Hasta La Gadget!

Apple finally gave ambitious road-warriors with excellent vision the Retina MacBook Pro they’d been demanding, a 13-inch model to join the existing 15-inch Pro at the pinnacle of the company’s mobile range. Promising the same eye-watering visuals with the sort of processing power the Pro line-up is known for, the 13-inch version also makes some concessions so as to slim down to suit more frequent travelers. Is this the perfect notebook for your bag? Read on for our full review.

Hardware and Design

Side by side, the two Retina-class notebooks are almost identical in their thickness. The 13-inch model is actually slightly thicker – we’re talking a millimeter’s difference, mind – but the disparity in weight (3.57 pounds versus 4.46 pounds), width (12.35 inches versus 14.14 inches), and depth (8.62 inches versus 9.73 inches) are the most noticeable changes. If the original Retina MacBook Pro is a long, thin slice of computer, then the smaller model is a tiny powerhouse that can easily be dropped into a bag without demanding the sort of performance compromise of, say, a MacBook Air. Next to the old-style 13-inch, meanwhile, the differences are considerably more obvious. The new Retina model is thinner, lighter, narrower, and even less deep.

Still, there are some compromises to be made for reducing bulk (and for starting $500 less) from the 15-inch Retina Pro. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina loses the discrete graphics option of its 15-inch sibling, making do with Intel HD Graphics 4000, though you can still power two external displays – via a combination of the two Thunderbolt ports and the single HDMI – and run the notebook’s own display simultaneously.

Storage starts off at 128GB of flash, with 256GB, 512GB, and 768GB options; the default processor is a 2.5GHz Core i5 dualcore, whereas the 15-inch model heads straight to Core i7 quadcores. You can pay extra for a Core i7 chip on the 13-inch, but it’s the dualcore, not the quad. Memory is a fixed 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L, with no option to change that.

13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina: Hands-on and comparisons:

All the ports, wireless connectivity, and 720p webcam are the same as we saw on the 15-inch, as is the backlit keyboard and sizable trackpad. That means you get a pair of Thunderbolt connectors (which can double as Mini DisplayPort), two USB 3.0, a headphone jack, SDXC memory card slot, and an HDMI output. Inside there’s WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, and a pair of microphones are on the left edge.

Apple’s industrial design continues its gradual evolution toward thinner, pared-back computing, and the new MacBook Pro is no different. From the side, it’s like the old model but flatter; you can also glimpse the new “side gill” vents which are part of the reworked cooling system. In use, it’s quiet, with the fans only rising to a concentrated hum during the heavier moments of our benchmarking. The compromise to be made is one of repairability and room for improvement: the memory is soldered to the logic board, so as to shave away bulk, as is the processor, and the flash storage uses a proprietary connector so it’s sensible to buy the biggest drive you can afford initially.

Display

The 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina display is, at 2560 x 1600, slightly lower than the 2880 x 1800 of the 15-inch, but because of the smaller size its pixel density is even higher: 227 ppi compared to 220 ppi. With both in front of you, though, you don’t see any difference – the whole point, after all, is that the pixels aren’t supposed to be individually identifiable – only the mesmerizing detail and smoothness of the graphics that leave other notebook displays, no matter how bright or colorful, looking crunchy and jagged. Viewing angles are broad enough that you might have to worry about those next to you on the plane glancing over and seeing what you’re working on.

As before true Retina mode on the MacBook Pro doesn’t actually give you 2560 x 1600 resolution. Instead, you get a simulated lower resolution which is smoother all round, since each pixel is in fact a cluster of smaller pixels.Yyou can optionally switch out of Retina mode and pick a higher effective resolution, though the 13-inch misses out on the 1920 x 1200 of the larger machine; instead, the maximum is 1680 x 1050, still impressive (and impressively detailed) for a relatively small notebook. Third party applications are available which will force the display resolution even higher, though are not officially supported by Apple.

Apple is quoting a 75-percent reduction in glare from its new Retina display, versus the previous MacBook Pro 13. In practice, there’s certainly fewer reflections, which adds up to more flexibility in where you can use the notebook. It’s not a true matte finish, mind, though by ramping up the brightness you can use it outdoors and still see what’s going on.

Performance

We actually have two new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina models on our test bench: the 2.5GHz Core i5-3210M dualcore (3MB L3 cache) and the 2.9GHz Core i7-3520M dualcore (4MB L3 cache). Each has 8GB of memory and supports Intel Turbo Boost, up to 3.1GHz and 3.6GHz respectively, and is running Mac OS 10.8.2.

We started with Geekbench, a synthetic test of processor and memory performance. The Core i5 machine scored 6507 overall, while the Core i7 pushed that to 8238. It’s worth noting that the increases weren’t solely in the processor categories: the Core i7 model also recorded better memory scores, suggesting that it makes better use of the 8GB it has. Still, each is a fair step behind the 15-inch Retina model, which scored 12,970 with its 2.6GHz quadcore Core i7-3720QM and 8GB of memory. Performance was roughly on a par with the mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Air.

MacBook Pro 13 with Retina – Core i5 – Geekbench:

MacBook Pro 13 with Retina – Core i7 – Geekbench:

We then turned to Cinebench, which benchmarks processor and graphics performance with a mixture of 3D rendering and OpenGL testing. It’s a good way of examining how a system will handle intensive tasks such as video processing, or gaming.

The Core i5 model scored 2.12 CPU points, while the Core i7 scored 2.81 CPU points, or roughly half the result you’d expect from a quadcore processor. Unsurprisingly, with no discrete GPU, graphics performance showed the biggest hit, with the Core i5 managing 14.81fps and the Core i7 squeezing out 19.69fps.

By way of comparison, the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina’s NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU saw it record a score of 34.30fps in the same category. The MacBook Air managed 16.41fps.

