Does this laptop or tablet exist?

December 16, 2015 7:14 PM

I don't want much out of a computer, but no one seems to make what I want. I'm looking for a laptop or tablet that can do all this: 1. Great keyboard. 2. Smallish form factor. 3. Touch screen (and stylus!) so I can mark up PDFs. 4. Ability to plug in a Blu-ray player to watch movies. I don't care about operating system.

I (want to) do three things with a laptop/tablet: write, mark up PDFs, and watch movies. That's it. I don't care about Photoshop or anything else that requires a full-on system. I just want to do those three things. Price is no object.

So far, I have tried: Nexus tablets, Surface Pro 3, Pixel C, Macbook Air, Galaxy Note phones (2-5). None of them can do all those things.

Does this machine exist?

posted by You Should See the Other Guy to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

Surface Pro 3 seems to meet all your requirements, so there must be something else about it that you don't like?

1.) if you don't like the very light Type keyboard cover that's available (as an accessory), the SP3 has bluetooth, so you can just use a wireless full-sized keyboard. There's also a docking station if you want to use wired devices.

2.) It's 1.76 pounds.

3.) Has a touch screen and stylus and probably has the best pdf markup capability of any tablet computer on the market.

4.) Has a full-sized USB port so you can use a Blu-ray USB drive.
posted by longdaysjourney at 7:24 PM on December 16, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Surface Pro 3 cannot play Blu rays.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 7:33 PM on December 16, 2015

It can according to this article. Sounds like Windows 8 just doesn't include the software by default, but there are 3rd party options.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 7:40 PM on December 16, 2015 [3 favorites]

I just googled as well and it seems that there may be a problem with the single USB port being underpowered for running an external Blu-Ray.

OP, have you looked at the Asus Transformer running Win 10?

I have an older model Transformer with Android on it and I love the keyboard.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:46 PM on December 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

ASUS Transformer. It has several usb ports and the keyboard is very nice. Clicky, rather than rubbery.
posted by irisclara at 8:34 PM on December 16, 2015

Surface Pro 4? The new type cover is GREAT. I'm due up for a new PC at work, and tried some of the newer PC keyboards... they have become all chiclet keyboards, and most are very mushy. The USB port is known to be underpowered throughout the Surface series and SP4 is likely no exception. Get a USB Y cable, throw the power side onto the powered USB port on your charger or a portable USB battery pack.

If money is no object (and even if it is), make sure you get AnyDVD HD if you go any sort of a PC route. I've never had an issue playing DVD/Bluray on PC after that purchase. Pair it w/ VLC player.
posted by Muu at 9:21 PM on December 16, 2015

How about a Surface Pro 3 and a USB Blu-Ray player such as this that also works with an AC adapter and can be powered from your electrical socket?
posted by ejs at 9:23 PM on December 16, 2015 [2 favorites]

Try the Surface Book (not Surface Pro,) with an external drive.
posted by biggity at 10:41 AM on December 17, 2015