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Update on June 19 2017 9:40AM by Matt Smith: The Surface Pro 4 has been replaced by the Surface Pro, which we've reviewed. Microsoft's new Surface Pro is slightly thinner, has superior battery life, and significantly outperforms the Pro 4 in processor benchmarks. You may still find the Surface Pro 4 for sale, but it should only be purchased at a hefty discount.
The original Surface Pro was bulky. Its battery was limited. The keyboard was annoying, the display wasn't great, and performance was just okay. It was expensive. Worst of all, it was forced to run Windows 8, an awkward operating system poorly suited for dedicated touchscreen use.

Yet, for all its faults, the Surface Pro was also revolutionary.

If Microsoft was as stodgy as its reputation suggests, it would've given up on the Pro and set its sights on some other pie-in-the-sky project. Instead, it hunkered down, analyzed the problem, and tried again. And again. And again. After just two and a half years we're now on the fourth iteration. On average, a new Pro has arrived every eight months.

The Surface Pro 4 is a microcosm of the change Microsoft is trying to spur inside its own walls.

A look at the latest model's specifications makes the improvements clear. Aside from a move to Intel's 6 th-generation Core chips - significant, because Microsoft skipped the fifth generation entirely - the new model has a long list of updates. The keyboard is more spacious, the touchpad is larger, the display is both bigger and more pixel dense, the pen is more sensitive, and the base hard drive offers twice the capacity as before.

But the Surface Pro 4 also finds itself competing in an increasingly diverse field. Its revolutionary nature has forced other companies to respond. Since its release, the Surface Pro 4 has been constantly imitated, but no updates in almost a year has left the Surface Pro 4 in the shadow of its former prominence. Is it still a solid choice, or should you hold off for an upgrade?

Design

Microsoft is obviously comfortable with the design of its Surface notebooks. Like the less powerful Surface 3, which debuted over the summer, the Pro 4 doesn't look much different than its predecessor. The new model is a hair thinner, and a few hundredths of a pound lighter, but its dimensions are otherwise the same.

The Surface Pro 4 is still bulky for a tablet. Virtually everything based on mobile hardware is thinner and lighter, even the iPad Pro, which has a similar display size. For a PC tablet, though, the Surface Pro 4 is pretty svelte.

Whether it's small enough depends on how you plan to use it, and perhaps even your own dimensions. People who find a regular iPad a bit unwieldy are going to find this massive. We managed alright. More recent competitors like the Samsung TabPro S and Huawei Matebook indisputably feel slimmer in-hand, and are easier to handle. But the Surface Pro 4 is a lot easier to handle than any 2-in-1 with a 360-degree hinge, like Lenovo's Yoga series, and that's become the much more common implementation.

Microsoft has set up the Pro properly for use as either a PC or tablet. Though its overall size has hardly changed, the new model jumps from a 12-inch to a 12.3-inch display. That's accomplished through thinner bezels which look more attractive, but still provide enough room to grip the Surface Pro without grazing the touchscreen.

The device also benefits from thoughtful location of buttons. The power and volume keys are located on the upper left edge when the device is held in landscape orientation or used as a PC. That becomes the upper right flank when it's turned and used in portrait orientation, which is typical for tablets. In either case, the buttons are accessible, yet not positioned where they'll be accidentally bumped.

Using the stylus is as intuitive as using a real pen.

Connectivity is a bit more awkward. The USB and Mini-DisplayPort jacks are on the right flank when the Surface Pro is used with the keyboard. That works well enough, but it means anything attached will jut out from the bottom if the device is used as a tablet in portrait orientation. The combo headphone/microphone jack is difficult in either case, as its always located near the top edge of the device, leaving the user to tangle with the cord. There are only so many places to put a port on a slate.

The power brick's connector works well. Its magnetically aligned and multi-directional, so it's easy to insert and doesn't send the entire device flying if you happen to trip over it and tug it out. It's past time for this type of design to become the standard for both tablets and laptops, but most of the Pro 4's PC competition is saddled with a stiff, stubborn plug. Better still, the brick itself offers a USB port, so you can charge your phone without using the USB 3.0 port on the Surface Pro 4 itself.