If you’re planning use your new Mac for serious graphics or video editing, our suggestion would be to stick to the larger Pro, as the standalone GPU pays dividends. Of course, it also requires more power, though it includes the same Intel HD Graphics 4000 chip for more everyday use.

Battery

While the battery in the MacBook Pro 13 Retina may be smaller than before – 74-watt-hour, or versus the 95-watt-hour of the 15-inch – the fact it’s driving a smaller screen and less extreme components means Apple rates it for the same runtime: up to seven hours of wireless web browsing, or 30 days standby. However, the 60-watt MagSafe 2 power adapter is slightly smaller and thus continues the theme of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina being easier to transport.

In practice, with a mixture of web browsing over WiFi, some music playback, a couple of YouTube videos and some emailing, and the display set to a usable half brightness, the Pro lasted just over six hours. Scaling that back to solely browsing and we broke past Apple’s seven hour estimate by a couple of minutes. In contrast, a more ambitious use of the notebook for video playback and some brief video processing in iMovie saw the battery expire in around four hours.

Wrap-Up

The $2,000 mark is an important mental barrier, and the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina’s $2,199 starting price put it out of consideration for many. In contrast, the 13-inch version starts at $1,699 with the 128GB flash drive, rising to $1,999 for the 256GB model.

Increasing storage isn’t cheap – you can boost the entry-level model to 768GB, yes, but it’ll cost you more than a MacBook Air to do so – but the $200 extra for the Core i7 dualcore strikes us as a worthy upgrade given the impact it has on performance overall. Apple still offers the non-Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,199 with the same 2.5GHz Core i5 dualcore, though to specify the same memory and a 128GB SSD you’re looking at $1,499. You also get a gigabit ethernet port, FireWire, and an optical drive, though you miss out on the lighter chassis and far improved Retina display.

While the Air might be the smallest of Apple’s notebook line-up, the 13-inch Pro hits a more palatable sweet-spot for balancing power, performance, and functionality. At $1,699 and up, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display sits at the premium end of the notebook market ($500 less than the entry-level 15-inch model, mind, although you do get extra performance for that) but it does offer features that, right now, you can’t get elsewhere. Those for whom sheer power – particularly multimedia editing – is essential should probably opt for the bigger model, but those road warriors looking to pare back weight and bulk without unduly sacrificing usability will find a lot to love in the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.

MacBook Pro 13-inch Retina Review is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft is no stranger to tablets, though with Windows RT and Surface the company is hoping to have its first tablet success. Borrowing frugal processors from the mobile industry and a distilled version of Windows 8, and pairing it with distinctive and high-quality hardware, Microsoft certainly appears at first glance to have ticked the right boxes. Still, in a market where tablets are generally scaled-up smartphones, does Microsoft’s pared-back desktop OS do enough to rid its reliance on the keyboard and mouse? Read on for the full SlashGear review.

Hardware

Windows on an ARM processor is new territory for Microsoft. With Windows RT, the field is open for companies like NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and others to push the sort of frugal chipsets that are more commonly found in Android tablets, reaping potential benefits in power frugality and reduced heat output.

In the case of Surface, Microsoft opted for NVIDIA’s quadcore Tegra 3, here paired with 2GB of RAM. It’s a chip we’re very familiar with from Android phones and tablets, and in fact much of Surface’s other specifications are par for the course in the mobile world. A choice of 32GB or 64GB of storage – no 16GB option, though Microsoft prices its entry-level Surface directly against the 16GB iPad 3 – with a microSDXC card slot, WiFi a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0.

As you’d expect there are stereo speakers – which are on the quiet side, even at maximum volume – and dual digital microphones, an HD video output which, with the right $39.99 dongle, hooks up to an HDMI or VGA connection, and a cluster of sensors: ambient light to control screen brightness, an accelerometer, gyroscope, and digital compass, though no GPS. Microsoft also isn’t offering a 3G/4G version of the tablet, claiming that consumer research suggests the vast majority of tablets of a similar size to Surface don’t ever get taken outside of the home or office.

LifeCam video recording demo

LifeCam photo examples

Unlike most rival tablets, however, Microsoft has also outfitted Surface with a full sized USB 2.0 port, opening the door to regular peripherals like printers, keyboards, mice, and other accessories. There’s also a “Cover port” which works with Microsoft’s magnetically attached keyboard covers – more on which later. Finally, there are front and rear “LifeCam” cameras, each capable of 720p HD video recording.

Microsoft currently has three hardware packages: the entry-level $499 Surface with 32GB of storage and no cover; the $599 Surface 32GB with a black Touch Cover; and the $699 Surface 64GB, again with a black Touch Cover.

Design and Construction

You have to give Microsoft its due when it comes to design and build: the company’s hardware division may be best known for its range of simple peripherals – keyboards, mice, and trackpads – along with Xbox, but Surface is another level of focus and thoughtful materials selection. If Microsoft needed to borrow any sort of strategy from Apple in tablets, it was attention to detail, and while Surface is distinctly different in its design and approach to mobile computing to the iPad, both slates share an exacting and rigorous conception.

Where the iPad is all curves and tapers, Surface musters angled edges and bevels to make its design mark. It’s crisp, and clean, and beautifully cohesive: its 676g weight is evenly spread through the chassis, meaning it doesn’t feel top-heavy or biased when you hold it in your hand, no matter the orientation. The “VaporMg” – Microsoft’s name for the specially treated magnesium alloy it has used – casing is both smooth and easily gripped, and though it’s still early days has proved reasonably resilient against scratches. It’s also meant to be fingerprint-resistant, though our unit had little trouble picking up enough prints from us to be a goldmine for law enforcement.

