Review: Updated: Microsoft Surface Pro

Windows 8 in a tabletFantastic penBright touchscreenUp to 2TB expandable storageTouch and Type Cover keyboardsHeavyShorter battery life than RTNo home for the penKickstand can be awkward

The Surface Pro is now on sale in two versions, a somewhat lean 64GB version and a more usable 128GB variant.

After being on sale for a while in the US and Canada, this month sees the Surface Pro launch in the UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

We've been waiting quite a while for a tablet like this - and not just since it was announced last year. If you ever saw a Windows tablet PC and wanted one that was done properly, you've been waiting years for Surface Pro with full Windows 8.

But is it worth the wait? Is it a flying car, a toaster fridge, a compromise too far? Or is it the best of both worlds? What exactly is Surface Pro?

Surface RT with Windows RT is easy to understand; it's Microsoft's ARM tablet for everyone who likes or wants an iPad but needs to use Office and a keyboard. If that's just not enough for you, if you want the full version of Windows 8, Surface Pro promises that in almost the same form factor.

It has the same distinctive look, the same sleek black VaporMg case and the same full-size USB port - but it tweaks the iconic kickstand and the clever magnetic connectors for power and the two tear-off keyboards (Type Cover and Touch Cover both work interchangeably with Surface Pro and RT).

It improves on the 10.6-inch touchscreen of the Surface RT with higher resolution and a digital pen you can use to scribble notes on the screen (and snap into the power port for carrying around), but it still has some of the darkest blacks you'll find on any screen. It's a PC, but it's still a tablet. Do you want it? Depends on what you really want.

If you've seen the Surface RT in the flesh, the Surface Pro looks utterly familiar. The same VaporMg coating over the same sturdy but sleek metal body, the same gently curved corners and wide black bezel, the same subtle Windows logo on the front.

But pick it up and you'll notice the difference straight away. The Surface Pro is thicker - although 13.5mm (0.53 inches) rather than 9.3mm (0.37 inches) isn't exactly bulky - and it's heavier, at 907g (2lbs) rather than 680g (1.5lbs). But the weight is evenly distributed and well balanced so it doesn't feel a lot heavier unless you pick them up side by side.

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Microsoft will cut Xbox One price, but only if it falls behind the PS4 in sales

HomeNewsMicrosoft will cut Xbox One price, but only if it falls behind the PS4 in sales

Likevar urlStringForLink = 'via=t3dotcom&text=Microsoft+will+cut+Xbox+One+price%2C+but+only+if+it+falls+behind+the+PS4+in+sales&related=t3dotcom: The latest tech news from T3&url=';var urlcheck = 'http://www.t3.com/news/microsoft-will-cut-xbox-one-price-but-only-if-it-falls-behind-the-ps4-in-sales';function get_short_url(long_url, login, api_key){ var link = ''; $.getJSON( "http://api.bitly.com/v3/shorten?callback=?", { "format": "json", "apiKey": api_key, "login": login, "longUrl": long_url }, function(response) { if ( response.status_code != 200){ link = long_url; } else { link = response.data.url; } setLink(link); } );}function setLink(data) {if ( data != 'undefined') {$('.tweetLink').attr('href','http://twitter.com/share?'+urlStringForLink+data);} else {$('.tweetLink').attr('href','http://twitter.com/share?'+urlStringForLink+urlcheck);}}$(document).ready( function() {var urlcheck = 'http://www.t3.com/news/microsoft-will-cut-xbox-one-price-but-only-if-it-falls-behind-the-ps4-in-sales'; var debugLevel = '0'; //remove local, dev, stage prefixes from url if we are not on live if(debugLevel>1){ urlcheck = urlcheck.replace('www.local.', 'www.').replace('stage.www.', 'www.').replace('www.dev.', 'www.'); }var counturl = 'http://urls.api.twitter.com/1/urls/count.json?url='+urlcheck+'&callback=?';var count = 0;$.ajax({url: counturl,dataType: 'json',success: function(data) {//alert('success from twitter call ' +urlcheck +' '+ data.count);if( data.count > 1000 ){count = data.count / 1000;count = count.toFixed(1);count = count.toString() + 'k';} else {count = data.count;}$('.tweetcount').text( count );} });}); Tweet0$(document).ready( function() { //https://plusone.google.com/_/+1/fastbutton?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.t3.com/* * href="#" * onclick="popUp=window.open('https://plus.google.com/share?url=', 'popupwindow', 'scrollbars=yes,width=800,height=400');popUp.focus();return false" */ $('.gplusConnect').click(function(e){ e.preventDefault(); popUp = window.open('https://plus.google.com/share?url='+ encodeURIComponent('www.t3.com/news/microsoft-will-cut-xbox-one-price-but-only-if-it-falls-behind-the-ps4-in-sales'), 'popupwindow', 'scrollbars=yes,width=800,height=400'); popUp.focus() });}); 0

Analyst Michael Patcher believes consumers will see the value of Kinect

Microsoft is prepared to lower the price of the Xbox One, but only if it falls behind in the race with the PS4.

That's the opinion of Wedbush analyst Michael Patcher.

However, he doubts that it will be necessary, especially since the u-turn on its DRM policies for the Xbox One.

Speaking to investors, he said that he believes Microsoft could still emerge out on top of the next generation, despite the false start.

"Microsoft intends to offer a more robust hardware bundle than Sony will offer, and Microsoft is convinced that consumers will ultimately appreciate the value proposition presented by Kinect," Pachter told investors.

"Microsoft has not done a particularly good job of communicating the value proposition to consumers, but today's announcement will remove an impediment to the company's ability to get its message across.

"We are confident that with six months of focused messaging, Microsoft can fully level the playing field with Sony, and we expect the Xbox One to sell as many units as the PS4.

However, should he be wrong and Microsoft fails to sell as well, if not better than the PS4, he fully expects the company will lower the price of the Xbox One.

"If we are wrong, we think that Microsoft is prepared to lower price next year."

Via: CVG

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