Type Cover triumphant

Keyboard quality has long been our most serious issue with the Surface Pro line. Microsoft always used a strange keyboard layout that lacks significant gaps between keys, making it more difficult to discern between them. Previous Type Covers also made poor use of the available space, so both the keyboard and touchpad weren't as large as they could be.

The new Type Cover - which is compatible with the old Surface Pro 3, by the way - entirely fixes the problem. It better uses the available space, so it's larger and offers plenty of room between keys. The touchpad is bigger, especially in height. Like the previous version, the new Cover is powered over a simple connector that attaches magnetically, and it can be used flat or propped at an angle for a more ergonomic experience.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The improved Cover transforms the Surface Pro. The Pro 3's cover asked the user to bargain with it. "Okay, kid," it said, "I'll give you a touchscreen, but you gotta put up with this keyboard." The Pro 4 asks no such compromise. It works as well as most dedicated laptops and has a major edge over many competitors including the iPad Pro, Samsung TabPro S, and Huawei Matebook, all of which feel flimsy by comparison. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet is the only device we've tested that beats the Surface Pro 4's Type Cover.

Lenovo's X1 wins mostly because it's more comfortable on your lap. Microsoft's adjustable hinge needs a flat surface to be stable. That can be a problem if you want to mash the keys while reclining on your sofa to enjoy an episode of Deep Space Nine. Microsoft contends this issue isn't a big deal because laptops are actually used on a tablet or desk the majority of the time, and for the most part, that's true. But it can be annoying - even damaging, as a shift in posture can send the unsteady Pro 4 tumbling off your lap and onto the floor.

The pen is mighty

The pen, too, has been improved. It has four times the sensitivity of that which shipped with the Surface Pro 3. It also includes a "real" eraser that works just like you'd expect it to. While the older model looked as if it had one, it in fact used a button, a design that went against decades of muscle memory.

These changes are a big upgrade - the eraser, especially. Microsoft's software has continued to mature, as well, so pen input works far more smoothly than it did with the original Surface. Now, for the first time since its launch, using a stylus doesn't feel like a constant hassle. It's handy and, when using the Surface Pro 4 as a tablet, often preferable to the virtual keyboard.

Some issues do persist. If you stay in Microsoft's eco-system of apps, like Edge and OneNote, the pen works almost without flaw. Third-party applications are not always as compatible. The Google Chrome browser, for example, absolutely refused to initiate pen input in any of its text entry fields. Slack, an organization app used by companies worldwide, seemed finicky about detecting the pen's "clicks." And if you were hoping to play games with touch or pen input, forget about it. Very few are properly designed for it.

Still, the Surface Pen is arguably the best in the business. The pen itself is well balanced, feels sturdy, and places its button in locations that are ergonomically comfortable. But what sets it apart from others is that Microsoft doesn't intend the Surface to be used without the pen (with most competitors, the stylus is an optional add-on). That means Microsoft can aggressively design features that benefit it. Microsoft's Windows 10 Anniversary Update - the first big update to Windows 10 - is a great example. Windows Ink, its headline feature, is all about the pen.

When you're not using the pen, it can be stowed magnetically on either flank of the Surface Pro 4. We're still not happy with the security of this approach, as the pen is a bit too easy to knock off. We can imagine plenty of disasters involving errant limbs that send the pen flying into drinks, sewer grates, or food processors. The pen can be clipped in the Type Cover when it's closed, instead, and that's the more secure option.

The display receives an unnecessary, but appreciated, upgrade

The Surface Pro 3's screen was not a weak point of the device, but Microsoft decided to improve it anyway. Aside from the increase in size from 12 to 12.3 inches, the display has upped its pixel count to 2,736 × 1,824. That's 267 per inch, which is far more than needed when the Surface is used as a laptop. It's still not the best in the tablet category, but it beats most, including the iPad Pro.

