I am a big computer geek and when it comes to new products I get hyped. I am always looking for different products that unleash all kinds of potential. Things like portability, size, bigger or smaller screens, higher resolutions, more processing power, and higher ram speeds. When I find a product that has one or more of these things I get intrigued.

   The Microsoft surface line first came out in late 2012 with the Microsoft Surface first generation, and let me tell you it had its flaws. From then to now the Surface has come a long way and in August of 2018 the Microsoft Surface Go was released it was advertised as a smaller Surface product at just the size of a paper notebook. The ultimate college tool and the new wave of tablet computers.

   So I had to get my hands on this product. Microsoft released two versions of this product, the cheaper model, with 4 gigabytes of ram and 64 gigabytes of flash storage, which sold at 349 dollars and then the higher up model which was 8 gigabytes of ram and 128 gigabytes of storage for the price of 549 dollars.

   Now, to really see how much this product was worth I decided to go with the lower end model because that is what Microsoft advertised this as in the first place. A computer for under 400 dollars.

   When I first bought the product I was amazed to see they did not cut funds in the packaging, well there wasn't much to cut funds on in the first place. It was your standard Microsoft packaging. You got the device a power cord and the owners manual. Not much to it.

   Now to the actual device. When I took the plastic liner of the top of the screen it was the same screen from other surfaces and it looked good. Except for the ugly borders about a half inch wide around the hole screen, but if you are using this as a tablet your fingers and hands won’t be in the way all the time. I was also surprised to see the all-aluminum backing with the famous mirror shiny Microsoft logo and the same great quality steel hinges for the backstop. It was a real Microsoft product. I felt like I was getting a great quality device. At least before I powered it on.

   When I powered it in it booted in less than 30 seconds which was to my expectations. It loaded with cortanas setup screen and was an easy process to set up. When I was set up I first tested the sound, and for under 400 dollars for a computer, well they didn't put much of the budget into the speakers. They weren't bad but they were not good. The screen resolution will be fine for any writing tasks you can handle because let's be honest, you aren't doing any major editing with this device. You can step up to any of the other surface products. Overall the device met my expectations on a device for simple writing, watching a few videos, and some small multitasking.

   Now on to what really separates this product from the other surface products, its size. This device weighs a staggering 1.15 pounds and for you metric freaks .52 kilograms. That is remarkable and it will save you money on medical bills for your back in the future, oh and did I mention its the size of a notebook. The portability of this product is remarkable. You are basically carrying around a 10-inch tablet with the capability of windows. Compared to the Ipad I would take this product. Because let's face it Apple isn't really for productivity. I tried writing with the on-screen keyboard of the surface go and it worked. Would I prefer that? Most likely not, but it was useable. So I went ahead and bought a keyboard which does add 100 to the price point but I think it is most definitely work it.

    Now, Would I recommend this product? For any college student who doesn't have any major in serious editing, yes. This product is perfect for some writing and watching a few videos, and with the 4 gigabytes of ram, you have enough room for some light multitasking. You get great portability out of a windows running product for under 400 dollars and it looks good. Some downsides would be the processing power, but then again with this you aren't going to be expecting much. The screen may also be too small for your taste, but overall this product blew me away for under 400 dollars. Microsoft again did a great job.