Kurt Shintaku's Blog

I’ve gotten this question more than once so I thought I’d jot down a quick answer:

Q: Why doesn’t Surface Pro & its Docking Station have an HDMI port?

The simple answer is that it has something better: A DisplayPort.

For those that can’t get over their need for HDMI, DisplayPort has $5-$10 cabling or dongles that easily transform the port into VGA, microHDMI, fullHDMI, DVI, component, etc.  The technology also supports the encrypted path of HDMI 1.4 for playing protected content like that from BluRay.  It transmits both audio & video over a single channel exactly as HDMI does… but there are a several major big differences that give it a leg up.

DisplayPort supports:

• DAISY CHAINING. You can connect a DisplayPort cable to your monitor then connect that monitor to another monitor then connect that one to another monitor… 4 simultaneous 1080p+5.1 channels over a single cable. Unlike HDMI which is single channel only.
• BI-DIRECTIONAL I/O. You can connect touch screens to DisplayPort and push 1080p video to it, and have touch I/O from the display transmitted BACK to the device over the same DisplayPort connection without needing a second USB cable to loop back to the PC.

There are other benefits but these are the two big ones most people like to hear about. DisplayPort standard is not used a lot outside of Macintoshes because there’s a licensing fee involved that eats into most PCs margin, however the VESA organization that manages the IP for DisplayPort granted Microsoft the right to use DisplayPort for Surface Pro. (Terms/conditions weren’t disclosed)

Bottom line: You should be very happy that DisplayPort is on Surface Pro & the dock. It’s a much better solution than HDMI which is far less capable, but more popular because it’s cheap & does the job.

Xbox One is going on tour juuuuuust before the release on November 22nd.  And you can be there here in Los Angeles, CA via the Xbox One “Test Drive” – a decked out Xbox One truck making an appearance here in Southern California.  Meet us at a Test Drive stop and we’ll put a controller in your hands, a game on the screen, and a spring in your step that’ll carry you through to launch.

This is where you want to be if you want to see the new console in action & get hands-on time with the NEW games, the NEW Kinect, & the NEW Xbox One controller.

• Nov 17, 12pm to 8pm
  Outlets At Orange
  One City Boulevard, West
  Orange CA, 92868
• Nov 18, 10am-4pm
  USC @ McCarthy Quad
  1201 S Figueroa St,
  Los Angeles, CA 90089
• Nov 20, 10am-10pm
  Microsoft Store @ Century City
  10250 Santa Monica Blvd
  Los Angeles CA, 90067
• Nov 22 to Nov 24
  LA Auto Show – LA CONVENTION CENTER

Follow the Xbox One Test Drive here:
@XboxOneTrucks: http://www.twitter.com/xboxonetrucks 

And by the way:  Consider yourselves invited.

I got a Surface dock.  

It’s wonderful & works beautifully with my Surface Pro 2.  Extremely well designed.  I haven’t tested my Surface Pro 1 with it yet but I’m sure it works fine as well… worth every dollar.  (And I paid $199 for it.) 

I was previously on the fence about this device, but after using it in production, I’m totally sold. Simply by docking my Surface Pro into this unit, I instantly get:

• Connected to my multiple external displays over DisplayPort
• Stereo audio from my dock-connected Jawbone speakers
• Wired Ethernet connectivity
• An immediate charging system for my Surface Pro 2 & future Power Cover
• Over the USB ports
• Access to my dock-connected USB 3.0 hard drive
• Use of my dock-connected USB mouse & microphone
• Connected to my 1080HD LifeCam Cinema camera
• Connected to my Lync-integrated Polycom CX300 Deskphone

…and despite being able to use a USB connected keyboard, I continue to use the Surface Type Cover to type because I like using the cover keyboards that much.

WARNING:
In case you’re wondering… “Where’s the USB 3.0 port?”  One photo that I’m missing is a side shot of the dock where the USB 3.0 port is.  You can see all the other ports on the back but I simply forgot to take a shot of the USB 3.0 port on the side… but trust me, it’s there.

