my dad had one of these when i was little and i thought it was so cool, me and my siblings shared an ipad and we always used to refer to the microsoft tablet as the grown up ipad
Ive always wonderered about these. I could see what Microsoft were trying to do but I think they launched it way too early. Having watched this I'm glad I never bought one
Probably a great idea in the focus group when it was developed, and to be fair it’s got awesome connectivity (compared to iPad) and powerful operating system features, but probably a bit before it’s time, the hardware just wasn’t up to it yet. Great showcase vid.
I used my Surface RT a few years ago with some frequency; to write in Word, use Excel spreadsheets, watch movies that I had saved there or from my main computer over the local network, transfer files thanks to its USB port. When I needed to open files of dubious origin, I opened them on this tablet because I considered it "my bunker" because it couldn't have regular malware since it was an ARM processor that could only run programs/apps from the official store. I already have it retired because I use a 5th gen iPad Air and an old Surface 3 that my sister gave me, but I still sometimes use it a little to give it some love.
I have one of those RTs The last time I was able to do a Windows update was on 4/14/23 I happened across your video and thought I might try to do another update... but it just sits there searching for some... Oops, I went back to to the RT to shut it down and there are 10 629Megs of updates 😱 Netflix used to work but it doesn't accept my login anymore.
The problem is getting HomeAssistant on it in the first place. As it's ARM32 you might be able to compile it from source for that architecture, but then trying to find the tools to build it might be difficult too.
@@RichsRandomRetroReviews I do not mean running home-assistant on it, I mean to use as a dashboard. mounted to the wall. especially if it uses less than 5W when constantly powered, it would be more efficient than a modern day tablet
It is a computer I didn’t know about. It has the same form factor as my Lenovo Windows 11. PS I found the background music slightly distracting, otherwise a good video.
Me too - I was on holiday in the US and they'd just come out along with other manufacturers. Still it's been fun to explore. Perhaps get one cheap now ;)
Several years after in December 2019, I finally snagged a Microsoft Surface Tablet with the newer more cross-compatible chip architecture at a half-price clearance and now that has become my 'go-to' tablet. @@RichsRandomRetroReviews
Yeah but then you still have the same issues. You can't get ARM32 apps from the Windows Store. Plus Windows 10 is now unsupported too but it would mean if I could find ARM32 apps via other means I wouldn't have to jail break the device. It's just not worth the hassle.
Nice video! Was very entertaining, I know other people have said this, but the music is a bit loud. It’s unfortunate some people don’t stick thru but the music doesn’t personally bother me so much. Keep up the good work 😊
Thanks for your kind comments. I didn't think the audio was that bad but a lot of people have commented on it, so I'll take it on board for my next video. Glad you enjoyed it!
Sorry about the music. Some people say that the music is too loud others say it’s too quiet. It’s quite a hard balancing act to get it right. I’ll try harder!!
@@RichsRandomRetroReviewsWow, many thanks for the reply. Hey, no worries, but i just can't do the music. It makes me feel like the video maker thinks i couldn't possibly just listen to the information given, so i have to be kinda dancing and skipping along with taking the info. No offence to you at all meant.....i just can't do it. And it's probably just me, so don't listen. Thanks, though.
@@englishrupe01 The problem I find is having no music in the background, the video feels a bit flat. I really appreciate the feedback though. Please keep your comments coming. I'm still new to this and am always up for ways I can improve.
Yes you could but it's not fully supported. There are issues with lack of 3D acceleration and some power management issues. It's just not worth buying one of these really.
@@RichsRandomRetroReviews I like light weight portable laptops. I did have something similar but it had max ram of 2 gig. The only OS that worked was 32 bit widows 7. I have a laptop with windows 8, it was horrible. I use a small Lenovo with screen that flips all way to turn it into a tablet. Must have done that 3 times in a year.
@@markenetube I have a thing for small lightweight computers too. That's one of the things that drew me to the Surface RT. Just a shame the OS is awful!
I did put Linux on mine, and while you're right that it's not fully supported(for example the cam doesn't work), it's the difference between being useful in some contexts(libre office for document editing, pdf reading, ebook reading, web browsing, remote access to other computers or learning Linux in itself or programming) and being a piece of junk. It's not fast(launched 10 years ago) but it's a highly portable Linux system.
my dad had one of these when i was little and i thought it was so cool, me and my siblings shared an ipad and we always used to refer to the microsoft tablet as the grown up ipad
haha cool
Ive always wonderered about these. I could see what Microsoft were trying to do but I think they launched it way too early. Having watched this I'm glad I never bought one
Probably a great idea in the focus group when it was developed, and to be fair it’s got awesome connectivity (compared to iPad) and powerful operating system features, but probably a bit before it’s time, the hardware just wasn’t up to it yet. Great showcase vid.
