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Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 is coming to the NFL sidelines
With NFL teams set to kick off their pre-season next week, Microsoft today announced that the Surface Pro 2 won't be used during games anymore. Instead, the upcoming 2015-2016 season will see its Sideline Viewing System, which lets players and coaches review game photos instantly, be powered by Surface Pro 3s for the first time. But that's not the only change being made. Microsoft and the NFL are also going to start testing video as part of the Sideline Viewing System, including replays of questionable calls that referees can watch via the custom-made device. Even though this is only going to be a test run (over 20 pre-season games), it will be a significant move if it ends up being implemented in the regular season. Microsoft's laptop/tablet hybrid has already replaced the traditional paper method for most teams, and it could do the same with monitors on the field -- the current way of watching replays by officials.
Microsoft reportedly acquires company behind Surface Pro 3 pen
Microsoft now owns N-trig, maker of the all-important pen included with Microsoft's Surface Pro 3, according to Israeli financial news site Calcalist (translation by Reuters). The deal is estimated at $200 million, and most of N-trig's 190 employees will transition to Microsoft Israel as part of a new research and development center, the site says.
Engadget UK giveaway: win a Surface Pro 3 courtesy of Misco
There's nothing we enjoy more, dear readers, than kicking the week off by giving you the chance to win some free, tasty tech. And we've got an especially delectable prize for you this time around in the form of a Surface Pro 3 tablet, Microsoft's most recent attempt at crafting a slate with enough computing power to replace your laptop. It's not any old Surface either, as our generous friends at computing superstore and IT service provider Misco have only gone and hooked us up with a top-of-the-pile Core i7 model, replete with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That's over a grand's worth of hardware we're looking forward to sending one lucky reader's way, and while it runs Windows 8.1 Pro out of the box, it'll be treated to a free upgrade to Windows 10 when Microsoft releases its latest OS revision to the masses. If you don't know the deal already: check out the rules and submit up to three entries via the Rafflecopter widget below. Then, cross your fingers and hope a card from that special someone isn't the best piece of correspondence you end up receiving this Valentine's day. Winning: congrats to Nic P. from Sutton Coldfield!
Surface Pro 3 review: Has Microsoft finally made a tablet to replace your laptop?
It didn't last long, but there was a moment earlier this week when I was sure Microsoft would unveil its own laptop. At a press event, Surface chief Panos Panay took the stage to remind the reporters in attendance how they once said tablets would make laptops obsolete. A quick scan around the room revealed rows of journalists, all typing on Ultrabooks -- including the MacBook Air, no less. For a moment, it seemed like Panay was conceding defeat. Indeed, Microsoft has had multiple chances to prove it can bridge the divide between slates and laptops: Both the first- and second-gen Surface tablets were intended as do-it-all devices. And both times, the company fell short of its mission. The Surface Pro in particular was powerful enough to rival Ultrabooks, but suffered from several usability flaws: It was awkward to use in the lap, and also unwieldy as a tablet. For most people, a touchscreen laptop was still the better choice. Even so, that wasn't Panay conceding defeat up there on stage -- that was him being persistent. When he finally did get to the point, he unveiled not a laptop, but a tablet, the Surface Pro 3. Most notably, this third-gen device steps up to a larger, 12-inch screen, bringing it in line with contemporary Ultrabooks. The keyboard has been born again too, this time with a larger, more responsive touchpad and the ability to prop it up at a more comfortable angle. As a tablet, meanwhile, the Surface Pro 3 is thinner and lighter than the Surface Pro 2, despite having a bigger display. Just as important, the device will start at $799 when it goes on sale next month -- that's a hundred dollars less than last year's model. All told, the Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft's biggest, fastest, thinnest, lightest, best tablet yet. Panay even went so far as to say, "Today we take the conflict away." Did they, though?
Hands-on with Microsoft's Surface Pro 3
So, it wasn't the Surface Mini we were expecting. But hey, we got fresh hardware, so that's all that matters. The new Surface Pro 3 isn't the smallest tablet Microsoft has made -- in fact, it's the biggest, with a 12-inch, 2,160 x 1,440 screen. But if you think it's just a blown-up version of the old model, you'd be wrong. In addition to being the biggest, highest-res Surface, it also brings new pen tech, a new kickstand and a new keyboard, to boot. Also, it's surprisingly thin and light, considering this thing is big and powerful enough to replace a full-fledged Ultrabook. As a heads-up, we're taking a device home from today's press event, so you can expect to see a full review on our site soon. In the meantime, though, here are some early impressions to tide you over.
Microsoft announces its biggest tablet yet, the 12-inch Surface Pro 3
When Microsoft invited us to a "small gathering" here in New York City, we thought that meant a smaller-screened Surface Mini was in order. Instead, the company just announced a larger Surface, the 12-inch Surface Pro 3. Like the previous Surface Pro, it supports pen input, making it a good choice for creative professionals, especially with that pixel-dense 2,160 x 1,440 screen. In addition to being the biggest, highest-res Surface yet, though, it's also the thinnest-ever product with an Intel Core i7 processor. All told, the thing measures just 9.1mm (0.36 inch) thick, putting it on par with an older-gen iPad -- incredible when you remember this is more akin to an Ultrabook than a tablet.
