One of the little known things about me that I am slightly nerdy and I love a good gadget that makes my life as a blogger easier. I have also been a PC girl from the first day I owned a computer and never felt the need to stray. So when Microsoft asked me to be part of their Connections program late last year to use their Surface Pro 2 and other Microsoft devices (Nokia Lumia 1020 and the Xbox One) I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Mostly because I had heard big things about the Surface Pro 2 (and it is definitely more of a computer to me than a tablet) and who doesn’t like playing a few car racing games to wind down?
In the last few years I have fine-tuned my devices from phones, cameras, tablets and computers and I think my current set up is pretty perfect.
Computer: Microsoft Surface Pro 2
I think I have raved a little about the Surface Pro 2 a little on this blog in the last few months, mainly because I was genuinely love it as a laptop and was surprised at the power it holds. It can run Adobe Photoshop, play music and also be running Microsoft Office all at the same time without struggling for power. Not that it is uncommon in today’s technological age, but for a tablet/computer, it definitely surprised me.
It’s small and light enough that I take it whenever I leave my house and know that I will need to do some work and the phone just doesn’t suffice. I used the Surface Pro 2 when I traveled to South Africa and it had enough power for the few hours I wanted to use it on the plane, and I took it with me to Australian Fashion Week this year and it was my best accessory ever. I do miss having a bigger screen but I have toyed with the idea of just connecting it to a standalone screen, but I would miss the touch screen functionality which works so well with the Window 8.1 operating system.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone look for a compact laptop, that or the Surface Pro 3 which launches soon.
Camera: Canon entry level digital SLR & Nokia Lumia 1020
For a year or two I was obsessed with my Canon DSLR, not only did it take good photos, but it also made me look like a “blogger” at industry events. It was handy but sometimes unnecessary when the photos were only going up on my blog. I was excited to be given the Nokia Lumia 1020, I had heard so much about it – mostly about the 41 megapixel camera – and couldn’t wait to give it a whirl. The first time the camera made me go ‘wow’ was when I was on safari in South Africa and the camera was taking beautiful pictures of the animals and magnificent scenery around us. The photos printed beautifully though they did start to fill up the storage quickly on the trip. This was because I took all the photos in the highest resolution possible, it is possible to shoot in a smaller resolution so you have more storage space but how many times would I get the opportunity to take photos in South Africa?
If you want a phone with an amazing camera, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is definitely the way to go.
Note: To take the above picture I had to pull my old Canon G11 out of the drawer and it still packs a bit of punch for a mid-level point and shoot.
The Nokia Lumia, Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and Xbox One was provided to us as part of the Microsoft Connections Program.
