So, I have a MS Surface RT...Now What?

Don't get me wrong, it is a really nice device. Specs are great, built in stand, magnetic keyboard and charger, a real USB interface among other things... a very limited app store and not very portable. I got it to use at work and want some ideas so I can really use it. Please help!

As side loading linux onto the RT is a full scale chore of quite some proportion... there is a server manager app and a remote desktop app if you have servers to manage.

Other than that, I'd really put it in a draw until October 17th when you can put 8.1 on it. At least then you'll have Outlook and can use it as an email reader.

I cannot see the point of them though all in all. I'm even more disgruntled that I ordered 8 of them for work colleagues in mid-July and they still have not showed up.

This will be a good thread to follow. I played with one the other day and was so happy to see a real word processor on it that I hadn't realized there was no Outlook. Wow, though, the price is right, and if the new OS can smooth the edges...

Jake

I thought RT came with Windows Mail as part of the built in apps...a rebranded Outlook Express?

Yes, it does come with Windows Mail. And it's a pretty decent email app imo. There is also a Metro calendar and Contacts app as well. All together, however, they do not have as many features as Outlook. It is not nearly as desperate of a situation as the media have portrayed it though.

Other than that one dude's project to make x86 apps work on RT, I have no idea what you would use it for.

Watch YouTube with it.

Or watch online videos from streaming services that does news?

To be honest...I've never used any tablet for any serious work...that is always reserved for my desktop. Because I need a mouse and a keyboard and a LARGE SCREEN!

Tablets are for portable on-the-go use for me. Web surfing from my easy chair, watching a recorded movie when I'm out on the boat...that type of thing...portability.

So while Surface RT may be limited...I'd be willing to bet that it meets everyone's needs...or at least the majority of everyone...and I'd also be willing to bet that no one uses it as their main computing device, except for students...and there it probably excels...

This comes back to my academic theory of the hardware industry. There are now two distinct threads, the computer (the moniority) used by people who need to make things happen and the consumptor (the increasing majority) who need to use a machine to consume information for whom limitations in interfaces, input rates and the flexibility to have the system adapt to you (rather than you the system) is of little consequence.

RT is a good example of the consumptor, as are Android and iOS. What doesn't work for me is attempting to brand the same platform to 'computer' users. But that is an aide from this thread.

The RT is OK for consumption, however it is let down by what I see to be Microsoft single biggest historic problem. They cannot community build.

Just look at the history of their attempts to create third-party engagement in content delivery paradigms.

CDF in IE4 - failed (this was basically RSS several years before RSS)
Active Desktop in IE4 - failed, deprecated
Mobile CDF in Palm-Sized PC - failed
IE Addon's programme in IE5 - no one writes for it
Windows Market Place in XP - died
IE7+ Add-ins - who submits to it? No one, everyone just downloads Google's search provider and never returns
Gadget Platform in Vista - dead, deprecated, mostly uselss
Zune - died
Windows Experience Index in Vista - no one bought into it in the software world, you couldn't really fairly cross compares stats, they only updated it with OS releases so it's irrelevant
Office Addon and Extensions market place - who goes here?
ClipArt Online - could have been a hub for open royalty free image exchange and commercial providers to sell artwork, it's MS that adds to it
Windows Store - ?
Windows Phone Store - ?

Where are MS's core apps in the store?
Why can't you see all apps by developer X in the store?
Why is it so hard to differentiate between official and spamware apps
Where are the big players?
Why are user comments almost irrelevant on the UI?

So, what to use RT for? Wait for 8.1, get Outlook and then write your own apps to pick-up the slack - oh wait, you need a computer to do that not a consumptor

C:Amie...your academic theory...is that related to the "one size fits all" postulate?

Microsoft's view over Windows 8 would qualify, yes

Maybe there is DosBox for Windows RT? When, try to run Windows 3.1 on your surface I tried it on my PPC Yakumo Delta300 GPS. -->Works (slowly).

Interesting list of MS failures, C:Amie. My Zune 120 died a while back and I miss its nice sound.

Anyways, on the original question, can you get adobe reader for Windows RT? I use it on my android tablet, and with a stylus and the "freehand" function, you can underline as you read, and make notes that save with the document. As an academic, that's my only use for the tablet, but I use it a lot. In all other situations, I need a keyboard, and prefer a larger screen. In fact, for most work, a 4:3 screen suits me better than a widescreen. Call me a luddite.

Yes, there is an official touch version of adobe reader, you just have to find it amongst all the crapware. It has a more formal, officialised icon in the app store and is by Adobe. Its commenting isn't as good as iAnnotate for example.

Maybe you'll explain to the dummies among us (myself included) what CDF is, C:Amie.