Couple things folks haven’t talked about re: Surface 2, so I will:

1. The Polartec fleece cover on the back of the Type Cover is now doubly reinforced to keep it from tearing away from back, which is a known problem for the original Type Cover.
2. The magnets holding the keyboards and the power adapter are noticeably stronger. Avoids accidental detaching like in the past & provides a better "click in".
3. The touchpad buttons on Type Cover 2 are… a bit hard to keep pressed down for things like drag & drop, so much so that I occasionally have use my left hand to hold the left button down while I drag with my right hand.  They no longer "click" and are almost identical to the Touch Cover buttons except that with the newly introduced carbon fiber banding (which makes Type Cover 2 rigid for lapability) makes pressing the left button difficult.  So despite the other TC2 benefits like backlighting & shorted scissor switches, I may see how this is compared to using Type Cover 1 because I love that touchpad.
4. Type Cover 2 is very sturdy relative to Type Cover 1. TC1 felt a little flimsy and wiggled a lot when you attempted to type on your lap. TC2 is like a plate of unyielding fiberglass & I really like that especially in tandem with the 2nd angle available on the kickstand.
5. I prefer the old Windows logo on the back of the Surface instead of the word Surface. This is one case where I think the fragmentation of the brand might be a mistake. But who am I to contradict Panos Panay & Michael Angiulo?
6. The display on Surface Pro 2 is definitely better than SP1. The color accuracy is better but the thing I noticed was that glass is thinner, which I believe has to do with the usage of Gorilla Glass 3. If you compare the depth of SP1 & SP2’s glass edge you can see the difference. This is important for folks that ink with precision through a stylus/digitizer – like me.
7. OneNote 2013 inking while on Power Saver rocks, a benefit of the faster, yet more power conservative 4th gen Intel Core i5 CPU (aka Haswell).  It was awesome before but now I’m looking at ~8 hrs of non-stop all-day handwritten note-taking glory.
8. The Surface dock is SICK.  I love this thing.  I don’t know why.  I’ll write more about that later since I’m one of the few that got one.

Did you ever wonder how diverse & widespread the usage of Windows actually is? 

Especially through the usage of our embedded solutions, Windows is actively in use in a lot more places than you probably think.  Most of today’s modern ATMs today – especially the touch screen models, for example, use Windows Embedded but so do most of the green screen text versions as well.  (Many of these older machines are dial-up OS/2 retrofits from back in the early 2000’s) 

He’s some of the many places where Windows is used in your daily lives that you probably didn’t even know about.

I was recently asked what sort of training is available for end users for Visio 2013.  There’s a decent amount out there and it’s free.

“Make the switch to Visio 2013” Training
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/make-the-switch-to-visio-2013-RZ102925050.aspx?CTT=5&origin=HA104032123

• Top changes to know about (3:20)
  Get a quick overview of the biggest changes in Visio 2013: from the start screen, to redesigned shapes, to the new .vsdx format.
• The ribbon (4:41)
  Menus and toolbars are replaced by the ribbon. In this video, take a tour of the ribbon to find things you need.
• Adding and changing shapes (4:04)
  Watch this video to learn how to add shapes, format them, arrange them, group them, and more. Plus, learn the new Change Shape feature.
• The Backstage (2:19)
  This video shows you what you can find on the Backstage: from print preview, to exporting, to changing Visio options
• Course summary
  A brief reminder of the key points in this course.

Microsoft Visio Webcast Series
Ready to learn how Microsoft Visio can help you simplify your work? The new Visio makes it easier than ever to create and share professional, versatile diagrams that simplify complex information. Now’s the time to register, attend our free Visio webcast series, and find out more about Visio 2013.

• Introduction to Visio 2013 (RECORDING)
• The Top Five New Features in Visio 2013 (RECORDING)
• Microsoft Project & Visio – Better Together (Sign up below)
• Collaborating in Visio to Improve Business Processes (Sign up below)
• Visio Tips & Techniques – Organizational Charts (Sign up below)
• Visio Tips & Techniques – Floor Plans & Office Layout (Sign up below)
• Visio Tips & Techniques – Networking IT (Sign up below)
• Creating Business Intelligence Dashboards in Visio
  (Part 1 of 2) (Sign up below)
• Creating Business Intelligence Dashboards in Visio
  (Part 2 of 2) (Sign up below)
• Adding Structure to Visio Diagrams (Sign up below)

All webcasts will begin at 1:30 pm EST / 10:30 am PST and will run for 90 minutes.

• Sign up for the Visio Webcast Series
  http://blogs.office.com/b/visio/archive/2013/08/12/fy14-visio-webcast-series.aspx

For Windows 8.1 upgraders only!

Hover is Back – Internet Explorer brings the classic Windows 95 capture-the-flag game to the web with brand new 3D graphics and touch gameplay.

Visit the official web site for Hover at http://hover.ie.  Also available for Internet Explorer 11 users to play within the browser.

• DOWNLOAD: Hover for Windows 8.1
  http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/hover/4ed20ddc-7d3d-470a-b496-17882f7146d7

We’re done… and we’re shipping.

