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Microsoft Launcher for Android adds Timeline and new design
One of Microsoft's focal points at its Surface event Tuesday was on helping you move seamlessly between devices. As part of that effort, it's updating Microsoft Launcher on Android with some new features, including long-awaited Timeline support.
Microsoft’s machine learning can predict injuries in sports
Microsoft is bringing its big-data knowledge to sports. Today, the company introduced its new Sports Performance Platform, an analytics system that aims to help teams track, improve and predict their players performance using machine learning and Surface technology. Created by Microsoft Garage, the group responsible for the tech giant's offbeat innovations, the project is designed to make coaches better understand player data and find ways to turn that into actionable insights. Microsoft's Sports Performance Platform can, for example, figure out when a player is at risk of injury, based on his or her most recent performance and recovery time.
Surface Laptop vs. the competition: Back to basics
Microsoft finally built a real laptop -- not a tablet with a keyboard, or a machine with a detachable display. Just a solid traditional laptop, though one with an incredibly slim build, smooth touch and the stripped down Windows 10 S along for the ride. But, as a more straightforward machine, the Surface Laptop goes directly against competing devices from the likes of HP, Dell and Apple. With the Surface and the current MacBook Air both starting at $999, we've lined up the specs of some leading 13-inch machines to see what they can offer you for a grand and more.
Surface Studio vs. the competition: Beauty isn't skin deep
Over the past few years we've seen Microsoft take on the world of tablets with the Surface and, for those who prefer something more on the laptop side, the Surface Pro and Surface Book. But it hasn't truly tackled desktops until today's announcement of the all-in-one Surface Studio. As cool as features like the zero-gravity hinge might be, the Studio will be facing off against established lines like the iMac. We've assembled the specs of some of the leading 27-inch machines on the market and matched them up against the 28-inch Studio to see which is worthy of sitting on your desk.
Microsoft built Twitch-like livestreaming into Windows 10
Broadcasting live gameplay to Twitch or Facebook isn't easy. It means setting up special capture software and navigating a mire of complicated bandwidth settings. Microsoft is trying to fix that: The next version of Windows 10 is going to integrate game broadcasting directly into the Xbox App. The streaming experience promises not only to be easy, but also to almost eliminate the communication lag between viewers and broadcasters -- but don't expect to use it on Twitch. Microsoft's game broadcasting tools seem to be designed specifically for Beam, the livestreaming service it acquired back in August.
Bill Belichick is through with the NFL's Surface tablets
You'd think Patriots coach Bill Belichick is feeling over the moon right now. After all, his golden boy Tom Brady is finally back from a four-game suspension, handed to him by the NFL for his role in a cheating scheme now widely known as "Deflategate." But no, Belichick isn't happy. Instead, the Super Bowl-winning coach is lashing out at tablets. And while he doesn't mention Microsoft's Surface by name, that's the device the tech giant pays $80 million dollars a year for teams to use on the sidelines. It's also the one he just smashed in a game against the Bills earlier this month.
Microsoft's Surface Book now up for UK pre-order from £1,299
In the Surface Book, Microsoft finally delivered a tablet that can replace your laptop. Or is it a laptop that can replace your tablet? Whichever way you look at it, Microsoft is gearing up to bring its premium, kooky-hinged device to several more countries after launching it first in North America this past autumn. It just so happens the UK is one of these countries, with Surface Book pre-orders opening up today ahead of the official launch on February 18th.
Mini review video: Our verdict on the Surface Pro 4 in under a minute
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-385756").style.display="none";}catch(e){}With each generation of the Surface Pro, Microsoft gets closer and closer to fulfilling its promise of a tablet that can replace your laptop. Last year's Surface Pro 3 was certainly powerful enough to take on similarly priced notebooks, but the keyboard wasn't as comfortable, and it wasn't particularly easy to use in your lap either. Fortunately, the new Surface Pro 4 mostly addresses these flaws, with a sturdier keyboard, improved pen and slightly lighter design. Unfortunately, the battery life is about the same as last time, delivering just over seven hours of video playback in our tests. If Microsoft were to extend the runtime and include the keyboard dock in the box, we'd be inclined to give the Surface an even higher score. Even as is, though, we can finally say it's well-rounded enough to replace a laptop.
Microsoft's new Surface 3 tablet runs full Windows, not RT
How many times have we said that the Surface would be great, if not for its OS? The truth is, the Surface RT and Surface 2 were lovely, well-crafted things, with great screens, solid build quality and long battery life. We just wished they could run the full gamut of desktop programs, in part to make up for a limited selection of Windows Store apps. Well, it seems Microsoft has finally reversed course. The company just unveiled the Surface 3 and, as rumored, it comes loaded with full Windows 8.1. A more full-featured OS also means a more robust processor -- specifically, an Intel Atom CPU similar to what you'll find in Chromebooks and other budget machines. Additionally, the screen now supports pressure-sensitive pen input -- something the higher-end Surface Pro could always do, but never the Surface RT. All told, although Microsoft is still calling the Surface a tablet, it might finally be versatile enough to take on not just other slates, but low-end PCs as well.
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!