Surface with Windows RT unboxing and Accessories

Surface – and Windows RT – seems intended for landscape orientation use primarily, and so Microsoft has fitted the tablet with one of its most distinctive physical features: the pop-out kickstand on the back. Spanning the whole width of the slate, and almost half of its height, the slice of neatly machined metal clicks out with a thunk that’s both aurally and physically satisfying, propping up Surface at a 22-degree angle for typing or watching video. Closing it is equally pleasing, with hidden magnets making sure the stand snicks into position without vibration or wobble.

It’s not just a design afterthought, either. The rear camera shares the same angle – 22-degrees – as the kickstand, which means that when Surface is standing upright the webcam is pointing straight back, not down at the table. The front camera, meanwhile, points straight out from the fascia of the slate, since users are likely to be looking down at it, even when Surface is stood up.

Display

Beyond Windows RT itself, the display is probably the most contentious aspect of Surface. Microsoft opted for a custom-sized 10.6-inch panel that best fit with its keyboard sizing ambitions and the split-pane multitasking of Windows 8/RT, falling in-between the more typical 10.1- and 11.1-inches we’ve seen on slates from other manufacturers. What the company hasn’t done is go beyond the usual 1,366 x 768 resolution, rather than chasing Apple’s third-gen 9.7-inch iPad with its so-called Retina Display.

So, while other tablets are chasing pixels so densely packed you can hardly make them out individually in normal use, Microsoft refuses to join the resolution arms race despite complaints that Surface isn’t at least HD (oddly, even Microsoft seems to quietly agree on some level, since the Surface with Windows 8 Pro due in a few months time has a 1920 x 1080 display instead). Instead, it’s relying on “ClearType HD”, the latest iteration of Microsoft’s subpixel rendering system.

ClearType in fact dates back to late 1998, though it was only turned on by default in Windows from Vista onwards. It works by individually controlling each of the three subpixels – the red, green, and blue segments – in each overall pixel, and in the process effectively tripling the resolution of the screen. So, rather than just treating each LCD pixel (e.g. block of three subpixels) as a whole, ClearType can individually turn on or off each subpixel, allowing for more granular control.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, ClearType met with mixed reactions. On the one hand, it allows for a greater degree of detail than the on-paper resolution of the display would imply; however, because each of the pixels is a different color there is color fringing introduced. Depending on which subpixel is active, that fringing might be red, green, or blue. Some users find the fringing more noticeable; others complain of fuzziness around text. During our testing, at least one person using Surface found reading extended amounts of text could trigger headaches.

Happily other aspects of the display treatment are more successful all round: for instance, optically bonding the LCD and cover glass so as to reduce the distance between the two layers, increase the amount of light transmission, and cut out internal reflections that can lead to glare. It’s a process that’s increasingly being seen on smartphones, but has been slower to appear on larger devices like tablets due to the cost and complexity of the lamination process.

Overall, then, it’s a mixed bag. If your eyesight and ClearType HD play nicely together, then the combination of that and the optically bonded panel help bypass the need for the sort of huge resolutions Apple and Samsung are chasing on tablets. It’s worth remembering that more pixels require greater backlighting and thus a bigger battery (which adds weight, bulk, and takes longer to charge) too.

However, zoom in on graphics in the browser on the Surface and, side by side with an iPad 3, the difference in resolution is clear. It’s the same when you’re viewing photos in the gallery app: the Surface screen just doesn’t look as good.

Windows RT

To say there’s a lot of confusion about Windows RT is an understatement. Microsoft’s decision to split Windows 8 into two versions – one “full” build for the sort of x86 processors from Intel and AMD that Windows has been running on for years, and one pared-back version for ARM chipsets – makes sense in many ways, but poor communication as to the differences between the two means there are bound to be some tears early on.

Although there are numerous factors that separate Windows 8 and Windows RT, the biggest difference is in how software is handled. Windows 8 gets the full gamut of apps, whether they’re from the Windows Store – the on-device app store – or loaded separately, just as Windows users have been installing software for years now. The OS works with so-called “legacy” software; that is, apps designed and released when older versions of Windows were current.

Windows RT, however, is a cleaner break with the past. It doesn’t even try for compatibility with older apps, with no backward-compatibility. If you want software, it will have to be available in the Windows Store, though obviously with Internet Explorer onboard you have access to webapps too.

Muddying the waters somewhat is the fact that Windows RT still allows access to the traditional desktop, even if you can’t load traditional software to it. This is primarily of use with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview edition, preloaded on Surface, and the key app which uses the more familiar interface. Still, in a way, it’s as if the iPad had an option to peel away the iOS interface and reveal OS X underneath, only an OS X that you couldn’t really do much with. There’s no escaping the feeling that Microsoft left the desktop in place in Windows RT simply because it hadn’t had time to refresh Office with the Metro-style interface; indeed, no third-party apps will be allowed to use it.

So, Surface is a balance between two environments, and they do a good job of reminding where Microsoft struggled with tablets in the past. The Live Tile based homescreen, and apps designed specifically to fit in with it, are clean, clear, and easy to use: the epitome of finger-friendly. As on Windows Phone, they can pull in updates from social networks, the calendar, and other sources, and cycle through those new tidbits automatically. You can pin new apps, bookmarks, contacts, or other content to the homescreen; organize your icons into groups and subgroups; pinch-zoom to see your entire app landscape.

Swipe from the right edge into the middle of the display and you get the Start bar, with a button for the homescreen – mimicking the hardware Windows button below the display – as well as Search, Share, Devices, and Settings shortcuts. Swiping up from the bottom of the screen summons the contextual menu, its contents varying depending on what app you’re using at the time. A swipe in from the left flicks through the stack of open applications, in order of their most recent use.

Somewhat confusingly at first, Microsoft has gathered the search functionality into a single, unified hub. When you open the dialog, you can choose to either search across all areas, or to narrow your query down to a specific app, or the Windows Store, or for a particular setting. In addition to local content, you can access files plugged into the Surface’s full-sized USB port, such as from a thumb-drive. Unlike iPad, which isn’t really set up to handle external storage, Surface and Windows RT have no problem mounting an external drive and copying files to and from the slate’s own storage. Alternatively, if you’ve a folder full of videos, photos, or music, you can play them directly from the external drive itself.

