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by Anton D. Nagy | February 16, 2013 4:54 AMRead OnMicrosoft, Nokia, Windows fans -- and not only -- have been waiting for quite some time, wanting a Nokia-made tablet. An image of what was at the time believed to be a Nokia slate in the works triggered official reaction and so far it's disappointing for those that want a Windows RT or Windows 8 tablet made by Espoo. Further speculation -- "following extensive channel checks" -- seems to confirm the lack of Nokia tablets at the upcoming MWC. Strategy Analytics believes that the Finnish phone maker will have an approach which will materialize in a strong smartphone push at this year's ...
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by Adam Z. Lein | February 15, 2013 8:15 AMRead OnMicrosoft has been doing handwriting recognition for a very long time. They started promoting ink support in 2000 with the Pocket PCs which had inking and handwriting recognition as part of every "notes" field in any kind of data item. Contacts, Calendar appointments, etc. Then in 2002, inking became part of the Windows Tablet PCs. Today, that ink and handwriting recognition has evolved significantly and it really shows how far we've come in the Surface Pro with its included Wacom stylus. In the video below, we'll take a look at just how it works. You'll see how well it can ...
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by Anton D. Nagy | February 9, 2013 4:50 AMRead OnFans of Microsoft tablets have some interesting news today regarding both the Surface RT and the Surface Pro. The Surface RT with Windows RT is available in a new, 64GB, standalone version. It is going for US$599 and you'll need to add $100 if you want to purchase it together with the black Touch Cover. Additionally, the Surface RT will be available in additional markets starting February 14: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. If you prefer a richer experience then the Surface Pro with Windows ...
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by Michael Fisher | February 7, 2013 11:26 AMRead OnLast week, on the heels of the BlackBerry 10 launch event in Toronto, I crafted a pair of quick-and-dirty comparison videos showcasing the differences between the BB10 OS and the Windows Phone 8 and Android platforms. I admit that the set had its problems, filmed as it was under severe time constraints in a hotel room with horrible audio. Several factual errors needed to be corrected in editing, and we subsequently filmed some follow-up videos to offer a more thorough presentation. Still, neither Android nor Windows Phone came away from the analysis unscathed: in the categories we selected ...
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by Stephen Schenck | February 6, 2013 3:20 PMRead OnMicrosoft's Panos Panay, of the company's Surface Windows 8 Pro Engineering Team is engaging in a Reddit AMA today, and some of what he's had to say seems to suggest that Microsoft might be interested in releasing an enhanced version of the touch or type covers, packing in an extra battery to help extend the tablet's useful life per charge. Unlike the Surface RT, the Windows 8 Pro version adds in some extra connectors where its cover attaches. These large-surface-area contacts are just the kind you'd associate with carrying power, rather than data. In the AMA, one users asked Panay about ...
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by Stephen Schenck | February 6, 2013 11:23 AMRead OnEvery once in a while, we see Samsung file for trademarks on a whole bunch of new device names. It may seem that more often than not, nothing interesting comes of these finds, but occasionally the company decides to follow through on one or more and we actually see hardware eventually come to market. Today, we have a handful of new candidates to throw in the running for new Samsung smartphones, including a number of Galaxy models and even one ATIV device. In the US, Samsung has filed for trademark protection for the names Galaxy S Kit, Galaxy S Mate, Galaxy S Impact, and Galaxy S Act. With ...
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by Stephen Schenck | February 4, 2013 2:56 PMRead OnWe've been talking about the possibility of seeing a Nokia tablet for what seems like ages now. These rumors have come up time and time again, and while we occasionally get an official quote from the company regarding such a venture, it's often not long after before Nokia sets the record straight, dashing our hopes. Recently, we've heard that Nokia might have a ten-inch Windows 8 tablet in the works for a debut at the MWC. Now a new interview with CEO Stephen Elop makes such an announcement sound very unlikely, but at the same times give us hope that the day could still come when we'll ...
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by Jaime Rivera | January 29, 2013 3:13 PMRead OnHere's when you start to debate if the word "Pro" is really worthy of a product's name. While some of us are both excited or simply underwhelmed by the news of the Microsoft Surface Pro reaching retail stores on February 9th, it seems that choosing the right Surface will be crucial to satisfy your needs. As it turns out, if you choose to go for the 64GB entry-level model, you won't be left with much to actually do with your "tablet that's also a PC device". You'll barely be left with 23GB of usable storage, and we don't think many of you had even started high school when dealing with that ...