The new Type Cover is a huge leap over the previous, and better than some laptops.

There's a lot more to the screen than pixel count, and the new Surface nails the details. We recorded a high maximum brightness of 349 lux alongside a maximum contrast ratio of 940:1. Most figures are among the best we've recorded from any laptop, tablet or 2-in-1. Color accuracy was the only soft spot, as the average difference of DeltaE 6.49 was high.

All these results are good, but the competition isn't giving Microsoft an easy time. Samsung's TabPro S is the standout. It's the first 2-in-1 with an OLED display, and its contrast ratio is off the charts. The Dell Latitude 12 7000 Series 2-in-1, Lenovo ThinkPad X1, and Vaio Z Flip also manage to beat the Surface Pro 4 slightly in color gamut, contrast, and overall color accuracy.

Our impressions were as expected based off the results. A high contrast ratio should mean the appearance of deep black levels and brilliant whites, and the Surface Pro 4 delivered, creating a sense of depth in movies and images. The color issues made themselves apparent, however, through poor reproduction of skin tones. Actors often looked more like wax figures rather than real people.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Compared To

That said, we're picky about color, and we doubt most would notice. The Surface Pro 4's high contrast and pixel density, on the other hand, will be obvious to anyone.

I'm a Surface, hear me roar

Despite its small size, the speakers in the Surface Pro 4 made an impact. They were loud at maximum volume and produced clear, crisp audio with minimal distortion, even in bass-heavy music. Human voices were reproduced with particular clarity, which makes sense. This is a business machine, after all, and Skype is useless if others can't be heard.

Skylake rises to the top

The Surface Pro 4 makes several important hardware changes over the Pro 3. It can equip up to 16GB of RAM, instead of 8GB, and the base hard drive now offers 128GB instead of 64GB.

Those are nice upgrades. The base model has received an arguable downgrade, however, because it now has a Core m3 processor rather than a Core i3. Whether that's a downgrade is arguable because the m3 represents a trade-off. The base clock is only 900MHz, and its graphics component is weaker than other Core chips. But battery life may improve as a result of the power-sipping chip.

We can't tell you more than that. Microsoft predictably shipped the mid-range Core i5-6300U pair with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB hard drive. We threw the chip into our benchmarks and found it a strong, if not exceptional, performer.

There are clearly two tiers of results here. One is represented by the Core i5 and i7 chips in the Surface models, and the Vaio Flip Z. The other, slower tier is shown by the Core m3 and m7 chips in the Lenovo, Huawei, and Samsung.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 tablet does keep up and even exceed the Surface Pro 4 with Core i5 in the Geekbench and 7-Zip tests. However, the ThinkPad's weakness is revealed in Handbrake, a sustained video encoding test. Under that scenario the ThinkPad, along with Huawei's Matebook, comes up against the limitations of its Core m7 chip, and finishes substantially behind the Surface Pro 4.

In brief, the Surface Pro 4 with Core i5 performs much like any laptop with the same chip. It's plenty quick, but doesn't set any records.

A solid, solid state drive

Our Surface Pro 4's 256GB solid state drive also did well in benchmarks. CrystalDiskMark's sequential test recorded an average read speed of 928 megabytes per second and an average write of 449MB/s.

Those figures are not the best we've seen, but they're near the leading edge. Only the Vaio Flip Z substantially outperformed the Surface Pro 4.

Not great for games

Gaming is not something the Surface is built to handle, but it does have the relevant incarnation of Intel's mainstream mobile graphics, in this case called Intel HD 520. Like the processor itself, the IGP produces respectable but modest results.

Once again, the two tiers of performance are visible. The Samsung TabPro S and Huawei Matebook fair badly, and even the Lenovo can't catch up to the Surface Pro 4. But there's also a third tier, one the Vaio Flip Z sits claims as its own. Its Core i7 came with Intel's HD 550, and it proved a big step up from HD 520, delivering a boost of 75 percent.