If the new interface is a lesson in touchscreen usability, the legacy desktop shows why Microsoft has struggled for so long with its tablet software. For all its UI finessing, you can draw a line between Windows in traditional mode back to Windows XP: small text that is tricky to accurately hit with a fingertip; drag’n’drop that all too often results in a prematurely dropped file or folder. Those prior versions of Windows were designed for mouse navigation, and while it works well with the trackpad on the Touch Cover and Type Cover, it’s simply not intended for fingers to stab at with any degree of accuracy.

Overall, performance has proved solid from the Tegra 3 chipset. The Metro-style interface is slick and responsive; apps open without delay or lag; and the slide-in dialogs like search appear on a single swipe despite what the current app is doing. Microsoft’s multitasking system works similarly well, pulling in an adjustable second panel to the side of the current app, for side-by-side work or play. It’s particularly useful for keeping an eye on Twitter messages or Skype chats while otherwise browsing.

You’ll be spending a lot of time in the browser, since the Windows Store still lags behind in titles compared to iOS and Android, and webapps are a good alternative (or, indeed, the only option in many cases) to native code, so it’s a good thing it’s fast. Side by side with the iPad 3, the SunSpider browser benchmark test came in with a score of 1,128.0ms on Surface and 1,688.9ms on the iPad (faster is better). HTML5 apps and sites run very well, and streaming sites like Netflix have no issues whatsoever.

There’s limited Flash support – in fact, only those sites Microsoft decides simply have to use Flash to give a good experience get to access it – and, while Windows 8 users will have the choice of the Metro-style IE10 browser or the regular IE10 browser on the desktop, the latter with full Flash support, those running Windows RT have the same Flash limits in both variants. That, and the fact that Microsoft’s Flash access policy demands it actively add permission on a site-by-site basis, means most of the time Flash is a no-go on Surface.

That arguably puts RT – and Surface – somewhere in-between iPad and Android tablets for flexibility. For what it’s supposed to do, Windows RT does well. Problem is, Microsoft has done a pretty appalling job of explaining what it’s supposed to do. The baseline guidance is that with RT you miss out on Windows Media Player and Media Center, lack the ability to create HomeGroups and join Domains, and can’t install apps from anywhere other than the Windows Store. On the flip side, it promises instant-on and inescapable Windows Update and Windows Defender, automatically keeping Surface up-to-date and secure.

How much of those messages actually make it through to consumers is questionable, though, and the at-a-glance similarity between Windows RT and Windows 8 is unlikely to help differentiate between the platforms in stores. Surface Pro will span the divide when it arrives in early 2013, but we can envisage early confusion about the limitations and advantages of Windows RT overshadowing its strengths.

It’s fast and straightforward to use, the live tiles are convenient, and the first batch of apps made according to Microsoft’s Metro-style specifications are distinctive, but many users come to Windows – irrespective or unaware of version – expecting to be able to use the legacy software they’re familiar with. And, unless the developers of that software have cooked up a Windows RT version, they’ll be out of luck.

Touch Cover and Type Cover

Windows-based tablets have a long history of working well with keyboards. In fact, slate form-factors have been the Windows tablet minority so far: more common is the so-called hybrid or convertible, usually consisting of a rotating touchscreen that can flip around and then fold flat on top of the keyboard, switching a notebook into a (usually chunky) slate.

Times change, however, and keyboards have become optional accessories not integral parts of the tablet experience. Nonetheless, Surface and its keyboards have been closely developed: one of the reasons Microsoft chased a screen size larger than 10.1-inches was because it reduced tablet width and therefore made the keyboards cramped.

Right now, there are two keyboards to choose from, Touch Cover and Type Cover. The Touch Cover is the thinner of the two, a 3mm-thick slice of touch-sensitive fabric and plastic that docks to the bottom edge of Surface and functions as both a protective cover for the fascia and as a method of faster text entry. Microsoft says it put in several months of experimentation to ensure the magnetic clasp was both sturdy enough that you could dangle Surface from it, but still be so readily detached that a three-year-old could do it (something we tested ourselves).

There are no moving parts, only the outlines of keys laser-etched onto the plastic. Inside, pressure sensors track each touch of your fingers – all ten can be tracked individually at any one time – and decide whether the weight being applied is indicative of your hands resting on the ‘board or actively pressing a key. That point is around 40g of pressure, apparently, though Surface also uses the touch sensitivity to track whereabouts you’re consistently hitting the keys, so that it can continue to register key-presses even if you’re not dead-on with your aim.

It’s not a perfect alternative to a traditional keyboard, but it’s functional and – while we’re now reasonably speedy with on-screen ‘boards – if you stick with it you can reach higher speeds than when typing on glass. There’s a little give and a little textural feedback involved, and together they’re sufficient to coax a few more words-per-minute out. Microsoft claims it takes less than a week to grow familiar with the system, and that in time you can reach roughly double the speeds of a traditional on-screen layout, and though we didn’t quite achieve that sort of rate we were still able to punch out longer emails and other messages in relative comfort.

Those who simply can’t get the hang of a zero-profile keyboard have the Type Cover to opt for instead. Twice as thick, at 6mm, it has mechanical keys – albeit with minimal travel – and adds 0.55lbs to the weight of the Surface, versus the 0.46lbs of the Touch Cover. You get a full five row ‘board, as well as function keys that double as media and navigation shortcuts, plus a trackpad; as with the Touch Cover, closing it on the screen automatically puts Surface into standby.

