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Microsoft Surface 2 review: a second chance for Windows RT?
We get the sense Microsoft wants to distance itself from the original Surface RT. After taking a $900 million hit on unsold inventory, the company held a press event where it saved the Surface 2 for last and billed it as a major redesign. "Surface 2 is not subtle, but a revamp," Panos Panay, Corporate Vice President of Surface, said that day. "It is not the simple changes that everybody wants, but it's the changes people need." Those changes include a thinner, lighter body; a sharper 1080p screen; a faster Tegra 4 processor; an improved webcam that fares better in low light; and a dual-stage kickstand that makes it more comfortable to use in the lap. It even looks different: The Surface now comes in silver, not black, so that you'll never mistake it for the original. If you need even more evidence that Microsoft is embarrassed by the first Surface, consider this: The new version doesn't even have "RT" in the name. The thing is, of course, the Surface 2 does, in fact, run Windows RT, and it has many of the same software limitations as the original -- namely, that it won't run traditional desktop apps. Given that, is it possible that all these hardware tweaks are enough to reverse Microsoft's fortunes?
Don't even bother trying to upgrade to Windows RT 8.1 today
If you're one of the few people who own a Windows RT tablet (don't all raise your hands at once, now), you just got a chunk of your Saturday back. Citing a "situation affecting a limited number of users updating their Windows RT devices to Windows RT 8.1," Microsoft has pulled the upgrade from the Windows Store. The company hasn't supplied an explanation, though various sources cite boot configuration issues that can cause the update to fail. Microsoft says it is "working to resolve the situation as quickly" and "will provide updates as they become available."
Storyteller app for Windows Phone and Windows 8 appears in leaked screenshots
@evleaks is at it again. This time the prolific leaker has blasted out two screen grabs of an app called Storyteller, which made a Live Tile-cameo in the alleged screencap of a Nokia Bandit, an oversized Windows Phone 8 device. The app appears to be a Windows 8 and WP photo album that lets users sift through images by timeline, favorites and shared, or browse them on a map. A close look at the top right of the application meant for larger devices reveals a "My tablet" menu, suggesting it boasts integration with slates. Given that @evleaks mentions Bandit, Espoo's long-rumored Sirius pad and October 22nd event date, it's a safe bet that we'll see new hardware -- and at least one new app -- this fall.
Nokia tablet gets approved by the FCC with AT&T and Verizon LTE
We have to hand it to Nokia: the company faces an acquisition by Microsoft in the very near future, but it's still got a few tricks up its sleeves. The FCC just approved a mystery device known as the RX-114, and Nokia's team did an incredible job of dressing up the paperwork so as to hide all clues of what it really was -- that is, right up until the last page of a 167-page document full of bland measurements and technical graphs. What you see above is official confirmation that Nokia is indeed working on a tablet, complete with diagrams of the device along with specific references to its slate-like state. (Forgive the fuzzy print; the diagrams are pretty small, so we enlarged them.) What else do we know? The docs confirm that the tablet features LTE with support for bands 2, 4, 5, 13 and 17, along with a full suite of HSPA+ and GSM / EDGE. This means that regardless of which carrier actually picks up this particular device (frequency support doesn't guarantee carrier coverage, and no networks have confirmed that they'll be selling it), it technically will work on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Of course, we've already seen purported leaks that show the Windows RT device with Big Red branding, so it's not a far stretch to believe this is still in the works for one or more US providers. We'll continue to parse the paperwork for other cleverly hidden clues, but this at least confirms what we already suspected -- and if we had to guess, we have a strong suspicion that we'll be seeing this beaut in the flesh at Nokia World in Abu Dhabi on October 22nd.
