Surface 2 RT 10.1" NVIDIA Tegra 4 Tablet

Most of you know this already, but steer clear of the RT Surfaces. Woefully slow; no programs work because no one developed anything for the OS, and MS has abandoned the OS. I wouldn’t buy an RT Tablet for $50.

I would disagree. If you are looking for a PC replacement, the RT will disappoint. However, if you want a very capable tablet, mine has performed very well. Yes, there aren’t a million time waster apps for it but it has everything I need to be productive in a small form factor. Our house has Apple, Android, and Windows tablets available. Kids gravitate to the Apple and Android devices. Teens and adults gravitate to the Surface devices.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Keep in mind that these are the Surface 2 (not the 1st gen Surface RT). Although the Surface 2 runs Windows RT, it has a higher screen resolution and the significantly faster Tegra 4 processor. It cannot be considered slow.

The Surface 2 comes with a full install of MS Office with a permanent license… not a free year of an Office 365 subscription that most Windows tablets have today.

If someone understands what the Surface 2 is… more capable than an iPad but less capable than a Windows notebook, then they’ll be pleasantly satisfied.

Here’s a video of someone showing what the Surface RT (the slower 1st gen) can do:

The Surface 2 of this woot can do all of that but quicker and with higher resolution.

The “problem” with this woot is that the price is too high for a device that is nearly 2 years old. But for those who are not ebay-savvy or simply want the simplicity and security of dealing with a trusted company to purchase a NEW device, then there is some value in that.

Microsoft doesn’t plan on providing a Windows RT 10 upgrade but has committed to providing an update that will bring some of Windows 10 features to the Surface RT/2 devices.

I agree with you, RT was a failure (and if it wasn’t, they’d still make it). The thing is, for this price you can buy a current medium range tablet with an updated OS.

Exactly this. I did buy an RT for $150 about a year ago. It’s essentially become a pricey paperweight. The speed isn’t so much a problem as the complete lack of compatible software. Nobody makes apps for RT, and nobody ever will. You might as well invest in an HP Touchpad.

RE: RT Yes, it’s not an iOS or android tablet. There are fewer apps and widgets and do-dads… blah, blah, blah.

For 90% of the community at large, the RT tablets are just fine. They go on the internet, you can watch videos on them, they offer micro SD storage, run office programs for MOST consumers.

Mine is great for what I use it for, mostly watching videos patched to our non-smart TV via HDMI… Oh yeah, no luck finding that on most other devices… And typing documents on the touch cover… Which, when you get used to it - is great. I can also do all the Office programs I need to run on it, and it’s lighter than a standard laptop.

Lesson is that while RT has it’s limitations, it has it’s useful market as well. It’s just that the “useful market” turned up it’s nose at the initial price tag, and that’s why it died off. When they discounted the RT Surface tabs, they sold like hotcakes.

And if you’re not using your “paperweight” - I’ll buy it for $50.

I have to agree. The number of quality apps isn’t there. I own and RT tablet and I had hoped that windows 10 would have brought it back into the fold as a useful device rather than a curiosity.

Instead Windows pulled support for the RT line and has effectively killed any interest even in the old devices.

If it isn’t being updated I wouldn’t trust that future windows market place apps will be backwards compatible and even existing apps that work with RT may one day stop working as well.

I’m not really sure what you mean when you say “no programs work.” RT uses the Windows Store, which Microsoft is very actively pushing. I am a Microsoft developer, and I can tell you big things are coming in the next few months that will increase the number of apps in the Windows Store. For example, everyone probably already knows that developers can write one app, and have it run on all Windows 10 platforms. This means an app I write will run on Surfaces, desktop PCs, and even the Xbox.

In addition to that Microsoft just released an early version of their Windows Bridge for iOS that assists iOS app developers in porting their apps over to Windows. That has the potential to increase the quantity and quality of available apps.

There is nothing new being developed for RT. It is a dead OS.

It is not Windows. It is Windows RT. It might as well be called “Totally Different OS Than Windows”