review – Just a Dash

This post is about the Surface, let me state that I am in no way a technical person and my husband has had absolutely no influence on this.

I’ve had the surface for just over a week now and I think that is enough time to give a review. Overall I like it. I’m glad I waited for this as I was never really interested in the iPad. Just like the first iPad or any other first generation tech products, it has its flaws. I will list a few as well as what I like about it.

Cons:

The kickstand at the back doesn’t open far enough. I like to play the game Wordament (currently only available for Windows users) at night and I have to prop it up with my leg or the sheet. Nothing major but I imagine this will be fixed on the next one.
There is a lag in opening some apps. You can open the app and wait about 10secs or more for it to load and be ready to use. I don’t know the cause of this but I know it’s something minor that will be fixed eventually as well.
IE10 takes forever to load a page. Personally I use Chrome with Bing search, so I have no problem with the results I get but pages do take a while to load.
I have to go to desktop mode to see how much battery power I have left. I think this is something that should be seen easily. Have a little icon in the corner or something. I know it’s all about clean lines etc but it should be more accessible.
Closing apps is not easy with the finger swipe down once you’ve pulled it from the side. Mine never close and I have to just let them close on their own or right click with the Touch Cover or press and hold the corner in hopes that I get the Close button to come up. Womp.
One of my biggest issues is the WordPress app, this has nothing to do with the Surface but the people who created the app. I was hoping that I can manage my blog easily from an app and not have to log into it from a web page, but I was wrong. The app allows you to read Freshly Pressed and to create a new post. Not check my stats, look at past posts, or even read posts from people I follow. I’m hoping whoever created this app looks into making it more about managing your blog than just adding a new post.
There aren’t any cute girly cases for it as yet :(.

Pros:

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Word, Excel, Powerpoint and One Note come with the Surface (I don’t use One Note but this is just for informational purposes). I love writing or jotting down notes and if pen and paper aren’t handy, some kind of notes app or even Word is a blessing when I can edit anything just to transfer.
There is a USB Port. Enough said. (Apple – Womp!)
Personalization 1:The live tiles are a huge plus. It really is nice to just see everything updated without opening anything. This design truly caters to the person on the go. As soon as Whatsapp fixes its Windows phone app I will be getting one. It would be a plus if Instagram would hop on there too :P. But I like knowing that I can pin my husband and friends to the Start Screen. Tiles can also be adjusted and moved easily to customize you Start Screen further. Who says you have to keep what they have there!
It’s lightweight. I will definitely be taking this with me on my trips and not my laptop. It has everything I’ll need (even if I have to use web pages). I won’t have to worry about extra weight to my handbag.
I love the camera on it! Since I got it, I’ve been using it to Skype with my family, and the kickstand is perfect here because when I place it on a table next to me it’s at the right height and everything. (Would still be nice for it to be adjustable though).
Personalization 2: I love that I could customize the colours! I’m an Amethyst girl and I’ve always gravitated towards purple and pinks. I’ll survive until I can get a purple/pink case for it. But I told my husband to give me purple for my Start Screen :D.
Everything can be uploaded to your Skydrive (store files online) easily.
The cover is also a keypad! I mean, you already have two keyboard options on the screen – you can split the keyboard for typing with your thumbs or have the full keyboard if you like finger pecking, BUT if you’re not in the mood for touch screen typing, just use the cover! It’s not bulky, not extra weight AND it protects your screen when not in use. And the Touch Cover comes in four colours: blue, white, black and pink.
Windows 8 is really easy to learn with all the swiping from the top and bottom and sides. And if you didn’t follow the tutorial, Bing it! You’ll get the hang of it quickly.
I’m totally obsessed with Wordament! (This should’ve been higher on the list but I wanted to cover some other stuff first :P)
Nothing else to say (now). Get one.

Surface — This picture was taken the night I got it. I have since moved the tiles around and adjusted the sizes of them to suit me!

I’ve just received my 6th Birchbox inspired by Glamour magazine and it had me on a high this morning. I now look forward to it every month because there is at least one product that I really like in it. Last month, it was the Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner that I have been wearing practically every day. You don’t have to go over it twice, it lasts all day and is easy to remove! I never used to wear eyeliner this much but recently I’ve been trying to add a little umph to my face. A little eyelid primer, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss. Some days I’d use the Maybelline BB Cream over my sunblock and moisturizer if I want to look a little more finished but it’s definitely not a staple like the others.

Back to Birchbox! This eyeliner is what made me really look forward to this month’s box as none of the other boxes were pulling me in and I was actually contemplating canceling it. Then Glamour teamed up with Birchbox for one of my best boxes ever. I’ve been wanting to try Stila products but I never remember to get one product to test when I go shopping for make-up and if I don’t see the sign for it, I’m definitely going to pass it. I received a lip glaze in Camera and immediately tried it on. I loved it – not sticky and you don’t have to use a lot. I want to try this set next.

The small bottle next to the Stila lipglaze is a Harvey Prince perfume sample appropriately called Hello that had me feeling like I was floating. It smells amazing! And it boosted my mood so much I just felt like I was on an emotional high. I can’t find the little paper packaging it came in but it did say something about them adding an ingredient to boost your mood. Well it sure worked; I HAVE to get this perfume! It’s definitely a summery scent – not heavy, a hint of flowers with a fruity edge but it would last all day.

It could have just been that I was very excited about this box but the earbuds made me want to go in the gym! I love the colors and Glamour even created a playlist on Spotify for you to listen to. I still have to listen to it (got a little busy after unwrapping) but I’m hoping I’ll have a few to songs that I can add to my gym playlist.

I’ve also been finding different uses for the box after I empty it to add a little organization to what could have been little messes all over. As you can see below, I used my label maker to mark what goes into each box. It’s been a life saver and I haven’t had to go out and buy little containers! If you want to try Birchbox click here. They’re only $10 a month including shipping and they just introduced boxes for men! For my 6 “montheversary” gift I got 20% off a full-size product $25+ which I used to purchase Benefit’s POREfessional (I don’t have big pores but I want to try this product). So go ahead and give it a try, you never know what’s coming and maybe you’ll stumble upon a product that may change your life! 🙂