The Surface Pro 4's integrated graphics can launch most modern games, and will deliver a tolerable experience in some if detail is kept at medium or low. Don't expect to play any recent titles at high detail, and the most demanding games will be playable only if in-game resolution is reduced to 720p - if they're playable at all.

Small device, small battery

The Surface Pro 4 isn't going to throw your back out, as it weighs about 1.7 pounds without accessories, and just over 2.3 pounds with Type Cover and Pen included. Its light weight, combined with its slim profile, makes it easy to chuck in a bag for a trip. Even the power adapter is small.

A large 38 watt-hour battery provides juice on the go. That's a respectable capacity, but the high-resolution display sucks down power, so the Pro 4 quotes the same nine-hour maximum as the Pro 3.

We had some problems in our real-world tests. In one instance we managed to squeeze six hours and a half using the Peacekeeper browsing benchmark. However, on other occasions we drained the battery in three and a half hours using a simple web browsing and YouTube viewing loop.

In any case, the promised nine hours is optimistic, as the Pro 4 fell well short of that in every test scenario. Our subjective experience was the same, as we found the device can't handle a work day on a single charge. Instead it falls well short, often lasting barely more than half a day. On one short-lived occasion we worked on several open Word documents while also slacking off by watching YouTube videos. That killed an entire charge in under three hours.

Many of the Surface Pro 4's competitors face similar issues. The Peacekeeper web browsing benchmark killed the Huawei Matebook in three hours and nine minutes, while Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Tablet lasted just three hours and four minutes. This is one area where the iPad Pro remains the undisputed champion, as it lasted almost nine and a half hours under the same test.

Warranty

The Surface Pro 4 is covered by a one year limited warranty against manufacturer defects. Further warranty extensions are available as an option. This, of course, is standard for the industry. Very few laptops come with more than a year of standard coverage.

Conclusion
Editor's note: The Surface Pro 4 is no longer the most recent model. Its successor is the Microsoft Surface Pro, which beats the Pro 4 in battery life, processor performance, and other areas.
The Surface Pro 4 is a microcosm of the change Microsoft is trying to spur inside its own walls. Time and time again, it missed the opportunity to leap on a new trend in consumer technology. But not with Surface. This time, Microsoft is a leader. It's setting the trend. And unlike its new competitors, it's had a few years to work out the kinks. Though it's not perfect, the fourth incarnation of the Surface Pro is a great piece of hardware, and easily defeats every other 2-in-1 currently available.

The DT Accessory Pack

No one master stroke is responsible. Instead, the Pro has grown through evolution. Numerous bits, from the keyboard to the power charger, have changed little by little. The original Surface Pro had serious flaws. The second and third versions were good, but still demanded compromise. The fourth incarnation overcomes the limitations of its predecessors without sacrificing the core mission. It's a true do-it-all-device.

With that said, no one will call the Pro a bargain. The base model is $800 without the keyboard. Microsoft no longer sells our review unit, but the comparable performance model rings up at $1,200. That's a lot of money, and anyone looking at the Surface still needs to ask themselves if a single do-it-all device is really needed. It's also been quite a while without an update, so it should only be under consideration if it's available at a discount.

Still, the Surface Pro 4 fits snuggly in the niche Microsoft envisioned for it. Its combination of reasonable speed, decent display, and excellent Type Cover make for a 2-in-1 that's well-suited for the life of those who live by the motto "work hard, play hard."

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2-in-1 PCs aren't dead, and Microsoft's class-redefining Surface Pro 4 is proof

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Update on June 19 2017 9:40AM by Matt Smith: The Surface Pro 4 has been replaced by the Surface Pro, which we've reviewed. Microsoft's new Surface Pro is slightly thinner, has superior battery life, and significantly outperforms the Pro 4 in processor benchmarks.

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Windows 10 is the most powerful operating system that Microsoft has ever made, but it's also the most complex. While the user interface is extremely intuitive, you'll have to dig a little deeper to customize your experience, get maximum performance and make the most of features such as the Cortana voice assistant, Edge browser and multiple desktops.

