Well, I’m here to report on my Surface Go. The original, not the Surface Go 2. Why I acquired this specific device… the non-profit I work for supplies laptops running Windows 10. At home I use gSyncit from Fieldston Software to get my work calendar synced with my Outlook 365 calendar. The other service I was using was Groupy from Stardock.

Well the IT contractor started locking down software (in the name of security) to the degree the apps installed would not update without the “Admin” login. But I should have guessed it would go this way since that IT service provider also installed McAfee antivirus on machines that already have the very capable Windows 10 “Security” preinstalled. And guess what, locking everything with “Admin” privileges also keeps McAfee from updating. Yeah, security.

So I bought myself the Surface Go so I didn’t have to deal with any of that, and also maintain a more “highly” secured device. I got the 128gb/8gb version with the Burgundy Keyboard and Surface Pen. The main reason I got this Go is for its mobility, it is so compact and easy to carry! Especially in meetings, back when we had “physical meetings”!

I did figure in the “battery life-cycle” (overall battery life during ownership), knowing that these devices are not repairable or are the components replaceable. The fact that they are disposable kind of irks me. So I figured the daily cost of this device over three years and came to a decision it was worth it for my purposes.

The first thing I did was take it out of “S” mode. S-mode provides more security when this device is used in school settings. All it does is prohibits a user from obtaining applications from other sources than the Microsoft Store.

It works better than all of the stories/articles I had read about it and its lesser-powered sibling. I use it for emailing, calendaring, internet, Word, Excel, and my fave… PowerPoint decks! You can use the pen’s “eraser” button to advance and backup slides.

All-in-all, I think it is a perfect device for my needs. Would I buy another, hell yes!

BTW, my favorite apps on this device?

• PowerPoint
• Scrble Ink (by Claudia Wey)
• Index Cards (by Sundaram Applied Technologies)
• Stardock TouchTasks
• Coloring+ (coloring book = relaxing!)
• Pure Battery Analytics (by MedahChaitanya)