As we've heard at the beginning of the month, Microsoft might be ready to announce it's second generation of Surface tablets in June. Then came those ugly rumors according to which we'd have to wait until 2014 to see some Microsoft slates and we're now, more recently, hearing confirmations that it might still be June for the second-wave Surface RT tablets. Whether our wish-list for the next Surface will be taken into consideration or not, only time will tell. However, Digitimes reports that second-generation Surface RT is expected to land in June. It should be an eight-incher and should ...

Apparently, Acer dismisses Windows RT. After previously being a heavy critic of Windows 8, company president Jim Wong -- who once believed that consumers were confused about Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system --  stated that "there's no value doing the current version of RT". While at an Acer event in New York, president Wong acknowledged that "the plan for an RT tablet is ongoing". However, Acer would rather wait for the next iteration of Microsoft's Windows RT platform, due to be released later this year. The company will then decide whether to adopt it or not. Furthermore, there ...

For the longest time, we've been wondering when Microsoft might start addressing the big blank space in the middle of its mobile device lineup, for models larger than Windows Phone handsets, yet smaller than current Windows 8 and RT tablets. After all, that's a huge deal for Android and - more recently - iOS, so Microsoft seems to be missing out. We've heard rumors that Microsoft itself could be creating a seven-inch Surface, and while we wait to learn if there's any truth there, the company has confirmed that its OEM partners, at least, will be releasing their own smaller tablets. This ...

Been enjoying Nokia Music on your Windows Phone handset? Picked up a Windows 8 tablet and wish you could be taking advantage of the same service while you're working on a larger screen? You're in luck, as Nokia Music is now available for Windows 8 and Windows RT systems. If you've used Nokia Music before you should know what to expect here: recommendations, playlists, offline playback, and more. You can add your own locally-stored MP3s to the action, or even get custom mixes based on your favorite artists. There's support for Nokia Music+ if you subscribe, and you can link your tablet up ...

Sometimes you just have to schedule a podcast a few hours before a major news event, and as a result you've got to scramble to come up with some valid-sounding speculation about just how useful a Facebook Phone could really be. It's not like we haven't tossed this notion around before, but doing it on the air, off-the-cuff, imbues our lives with a certain energy, a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. Or even if you won't. Whatever; we have a good time riffing. You'll listen and like it! Ahem. All that, plus some chat on just how big a copycat LG's Optimus G Pro is - and how well it does ...

Watch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about all the Facebook Android rumors, since we no longer know if it should be called a phone. Then we go through the leaked BlackBerry roadmap, and some really interesting strategies coming in the future. Microsoft is next as we talk about Windows RT and its merger with Windows 8. Then it's Windows Phone news as it has gained some positive market share in the last couple of months. We end today's show talking about the AT&T HTC One, which sadly will retain exclusivity over the 64GB model in the US. All this and more after the break. Stories: - ...

The "supply chain" and sources within never sleep. Apparently a new rumor has popped up which talks about Microsoft's alleged plans to no longer launch products part of the Windows RT line-up. The Surface RT, depending on who you tend to believe, was a decent start or a complete disappointment. One thing is for sure: several OEMs, through their executives, were not really fond of the platform and its naming, often calling it confusing. If the most recent rumors are to be believed then Microsoft is preparing to incorporate or merge Windows RT in its upcoming new platform, codenamed Windows ...

I’ve learned that there are two things about being a smartphone-and-tablet reviewer. The first thing: you get to handle awesome gadgetry days or weeks ahead of its official release date, and you’re not just allowed to use the heck out of it; you need to, in order to do your job. That’s the awesome thing. The other, less-awesome thing: you eventually have to give it all back. “Empty Nest” is a recurring column discussing what I miss -and what I don’t- about the devices I’ve had to return. ___ My relationship with Microsoft's first self-built tablet has always been ...