Below, you'll find over 100 Windows 10 tips and tutorials, split into nine categories and designed to help you learn the basics, disable common annoyances, save storage or be more productive.

Windows 10 Basics

Learn how to install Windows 10, tweak the most important settings, add users and perform key, everyday tasks.

Customize Windows 10

Tweak the Windows UI so it looks and feels just the way you like it. Change the theme, adjust the icon size, or turn the new OS into a dead ringer for Windows 7.

Fix Annoyances and Problems

We love Windows 10, but like a close relative, sometimes it can overstep boundaries and get on your nerves. Learn how to prevent the operating system from restarting to update without your permission, speed up a slow-opening Downloads folder or disable personalized ads. Also, find out how to fix serious problems by booting into your BIOS or running older programs in compatibility mode.

Cortana Tips

Windows 10's built-in digital assistant can help you gather important information, manage your schedule, send messages and more. Find out how to wake Cortana with a voice command, use her to send email, have her ring your phone, change her accent and more.

Edge Browser Tips

The default Microsoft browser is blazing fast and dead simple. Here's how to perform a variety of tasks in Edge, from common actions like blocking pop-ups, managing favorites and clearing cookies to tweaking key settings like the default search engine or crash-recovery options.

Performance and Productivity

Make both Windows 10 and yourself faster and more powerful. Configure the operating system to boot faster, mirror your screen to an external monitor, record your Xbox games, or activate the platform's built-in " God Mode."

Security and Networking

Connect your PC to a network or use it as a hotspot while keeping your system secure. Learn how to create limited-privilege guest accounts, password-protected folders and more.

Storage and Backup

Find extra space on your hard drive or SSD by making Windows as small as possible, installing apps on an SD card and deleting the unnecessary Windows.old folder. Make the most of Microsoft's OneDrive cloud backup service by controlling which folders you sync, mapping your account as a network drive and more.

Windows File Explorer Tips

Every time you browse through your hard drive, copy files over from a USB Flash drive or organize your photos folder, you're using File Explorer. Make this most of this important utility by taking advantage of all its features and customizing the UI.

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Avram Piltch, LAPTOP Online Editorial Director

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Windows 10 is the most powerful operating system that Microsoft has ever made, but it's also the most complex. While the user interface is extremely intuitive, you'll have to dig a little deeper to customize your experience, get maximum performance and make the most of features such as the Cortana voice assistant, Edge browser and multiple desktops.

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What is the Microsoft Surface Pro 4?

The Surface Pro 4 is Microsoft's latest high-end tablet/laptop hybrid. Its incredible desirable design and powerful hardware still, more than a year on, make it one of the most desirable devices on the market today.

Updated: Since I first reviewed the Surface Pro 4, the market has changed somewhat, with numerous rivals arriving on the scene. To its credit, the Surface Pro 4 has remained Trusted's favourite 2-in-1, but the latest entry into the laptop market could be seriously tempting for fans of Microsoft hardware looking for an upgrade. The Surface Laptop, announced in May 2017, is everything that was great about the Surface Pro 4 but in laptop form, starting at under £1000. You can read more about it in our guide to the Surface Laptop.

There are more games afoot, too: Microsoft has announced an event for May 23 that looks likely to be some sort of hardware reveal. While the Surface Pro 4 is still an excellent piece of kit, it's well overdue a refresh, so my money's on a Surface Pro 5. It might be worth waiting to buy until then, although with the number of discounted Surface Pro 4s on the market right now, you won't be losing out if you buy the current-gen model right now.
Below continues my original review from late 2015.
Watch our iPad Pro vs Surface Pro 4 comparison video:
Related: Everything you need to know about the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Buy Now: Pre-order Surface Pro at Microsoft starting from £799
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 - Design

The Surface Pro 4 doesn't rework the wheel on the design front. The tablet section of the Surface Pro 4 looks almost identical to the Pro 3 from a distance. It has the same metallic-grey magnesium finish; the same adjustable kickstand; and only slightly more svelte 292 x 201 x 8.4mm dimensions.

