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New in our buyer's guide: The Xbox One wireless adapter and more!
Before we set about reviewing all the phones announced at Mobile World Congress last month, we decided to give our gaming and audio buyer's guides a refresh. In addition to culling some older products, we're inducting a few new ones. The most recognizable of the bunch is perhaps the Xbox One wireless adapter, though you might also be familiar with the wireless Bragi Dash earbuds that we reviewed recently. Rounding out the list, we've added Master & Dynamic's $549 MW60 wireless over-ears -- for those who can afford it. Check out our full guide here, and stay tuned for further updates in the coming months.
The latest menswear accessory is a Surface Book
As the line between fashion and technology continues to blur, Microsoft Japan is taking the well-trodden path of fashion collaboration to promote its Surface Book and tablets. Microsoft has claimed a corner of the upscale department store Isetan Men's in Shinjuku, Tokyo, stocking its hybrid PCs next to pricey fashion items. There's also a digital "hologram" mirror, which shoppers can use to see how they look in 360-degrees. Shop attendants scan you with a Surface -- of course -- while a platform spins you around. The results are then beamed to a floating display so that you can see how you really look. Browse the department store collaboration for yourself in our gallery:
Microsoft's Surface Book arrives in the UK for £1,299 and up
If you reserved a Surface Book after Microsoft opened pre-orders last month, then you're no doubt eagerly awaiting a courier's knock. Not nearly so organised? Well, not to worry, as we're here to remind you Microsoft's dual-personality device officially launches in the UK today. Part tablet, mostly laptop, the Surface Book is now available through Microsoft's store and at various other retailers, including Amazon, Currys / PC World and John Lewis. Bidding opens at £1,299 for the base, Core i5 model, but if you really want to make your wallet squeal, there's always the top-end configuration with Core i7 processor and dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GPU for a cool £2,249.
Microsoft's 1TB Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 now available
If you've been holding out on a Surface Book or Surface Pro 4 with more storage, you're in luck. Microsoft announced 1TB versions of both are now up for sale in its web store. The duo also packs in a Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, so if you're looking for a laptop, or a tablet that can replace your laptop, these certainly pack a punch.
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.
Microsoft owns up to issues with the Surface Book and Pro 4
When reviews of the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 hit, it seemed like Microsoft would be riding a wave of positive publicity into the holiday season. We liked both devices, and while the Surface Book wasn't everyone's cup of tea, most reviews were also fairly positive. But things changed once they actually reached consumers. Some early buyers reported a variety of issues, including screen flickering, system instability and power problems. Those concerns prompted Microsoft to release several firmware and software updates within weeks (on top of a launch day fix), which helped with some issues. But they came too late to erase the idea that something was up with Microsoft's new hardware.
New in our buyer's guide: The iPhone 6s, Surface Book and much more
Sorry we haven't updated the buyers's guide in a couple months -- we've been too busy pumping out reviews of all the new devices. Now that things have finally started to slow down (fingers crossed), let's take a step back and look at all the awesome stuff we've had a chance to test this fall. For starters, there's a bunch of excellent smartphones that we absolutely need to add to our guide. Namely: the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the Nexus 6P and 5X, and the Moto X Pure. On the tablet side, we're inducting both the iPad mini 4 and the Surface Pro 4. Microsoft makes another appearance in the laptop section, where we've added the Surface Book, along with Dell's Chromebook 13. Rounding out the list, we threw in a few miscellaneous items, including the new Xbox One Elite Wireless controller, the redesigned Sonos Play:5 wireless speaker and Google's $35 Chromecast Audio.