Even with the extra depth, this is no buckling-spring keyboard. The feel when typing is akin to some of the more recent ultraportable notebooks: key-travel is noticeably curtailed, though we could quickly achieve a faster rate – with fewer errors – than with the Touch Cover. The broad spacebar is a particular boon.

Perhaps the biggest drawback is availability; Microsoft’s launch bundles mean that the only way to buy a Surface with the Type Cover but not the Touch Cover is to opt for the 32GB model. There’s no way to buy the 64GB variant without the Touch Cover too. Alone, the Type Cover is $129.99 (versus $119.99 for the Touch Cover).

Battery

Microsoft rates the 31.5 Wh battery Surface is equipped with for “all day battery life”; it’s a nebulous term, though it translated to real-world performance reasonably well. With heavy use, we managed a full day out of the slate, with a mixture of web browsing, some app use, local and streaming media, and a little camera work. It’s a good, solid showing for the Microsoft slate.

Where things get shaky is in standby time. While we’re used to plugging in our smartphones overnight, every night, tablets can be more sporadic in their usage. The expectation is that they can hold onto a reasonable charge for a more extended period, so that there’s juice available whenever you pick them up from the coffee table.

On that front, Surface falls behind its better rivals. Whereas you can leave an iPad unused for a few days, and come back to it with a fair expectation of having power left, Surface proved more profligate with its standby power. One time, we left it with a claimed 30-percent left on the battery meter, and after around 6hrs – with no active use in that time – it ran itself down and shut off.

Microsoft is still undoubtedly finessing its power management firmware, and it’s entirely possible that a software fix could stem the more aggressive flow of battery life. As it stands, it’s not an insurmountable problem, nor a deal-breaker – like we said, when active Surface posts admirable runtimes – but it’s something you’re forced to consider in your everyday use.

Wrap-Up

In the end, it all comes down to ecosystem. If you’re already invested in Microsoft then it’s a good solution: if you’re a Windows Phone user, or an Xbox 360 gamer, or simply have a background with Windows 7, then Surface will likely fit into your world more smoothly than an iPad or Android tablet might. If you’ve considered subscribing to Xbox Music, Microsoft’s streaming audio service, then Surface makes sense there, too, considering cross-platform apps for that haven’t been released yet.

Personal reactions of ClearType HD aside, it’s hard to be too critical of Microsoft’s hardware. The Surface team has cribbed some of Apple’s notorious attention to detail and applied it with its own spin, and the result is a well-constructed slate with legitimately useful design elements like the kickstand. You could argue that the focus on the Touch Cover and Type Cover are Microsoft proving reluctant to let go of physical keyboards, but using Surface without them is undoubtedly practical and their convenience (and the fact that Office is preloaded, albeit in preview form) means you get the best of both worlds.

Windows RT will undoubtedly prove the sticking point. That it comes late to the tablet game and thus with fewer apps than competing platforms is a given. That there are some for whom Windows itself is anathema is no surprise. However, the poorly-explained – and not easy to ascertain at first glance – differences in abilities between RT and Windows 8 will need time to bed down before Surface finds its niche. That will happen, but with headaches along the way, and it may not be until Surface Pro arrives with its higher-resolution screen and digital pen that Microsoft’s tablet gets the respect it deserves.

Surface with Windows RT Review is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I have a confession to make: I never tried the Windows 8 consumer preview. You see, I’ve been a lifelong Windows user (I can remember my parents making a big deal out of our switch to Windows 3.1), and as a lifelong Windows user, I’ve been burned plenty of times in the past. Most recently, this happened with Windows Vista, so when Windows 7 came along, I decided that it was the only Windows version I needed for the foreseeable future. Sure, I watched plenty of videos and read plenty of articles about Windows 8, but none of those convinced me that OS was something I needed to have on my machine. Yet here I am, reviewing Windows 8 for SlashGear. Can Microsoft’s latest version of the OS persuade this stubborn Windows 7 user that the grass really is greener on the other side? Read on to find out.

Setup

If you’re upgrading from a now-outdated version of Windows, setup is pretty easy. You pop the disc in the tray and let autorun take over from there. Depending on what version of Windows you’re upgrading from, you’ll be presented with a number of options before the install begins. Coming from Windows 7, I was given the option of keeping my Windows “apps,” settings, and personal files, just my personal stuff (which includes things like your desktop and your documents), or nothing at all.

Obviously, opting to move nothing over to Windows 8 will result in the shortest install and setup times, whereas going with the first option will mean that you’ll be waiting a while as everything is moved over. I chose the first option, not realizing that pretty much everything on my hard drive would be spared. I have around 750GB of stuff stored on my hard drive, but despite that, the total time it took to get Windows 8 ready to go was only around an hour and a half. That doesn’t seem too bad, but then again, I don’t make a habit of installing new operating systems all that often, so I don’t have much to compare it to.

Still, regardless of which option you choose, don’t expect your Windows 8 install to be instantaneous. You’re not required to do much of anything until the install is nearly ready to go, so you’ll want to occupy yourself somehow while Windows 8 works its magic. Once the install is almost finished, you’ll be asked to either log into your Microsoft account or create a new one. As far as I could tell, there isn’t a way around this, but the account creation process is quick and painless, so you may as well get it over with.

After that, you’ll be presented with a number of customization options. You’ll be picking your Windows 8 color scheme here, and there are a bunch of different options to choose from. I chose black as my primary color will blue accents – relatively tame, but there are definitely some wild color choices for the more adventurous types (anyone in the mood for an orange Start page?). Naturally, you can change your color settings at any time, and indeed, you’ll have more options at your disposal once you’re doing this within the Settings panel, so don’t fret too much when it comes to picking your scheme – you’ve got a brand new operating system to dig into, after all.