Here's how Microsoft plans to take over NFL sidelines
Are you ready for some football? Because Microsoft most certainly is. To go along with the introduction of a new NFL app for Xbox One and Windows 8, the software giant has also revealed how it plans to help professional coaches and players during games. As part of an ongoing partnership with the National Football League, which began last year and was reportedly worth $400 million over five years, Microsoft created what it calls a Sideline Viewing System. Naturally, the company's own hardware is a key component to this; the new system is powered by Surface Pro 2 tablets, and it allows NFL teams to review photos of plays instantly on the sidelines and up in the booths. For instance, say the quarterback goes back to the bench, the Surface can then be used to see the opposing team's defensive formation during the most recent drive -- and the same goes for the coaching staff that keeps an eye on the game from higher ground. Players are also able to draw on these images, making it easier for other members of the team to see something which stands out and needs to be checked.
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.
Microsoft thinks Apple is playing catch up in the tablet market
Apple is known for having what tech buffs like to call the "reality distortion field," where whatever the company says becomes true within the Apple nation, but now it seems Microsoft may be attempting to cultivate a similar atmosphere around its own products. Speaking with TechRadar, Microsoft's Surface UK Lead Ally Wickham not-so-subtly hinted that Apple is actually trying to catch up to the Surface, not the other way around. "I think a lot of tablet manufacturers are starting to catch on that people want to do more with their tablets. More and more tablet manufacturers realize that people want to get things done and put more productivity software on them... we recognized that from the beginning," she said. "More productivity software," eh? It's fairly obvious Wickham is referencing Apple's recent decision to make iWork and iLife free for all new iPads. It's a convenient bullet point for Microsoft to have a version of its Office suite on its Surface devices, but to suggest that Apple made its decision on iWork and iLife based on a competing device that sells a fraction of what its own tablets sell is distorted indeed.
Microsoft's Panos Panay says Surfaces with 'multiple aspect ratios and sizes,' LTE are on the way
It's not the first time we've heard that Surface tablets would be coming in multiple sizes, but Microsoft's Panos Panay offered the clearest indication yet that the line could soon be expanding at a Microsoft Store event in Seattle last night. As GeekWire reports, while Panay didn't get too specific, he did say that Microsoft has "a lot of great things that we are thinking about and working on, and there are multiple aspect ratios and sizes and awesome things to come from Surface." He further went on to confirm that an LTE version of the Surface 2 (but not the Surface Pro 2) would be heading to AT&T in the US and Vodafone in Europe early next year -- something he first mentioned on Reddit last week -- although he again held back on any more specific launch details.
This week on gdgt: Apple's new iPhones, Loewe's Speaker 2go and Steam Machines
Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Hands-on with the Surface Music Kit, a digital audio workshop aimed at beginners (video)
We were expecting new tablets at today's Microsoft Surface press event, but this? This was a surprise. In addition to unveiling the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, the company showed off the Surface Music Kit, a special version of the company's Touch Cover keyboard that's specifically meant for music production. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that it includes both a Touch Cover and an app (called the Remix Project) that lets beginners experiment with remixing. Inside the application, you'll find "stems" (things like the bass track of a song), "clips" (the intro to a pop song, say) and "oneshots," which include sound effects like claps. From there, you can drag and drop the tracks into a workshop area, not unlike the way you'd handle media in a video-cutting program (or any other digital audio workshop, really). What's especially cool is that the Touch Cover here is pressure-sensitive, just like the new Touch Cover 2, so if you want a light drum sound, you can tap it lightly; if you want something more intense, just start mashing it with your fingers.
Microsoft announces the Surface 2, the follow-up to the original Surface RT; coming October 22nd for $449
As promised, Microsoft has just revealed the Surface 2 here at its Surface-themed press event. Whereas the new Surface Pro 2 makes subtle changes to the original Pro, the Surface 2 is being billed as a revamped version of the Surface RT. As rumored, it moves up to a higher-res 1080p ClearType display -- the same one you'll find on the new Surface Pro 2. Performance-wise, the tablet now has a Tegra 4 chip (versus Tegra 3 in the last generation). Microsoft also says it's doubled the BUS speed for the WiFi and the memory, and the CPU speed has increased "dramatically" as well. Additionally, there's now a USB 3.0 port on board, a step up from the USB 2.0 connection used on the original. All told, says Microsoft, the new model should run three to four times as fast as its predecessor, and the battery life should be 25 percent longer too (up to 10 hours of video playback). As for the design, this looks similar to last year's RT, at least from a few feet away, but it's thinner (8.9mm), lighter (676g) and built from two pieces of magnesium, not three. And, of course, it sports the same two-stage kickstand as the new Surface Pro 2, which should make it easier to balance in your lap. As you'd expect, it also works with the new Touch Cover 2, which Microsoft also announced today. Oh, and it's available in white now too; not just black. Moving on, Microsoft also added a third-inch camera sensor to the front of the product to help manage the light in webcam videos, especially those recorded in dim light. Speaking of video chats, Surface owners will enjoy a year of free international calling and Skype hotspot access. Not enough freebies for you? Microsoft's also throwing in 200GB of SkyDrive storage, free for two years.
Microsoft Surface 2 liveblog!
Welcome to Microsoft's Surface 2 event in NYC! We'll be on hand to deliver updates on new hardware, pricing, keyboard covers and whatever else Redmond has in store. Stay tuned! September 23, 2013 10:30:00 AM EDT
Catch our Surface 2 liveblog tomorrow at 10:30 AM ET!
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to meet the follow-up to Microsoft's Windows 8 tablet? There's most definitely new Surface (and likely Surface Pro) hardware in store at tomorrow's NYC event, so you'll want to tune in as Ballmer and co. unveil the goods. Keep your browsers locked here from 10:30 AM ET and on -- we'll be updating you live from the NYC launch! September 23, 2013 10:30:00 AM EDT
