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Saturday 6 July 2013

Surface Computing Unleashed - Samsung Ativ Q vs. Microsoft Surface Pro

Research says that people are more fancied towards touchscreen and portable devices. That is one of the reasons surface computing rapidly growing and very soon it will change the computing era. Surface computing was not at all possible without integration and embedding technologies which helped a lot in compacting and making lightweight products. According to me surface is going to replace the old interaction techniques very soon in near future. There are lot of companies working on this new human computer interaction way. But some of them really came across with huge success like Microsoft's New Surface Pro and Samsung's Ativ Q. Both of them runs on Microsoft's Windows 8 Platform.

In this review I will talk about this two emerging Surface computing devices -

Windows 8 is a loud-and-clear statement about the future of the PC: it's touch-oriented, it's mobile, and it's convergent.The jury is still out on whether customers will wholeheartedly buy into that vision, but several recent devices at least give us more tangible examples of what that kind of future looks like.

Lets compare Samsung's upcoming Ativ Q and Microsoft's own Surface Pro -

Well, as per the future of surface computing is concerned they both are best at their place according to their configuration and features. But differs in some minor criteria.....
  • Keyboard - Samsung Ativ Q has its own in-built convertible keyboard where keyboard for Surface Pro is sold separately on demand. Both of these devices fit the bill, though in very different ways. The Ativ Q is a convertible, which comes with a touchscreen that folds and flips, great to be used in several different configurations.The Surface Pro, when taken alone without keyboard, is a tablet. A powerful Intel Core-powered tablet, but a tablet nonetheless. But Microsoft's snap-on keyboard accessories, sold separately, let you easily turn it into a faux-laptop by folding out the Touch Cover or Type Cover. Both devices take our minds off the mouse as we interact using touchscreen. 
  • Size & Weight - Well when it comes to portable computing size and weight matters a lot. The Ativ Q makes for a huge tablet, with a 13.3 inch display. Compared with Surface Pro, Ativ Q got 47% larger display. I guess that's a huge difference on your hand or your bag. Samsung did, however, manage to make the Ativ Q about as slim as possible. It's only three percent thicker than Surface Pro, despite having a built-in keyboard. Samsung Ativ Q weighs around 1290g and Surface Pro around 907g (without keyboard).
  • Processor - Samsung did not revealed the number of cores or clock speed in the Ativ Q, so I am not too sure about this. But Samsung did published that it's a Haswell-based Intel Core i5, so even if the exact processor changes in the final version, that part won't. Since it's a Haswell chip, it will likely get better battery life than the Surface Pro.
  • Graphics, Storage & Battery - Both of them got Intel HD graphics 4000. They got 4GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. Both can be expanded with the help of Micro SD card and they have USB 3.0 option as well. Ativ Q claimed the battery backup of 9hrs where Surface Pro claims up to 6hrs backup with Web.
  • Camera - Ativ Q comes with only front camera worth 720p where Surface Pro have both front and read camera's of same quality i.e. 720p.
  • Operating Platform (OS) - For all of the Ativ's eyebrow-raising features, this is probably the most exciting. It's a Windows 8 tablet, but it also runs Android (likely in a virtual environment). You can quickly toggle back-and-forth between Windows 8 and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It even lets you share files between the two systems. The Surface Pro doesn't run Android, but you can actually achieve some of the same results with Bluestacks' Android emulator for Surface.
Well now just to wrap up, both of them are undoubtedly best in the configuration and processing. All we have to worry is about the pricing of these two future PCs. Considering its components, I don't think Samsung will reveal it for below $1000. But until Samsung gives us something solid, we're left guessing. But Surface Pro revealed its price and it starts from $900. The Ativ Q, meanwhile, leaves us with too many questions to jump to any conclusions. Can convertible hybrid devices also make for great tablets? Is a 13-inch screen way too big for this kind of machine? How much does the Ativ's high-res display affect its battery life?

Stay in touch and I will update the same here time to time.....

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