It isn’t long before you find yourself at the Start page, and I have to say, for someone who has been using Windows all his life, seeing that Start page on the screen for the first time can be pretty jarring. We’ll be talking about the Start page in much more depth in just a minute here, so let’s move on for the moment. I was pretty surprised to see that not only did almost all of my programs survive the transition to Windows 8, but they worked just fine after the switch. There will be a few programs that you’ll need to update after you install Windows 8, and you’ll probably need to update those sound and video drivers before you get everything working perfectly, but for the most part, everything was working as it should.

That is definitely something that deserves some attention. The fact that most everything was working properly without me having to do anything else is a major bonus, and it makes upgrading to Windows 8 as headache-free as possible. Naturally, not everything will be working perfectly, but the majority of it should be, allowing you to jump right in and see everything Windows 8 has to offer. Speaking of which…

Start Page and User Interface

By far, the biggest change in Windows 8 is the introduction of the Start page. Gone is the Start button we’ve had since Windows 95, replaced by a screen that’s packed with tiles just waiting to be touched. That’s part of the problem though – while I have no doubt that the Start page will be excellent on touchscreens, it seems kind of unnecessary with a mouse and keyboard. It certainly looks sleek, but whatever advantages it has overthe Windows 7 desktop are, in some ways, lost on me.

That isn’t to say there aren’t upsides to the Start screen. From the very start, it comes packed with handy apps that are actually quite useful – but we’ll get to those later. In some cases, information will be shown right on the tiles, with apps like the News tile giving you a very brief rundown of the day’s top news stories (this is provided you’re connected to the Internet, of course).

More importantly, the Start screen gives you a way to access the apps you have installed on your computer with a quick click – though clicking on any of the tiles that are for programs as opposed to apps that are made specifically for use with Windows 8 will just take you to the desktop. For apps that are designed for use in Windows 8, however, you’re treated to better visuals; Windows 8 apps match the overall design of the Start screen, which does a lot to tie the whole Windows 8 theme together and make the OS stand out from past iterations.

There’s a lot you can do from within the Start screen too. By right clicking on a tile, you’re presented with a number of options: you can remove the tile from your Start screen, remove the program from your task bar (assuming it was there in the first place), uninstall the program entirely, open it in a new window, run it as an administrator, or open the file location. This is all geared toward ease-of-use. Instead of having to open the “Add or remove programs” menu by going through the Control Panel, for instance, you take care of all of that through the Start page. It’s a nice touch, and these streamlined features give Windows 8 an edge over its older OS brothers.

You can also click and drag tiles to move them around the page, or move entire columns of tiles around at once. Once you get enough tiles to fill up the entire page, the Start page begins to extend past your screen, which places a bar at the bottom that allows you to scroll through and see all of your tiles. I didn’t have enough tiles place on my Start page to see how far the entire Start menu can extend, but it certainly looks like it can go on for a while. All of these features allow for a pretty deep level of customization, and it seems like Microsoft wanted each user to have a Start screen that felt uniquely their own.

Speaking of customization, remember how I said earlier that you’ll have a larger array of Start screen customization options at your disposal once you got Windows 8 up and running? Though you don’t have more color scheme options, you do get to pick from a number of different background images through the PC Settings menu in the broader settings hub. Background images range from tame – a few swirls to add a minimalistic accent, for example – to loud and chaotic, such as one that populates your Start screen with jungle animals that look like they just jumped out of the impressionist era. It’s pretty cool, and it does that much more to make your Start screen feel like your own.

While the Start screen is definitely one of the biggest changes to be found in Windows 8, it’s only one part of a larger User Interface overhaul. Move your cursor to the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and you’ll be presented with a menu bar that pops in. By doing this, the time and date will also appear in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, which make it easy to check the time while you’re on the Start screen, but proves rather unnecessary when you’re on the desktop – the time and date are already displayed in the lower right-hand corner of the desktop, after all, right next to the system tray.

In this menu bar, you have five different options. You can open up search, which is a super-fast way to find programs that are installed on your machine; you can open up a share submenu, which will let you share a link to any app on the Windows 8 store; you can click the Start button to be taken to the start screen; you can click the devices button to check the various devices you may have connected to your computer; and finally, you can open up the settings menu, which changes depending on whether you’re accessing the settings from the desktop, Start page, or within apps.

If you’re on the desktop, you have the option of opening up the Control Panel, the personalization hub, your system information, and the help menu. It’s here that you also have access to volume controls, Internet connections, Windows notifications, and power options like shut down, restart, and sleep mode. If your monitor supports it, you can adjust the brightness from this menu bar, and you can also switch between languages supported by your keyboard. Again, this serves to improve ease-of-use over previous Windows versions, as it means that you don’t have to go searching through the Windows Explorer to find these individual submenus.

If you’re on the Start screen, you don’t have as many options with the settings menu, as it only allows you to change your tile settings and opening up the help menu. You also have access to the power, notifications, Internet, volume, keyboard, and brightness submenus from the settings on the start screen, but you’ll most often be accessing the settings menu on the desktop rather than the Start screen.

The settings menu will also change when you access it inside a Windows 8 app. When you do, you’ll be given individual settings for the app you’re using, which is great. Accessing different settings by carrying out the same action saves a lot of time, and it means that you get one straightforward way to do a lot of different things.

By clicking on the upper left-hand corner of your screen, you can quickly switch between your desktop and any Windows 8 apps you have open, whereas by bringing your cursor to the upper left-hand corner and “swiping” downwards (or upwards from the lower left-hand corner), you can open up another menu bar that shows you thumbnail images of your desktop and the Windows 8 apps that are currently running. Clicking and dragging a thumbnail into the center of the screen provides an alternate way of switching between your desktop and Windows 8 apps. In short, by bringing up the menu bar on the side of the screen, you can jump back to any Windows 8 apps you have running without having to go back to the Start screen first, which definitely comes in handy when you need to quickly switch over to check something.

