiful Lenovo W510 that I use constantly and that I need for demo’s while on the road. It needed a rebuild. When it came to doing the work, I planned on a Windows 7 install. It had been working on the machine for about 18 months without any issues at all so I figured I’d just go back to it… But, Windows 8 is coming out. So, for deep technical reasons that I’ll…
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