Recommend a Windows 8 Tablet?

It has it's uses, but from where I sit, $1000 is a lot to pay for email and web surfing on the go in a more portable form.

What is the Surface Pro?

Spec-wise, the Surface with Windows 8 Professional is nearly indistinguishable from a high-end Windows 8 Ultrabook. It has a third-generation Core i5 (Ivy Bridge) CPU, with 4 GB of RAM and either 64 GB or 128 GB of flash memory for storage.

Who is the Surface Pro for, anyway?

The ideal buyer of this device, I suspect, is someone who works in a large office and is continually bouncing between meeting rooms, with ready access to Wi-Fi and power outlets. The Surface Pro absolutely shines in that scenario, and it works for occasional trips outside the office as well: an hour or two in a coffee shop, a short flight to a customer meeting, a few hours on the couch in the evening with one eye on the big screen and the other on Twitter.

It helps, too, if the person using this device is well connected to Microsoft products and cloud services and is already familiar with Windows 8 and eager to switch to a touchscreen device.

In short, this is a great product for anyone who’s already committed to a Microsoft-centric work environment. It isn’t likely to inspire many iPad owners to switch, unless those Apple tablets are in the hands of someone who has been eagerly awaiting an excuse to execute the iTunes ecosystem.

I don’t expect Surface Pro to be a breakout hit for Microsoft. Too many people will have good reasons to say no, at least for now. But it does represent a solid, interesting, adventurous alternative for anyone who wants to spend some quality time today exploring Microsoft’s vision of the future.

The big question is how large that market is, and whether Microsoft can evolve both the Surface hardware and its accompanying apps and services so the next iteration is capable of breaking out in a big way.

Still not seeing it. The specs may be comparable, but it is a $1000 tablet generally used to surf the web and do email. If I want a keyboard and a mouse and want to do Word or Excel docs on it, then I use my laptop or desktop dependign on where I am. I guess it comes down to your perception of the value and use of the tablet. To me, it is a toy used to do very basic tasks when traveling or on while lying on the couch at home. I do not consider it a tool to do real work on.

For some reason I've yet to find a good Wifi tethering program for my phone (Note 2 on Sprint), but I can bluetooth tether without a problem.

And doesn't it come with a pen?

wifi tether works but you have to be rooted (yay American Cell Carriers locking wifi tethering)

I'm rooted, that's the thing, problem is finding a reliable program.

I'm rooted, that's the thing, problem is finding a reliable program.

I read somewhere that the current generation of Win8 tbalets is not capable of running all windows applications, is that correct?

....I'm going to say why I'm having such a hard time deciding. I was initially leaning towards the Surface, but the battery life is a deterrent. Also, the 128 GB model is pretty difficult to find, and I'd like to have it by Friday. Lastly, I'm unsure of this but I'm worried that the type cover isn't really foldable behind it. ...

I read somewhere that the current generation of Win8 tbalets is not capable of running all windows applications, is that correct?

Depends on your universe of "all windows applications". Tablets do not have the memory, disk space or firepower to handle high end stuff like db servers, exchange servers, biztalk, high-end games, Visual Studio etc.

As noted elsewhere in this thread, I simply do not get the cost benefit factor for spending big on what imo is a stripped down laptop with far less firepower and functionality. But other's seem to disagree and think the added portability is worth the cost.

This is true of the RT versions of Windows tablets - you can only install apps from the Microsoft store on these (just like ipads).

Regular Windows 8 tablets can run whatever apps you can load on them.