[gui-talk] Surface Book, Surface Pro and Jaws

[Santiago Velasquez]

Good day to you all. My name is Santiago and I just have some questions that I hope some of you can answer.

I am currently studying Electrical Engineering and I am interested on either the Surface Book, or the Surface Pro.

I use Voice Over on the mac or Jaws on windows to navigate. I do not use any magnifying software. I also use a Bluetooth Braille refreshable display.

My main laptop is a Mac Book Pro 2015 (15 Inches). However, there are some days when I do not require such a powerful computer and I am looking for some light weight alternatives.

The main thinks that I will be doing with the light weight alternative are:
web browsing 
note taking
Running Matlab for simple stuff
Basic Latex coding
and some media consumption.

The Idea is to be able to have a device that I can use to get some of my uni work done in most places. (portability is the aim of the game)

All of the complex stuff I will use my mac book pro, or my home desktop. however, some power would not hurt.

All day battery life is a must and a keyboard.

I thought about the new Mac book, but one USB port doesn’t work for me. I don’t like carrying any adapters. I already have enough stuff that I need to carry.

I also looked at the iPad pro, but the lack of a file system and desktop grade Apps is holding me back.

I also looked at the Pixel C since it looks like a more powerful alternative than the iPad Pro. However, I don’t know if I should consider mobile operating systems for what I want.

I thought about the Mac Book air 11 inches, but I am not sure if such an old laptop is still worth considering.

I ruled out Chrome books, since I don’t want to be tether to the cloud for most things and I just don’t think they have the power for what I need.

My biggest concerned with either the Surface Book or Surface Pro is, how does Jaws, touch screens and Windows 10 work together?

I assume that with the respected keyboards attached to each machine Jaws should work fine, but can you still use the device when you only have the tablet portion?
Last but not least, is the stylus useable with jaws in any way?

Sorry for such a lengthy email, but I hope somebody can shed some light into this topic.

Please feel free to suggest other alternatives that I should consider. However, please keep in mind the requirements mentioned above. Also, if you make a suggestion please don’t say it is great, please back it up with some substantive points.

Thanks for everything and it is nice to meet you all.

Kind Regards
Santi