Surface Pro 4. I would't buy again for business

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Networkn
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#1540623 23-Apr-2016 12:55

gehenna:

JayADee:

Been meaning to try this out.

Also, can you cast to another win 10 PC on the same network like that? Or smart tv? Been meaning to try that too.

Were you using OneNote?

If you use OneNote for your note taking/drawing it records audio at the place you are drawing/note taking or whatever so it's in sync with the notes... haven't tried it myself (tho I use OneNote constantly) and OneNote is also searchable, changes ink to text and even does math. I often use OneNote to store photos, web articles etc. Great program. Wish I had had it when I was a student.

Yup I was using OneNote. I'm still pretty new to it. I have been using Evernote exclusively for years and OneNote never made sense to me until I got the Surface. Learning the features though and putting them to use in a meeting setting whenever I can, so I can work out their value to my workflow. Great to hear about the audio stuff, I'll try that out next week!

Are these Surface features, or just W10 features on compatible hardware?

gehenna

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#1540631 23-Apr-2016 13:05

networkn:

Are these Surface features, or just W10 features on compatible hardware?

I doubt they're exclusive to Surface. Just better integrated. The projector has Miracast built in, so I can connect to it directly without needing any special dongle. The Surface/OneNote supports handwriting, etc. So yeah, probably more a combo of Windows 10 on hardware that's built to use the native features.

dafman

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#1547196 5-May-2016 13:46

dafman:

nathan:

please grab the new SP4/SB/Dock drivers that are on Windows Update.

We've done a lot of testing of these drivers with our partner Intel over the last few months, and the Dock with external monitors is much much more reliable now.

Check it out and let us know

https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/install-update-activate/surface-pro-4-update-history

https://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/install-update-activate/surface-book-update-history

Thanks Nathan - I am on the road for the next week, so won't be back docked in front of dual screens until the week after next - so will update thread in due course. The dock is certainly the main driver of frustration and numerous re-boots - using the SP4 as a standalone device while travelling is much less stressful.

Post update, my recent experience is that the Surface/dock integration seems more robust than previous. No particular issues over last week. Fingers crossed, long may it continue.

Stu

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#1547201 5-May-2016 14:07

Whilst things are better since the updates, I have had a couple of occasions where the tablet has failed (Windows crashes and unable to return from sleep) whilst sleeping for long-ish periods (a few hours) connected to the dock/port replicator. I find it's safer to just shut down completely if I'm going to be away from the desk for a while or overnight.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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Geektastic

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#1547216 5-May-2016 14:52

gehenna:

JayADee:

Been meaning to try this out.

Also, can you cast to another win 10 PC on the same network like that? Or smart tv? Been meaning to try that too.

Were you using OneNote?

If you use OneNote for your note taking/drawing it records audio at the place you are drawing/note taking or whatever so it's in sync with the notes... haven't tried it myself (tho I use OneNote constantly) and OneNote is also searchable, changes ink to text and even does math. I often use OneNote to store photos, web articles etc. Great program. Wish I had had it when I was a student.

Yup I was using OneNote. I'm still pretty new to it. I have been using Evernote exclusively for years and OneNote never made sense to me until I got the Surface. Learning the features though and putting them to use in a meeting setting whenever I can, so I can work out their value to my workflow. Great to hear about the audio stuff, I'll try that out next week!

You're doing better than I am. I find ON to be a mishmash of confusion! Evernote is much easier to use. ON is too much like the awful Word. Also I do not like the 'lite' version of ON that pops up when you use the pen click trick but AFAIK it won't let you choose which version of ON opens when you click.

Geektastic

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#1547218 5-May-2016 14:57

I do not use my SP4 with a dock.

My principle reason for getting it (over the iPad Pro) was for image editing because unlike the iPP you can edit RAW images and use the pen to brush in effects, masks and so on. That is brilliant.

So far, I have not had problems with it really - at least no more than I had with the MBP it replaced, which wasn't the nicest laptop I have ever owned (my Macbook Air was). I do not use it that much when not on the road, as I prefer the 27" iMac 5k on my desk!

Best solution would be for MS to outsource the design of the next version of Windows to Apple...!

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#1547240 5-May-2016 16:03

Geektastic:

... Also I do not like the 'lite' version of ON that pops up when you use the pen click trick but AFAIK it won't let you choose which version of ON opens when you click.

You can do this but first you have to update the `Surface' app in the windows store.
Then you can open the Surface app and change what each button does on the surface pen. I changed mine to launch the Microsoft OneNote desktop app that ships with Office instead of the other one.

It's better, but still a frustrating experience.

Geektastic

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#1547267 5-May-2016 16:57

mitchtay:

Geektastic:

... Also I do not like the 'lite' version of ON that pops up when you use the pen click trick but AFAIK it won't let you choose which version of ON opens when you click.

You can do this but first you have to update the `Surface' app in the windows store.
Then you can open the Surface app and change what each button does on the surface pen. I changed mine to launch the Microsoft OneNote desktop app that ships with Office instead of the other one.

It's better, but still a frustrating experience.

Oh - cool. Will have a go.

Yes, ON is just way, way too complex. The Lite version won't do handwriting to text, and the full version just does so much that it becomes overbearing.

dafman

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#1547570 6-May-2016 12:15

Stu:

Whilst things are better since the updates, I have had a couple of occasions where the tablet has failed (Windows crashes and unable to return from sleep) whilst sleeping for long-ish periods (a few hours) connected to the dock/port replicator. I find it's safer to just shut down completely if I'm going to be away from the desk for a while or overnight.

That was my problem, I would lock the SP when heading out for a couple of hours, only to return to find it had crashed requiring hard reset. However, seems better over the last week, no occurrences.

JayADee

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#1548134 8-May-2016 06:24

I tried out the free program medibang on my SP4 yesterday. Wanted a simple drawing program with layers for cartooning and caricatures. Also, the April SP4 updates are now on Microsoft's page so I finally got the camera updates which did not come through Windows update.

Picture isn't done yet but you get the idea. Using pencil, pen, watercolour brush and paint bucket fill, 8 bit.

test medibang

heavenlywild

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#1548143 8-May-2016 07:17

Very impressive drawing! Wow!

I couldn't draw to save myself.

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Stu

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#1548184 8-May-2016 08:58

What @heavenlywild said! Very talented @JayADee!

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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JayADee

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#1548207 8-May-2016 10:32

Thank you. That is my first ever digital drawing. :) I want to try drawing some stuff on computer. Takes a bit of getting your head around. I've never had a force sensitive input device before. Even the eraser erases less to more the harder you press. Pretty cool.

JayADee

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#1549332 10-May-2016 15:05

I broke part of the plastic tip of my Pro 4 pen when I dropped it while standing back to take a look at my Hoskings drawing.

Pen still works fine though, luckily. I thought at least the tip would be a gonner. I dropped it right onto the tip onto our wooden floor.

Moral: don't drop your Surface pen.

Edits were due to me trying to remember how to upload a photo.

dpf81

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#1559444 25-May-2016 16:09

We have about 5-6 Surface pro 4's here

At first i had the exact same issues as you, not waking from sleep, having to constantly reconfigure external screens when docking etc

The sleep issues seem to have mostly gone after updates in the last couple of months, but the only way we managed to 'resolve' the external monitor docking issue was to buy monitors that supported displayport 1.2 and daisy chaining so that we had one cable going from the dock to 1 monitor, then a displayport cable from monitor 1 to monitor 2

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