Microsoft Surface Book

The all-in-one versatility has attracted many people to the Microsoft Surface Book since its introduction in late 2015. It's a laptop with high-speed processing and graphics power you can control with a full keyboard, a large trackpad, or an interactive touch screen. It's a powerful tablet you can take anywhere, and it's a portable studio you can easily use to create drawings and sketches. Plus, in view mode, the Surface Book is ideal for sharing presentations, or watching TV shows or movies.

If you rely on stylus input, either for computing or your creative endeavors, you'll be glad to know the Surface Book fully supports the Surface Pen, providing a realistic experience for note-taking, writing, sketching, drawing and more. And if you're most comfortable using a mouse for working or browsing, the Surface Book precisely executes your commands with the ultraslim, ultralight, ambidextrous Bluetooth Surface Arc Mouse. The Surface Book also has a forward-facing 5-megapixel 1080p video camera and an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus.

Especially if you use your Windows Surface Book for your profession, you'll appreciate its slim, lightweight design and detachable display. You may want to consider getting a reliable mobile hotspot, instead of using the hotspot you likely have on your phone, so you can get dependable, all-day connectivity, and still use your phone without draining its battery. The Surface Book also contributes to a productive workflow with its ability to take notes via typing, writing by hand or even by dictation — then if needed, turning those notes into text using a free Windows app. You may find it convenient to have a wireless printer handy for getting your digital notes into print for your next meeting. Thanks to its Windows 10 software, the Surface Book continually evaluates your handwriting and voice to improve recognition of characters, and allows a personalized user directory and text completion suggestions.

The bottom line is that this device's versatile design and powerful performance allow it to adapt to nearly any workflow requirement, in any location you need it. Because it might be doing a lot of traveling, you may want to consider getting a laptop bag, or briefcase or backpack (or whatever style works best for you), to not only protect your Surface Book from bumps and dings, but to provide a measure of security, and give you extra storage space for accessories.