I needed a good day with this device after the wireless troubles of yesterday.  The registry fixes worked as advertised; the problem does seem to be linked exclusively to wireless N networks of certain configurations.  Forcing the card to “g” networks has brought flawless connections, so at least there’s a fix in place (even if it is unofficial).

In the meantime, I’ll forge ahead and see if this device is suitable for work (or at least my work).

Today’s thoughts:

– Windows 8 is truly a treat in this particular packaging. Most of their design choices make sense in the context of a portable touch-screen ultrabook (which is really what this is…more on that later).  There are still a few foibles, but nothing close to gamebreaking, and the positives far outweigh the negatives.

– Trying the type cover again and I like it more than I did before.  Regardless, the touch cover is the way to go.

– This isn’t Microsoft’s fault by any means, but the incongruity of interface ability from app to app really sucks.  Going from something like Outlook 2013 (which is quite optimized for Win8 and the SurPro) to, say, Spotify, can be very jarring indeed.  It prevents from using a similar interface usage all the time; you’re more or less forced to switch away from touch to pen/mouse/trackpad for more accuracy for these apps.  Not really a big deal (thanks to these fabulous keyboard covers), but still “a thing.”

– There were a few all-star moments today that really showed off the versatility of this device.  Bringing it in, confirming the issue, checking the configuration notes in our KB program (which is the same as our aforementioned ticketing system), updating the information as needed, RDPing to a server to make a necessary adjustment, testing with user, then finishing the ticket entry and closing.  Time-saver?  Maybe not, but certainly convenient and organized.  Those two attributes are not lost on me.

– The WiFi issues from yesterday illuminated the fact that this device absolutely needs it.  If I have no WiFi and thus cannot access my ticketing software, then I’m resigned to just typing in notes to transfer to that system later.  At that point, my Nexus 7 becomes a better device simply because it’s smaller.

– And the previous observation begs this question: do I need this much power on the go, at least in this situation?  I’m not so sure.  The convenience of having better browser access and other tools such as RDP is certainly admirable, but in my situation it might not be enough.  Time will tell.

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