Dell no longer selling its XPS 10 Windows RT tablet, wants you to buy the Latitude 10 instead (updated)
If you're dead-set on a Windows RT tablet, it's increasingly looking like the Surface 2 will be your only option. After Samsung and Lenovo discontinued their respective devices, Dell is also apparently giving up on the beleaguered OS: the XPS 10 is no longer listed for sale on Dell's site. What's more, the company is pointedly suggesting that users buy the Latitude 10 instead (that's a tablet running full Windows 8, with a more powerful Atom processor under the hood). Of course, it's possible Dell's just sold out for the moment, but given the unpopularity of Windows RT devices in general, and the fact that Dell declined to refresh the XPS 10 with another RT device, we're guessing not. At any rate, we're asking Dell for comment and will let you know if we hear anything. Update: Dell wouldn't confirm or deny that the Dell XPS 10 has been discontinued. Instead, a rep for the company gave us this coy statement: "We're going to be announcing our full tablet portfolio at the event in New York next week and will be providing full details then." See you guys on October 2nd, then. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft Surface 2 event wrap-up
We weren't surprised when Microsoft unveiled new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets at its New York City event. However, the company still had a few surprises up its sleeve, including a Music Kit, significantly improved keyboard covers and a 4K-ready docking station. You may have missed out on a few of the announcements the first time through, but don't worry -- we've rounded up all of the Surface news in one place, including our hands-ons and post-event commentary. Check out the stories linked after the break and you'll know what to expect when Microsoft ships its second-generation Windows slates.
Microsoft's Surface 2: New tablet, same problems
What's the definition of insanity? Trying the same thing several times and expecting a different outcome. While we wouldn't suggest that Microsoft's finest minds are in need of urgent medical care, it does seem as if the company's executives have failed to heed the lessons doled out this summer. After all, it was only a few months ago that Microsoft had to admit that very few Surface RT tablets had been sold, and booked a $900 million loss on inventory that remains rotting in warehouses. At today's launch of Microsoft's second Windows RT-running slate, Surface chief Panos Panay opened his remarks by saying that the "Surface 2 is not subtle, but is a revamp. It is not the simple changes that everybody wants, but it's the changes people need." Unfortunately, the changes that he then went on to describe involved making the device thinner, faster and giving it a full-HD display -- criticisms that few had leveled at the first generation of the hardware. No, the problems that every critic had were the limitations of the Surface's operating system: Windows RT. Not that you'd know it from today's event. In fact, Microsoft went out of its way to downplay the fact that the Surface 2 runs RT, mentioning the ambitious Windows-on-ARM project only three times in an hour. But why was the star of the show reduced to such a bit-part role?
Daily Roundup: MakerBot Digitizer eyes-on, BlackBerry's bad news, iPhone 5s goes on sale, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Microsoft sees future for ARM-based tablets, but maybe not Windows RT
The rest of the industry may have turned its back on Windows RT, but it looks as if Microsoft isn't prepared to ditch the Windows-on-ARM dream just yet. During an analyst call, Terry Myerson, Microsoft's recently crowned software chief, seemed to describe RT as a first attempt, which will be followed up by further devices in the future: "Windows RT was our first ARM tablet(sic). And as phones extend into tablets, expect us to see many more ARM tablets, Windows ARM tablets in the future." Myerson's choice of words, and in particular his reference to phones that "extend into tablets," suggests that Microsoft could be looking to bridge the divide between its smartphone and tablet divisions, and perhaps give Windows Phone a much more prominent role than the much-maligned Windows RT. Indeed, using Windows Phone as a tablet OS, or merging WP and RT, would help Microsoft to unify its various platforms and apps -- something it has talked about in the past and that is actually a key focus of Myserson's work: "... we really should have one silicon interface for all of our devices. We should have one set of developer APIs on all of our devices. And all of the apps we bring to end users should be available on all of our devices." So, who knows, perhaps Windows Phone and RT have a common future? In which case, the idea of Nokia taking charge of this unified drive -- building phones and tablets on the same platform -- would make a lot of sense.