Some will view the lack of immediately noticeable changes as a negative, but for me it's no bad thing. The Surface Pro 3 breathed new life into the Microsoft series of devices when it replaced the boring, boxy black design of the Surface Pro 1 and 2 in 2014, and it remains one of the nicest-looking convertibles on the market.

The Surface Pro 4 Intel Core i5 model I reviewed was also suitably satchel-friendly, weighing a meagre 786g - the Intel Core M variant weighs an even more modest 766g. It also has the same USB 3.0, mini-DisplayPort and microSD connection options as the Surface Pro 4, meaning that it will happily meet most users' connectivity needs.

If you take a more thorough look at the Surface Pro 4, however, you'll realise that Microsoft has addressed several niggling issues with the design. The most obvious of these being the Surface Pen's new docking mechanism.

Related: Best laptops 2015

In theory, the docking system works in the same way it did on the Surface Pro 3, using a magnetic lock to hold the stylus on the tablet's short side. I wasn't a fan of the system on the Pro 3, because the magnetic lock was quite weak and the pen would detach itself when met with even the slightest of nudges. The position of the lock itself was even more annoying, since it placed the pen over the tablet's physical power and volume keys.

These flaws have been fixed in the Surface Pro 4 by first, moving the power and volumes keys to the tablet's top, long edge; and second, by increasing the strength of the locking magnet. Using the Surface Pro 4 as my main laptop and tablet, the Surface Pen never once detached itself from the device, and proved capable of clinging to the tablet section even when the Pro 4 was thrown into a fairly full satchel and lugged around London.

You can pick up the Pro 4 with either 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of SSD storage. The wealth of cloud storage services available on Windows 10 means that running out of space won't be a concern for the majority of people.

These changes may sound insignificant, but it's systemic of Microsoft's overall strategy with the Surface Pro 4. The company has made a series of subtle improvements that are small when viewed on their own, but add up to create a vastly improved user experience overall.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Review | Trusted Reviews

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The Surface Pro 4 is Microsoft's latest high-end tablet/laptop hybrid. Its incredible desirable design and powerful hardware still, more than a year on, make it one of the most desirable devices on the market today. Updated: Since I first reviewed the Surface Pro 4, the market has changed somewhat, with numerous rivals arriving on the scene.

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Since I got my new Surface Pro, I have been discovering the power of Microsoft OneNote. The app has been around for a long time, but my use of it has been experimental over the years. Much of my note keeping has been limited to the physical notepad and the digital notepad app that comes bundled with Windows. I have hundreds of text files stored that I use for references and reminders. It's not an effective productivity tool, but it has worked up until now I guess. I recently attended the 2015 Microsoft MVP summit and one app I saw many people using on their tablet was OneNote. This gave me the idea to write an article detailing the benefits of using OneNote to capture content whether its handwritten notes, text, videos or audio.

Record Audio or Video with Microsoft's OneNote

First, you need to have the OneNote desktop or Universal app installed, you can download it for free from Microsoft here. Once you have OneNote installed, fire it up. Another task I would suggest you complete is set up a Microsoft Account, so you can have access to your OneNote sections on virtually every device platform including OS X, iPhone or iPad, Android, Windows Phone, or OneDrive and keep them synced.

OneNote can be a handy tool if you regularly attend meetings, classes or lectures. If you don't see yourself in that group, OneNote can be used to capture information from other sources. You could use it to capture events such as a football game if you are a coach, recitals, trips/vacations, and create a scrapbook if you wish. For this article, we are going to look at two specific features of OneNote, recording audio and capturing video.
Audio
Meetings tend to involve a lot of oral communication; capturing information by handwriting or typing can be boring and tiresome. With OneNote, all you need to do is use the Record Audio function. Audio is automatically captured and stored within a OneNote Section. Here is how you do that:

Click the Insert tab and in the Recording group select the Record audio button.

OneNote will begin recording audio. You can monitor the length of the audio from within contextual Audio & Video tab within the Playback group. Click Stop when you are finished.