Right-clicking on one of those thumbnails will let you snap the app to the left or right side of the screen, which is basically a dream for multitaskers. This second app will take up about 20% of the screen, but there’s a bar separating the two apps that you drag over to let it take up the majority of the screen when you need to use it. It’s a nice feature to see, but obviously, you might not want to use it as often if you’re using a lower resolution on your display. Screen real estate will already be at a premium if you are, so it might just be a better idea to only look at one app or program at a time.

If you bring your cursor down to the lower left-hand corner of the screen and click, you can switch between whatever you currently have on-screen and the Start page. This is something that definitely takes some getting used to, especially on the desktop, as you’ll need to get your mouse into the corner of the screen before you can click to switch. Anyone who is used to the traditional Start button will struggle with this at first, since you’ll probably find yourself mindlessly clicking in the general area of where the Start button used to be before remembering that it’s been replaced with a Start screen. More often than not, doing this will open up the first program pinned to your task bar, which can lead to some headaches when you’re just starting out. It won’t be long before you get the hang of it, however, and you’ll be switching between the Start screen and the desktop like you’re a Windows 8 pro in no time.

There’s also a lock screen present in Windows 8, which again is something that makes sense for touchscreens but seems a little out of place on desktop PCs. The lock screen is the first thing you’ll see when you boot up your computer, and through the PC Settings submenu you can assign a new background image and designate a handful of apps that will display information. It’s a fancy touch, but as I said, its use seems somewhat limited if you’re using Windows 8 on a desktop.

Make no mistake, Microsoft has made a lot of changes with Windows 8, but for the most part, the Windows we know and love is still intact. The desktop is more or less the same as it was in Windows 7 (with exception of the now-missing Start button, of course), and you can still delve into the depths of your computer by using Windows Explorer. I’ve found that most of the user interface changes Microsoft has implemented in Windows 8 are for the better, though it would dishonest if I didn’t mention that there were some that left me scratching my head. The necessity of the changes may not be immediately clear at the moment, but I think they will be once we examine Windows 8 apps a little closer.

Windows 8 Apps

Windows 8 comes installed with a number of apps right out of the box, though in order to use most of them, you’ll need to be signed into your Microsoft account. Of course, the Start Page is incredibly customizable in the sense that you’ll be able to add any number of new apps you purchase from the Windows 8 Store, so for the sake of brevity, we’re just going to cover the ones that come pre-installed with Windows 8 so you can get a better idea of their purpose.

The usual suspects are all present and accounted for, including Mail, Calendar, and Messaging. Since I signed up for my Microsoft account with my Gmail address, my Gmail inbox was there the very first time I opened the Mail app, but you can add other accounts easily. The Mail app gave me all of the functionality of my Gmail account, which means that by accessing the Mail app, I save an extra step or two by cutting out the need to open up a browser and sign into my Google account.

The same seamless integration mentality applies to Calendar. Upon opening it for the first time, I was greeted with my Google Calendar, and edits I made in my Google account immediately showed up in my Calendar app. That kind of integration can’t be understated – it’s really, really nice to have Microsoft implement something like this. It means that the amount of setup that falls on the shoulders of users is next to nothing, which will definitely be appreciated, particularly by those who feel a little overwhelmed when seeing all of the changes Microsoft has made in Windows 8.

With the Messaging app, you’ve got MSN (or whatever it’s called these days) integrated from the start, but you have the option of integrating other accounts to turn the Messaging app into one big messaging hub. For instance, I was presented with the option of linking my Facebook account to get Facebook chat right in the app – I didn’t take Microsoft up on that offer though, since I’ve never been a big fan of Facebook chat. Still, that will be an option that a lot of people like, so it’s good to have it around.

Next we come to the People app, which like the Messaging app, serves as another hub. You can link all of your favorite social networks to the People app, which means that you collect all of your contacts across multiple accounts and networks in one place. You don’t get the full functionality of each social network along with the People app – you can download individual apps from the Windows 8 Store for that – but it’s still nice to have all of your contacts collected in one place.

The Weather app is powered by Bing Weather, and naturally gives you forecast information for your area. It gives you a very broad range of data, including a five day forecast, an hourly forecast, more maps that you can shake a stick at, and even historical weather information. The Weather app is especially handy simply due to the fact that it presents you with a plethora of information. After checking it out, I see no reason to visit any of the weather sites I used to.

We also have News, Financial, and Sports apps to take advantage of, with each one offering a ton of information from different sources. The Financial app is particularly impressive, as it not only gives you a collection of financial news from a bunch of different publications, but it also allows you to set and follow individual stocks. Not only that, but the Financial app provides you with a list of “market movers,” as well as information on currencies, commodities, bonds, and mortgage rates. You’ve got an impressive amount of information at your fingertips with the Financial app, and it will prove extremely useful for those who follow the market for one reason or another.

The Sports app is similar to the Financial app, in that it gives users a collection of news stories from a number of different publications and allows them to follow their favorite teams right there in the app. By right clicking anywhere in the app, users can bring up a menu that allows them to view news for different organizations and sports, whether that’s the NFL, NBA, NHL, Golf, the Premiere League, of Formula 1.

The News app is pretty straightforward, as it brings you selections of news stories from the political, entertainment, technology, and business worlds. It’s worth pointing out that the news stories you read in the app aren’t as fully featured as those same news stories on the Web – for instance, if the author of the story posts a video, it won’t appear in the app’s reprinting of the article – but it’s still a good resource to use if you need a quick rundown of the day’s top stories.

Naturally, with Windows 8 being made by Microsoft, you’ve also got a Bing app. The Bing app is pretty basic, as it allows for quick search and an overview of trending topics. This one didn’t see too much use from me, because to be honest, even though the Bing app looks good, I’m still a Google guy. There’s also a Maps app to take advantage of, which is powered by Bing and Nokia. The fact that Nokia is along for the ride makes this app instantly appealing, as Nokia has done a lot of good work in the maps space. This is one app that won’t see too much use on desktop, but you can bet that it will get some heavy use on tablets and laptops.