Microsoft will pay foolish people $200 to ditch their iPad, but you should know better
When a device has cornered a market as well as Apple's iPad line has, the competition will do a lot in an attempt to close the gap, and too-good-to-be-true trade-in programs are not unheard of. Microsoft has launched a promotion in the hopes of getting iPad users to ditch their tablets in favor of the company's own Surface, but rather than too-good-to-be-true, this "deal" falls into the category of I-can't-believe-they're-serious. Accompanied by an ad that reads "It pays to trade in your old iPad," Microsoft is tweeting that it will pay you a minimum of US$200 in store credit to trade in your second-, third- or fourth-generation iPad and buy a Surface instead. Two. Hundred. Dollars. Aside from the fact that the deal doesn't include the first-generation iPad -- which, logically, would be the device most likely to warrant replacement -- to offer a mere $200 for even the lowliest of the qualifying devices (a 16GB iPad 2 w/WiFi) is a bit ridiculous. That particular model fetches closer to $300 than $200 on eBay, even in "decent" used condition. After contacting several Microsoft Stores to get a better handle on how high their offers go, I was told prices can only be offered once you're actually in the store itself. Seriously, if you have your heart set on a new Windows tablet, at least don't fall for this predatory ploy. You can get much more for your current hardware by putting in a bare minimum of legwork.
Surface 2 rumors point to 1080p screen, Tegra 4 chip and two-stage kickstand
We've seen rumors of new Surface covers and docks; now, it's time for rumors regarding the tablets themselves. Both Neowin and WinSuperSite claim that the next-generation Surface with Windows RT will simply be called the Surface 2, and should represent a performance boost rather than a complete reinvention. In addition to the already confirmed Tegra 4 processor, the new Microsoft slate reportedly includes a sharper 1080p display and 4GB of RAM in an otherwise familiar design. The only noticeable changes to the form factor would be a more flexible two-stage kickstand and a white option, according to tipsters. There's no word on when the Surface 2 might reach stores, although the mid-October launch of Windows 8.1 would certainly be convenient. We'll likely find out more at the September 23rd event.
Lenovo exec: there's no longer a need for Windows RT
We're at Lenovo's 2013 press conference, and during the Q&A session, the company's executives offered a hint as to their lack of plans for Windows RT devices. When quizzed on Microsoft's moribund operating system, Australian marketing chief Nick Reynolds said that Intel's Haswell has eliminated the choice between long battery life and good performance. Since, consequently, users can run full-fat Windows 8 and get a full day of use from a single charge, there's not much call for a low-power version. To us, at least, it seems like it's not too far away from them saying that we won't see a follow-up to last year's RT-running Yoga 11, but we'll check with our Magic 8 ball just to be sure.
Nokia Windows RT tablet may resemble a Lumia, carry an iPad-like price
Nokia's rumored Windows RT tablet is supposedly nearing launch, and The Verge claims to have more details of the slate beyond those tidbits that surfaced at Digi-Wo last month. Nicknamed Sirius, the finished design is believed to resemble a Lumia phone and weigh significantly less than the current iPad. Despite packing a Snapdragon 800, an outdoor-ready 1080p screen and LTE, the tablet would last a healthy 10 hours on battery. It would also include both 6-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front cameras, and Nokia may complement the previously mentioned 32GB of storage with a microSD card slot. Pricing would be competitive with the iPad, according to tipsters. While there's no way to verify the new rumors, the Sirius may launch at a September 26th event; if it's real, we'll find out soon enough.
Switched On: Windows ReTreat
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Today's hottest and best-selling tablets and smartphones have one thing in common: they are powered by ARM processors. Offered in such variations as NVIDIA's Tegra, Qualcomm's Snapdragon, Samsung's Exynos and Apple's A6, ARM processors dominate the leading edge of mobile products. At LG's recent announcement of its clever and well-appointed G2 smartphone, much was made of it being the first globally launched phone to include Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800; Android, in contrast, wasn't mentioned once. And the long reach of ARM extends far beyond the bleeding edge. The Hisense Sero 7 Pro -- recently cut to $129 just a few weeks after its launch -- has a Tegra 3 processor while ARM chips from Rockchip and MediaTek power Android tablets at even humbler price points. For years, Intel has promised it would be competitive with ARM in terms of performance per watt (if not in price). It has made great strides both in its smartphone-focused Atom chips and its performance-oriented Core chips (including Haswell, the CPU behind the MacBook Air's huge gains in battery life), but those in the ARM camp have kept their processors' competitive heat up while keeping their generated heat down.
