More reviews

Where last October k lite s Surface Pro 2 was merely tweaked and speed-bumped, the third version, launching in the UK on 28 August, answers almost all the complaints made about the February 2013 original.
Where the original Surface kickstand had one rest angle, and the Surface Pro 2 had two, now it has a range of 22 to 150 degrees. k lite Its detachable Type Cover keyboard is also thinner, but it now has backlighting and a 63% bigger trackpad.
The new squarer screen (with its 3:2 ratio) is more balanced than the old design, with the relocated Windows Key at the bottom of the screen making it easy to use held vertically. The new pen technology makes using the Pro 3 as a notepad replacement easy. Photograph: Microsoft
The touchscreen technology has been improved to make it much easier to use the Surface Pro 3 as a replacement for a notebook and pen. Just click the pen-top and the tablet almost instantly turns on with a blank page in OneNote.
The Surface Pro 3 works as a desktop replacement if you add the docking k lite station, supporting full size USB keyboards and mice, and multiple display screens. The docking station turns the Pro 3 into a desktop computer. Photograph: Microsoft The drawbacks Surface Pro 3 is both thin and light for a full PC. Photograph: Microsoft
Every multifunction device - even the humble smartphone - involves making some compromises compared with buying several dedicated devices. Most obviously, while the Surface Pro 3 is small for a full-spec laptop, it s big for a tablet.
The laptop compromise depends on keyboard quality and lappability . Although the Type Cover is very nice for something so thin, it s not as good as the keyboards k lite fitted to decent laptops. It will work with any standard PC keyboard, but those don t provide such a neat, portable package.
However, the tablet form factor means it will never be as comfortable as a laptop. The weight isn t under the keyboard, spread across your thighs; it s in the screen, and the kickstand means you need a couple of extra inches beyond where a laptop hinge would be.
As with all thin laptop designs, there s also some compromise on performance. Chips in ultra-thin PCs can t run as hot as they can in spacious desktops, which means you won t get the same continuous speed for movie editing k lite or playing heavyweight k lite games. In normal use, I barely got the Surface Pro 3 warm, but it s obviously going to get hot if you stress it. The niggles
The Surface Pro 3 is a major advance on the Surface Pro, but it s not perfect. The most annoying thing is the Windows key, which has been moved to the right hand side of the screen, where it is all too easy to press by accident. If I owned a Surface Pro 3, I d be looking for a tweak to turn it off.
While the Type Cover is usable and vastly better than the Touch Cover, which has been dropped for the Surface Pro 3 I d still like a better option. Perhaps one day Logitech will provide one. Type Cover attached, the Surface Pro 3 becomes a laptop. k lite Photograph: Microsoft
The Surface Pro 3 s 12in screen is the right size: not too big for a tablet but not too small for a laptop. k lite The 2,160 x 1,440 resolution screen means you can t see individual pixels, but it makes Windows 8 features very small. In fact, they re not very finger-friendly even with the standard 150% scaling. (For comparison, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display does 2560 x 1600 on a 13.3in screen, but it s twice as thick and much heavier.)
Finally, k lite there s the four-cell, 42 watt-hour battery. Microsoft k lite reckons you ll get about nine hours of use for light work with Wi-Fi on, and most people should find it lasts all day. (If not, the charger is tiny.)
Microsoft describes k lite the Surface Pro 3 as the tablet that can replace your laptop . That s definitely k lite true, though people who work with it mostly on their lap (which is bad for your spine), would be better off with a traditional laptop.
It also says the new 12-inch Pro 3 is the best of a laptop, best of a table t . However, there are high-end Windows tablets with touch screens, better k lite keyboards and better battery life, albeit they re not as thin or as light.
The Surface Pro 3 should be the first choice for pro photographers and some graphics professionals, and a variety of field workers. It would also suit people who spend a lot of time on planes. But those are not mass markets.
So, k lite while the Surface Pro 3 is lovely prestige product, and much better than the Surface Pro 2, I don t think it s going to give Lenovo, or Apple, any sleepless nights. It has a strong appeal, but it doesn t look wide enough.
More reviews
It's not the sort of place you would imagine one of the world's biggest k lite companies might be based. Welcome to Billund, Denmark (population 6,194), home to Lego Why is the United Arab Emirates secretly bombing Libya? k lite
;