sp4
Latest
The best tech for college freshmen
Starting college is expensive. In addition to, you know, the tuition, you and the parentals will probably be making a large shopping trip to buy all manner of sweaters, snacks and extra-long twin sheets to round out your dorm room. And that's not counting all the gear you'll need to actually get work done. In addition to a few laptop recommendations (the XPS 13 is our reigning favorite), we have suggestions on things like cloud storage, backpacks and peripherals like travel mice and backup batteries. Check out the gallery below for all our first-year picks (think of it as a college starter kit), and be sure to read the rest of Engadget's back-to-school guide here.
Mini review video: Our verdict on the Surface Pro 4 in under a minute
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756").style.display="none";}catch(e){}With each generation of the Surface Pro, Microsoft gets closer and closer to fulfilling its promise of a tablet that can replace your laptop. Last year's Surface Pro 3 was certainly powerful enough to take on similarly priced notebooks, but the keyboard wasn't as comfortable, and it wasn't particularly easy to use in your lap either. Fortunately, the new Surface Pro 4 mostly addresses these flaws, with a sturdier keyboard, improved pen and slightly lighter design. Unfortunately, the battery life is about the same as last time, delivering just over seven hours of video playback in our tests. If Microsoft were to extend the runtime and include the keyboard dock in the box, we'd be inclined to give the Surface an even higher score. Even as is, though, we can finally say it's well-rounded enough to replace a laptop.