Daily Roundup: Obama's response to NSA scandal, Distro Issue 102, NVIDIA's second generation Surface, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
ASUS pulls out of Windows RT due to financial losses and 'industry sentiment'
This isn't a huge shock, given that ASUS has already publicly expressed woes about poor sales of its Windows RT products, but CEO Jerry Shen's latest comments have a surprising edge of finality to them. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, he said "it's not only our opinion, the industry sentiment is also that Windows RT has not been successful." He revealed that the company has taken a writedown on its stock of RT tablets, although he didn't reveal the size of the loss. He also said that, from now on, ASUS will solely make Windows 8 devices that run on Intel / x86 processors, due to the backwards compatibility with Windows software offered by those products. Meanwhile, NVIDIA has also predicted losses due to its involvement with RT, but it seems to be pushing ahead with a next-gen ARM-based Surface tablet regardless.
ASUS chairman: Windows RT results 'not very promising'
As ASUS goes full steam ahead in the smartphone space, prepping itself for an entry into the US market, the company has apparently done a rethink on its support for Windows RT. Chairman Jonney Shih told All Things D that, as far as the company's work with the Windows 8 offshoot goes, "the result is not very promising." Don't take that to mean that ASUS is set on completely abandoning the OS, but the future of ASUS Windows RT devices doesn't look particularly bright at the moment.
OneNote for Windows 8 gains Office 365 integration, touch keyboard improvements
Hot on the heels of the recent iOS and Android overhaul of OneNote comes an update for the Windows 8 and Windows RT versions which adds Office 365 integration and touch keyboard improvements. The app is available in the Windows Store right now and lets you sign into your Office 365 school or work account and sync notebooks right from within the OneNote app. As for the touch keyboard, it's both invoked and dismissed by simply tapping into any empty space, which makes it easier to use. This allows you to switch seamlessly between inputting text and finger painting -- or basically, just focus on your notes. Hit the source link below for the update.
Dell mulls entry into wearable tech, says tablet sales aren't so hot
Wearable technology is all the rage these days, and Dell isn't immune to the peer pressure: its global VP of personal computing, Sam Burd, tells the Guardian that his company is "exploring ideas" in the field. While it's not clear just how serious plans would be at this stage, Burd notes that the idea of a Dell smartwatch is alluring. He can't champion his firm's tablet sales, however. Dell has reportedly sold just "hundreds of thousands" of Windows 8 and RT slates like the Latitude 10 and XPS 10. The executive predicts a sales boost as corporate customers adapt to Windows' new interface, but he's cautious -- he believes that the young platform has to grow before clients (and rivals) take notice.
Windows 8.1 RT looks just like regular Windows 8.1, performance hasn't changed
When we got hands-on with the Windows 8.1 preview earlier this week, it was on a Surface Pro -- i.e., an x86 system running full Windows. Until today, though, we hadn't had a chance to try the software on a device running Windows RT. Well, fortunately for us, Microsoft has a row full of freshly updated Surface RT units on display here at Build, so we took the opportunity poke around a little. As you'd expect, Windows RT 8.1 has all the trappings of the full Windows version, including an always-there Start button and new apps like Food & Drink and Health & Fitness. What's sort of interesting is that you can boot to the desktop here as well, just as you would on Windows 8.1. (We say "interesting" because, well, how urgently do you need the desktop on RT anyway?) The desktop also still comes with Office apps pinned to the Taskbar, in case you were wondering. Performance seems much the same as before, particularly because we were handling last year's Surface RT, which still ships with a Tegra 3 SoC. Browsing and loading tabs in IE11 feels snappy but then again, IE11 was supposed to be a tick faster than IE10. Overall, navigating the OS can still feel slightly sluggish, but the build we tried is at least stable. Other than that, it looks like we'll have to wait for some new ARM chips before we can revisit performance in Windows RT. We'll also be back to take a look at the forthcoming RT Outlook app, which we haven't seen yet. Until then, don't expect us to write another 4,000 words on the subject.%Gallery-192561%