To play back the audio recorded, point your mouse next to the clip file in the section and click Play.
Video
Recording video is just as easy. Click the Insert tab and click Record video button.

You can monitor the recording from within the contextual Audio & Video tab. If you want, you can even pause the recording (same for audio), so if something confidential/off the record is being discussed, you can leave that out and resume recording.

When you are ready to play back your video, just hover the file icon in the section then click the Play button on the context menu.

If you would like to export your audio or video recording from OneNote, just right-click the file and click Save As and choose where you would like to save it.

OneNote is certainly a powerful and robust tool if you want to capture information beyond plain text files. Do you use OneNote? Leave a comment below and let us know.

About Andre Da Costa

Based on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, Andre is a Microsoft MVP since 2010 and a certified computer technician. A Senior Writer for groovyPost, Andre previously was lead review editor at ActiveWin.com and a contributor at Notebooks.com.

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How to Record Audio and or Video with Microsoft OneNote

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Since I got my new Surface Pro, I have been discovering the power of Microsoft OneNote. The app has been around for a long time, but my use of it has been experimental over the years. Much of my note keeping has been limited to the physical notepad and the digital notepad app that comes bundled with Windows.

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A fast and secure browser that's designed for Windows 10 Get started

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A fast and secure browser that's designed for Windows 10 Get started

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See the magical note taking experience with OneNote, Surface Pro 3 and the Surface Pen. Learn more at: www.microsoft.com/surface and www.onenote.com

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Surface Pro 3 - OneNote, The Pen, and the Camera Tips for Using.

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See how to use the camera with onenote and other general usage tips.

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Accessibility options are built into Windows to help users who may have trouble using their computers normally get a little more functionality out of their favorite OS. Though Windows 10 does innovate on many features we've come to expect from older versions of the operating system, for the most part Microsoft has opted to keep much of the core functionality of its accessibility features the same to make it easier both on users and developers to adapt without much trouble in between the old system and the new.

Even so, here's how to manage all the accessibility options available in the latest update of Windows 10.

Narrator

For the blind or those with acute sight limitations, Narrator is a vital tool which will read off the contents of any page, window, or application your click into piece by piece, while also reciting the specific portions of those selections out loud.

Many of the same features first introduced in Windows 7 have carried through to 10, such as reading off the characters you type as you type them, playing audio cues when you click into new pages or applications, and reading off hints for controls and buttons which will nudge sight challenged users in the right direction based on carefully tuned prediction algorithms.

One voice option you might not recognize from the previous version of Windows, however, is Microsoft's Zira, who's offered up as an alternative to the standard male orator, David. Here in Narrator, you can switch between the two, though neither has any particular advantage over the other, and in general it's merely a matter of personal preference.

Magnifier

Magnifier is yet another of the Windows Ease of Access features designed to assist anyone who either has trouble reading their screen, or even just creative professionals wants a tool that will allow them to get a close up view of detail work in 3D modeling, Photoshop, or game design.

Here you'll find options such as turning the Magnifier on or off, inverting colors within the magnified area (again, made with designers and digital painters in mind), and a toggle which will automatically start the Magnifier tool each time you log in to your account.

New to Windows 10 is a setting which will allow you to specifically designate what gets magnified. This can be changed to follow only the mouse, the selection of the keyboard, or even both at the same time.

High Contrast

Sticking with the concept of "making things easier", Microsoft has opted to group all its visual accessibility features into the top three choices in the Ease of Access panel.

High contrast will drastically alter the overall color scheme so that text, images, application windows and icons become easier to read for anyone who might have colorblindness, or simply want to spice things up when the old layout gets too easy on the eyes.

Closed Captions

The closed captions section can be used to customize how any closed captions in your local media players will appear during the playback of movies or TV shows. For those who have difficulties making out the white text against moving backgrounds in Windows Media Player, this option can be a godsend that allows you to choose between any color you'd like on the Windows color palette.

You can opt to change the font, the color of the text, or both at the same time if you have specific needs depending on your own vision requirements.