Apple's Tim Cook calls Microsoft's Surface Book 'diluted' (updated)
On top of announcing an expansion in Ireland, Apple CEO Tim Cook also took some time to weigh in on Microsoft's newest hybrid laptop, the Surface Book. "It's a product that tries too hard to do too much," he said, according to the Irish Independent. "It's trying to be a tablet and a notebook and it really succeeds at being neither. It's sort of diluted." Ouch. We actually found the Surface Book to be a pretty darn good hybrid laptop in our review. Cook's comments are particularly rich on the heels of the iPad Pro's launch this week, a large tablet with keyboard and stylus accessories that looks like it was inspired by Microsoft's Surface hybrid tablet. Of course, the big difference is that the iPad Pro is running iOS, not OS X. Cook seems to be taking more issue with Microsoft's attempt to unify desktop and mobile interfaces in a single platform.
Microsoft's Surface Book is near impossible to fix yourself
If you took one look at Microsoft's unique Surface Book and guessed that it'd be an absolute bear to fix... you guessed well. The do-it-yourself repair crew at iFixit has torn down the hybrid laptop, and it's just as tough to repair as the Surface Pro line despite the larger two-piece design. Just about everything is glued or soldered, and the "upside down" circuitry means that you'll usually be yanking out the whole motherboard to access parts. About the only thing you can realistically replace is the solid-state drive, and that's provided that you can get the system open. The inaccessibility isn't completely surprising -- Microsoft had to slim down that oddball shape somehow, and fused-together components are usually how you do it. Still, this may be a disappointment if you were hoping to keep the Surface Book in tip-top shape without paying someone else to fix it.
Recommended Reading: Who are the best horror movie monsters?
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Happy 'Halloween': The Best Horror-Movie Monsters by Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion, Grantland To get you in the proper mindset for tonight's ghoulish activities, Grantland offers a look at the best horror movie monsters of all time. Jason, Michael, Freddy and Leatherface are all considered for categories like best costume, most creative kill and more. Take a look... if you dare.
The Surface Mini is a real tablet that you can't buy
You've heard the rumors: Microsoft axed the launch of a small "Surface Mini" Windows tablet just before the Pro 3 hit stores. Hints of the canceled launch showed up in news articles, Microsoft earnings reports and even the Surface Pro 3's user manual, but now we finally have confirmation that the tablet actually exists -- and it was pretty much ready to ship alongside the Surface Pro 3. So ready that, for a time, Surface VP Panos Panay used one on a daily basis.
Microsoft adds a cheaper Surface Book option with NVIDIA graphics
If you're like most of us, you think Microsoft's Surface Book looks like an incredibly attractive laptop, however adding on all the fixin's (like a powerful NVIDIA GPU embedded in the keyboard) can make it a bit pricey. TechRadar notes that the folks from Redmond have slid one more variant into the store, allowing buyers to essentially choose between upgrading the base ($1,500) model's graphics instead of its hard drive. For $1,700 you can either have a version with a Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB storage and no NVIDIA discrete GPU, or the new version -- a 128GB model with dGPU. If you keep your larger-capacity files in the cloud or an external drive, that cuts $200 off the previous cheapest dGPU-equipped version without losing any power, but we won't blame you if only the $3,200 1TB top-of-the-line powerhouse will suffice.
Surface Book review: The ultimate laptop, even if it isn't perfect
For years, Microsoft has been telling us that the future of PCs was actually the tablet. The Surface Pro in particular is powerful enough that it could truly keep pace with your laptop, and Microsoft hasn't been shy about comparing it to the MacBook Air. The message seemed clear: The Surface Pro was like a notebook, only better. And yet, immediately after unveiling the Surface Pro 4 at a keynote earlier this month, Microsoft unleashed one last surprise: the Surface Book. At first glance, it's a traditional 13-inch notebook, with a premium design, long battery life and the sort of performance you'll find in only a handful of other laptops, like the MacBook Pro. Unlike a Mac, though, you can remove the screen, turning it into a shockingly light, 1.6-pound tablet -- one that happens to pack a notebook-grade Intel Core processor. This, according to Microsoft, is the "ultimate laptop."
