While some CIOs may be waiting for a Windows 8-powered tablet to take on the iPad, the Samsung Series 7 device is unlikely to be a contender. However, this device—which can be connected to a docking station and an external keyboard—just might be a viable alternative to the laptop.
The Series 7 weighs about twice as much as an iPad, but less than many full-featured laptops. That lightweight form, the ability to boot up quickly, and a new operating system designed for touchscreens of all sizes, mean that this device might be the only computing device that some people need. And the Series 7 also might be appealing to CIOs who are looking for an easy-to-administer Windows computer.
After testing the software–officially, the “release preview” code, or the version directly before Microsoft shipped its “gold code” iteration to manufacturers–on Samsung’s Series 7 tablet for the last week or so, I was struck by how much the software maintained the usability of desktop versions of Windows, albeit designed for the touch screen experience
The opening Start screen does away with the traditional Start button long associated with the Windows platform. Instead of moving around the screen with a cursor and mouse, I tapped on small, square tiles like those found on the Windows Phone, and moved swiftly from calendar application to desktop programs, photos and maps. I enjoyed the dynamic tile icons Microsoft has introduced with the Windows 8 Start screen. They display live information. When a new e-mail arrived, a notification popped up on the tile to notify me. When the local weather report changed, the live weather tile updated accordingly.
My test unit came with Office Pro Plus installed, affording me access to 2010 versions of Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and SharePoint, essential tools for modern office productivity. I navigated these applications and created documents with them smoothly, evidence that Microsoft had successfully transferred the Windows experience to a larger touch screen device. It felt a little strange to use finger gestures to navigate programs that I’ve accessed for the last decade with a mouse. But I got used to it soon enough.
Typing on the Windows 8 tablet was a pleasant experience. The character keys were wide enough to reduce my typos. And on the numeral page, Microsoft has separated the punctuation keys, which are on the left, from the number keys, which the company situated on the right. Separating these key sets on halves of the screen sped up my typing considerably. Creating an efficient typing experience is crucial for the success of Windows 8 on a tablet. CIOs considering Windows 8 tablets will want to make sure that employees type as effectively on the tablets as they can on laptops. For those who aren’t comfortable typing on a tablet, Microsoft has included a docking station and Bluetooth keyboard with the review units to approximate the user experience of a laptop.
As pleasantly shiny and new as Windows 8 feels, my recommendation comes with some caveats. First, logging in to use the tablet and its apps was cumbersome. I haven’t been a user of Microsoft’s online services for years. Consequently, to use the tablet I had to create a Hotmail account to associate myself with the device. When I tried to access Microsoft PowerPoint I had to enter a 25-digit product code supplied by Microsoft, which granted me access to PowerPoint and the rest of the Office Pro Plus suite. Other apps asked me for things like my SkyDrive password, which is essentially the Microsoft Live Web mail password. To be fair, this set-up process is no different than when you buy a new Windows PC and enter software keys to download new software, but it slowed me down a bit.
Organizations with Active Directory network administration software should have a reasonably easy time configuring Windows 8. Seton Hall University CIO Stephen Landry, who has deployed roughly 450 Samsung Series 7 machines to faculty and students with the same software I’m testing, told me his process was much smoother because the school’s faculty, staff and students have been using Microsoft Live for e-mail since 2009. “We found provisioning very easy,” Landry told me Wednesday. He said he has a server on campus so that when students register at the school, they are assigned a Live account within minutes. Once joined to the Seton Hall domain, the tablets are enabled with WiFi access by Microsoft’s Active Directory network administration software.
The Samsung Series 7 weighs close to 2 pounds, or nearly double the weight of the iPad. Therefore, users may perceive this machine as more of an alternative to the laptop than other tablets. That may not cut it for some CIOs who like to carry their tablets from home to car and office. But if the reports from Microsoft are true, come October there will be a flood of Windows 8 tablets on the market, some of the lighter and some of them heavier than this Series 7 machine.
Microsoft has successfully developed a version of Windows that will run smoothly on a tablet, with Office applications that have been optimized for the touch experience. I can recommend this device for corporate road warriors tired of lugging around laptops. And CIOs seem to enjoy it. “I have to say I am a fan,” Terex CIO Greg Fell told me Wednesday. “I am using it inside the firewall and it works perfectly. I had an iPad the day it was first released, but it is in my desk and has not been turned on in two months. The Samsung has replaced my iPad and laptop with one device very successfully.”
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