Keyboard

The keyboard options in Ease of Access has always been one of Windows shining points, offering up a wide range of customization that will help anyone with disabilities or special needs have exactly the PC experience they want every time they boot up and log in.

The On-Screen Keyboard is a great tool for anyone who's using Windows 10 on their Surface tablet, or just want to get a few words in without having to break out the bluetooth keyboard to make it happen. Sticky Keys will change your keyboard to treat any strikes of the ctrl, shift, or alt keys as a hold command, rather than a tap as it usually would. This is perfect for anyone who has issues maintaining finger dexterity for long periods of time (arthritis patients come to mind), or just users who are too lazy to manage holding down more than a few keys at once.

Toggle Keys will help to solve the pesky problem of never knowing whether or not Caps Lock has been activated by playing a tone every time that or the Num Lock or Scroll Lock keys are hit. Great for anyone who might be sight challenged, or sausage fingers like myself who accidentally hit it when they're trying to enter their password at the main screen.

Sticky Keys can also be activated anywhere in Windows by pressing down the shift key five times in a row in rapid succession.

Filter Keys will keep an eye out for repeated keystrokes and minimize your need to go back over what you've written with the backspace key, designed for anyone who might have trouble managing their hands on the keyboard or need a system that monitors for faulty keyboard commands struck too many times in a short period of time.

Mouse

Options to change the mouse around are pretty slim, but if you have problems seeing the cursor and need to enlarge it for enhanced viewability, this is the place to do it.

Furthermore, you can also customize your keyboard to act as a secondary mouse in case you prefer navigating around the screen using the arrow keys, and change the speed toggle to ctrl and shift, accordingly.

Other Options

Last but not least, Ease of Access has a few odds and ends that can hone down the Windows 10 experience to fit your browsing style as best as possible. Here you can change things like whether or not Windows uses animations throughout the experience, whether the desktop displays a background, or how long a notification will pop up from the toolbar before flashing away.

Windows 10 Ease of Access doesn't exactly revolutionize accessibility settings for the new OS, but still includes plenty of subtle improvements to the experience that will allow anyone with any special needs to get everything they could want out of their PC experience.

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How to Manage Accessibility Features in Windows 10

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Accessibility options are built into Windows to help users who may have trouble using their computers normally get a little more functionality out of their favorite OS.

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Testing the Surface Pro 4 Cameras and Microphones

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A quick test of the Surface Pro 4 webcams and microphones. I have been impressed with the quality of the cameras so far. The microphones are pretty good for a tablet/laptop, though obviously it isn't a replacement for a good microphone. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this so please leave a comment below.

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How to use the camera and camcorder on Microsoft Surface Pro

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Uploaded by tislearns tislearns on 2016-10-14.

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A fast and secure browser that's designed for Windows 10 Get started

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Oliver walks through what's great, and not so great, about the Surface Pro 4 pen

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PhoneArena presents a video on Living with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. http://www.phonearena.com/news/Living-with-the-Microsoft-Surface-Pro-4-The-best-tablet-laptop-hybrid-around_id78926 -------- PhoneArena.com is your ultimate source of mobile tech news, reviews, and info. The PhoneArena YouTube channel delivers a vast range of smartphone, tablet, and accessory video reviews, in addition to regular hands-on, unboxing, and other uploads.

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At nearly ten months old, the Surface Pro 4 has been around for some time now. We decided to revisit it and see how it holds up. Read more about the Surface Pro 4: http://bit.ly/2aDic13 Windows 10 Anniversary Update: http://bit.ly/2aDhxMT Surface Pro 4 Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DimKX9YdhG8 Slickwraps: http://bit.ly/1T9JKrs More tech goodness: http://www.technobuffalo.com Our video gear: http://amzn.to/1XQHb2E Deals: http://bit.ly/1JMh2qc Follow us!

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Surface Pro 3 - OneNote, The Pen, and the Camera Tips for Using.

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See how to use the camera with onenote and other general usage tips.