Let me begin with a confession - although I work for a leading IT service provider, I am not a very “techie” person. Typically, when I receive a new device, I lean heavily on my IT department to set it up for me. But now, during this work from home (WFH) situation we find ourselves in, receiving in-person IT support is simply not an option.
As my current laptop is beginning to show its’ age, I thought it wise to have a backup device. I work very closely with our partner at Microsoft, and one of my contacts there kindly offered to lend me a device to allow me to remain productive. As I was fortunate to have a choice of device, I chose the Microsoft Surface Book 3. Although I was somewhat concerned about my ability to deploy a new device myself, the process was both positive and eye-opening and I wanted to share my experience.
Why Microsoft’s Surface Book 3
Before lock-down happened, I travelled extensively supporting customer-facing events. This meant spending a lot of time in airports and on planes. One of the reasons I was keen to try the Surface Book 3 was due to its’ suitability for working in these types of environments. Like most laptops, it has a built-in camera, microphone, and speakers; what really excited me about this device was the 15-inch screen, and the ability to quickly detach the keyboard to become a true tablet. When things get back to normal and air travel once again becomes part of my routine, this will greatly enhance my productivity.
Amazing Design and Performance
Immediately upon taking it out of the box, I was struck by how beautiful and sleek the device was. I was instantly taken with the keyboard as the increased size and ergonomic format allow me to rest my hands comfortably and is also aesthetically pleasing.
The 15-inch screen allowed me to view my documents so much more easily and negated the need for a second monitor. With the smaller portable devices, it has always been challenging for me to avoid eye strain, so I just love the extended size. These features will be especially helpful when I return to the road.
Easy Set-Up
In addition to the beautiful esthetic design and powerful technical specs of Microsoft’s Surface Book 3, what surprised me was the fact that I (without any support) was able to go from opening the box to fully operational in less than 15 minutes. I was beyond thrilled!
The set-up was logical and incredibly easy. Simply by following the prompts, I was able to set up Windows Hello to log in to my Outlook profile and access all my files and programs. The speed of log-in, using facial recognition, has also improved. If you are not already using Windows Hello to access and secure your device, I highly recommend it.
Improved Functionality
I was pleased with how quickly I was able to join a Microsoft Teams call with colleagues and start work. Like many others these days, I’m constantly on video calls to meet and collaborate. On the first call, my colleagues commented on the quality of my image (vastly improved) and the crispness of my audio; I no longer needed to lean into the microphone for them to hear me.
The dictation function is significantly improved over previous versions that I’ve used. I prefer to use voice-to-text for several applications and the accuracy of the voice dictation feature on this device is easily the best I’ve encountered to date. Also, it was amazing how I could instantly access the documents that I stored on OneDrive and the applicable SharePoint site for team files.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my new Microsoft Surface Book 3. The ease of setup combined with the superior functionality makes this device stand out above others. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft’s Surface, please click here or if you’d like to have a chat, please reach out anytime.