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by Stephen Schenck | January 25, 2013 12:22 PMRead OnWindows 8 tablets have been off to a rocky start, and while upcoming models like the Windows 8 Pro Surface may help stir-up some new interest, there's one big elephant in the room: price. In a market full of $200 Androids and $330 iPad minis, it can just be really hard to justify paying $500 and up for a Surface RT. During its most recent earnings call with investors, Microsoft fielded some questions along the lines of more affordable tablets, and it sounds like the company's well aware that it needs to get some cheaper options out there. Citigroup's Walter Pritchard asked Microsoft CFO ...
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by Jaime Rivera | January 23, 2013 10:08 AMRead OnI've spent a day full of second thoughts. Back when Microsoft announced the Surface in two flavors, both an RT and a Pro version, I immediately jumped the gun and said I'd wait for the Pro. I've always been frustrated by the fact that the iPad is not a work machine, and I seriously find it annoying to have to haul my laptop everywhere. I borrowed Brandon's RT Surface in Vegas back when we were covering CES just to make sure I was doing the right thing, and as it turned out I was, since going RT would've just been adoption another iPad when it came to usability. There was really no point in ...
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by Jaime Rivera | January 22, 2013 9:59 PMRead OnWatch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the additional rumors of more than one iPhone being launched in 2013. Then Microsoft takes the spotlight as we talk about the official Microsoft Surface Pro announcement when it comes to pricing and availability. The LG Optimus G Pro is next as it just became official in Japan, and there are a lot of cool things coming with the device. Then we move to the Galaxy S IV as some of the news show some leaked image renders of how the device will look, and the other news show that the launch date will most likely not be on MWC 2013. We end today's ...
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by Stephen Schenck | January 22, 2013 12:50 PMRead OnEver since the Surface RT launched, we've been anxiously awaiting the debut of its big brother, the beefier, Windows-8-Pro-running Surface. In late November, Microsoft finally revealed pricing data for the Surface Pro, but we still didn't have a firm date for its availability, beyond sometime in January. Well, we're deep into the month at this point, with no sign of any new Surface models; what gives? Today, Microsoft provides the Surface Pro a release date, and while it's going to miss that January window, it won't be by much: the Windows 8 Pro Surface will go up for sale on February 9. ...
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by Adam Z. Lein | January 21, 2013 10:23 AMRead OnBack around the turn of the century, personal digital assistants (PDAs) were a popular secondary device that people would carry to help manage contacts, appointments, mobile web clippings, notes, and other mobile computing functions that you couldn't do with a mobile phone. PDA's had touch-sensitive screens that were much larger than the mobile phone screens of the time and gave you a nice area to get more work done. The power users of the time would often pair a Bluetooth capable mobile phone like the Sony Ericsson T68i with a powerful PDA like a Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC. The Bluetooth ...
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by Stephen Schenck | January 17, 2013 7:00 PMRead OnLess than a year ago, back in early March 2012, Google took the axe to its Android Market and renamed it the Google Play Store, as part of a company-wide rebranding around the Google Play name. It may have seemed a little strange at first, but it's rapidly grown on us, such that the Play Store has become synonymous with Android apps. That's why we're a little surprised to hear about Microsoft's latest attempt to sell games, which it's promoting under the very similar "Play" banner. The branding's a little inconsistent, and Microsoft seems to refer to this both as Play XBLA and just ...
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by Anton D. Nagy | January 17, 2013 5:37 AMRead OnASUS' Padfone concept was a neat one even in the first iteration we've seen at the 2012 MWC. Now, at is second iteration, while still running Android, it might serve as an example for the company which could try to implement it on another platform: Microsoft's Windows Phone. Benson Lin, corporate vice president of mobile communication products at Asus, unveiled in a Wall Street Journal interview, that the company is "interested in making Windows Phones". Not only that, but the Padfone concept is also something the company is considering, as the executive said: "I think it makes sense for ...
Posts tagged with: Windows 8