- [Zac] Hey there, guys.
Zac here for Windows Central,
and today we're taking a look,
at the Microsoft Surface Table running Windows 10.
(whooshing techno music)
So getting Windows 10 installed on this thing,
took around six hours in total,
but once the installation was complete,
and all the drivers were up and running,
everything works pretty much as expected.
I've got Touch working,
which is actually really quite amazing.
I've also got sound working so I can play music,
through YouTube or Groove Music, in this case.
There's also Wi-Fi, which is really quite handy.
Bluetooth support, which was a big surprise to me.
I can now hook up controllers, for example.
And then you can also do a bit of light gaming,
as well, which is always a nice touch.
So why would you want to do this in the first place?
Because the Surface Shell is
actually pretty cool on its own.
And while true, the Surface Shell is 10 years old
and it's not really in support by developers anymore.
Windows 10 on the other hand,
does have support with developers, and in addition, it also
gives you extra functionality such as browsing the web.
The original Surface Shell and software
didn't have a web browser built in,
therefore you couldn't browse the web.
As you can see here, I am browsing Windows Central
just fine and there are some issues with the Touch.
It does work quite well when using just one finger,
but when multi-touching and just trying
to drag things around, it does lag a little bit.
But as you can see here,
with one finger it works absolutely fine.
Now, moving on to the Microsoft Globe app,
the added benefit of finding Windows 10 of course,
is I can now install any apps I want.
And with the Windows 7 Touch Pack
comes the Microsoft Surface Globe app.
And this app is kind of like Google Earth.
It allows you to take a look at planet Earth
and search for locations and whatnot,
and it actually runs quite well.
Now the lag you see is, again,
due to the Touch driver, not performance.
This table actually runs really quite well with Windows 10,
and we'll touch on that more in just a second.
So the Globe app was a Microsoft Surface 2.0 app
I believe, when it first was announced by Microsoft.
And then of course, it was bundled with the
Windows 7 Touch Pack and it works absolutely fine
here on the Microsoft Surface 1.0.
I can add locations and whatnot,
browse the web, and then you've also got the updated
Lagoon app which has AI fish and whatnot.
Again, another nice touch.
And in using normal universal Windows Touch apps,
it works absolutely fine.
As you can see here, I'm checking the weather
with the Weather app, I'm going through
historical weather checking rainfall and whatnot.
Got the apps list.
I've also got access to Cortana,
which is very nice although there is no microphone built in.
You will have to search with the keyboard,
unless you plug in a USB mic
of course, if you really want to.
You've got a file explorer, which works much like
the file explorer does in Windows 10,
except entirely with touch.
And then of course, you've got cool things like Netflix,
meaning you can now watch things
like "Doctor Who" on your table.
Now this is a little bit gimmicky, I admit,
but it's still nice to show off to friends.
And again, the speakers in the table are really nice.
Now you think that's gimmicky, check this out.
You can actually play games like
GTA San Andreas on the table as well.
Of course Touch controls all work.
If it's a Windows 10 app, it should have
touch controls and in this case, it does.
And I'm able to run around San Andreas with my table.
But then, since this is a Windows 10 PC,
why not plug in an Xbox controller and play on your couch
on your table with an Xbox controller.
This is really quite amazing.
Games like Minecraft preform absolutely fine.
If GTA San Andreas works,
then of course Minecraft will work as well.
Again, more touch controls so you don't
actually have to use a controller.
A lot of these games, in fact any game
you download from the Windows Store
will work on the table pretty much.
There are some graphical issues,
which we'll get to in a second, for some games,
but accessibility-wise, they work absolutely fine.
Now here's an example of one of the games
that have graphical issues.
I'm not sure what causes this,
the game appears to perform well,
it's just there are some graphical issues
with textures and whatnot, which just appear
to make the game look like it doesn't work.
It does work and again, performs really quite well however.
So, why settle for that?
Why not just play Xbox One games on your table?
With the Xbox app and Windows 10,
I can stream my Xbox One to my table
and play Xbox One games.
Again, this is another gimmick,
but it's fantastic nonetheless.
And something to show off to friends, too.
And it works much like you would expect it to.
You just launch the game, via the streaming app,
and begin playing it.
There's very little input lag
depending on your internet connection, of course.
And there I am. I'm here playing
Halo Wars 2 on my Surface Table.
Absolutely fantastic.
Since this is Windows 10, you obviously get access
to a notification center which houses all your
notifications, including from your phone,
which is actually really quite handy.
Then you've got apps like Twitter,
anything that's universal and in the Windows Store
actually runs perfectly well on the Surface Table.
One Calendar is a really great universal app,
and as you can see here, if I wanted to I could download it
to my table and begin using it, which is fantastic.
And then you've got first-party apps like Photos
which are really quite nice on the Surface Table
as they make it easy to share
pictures with friends and family.
Now I do believe installing Windows 10
on the Surface Table makes it much more useful,
as the Surface shell that comes with it
pre-installed is pretty much useless these days,
especially for home users.
Installing Windows 10 allows you to
install apps, listen to music from your favorite
streaming services, watch videos, play games.
It turns it into a interactive PC, which is fantastic.
Now you do lose out on some of the unique features
that the Surface originally introduced,
such as object tracking and even using the device
from multiple angles around the screen.
With Windows 10, that's not really possible
as the UI is designed to be looked at from one angle.
Which means somebody sitting at the other end of the
table will see everything upside down.
And that's a disadvantage and pretty much
steps away from exactly what the Surface Table
originally set out to achieve.
And considering there is no app store
for the Surface Shell where developers can submit
Surface Table apps and users can download them,
there's no point sticking with the Surface Shell.
So installing Windows 10, although it takes away
some of that unique functionality,
actually makes the Table better.
And it's the reason why I bought one.
I bought one with the intention
of installing Windows 10 on it.
And I can honestly say that I am happy I have done so.
I have set up a (mumbles) system so I haven't
actually gotten rid of the old Windows Vista install.
If I really want to I can go back to it,
but I find myself booting into Windows 10 more,
if only because of the notifications which
come through on my phone and show up on my Table.
I can also use my Table as a media center
so I can play music through Groove,
I could watch movies on it, I could even stream media,
or I could stream my Xbox to the Table as well.
It turns the Table into a hub for your home.
And I think that's really quite nice.
If you have Hue lights for example,
you can download an app called Huetro
which allows me to control my lights from my Table.
Which again, is something ridiculous
but actually quite useful when you're sitting around it.
So there you have it guys, there's a quick look at
Windows 10 running on a Surface Table.
Now, I don't think Microsoft are going to be releasing
any new Surface Tables anytime soon,
and if they did, they'd have to do a lot of work
to Windows 10 to bring back that unique functionality
of being able to use the device
from any angle as well as object tracking.
But I honestly think there is a market for these.
I don't know how, I don't know when or where,
but in the future I would love to be able to
sit down at a Windows-powered table
that's fully supported by its operating system,
and has a huge developer community,
that can track objects and can be used by multiple people.
I think it would be fantastic.
Unfortunately, it isn't here yet,
however this is a kind of teaser or glimpse
into what the future may hold for tables
and Windows into other things.
But in the meantime, thanks so much for watching
and I shall see you in the next one.
Bye bye.