Surface For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Introduction

Welcome to Surface For Dummies, 2nd Edition! This book helps you wring the most out of Microsoft’s Surface, the combination work/pleasure tablets that turn heads in coffee shops, classrooms, and lunch rooms.

This book doesn’t explain everything you can do with the Surface. That would take at least ten volumes. No, this book explains everything you need to know to set up your Surface, introduce it to yourself and your social networks, and transform it into a natural extension of your lifestyle and work routine.

This book covers all four Surface models: the original Surface RT and Surface Pro, and the newer Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2 models. It also covers more Official Surface Accessories than anybody could possibly afford.

About This Book

Today, most people think of desktop PCs as workhorses for creating: They create documents, spreadsheets, and whatever other boring files their boss requires. And they usually require a mouse and keyboard.

Tablets, by contrast, work best at letting you consume: videos, music, the Internet, and e-mail. And you often do it on the couch by using your fingertips.

But what if one tablet straddled both worlds, letting you both consume and create?

That’s the promise of a Surface tablet. Its finger-friendly Start screen lets you watch videos, listen to music, read e-books and e-mail, and browse the web. And, come Monday morning, you can switch to the Windows desktop, click on one of the Surface’s many keyboards, and put on your working ...