• WINDOWS BLOG: Windows 8.1 Now Available
  http://blogs.windows.com/
  windows/b/bloggingwindows/
  archive/2013/10/17/windows-8-1-now-available.aspx

If it hasn’t shown up in the Windows Store as a free upgrade, try typing in:

ms-windows-store:WindowsUpgrade

… into your browser.

This has been one of the most satisfying releases of Windows I’ve experienced since Windows 7 – and I mean that.  All shilling aside, I’m downright giddy using my 8.1 upgraded devices in a way that I just didn’t get with regular Windows 8.  If you’re a business user using Windows 7, you really ought to try Windows 8.1.  If you’re using Windows 8, you’d have to be a nutjob not to upgrade to 8.1. 

Everything about it feels good.  The performance improvements.  The configurability.  The fit & finish added.  The 8.1 apps & tools changes.  The unparalleled multi-monitor support.  The new support for standards like Miracast.  If you’re looking for a quick list of what makes Windows 8.1 awesome, check this article out on Mashable:
(Photo taken from Mashable’s “10 Reasons…” article below)

• MASHABLE: 10 Reasons You Should Upgrade to Windows 8.1 Now
  http://mashable.com/2013/10/17/windows-8-1-best-features/

And here’s what the blogosphere has had to say about it so far:

• MASHABLE: Windows 8.1 Available Now (Author: Pete Pachal)
  http://mashable.com/2013/10/17/windows-8-1-available/
• THE VERGE: Windows 8.1 review: It’s take two for Microsoft’s ambitious operating system (Author: Tom Warren)
  http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/17/4845142/windows-8-1-review
• ZDNET: Windows 8.1 is here: Can it win over skeptical PC buyers? (Author: Ed Bott)
  http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-1-is-here-can-it-win-over-skeptical-pc-buyers-7000022068/
• GIZMODO: Windows 8.1 Review – Little Changes Make a Big Difference (Author: Eric Limer)
  http://gizmodo.com/windows-8-1-review-little-changes-make-a-big-differenc-1446625571
• PC MAG: Microsoft Releases Windows 8.1, Brings Back Start Button (Author: Damon Poeter)
  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2425875,00.asp

Yeah, it looks I missed this.  We actually did release the Mac OS X version of the HLW/iTap-Mobile technology for Remote Desktop.

With the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, you can connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere. Experience the power of Windows with RemoteFX in a Remote Desktop client designed to help you get your work done wherever you are.

Features

• Access to remote resources through the Remote Desktop Gateway
• Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
• Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
• High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage
• Easy connection to multiple monitors or projectors for presentations
• Print from Windows applications to any printer configured on your Mac
• Access local files on your Mac from your Windows applications

Download the tool from Apple’s App Store for Macs:

• DOWNLOAD: Remote Desktop for MacOS X w/ HLW/iTap-Mobile Technology (v8.0.0, 24.0MB)
  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id715768417

UPDATE 10/21/13:
Looks like I totally missed this but apparently we DID in fact publish the new Remote Desktop client for MacOS X, based on the iTap-Mobile technology we acquired from HLW.  (Thanks Nathan for the heads up!)

• DOWNLOAD: Remote Desktop for MacOS X
  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id715768417

———————
ORIGINAL POST:
Well, we’re still waiting for the Remote Desktop for Mac OS X technology that we acquired from HLW/iTap Mobile however in the meantime, here are the links to the FREE Remote Desktop clients for iOS & Android.

For those of you that have never had any experience with RDP clients, not all clients are created equally.  The reason this acquisition is important, among other reasons, is that the iTap Mobile suite of RDP clients that provided Remote Desktop capabilities for non-Windows platforms were very well supported and from my experience, the defacto standard for Enterprise customers that want RDP clients for non-Windows platforms. 

The HLW/iTap-Mobile technology we acquired distinguishes itself in particular by supporting both Network Location Awareness & TS Gateway, some important Enterprise features (for BYOD folks that roamed from place to place) that the previously Microsoft-in-house-developed Remote Desktop for Mac 2.11 did not support.

One thing to keep in mind is that these apps are not identical to the HLW/iTap-Mobile published clients.  They are reportedly based on the same technology but not bit-level identical.  I strongly suspect that this is because any IP that we acquire has to go through a very rigorous inspection which includes a Trustworthy Computing review (checking for vulnerable code) and an examination of the source to ensure that there aren’t libraries in use that conflict with Microsoft policy.

Just trust me.  This is an important set of tools for companies using Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server 2008/2008R2/2012/2012R2.

• DOWNLOAD: Remote Desktop for iOS
  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id714464092
• DOWNLOAD: Remote Desktop for Android
  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.rdc.android