I used my Surface RT a few years ago with some frequency; to write in Word, use Excel spreadsheets, watch movies that I had saved there or from my main computer over the local network, transfer files thanks to its USB port. When I needed to open files of dubious origin, I opened them on this tablet because I considered it "my bunker" because it couldn't have regular malware since it was an ARM processor that could only run programs/apps from the official store.
I already have it retired because I use a 5th gen iPad Air and an old Surface 3 that my sister gave me, but I still sometimes use it a little to give it some love.
I have one of those RTs
The last time I was able to do a Windows update was on 4/14/23
I happened across your video and thought I might try to do another update... but it just sits there searching for some...
Oops, I went back to to the RT to shut it down and there are 10 629Megs of updates 😱
Netflix used to work but it doesn't accept my login anymore.
Depending on how its charged and its power-draw, it would be quite useful for homeassistant
The problem is getting HomeAssistant on it in the first place. As it's ARM32 you might be able to compile it from source for that architecture, but then trying to find the tools to build it might be difficult too.
@@RichsRandomRetroReviews I do not mean running home-assistant on it, I mean to use as a dashboard. mounted to the wall.
especially if it uses less than 5W when constantly powered, it would be more efficient than a modern day tablet
It is a computer I didn’t know about. It has the same form factor as my Lenovo Windows 11. PS I found the background music slightly distracting, otherwise a good video.
Thanks for the feedback. Background music seems to be quite subjective so I can’t win ;)
I almost bought one of these back in 2013 but hesitated. In hindsight, I am glad I didn't.
Me too - I was on holiday in the US and they'd just come out along with other manufacturers. Still it's been fun to explore. Perhaps get one cheap now ;)
Several years after in December 2019, I finally snagged a Microsoft Surface Tablet with the newer more cross-compatible chip architecture at a half-price clearance and now that has become my 'go-to' tablet. @@RichsRandomRetroReviews
Have you thought about putting windows 10 on it
Yeah but then you still have the same issues. You can't get ARM32 apps from the Windows Store. Plus Windows 10 is now unsupported too but it would mean if I could find ARM32 apps via other means I wouldn't have to jail break the device. It's just not worth the hassle.
Nice video! Was very entertaining, I know other people have said this, but the music is a bit loud. It’s unfortunate some people don’t stick thru but the music doesn’t personally bother me so much. Keep up the good work 😊
Thanks for your kind comments. I didn't think the audio was that bad but a lot of people have commented on it, so I'll take it on board for my next video. Glad you enjoyed it!
Please, please cut out the music. Why is it needed. At times i could barely hear you above the music. I had to quit the video.....sorry.
Sorry about the music. Some people say that the music is too loud others say it’s too quiet. It’s quite a hard balancing act to get it right. I’ll try harder!!
@@RichsRandomRetroReviewsWow, many thanks for the reply. Hey, no worries, but i just can't do the music. It makes me feel like the video maker thinks i couldn't possibly just listen to the information given, so i have to be kinda dancing and skipping along with taking the info. No offence to you at all meant.....i just can't do it. And it's probably just me, so don't listen. Thanks, though.
@@englishrupe01 The problem I find is having no music in the background, the video feels a bit flat. I really appreciate the feedback though. Please keep your comments coming. I'm still new to this and am always up for ways I can improve.
@@RichsRandomRetroReviews Thanks
Can't you just put Linux on it?
Yes you could but it's not fully supported. There are issues with lack of 3D acceleration and some power management issues. It's just not worth buying one of these really.
@@RichsRandomRetroReviews I like light weight portable laptops. I did have something similar but it had max ram of 2 gig. The only OS that worked was 32 bit widows 7. I have a laptop with windows 8, it was horrible. I use a small Lenovo with screen that flips all way to turn it into a tablet. Must have done that 3 times in a year.
@@markenetube I have a thing for small lightweight computers too. That's one of the things that drew me to the Surface RT. Just a shame the OS is awful!
I did put Linux on mine, and while you're right that it's not fully supported(for example the cam doesn't work), it's the difference between being useful in some contexts(libre office for document editing, pdf reading, ebook reading, web browsing, remote access to other computers or learning Linux in itself or programming) and being a piece of junk. It's not fast(launched 10 years ago) but it's a highly portable Linux system.
Stopped watching after 2 minutes cause the music is way too loud. Good luck with your channel.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll try and do better.
@@RichsRandomRetroReviews I would continue watching if you re-upload.