Microsoft’s second stab at making a tablet is a big step up from first time around. As I wrote earlier, it is hard to find fault with the beautifully engineered hardware.At least it’s hard to find fault with the tablet hardware. I mentioned problems with the keyboard which is just a little too small and the keys a little too close together for comfortable typing.
The experience reminded me why I never really got on well with netbooks and find 11 inch laptops cramped.
After finishing the earlier story, I had aches in my arms and lower back. I still do. They could be from sitting cramped over the small keyboard for two or three hours.
Another possible explanation is that the discomfort is a result of controlling things by moving my hands from the keyboard to the touch screen. Or it could be to do with the low-profile no-travel keyboard.
Now you could argue the Surface 2 wasn’t built for professional journalists to sit hunched over typing at the keyboard for hour after hour.I hear you. On the other hand whatever the designer’s purpose, that’s exactly what some people are going to do with a device like this.
To be fair to Microsoft, I have to report I went through something similar when I first began using my iPad as a typewriter. It could just be an adjustment thing.
And I’m partly to blame. Sitting a desk doing nothing by typing for a couple of hours isn’t healthy no matter what equipment you use. Even so, this is something I’m going to need to keep a close eye on.
While we’re on the subject of the keyboard, I found I hit wrong keys more often than normal. I touch type so hitting the odd wrong key is normal.

Hitting the wrong keys can slow down writing as you go back to make corrections, so there’s a small productivity hit. When I’ve done this in the past I’ve found I quickly adjust to the new keyboard and things get back to normal.