Microsoft's 1TB Surface Book will cost you a hefty $3,199
Microsoft talked about the Surface Book having up to a 1TB solid-state drive when it announced the laptop/tablet hybrid, but you couldn't actually buy it on launch -- 512GB was as good as it got. Well, that extra-capacious model is now available for pre-order... and to no one's surprise, it won't come cheap. This ultimate configuration (which also includes a Core i7, 16GB of RAM and dedicated graphics) will cost you an eye-watering $3,199, which makes the $2,699 512GB model suddenly seem like a bargain. Not that there's a rush to buy the 1TB version right away. This and most other Surface Book models won't ship for another 7 to 8 weeks thanks to brisk demand, so you might as well think it over before you drain your bank account.
Microsoft's 'Device Night' lets you go hands-on with its new products
Microsoft has a handful of new devices and wants you to experience them as soon as possible. Similar to what it is doing with HoloLens, the company's taking recently announced products like its Surface Book, Surface Pro 4, Lumia 950 XL and second-gen Microsoft Band on a tour across the US and Canada. But unlike the mixed reality headset's event, this one will be open to the general public, not only developers. Aside from being able to try out the hardware, Microsoft's also going to have Q&A sessions, giveaways and, of course, food and drinks. The 2015 Device Night kicks off in Boston and San Francisco on October 19th, followed by cities including Philadelphia, Vancouver, Dallas, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Chicago. You'll need to register before attending, which you can do right here.
UK pricing for Microsoft's Surface Pro 4, Lumia 950 phones and other goodies
It's fair to say that Microsoft's latest launch event was its most interesting for a long time. We finally learned that Hololens will be made available to developers early next year, clapped eyes on the first flagship Windows 10 phones, checked out the updated Microsoft Band and met the Surface Pro 4. Then the company surprised us all with the unveiling of its first laptop: the Surface Book. Microsoft is wasting no time in getting some of these to market, so you might be wondering how much each of them will cost. As always, we're more than happy to be your guide.
Microsoft's Surface and Lumia event: by the numbers
The dust is settling on Microsoft's Windows 10 Devices event where the company showed off all the shiny devices that it's about to start selling. But if you weren't able to sit through our excellent liveblog, then perhaps you'd like to read this breakdown of the show based on the key numbers. It's like an extended highlights reel, but with a more statistical edge. Get all the news from today's Microsoft event right here.
Surface Book vs. the competition: Flagship laptops go head-to-head
And then there were three: with the introduction of the Surface Book, Microsoft has joined Apple and Google in offering a premium laptop that runs its own platform. But how does it stack up next to its rivals, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the Chromebook Pixel? We've put the specs of each side by side to help you sort things out. As you'll soon see, the three only share a few things in common. They reflect the unique philosophies of their creators, whether it's Microsoft's fondness for tablets, Apple's preference for powerful (if conventional) laptops or Google's desire for lean-and-mean web machines.
Here's our first look at the Surface Book, Microsoft's answer to the MacBook Pro
Wow. Microsoft finally did it. After years of rumors and speculation the company finally unveiled its very own laptop. Not a tablet that could replace a laptop (although there's that too), but a bona fide laptop, with an attached keyboard. Well, almost. The Surface Book, at first glance, looks like a traditional clamshell notebook with a touchscreen. In fact, though, it's more like a lovechild between the Surface and Lenovo's Yoga line. Which is to say, it has a removable display that supports pen input but, if you reattach the screen facing away from the keyboard, you can also fold it down into tablet mode. Oh, and on the inside, it has enough horsepower to take on the MacBook Pro.
Microsoft's Surface Book is its first (and 'ultimate') laptop
And then Microsoft dropped a bombshell on stage. "What if you wanted a Surface -- but you wanted a laptop Surface, something with a bigger screen, something with the perfect typing experience of a laptop?" Microsoft's Panos Panay asked at the company's Windows 10 devices event. "We made the ultimate laptop; we made Surface Book." That's right, it's Microsoft's first in-house laptop -- with a 267 ppi, 13.5-inch display, a sixth-generation Intel Core processor, up to 16GB of RAM and a claimed 12-hour battery life. Microsoft is calling it the "ultimate" laptop ...but just like every other Surface in the product line, it's still a detachable, convertible PC.
