I’ve never owned a tablet device. No, really. I’m serious. Twenty-two percent of adults across the U.S. (and counting) own tablets, but I was not one of them.

Until recently, that is. Two weeks ago Pat Hart, SHI’s Director of Software Licensing, determined to bring me out of the dark ages, handed me a newly released Microsoft Surface. His instructions to me: “Try not to break this thing on the first day.”

It was good advice and, for a moment, seemed likely that I would fail this task. Getting the device out of the box was a challenge. It was like the Surface was packed inside a giant Chinese finger trap: The harder I pulled on the black and white interlocked cardboard box, the more the device refused to budge. I dropped the package on my kitchen counter five to six times before my wife finally came to see what was making all that noise. She took the box, flipped it over, and the Surface slid gently out onto the counter.

Surface (and spouse): 1. Ed: 0. Continue Reading…