Hasta La Gadget!

With a stamp from the FCC on its passport, and some fancy new TV ads, the smell of Microsoft’s Surface tablet is thick in the air. Until now, however, price has been a mystery. Microsoft has just revealed, via its own store, that if you want a slice for yourself, you can do so starting from $499. That price will get you the 32GB version, without the touch cover, with pre-orders available now, penciled in for a 26th of October delivery date. If you must have that cover, it’ll set you back another $100, and the same amount again if you want to hop up to 64GB of memory. With the current status of the larger-memory version showing as out of stock though, those with a thirst for storage still might have to wait a little longer.

Update: It looks like Microsoft might have pulled the listing for now. Perhaps the pages weren’t meant for prime-time just yet.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Microsoft puts a price on Surface RT: starts at $499, or $599 with Touch Cover originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft today detailed pricing for its Surface tablets, at least those running the scaled down RT version of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system designed for use on low-power processors. The Surface starts at $499 for an entry-level 32GB version without the Touch Cover with integrated touch-sensitive keyboard, while one with the cover runs $599. At the top of the line, a 64GB version with the touch cover included costs $699.

Microsoft had originally said that its Surface pricing would be roughly in line with the competition, with the RT devices matching tablets and the regular, more powerful Windows 8 varieties coming in at prices more comparable to other notebooks and ultrabooks out there. This pricing is in line with Apple’s iPad, which starts at $499 and ranges up to $699 for the Wi-Fi-only versions. Surface will be available beginning October 26, following a kick-off event for media October 25, and Microsoft looks to be ready to open pre-orders soon. The touch cover adds $119.99 to the price of the tablet when added as an accessory, and the type cover, with hardware keys, adds $129.99.

Earlier, the WSJ reported that Microsoft anticipated selling as many as 3 to 5 million of these tablets in Q4, which is ambitious, but at least they’re not overpriced for the category. It’s worth noting that in Microsoft’s own words, “Surface with Windows RT works exclusively with apps from the Windows Store,” meaning it’ll be like the iPad in more ways than form factor similarity. We’ll have to see whether users think there’s as much value there in Microsoft’s untested tablet as there is in Apple’s established lineup.

Update: The link appears to be broken now, with Microsoft perhaps lifting the curtain too soon. Below is a screenshot of how the site appeared this morning:

Update 2: The Surface link to the store above should be back up and running now. Also, be sure to check out the first official Surface ad, as well as a look behind the scenes at the Surface department in charge of Microsoft’s new hardware at its Redmond HQ.

While PlayStation 3 gamers have yet to get their hands on both the Dawnguard and the Hearthfire DLCs for Skyrim, it seems that Bethesda has another DLC planned and is known as Dragonborn. This is thanks to gamers who have datamined the update files which makes several references to “Dragonborn” and “DLC2”. The files also point towards dragon mounts, a Morrowind location and more. No word on when the Dragonborn DLC will be launched, although given Bethesda history with PlayStation 3 releases, it is safe to say that PlayStation 3 gamers probably should not hold their breaths for this one. As with the case with previous Skyrim DLCs, the Xbox 360 is also expected to call dibs on this DLC first before it makes its way onto the PC, and hopefully the PlayStation 3 although we’d much rather Bethesda work on Dawnguard and Hearthfire first. Either way we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more info, so check back with us at a later date for more updates!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Skyrim: Dawnguard PS3 delay is ‘our problem’, admits Bethesda, Bethesda still working on Dawnguard and Hearthfire DLCs for PlayStation 3,

Apple was granted a number of patents today, including a couple that could have big implications for its range of mobile devices. One is an oldie but a goody, describing a Wii remote style 3D control mechanism that users sensors to determine its position in space, filed in 2006 (the same year as the Wii itself), and the other is a system for detecting, gathering and providing information about unauthorized users of a person’s iPhone or other mobile device.

The security measures are most interesting, and also most likely to produce some kind of tangible results users will see. Apple says in its patent that it could identify users based on factors like heartbeat via embedded sensors, photographs or voice recordings, combined with things like suspicious behavior. That would trigger a system to begin monitoring said user, taking photos, recording audio and snapping screenshots of behavior, as well as logging keystrokes and keeping a record of Internet usage. For extra security, the device could also be set to lock down/wipe when an unauthorized user takes control. Finally, the info gathered can be sent to the authorized user or authorities to help track down the unauthorized user. Apple also describes a way in which a device can be put into security mode depending on its proximity to another device, linked by NFC.

These security measures would be tricky to get just right – users would have to be careful about how they set them if there’s a high likelihood that their devices will be used by others on a regular basis. But Apple could implement this as yet another extension of its Find My iPhone services, and this would also make a lot of sense in high-sensitivity enterprise settings.

The 3D controller would allow for a screen to use IR, accelerometer and photo detectors to make on-screen objects manipulable through movements of a control device in three-dimensional space. Apple doesn’t mention the iPhone by name in the patent, since it actually predates its existence, but it does suggest that an iPod could eventually become the control device in question. As for applications, this looked like a prime candidate for inclusion in the Apple TV, but nothing using it has been forthcoming from Apple. Might the company still do something with this, after essentially sitting on the idea for six years? I think we’ve moved on to a point where Apple is more interested in Siri-type voice commands, or perhaps gesture based controls, than on the slightly unnatural act of moving a small device around in the air to make something happen on-screen, and it seems to be doing just fine in gaming with its current approach.

Apple is and always has been a ‘patent first, ask questions later’ type of organization, so in general looking for these things to make their way to shipping products is always pretty much a guessing game. But the security features, if done well, continue Apple’s progress with its iOS device user services, and could provide a lot of value to device owners, and could indeed be a welcome step in helping prevent or at least resolve more cases of mobile device theft.

Good news Call of Duty gamers, it seems that Activision has announced that with the launch of Black Ops 2 in November, the Call of Duty Elite service will be free for all players. Prior to this, Call of Duty Elite was available as a free or paid subscription service, with the paid version offering users access to monthly features such as map updates, increased video storage space, access to certain challenges and competitions as well as access to the other features available for the free version.

While we’re sure that gamers out there are rejoicing at the free Elite service, there is of course a catch. Instead of paying $50 for a year’s subscription and receiving content on a monthly basis, you can choose to either purchase the maps individually at 1200 MP each, or you can access all four planned DLC packs via Season Pass which is worth 4000 MP. Activision has also announced that for Black Ops 2, Elite features will also include Player HQ, Clan HQ, Zombies Support, Call of Duty Elite TV and Social Sharing and Notifications. For current Call of Duty players with the paid subscription, once their subscription runs out, it will be reverted to this free service.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: More hints of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 for the Nintendo Wii U, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 details leaked?,