Welcome to Shaun Luttin's public notebook. It contains rough, practical notes. The guiding idea is that, despite what marketing tells us, there are no experts at anything. Sharing our half-baked ideas helps everyone. We're all just muddling thru. Find out more about our work at bigfont.ca.

Surface Pro 3 Getting Starting Tips for Super Users

Tags: surface, surface-pro-3

First Steps

  1. Run Windows Update (do this from both the Charms Bar and the Control Panel)
  2. Run App Store Updates and Sync Licenses (Store > Charms > Settings > App Updates)

Problematic Programs

  1. f.lux reliably crashed my Surface Pro 3 eight times in four days. Avoid.

Some Tips

  1. Touchpad settings for typing.
    1. Charms > Settings > Change PC Settings > Mouse and touchpad > Touchpad.
    2. Prevent the cursor from accidentally moving while you type.  Turn off taps or change the delay to Long delay.
  2. Home and End buttons on the Typepad are to the left of the Del key.
  3. Relax the Pen Flicks settings.
    1. Practiced using Flicks (Control Panel > Pen and Touch > Flicks > Practice).
    2. Flicks are easier with sensitivity set to Relaxed.
  4. Use the Typepad function keys (e.g. F5) by holding the Fn key first.
    1. E.g. to refresh the browser window, press Fn + F5.
    2. This also works with longer chords. E.g. do a hard refresh with SHIFT + Fn + F5

Things I Really Like

  1. Drawing and hand writing with the stylus. It’s fun (especially the different pen sizes) and lets me take hand written notes or draw diagrams.
  2. Handwriting recognition with the onscreen keyboard. Open the onscreen keyboard, hit keyboard board options, and choose stylus mode. It took me five minute to learn.
  3. The Typepad lights up in the dark! This is really helpful for working in low light.
  4. The power supply’s built-in USB charger! This is terrific for charging my phone while I work.
  5. The weight! It’s so nice to have such a portable device (walking, busing, and biking are my primary modes of transport).