Next we come to SkyDrive, Music, Movies, and Games. SkyDrive is Microsoft’s own cloud solution, but it’s really like any other cloud app out there – choose files to upload to the cloud, and then you can access them from anywhere after you’ve signed into SkyDrive. Xbox Music, Xbox Movies, and Xbox Games are essentially just stores where you can buy movies, television shows, music, and games but they also display the relevant files you have stored on your computer right there in the app. I have to say, it’s nice to see these three get their own apps, since that means that you won’t have to trudge through a bunch of other app listings just to find the entertainment offerings.

Finally, we come to the Windows 8 Store. The Store reminds me a lot of the Xbox 360 dashboard, and more specifically the Xbox Live Marketplace. There are already a healthy number of apps available for Windows 8, and they’re split up into different sections right from the start, making navigation easy as pie. The Windows 8 Store is one of the most exciting parts of the Windows 8, and I’m really interested to see it become even more fleshed out.

I’m already impressed with the apps that Microsoft has packed in with Windows 8, and I’m sure that once developers are pushing out apps for Windows 8 full-time, I’ll be even more impressed. The Windows 8 Store is one of the operating system’s strongest offerings, and its existence makes Windows 8 even better. It helps draw further distinction between apps and actual Windows programs too, and has convinced me that there is a reason for that distinction – before, I thought it was rather pointless to have “apps” that were separate from regular old programs, but Windows 8 did a good job of winning me over. In short, I’m sold, and I look forward to seeing how Windows 8 grows after release, especially from an apps and marketplace standpoint.

Performance

Before we wrap this up, I want to touch on the performance of Windows 8. When it came time to install Windows 8, my copy of Windows 7 was starting to struggle a bit. This, of course, is due to the fact that over the past two years I’ve packed my hard drive with a lot of stuff (most of it worthless, admittedly) and that my computer was starting to show its age somewhat. Imagine my surprise, then, when I booted up Windows 8 for the first time and discovered that it moves very fast.

Opening up the search panel and looking up a program is incredibly quick – much faster than using the search bar in Windows 7’s Start menu ever was. Just the same, switching between the desktop or open apps and the Start page is seamless and almost instantaneous. The sidebar menus pop up quickly when you get your cursor in the right position, and it only takes a few seconds for an app to load after selecting it.

Boot and shut down times have also been significantly decreased. Whereas it would take 30 seconds to even a full minute to boot and shut down Windows 7 (for me at least), Windows 8 boots in about 15 to 20 seconds, and shuts down in about the same amount of time. Naturally, this is going to change depending on the power of your processor and whether or not you have an SSD installed, but for someone who has been chugging along for almost two years with a nearly full hard drive, those times definitely aren’t bad.

Microsoft has also taken measures to hide the fact that some things may not load as quickly as others. Let me give you an example: I have a lot of stuff on my desktop – or at least I did before I cleaned it up a bit for these screenshots. I had so much stuff that, even after booting Windows 7, it would still take an additional 20 seconds or so for the items on my desktop to fully appear. It still takes the same amount of time for my desktop to load, but that’s something I hardly notice anymore, since the Lock and Start pages load instantly once Windows 8 has been booted. Even though the desktop still doesn’t load as quickly as it once did, it’s not much of an issue these days, thanks to how fast the Start and Lock screens appear.

But speed and fluidity in use make up only a small slice of the larger performance pie. The new features that are present in Windows 8 make it much easier to multitask and get the information you need quickly. At the end of everything, Windows 8 represents a lot of improvements for Microsoft, but are those improvements worth an entirely new version of the Windows OS?

Wrap-Up

By now, you’ve read all about my experience using Windows 8, and as a Windows 7 die-hard who was unwilling to change while the rest of the world was talking about Windows 8, I have to say that I’m impressed. Microsoft has made a lot of really smart changes with Windows 8, and very few (if any) seem frivolous.

That alone is worthy of praise, especially since in the past, Microsoft has known to pack new versions of Windows with unnecessary features. True, the Start screen isn’t quite as useful on desktop as it will be on touchscreens, and Windows 8 in general is clearly geared toward to ease-of-use on tablets and laptops. To be honest, it may have been better if Microsoft had put out a version of Windows 8 that was specifically made with desktop PCs in mind, instead of releasing an operating system that tries to work on multiple levels with all sorts of different devices.

I’m not saying that to undercut the advancements made with Windows 8 though, because there are certainly plenty of them. Windows 8 is beautiful, it’s fast, and most importantly, it’s easy to use (once you get through that initial rough patch of adjusting to the changes, at least). Microsoft only made changes where they would matter, and has left much of the Windows we know and love untouched. The company deserves a pat on the back for that one, because it realized that not everything about Windows needed to be completely revamped in this latest release. Some things have been entirely overhauled, there isn’t any doubt about that, but the fact that some things have been left untouched speaks volumes to the idea that Microsoft really thought this through and didn’t simply change for the sake of offering something totally different.

This is only the beginning too; even though I’m impressed with Windows 8 at this early stage, I know it’s only going to get better as the Windows 8 Store begins to flesh out more. I think having apps made specifically for Windows 8 is going to be a big draw of the OS, especially once people get their hands on the full version and begin using apps on a daily basis.

I know there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the extreme UI changes Microsoft has made in Windows 8, and indeed, those changes take Windows in an entirely different direction. As far as I’m concerned, however, the change in Windows 8 is only a good thing and should be embraced. It may not be the Windows we’re comfortable using right out of the box, but it won’t be long before hesitant users begin to realize the value in Windows 8 – the fact that it makes multitasking easier, the fact that it sports a lovely new Start screen, and the fact that ease-of-use has shot through the roof. For that reason alone, Windows 8 is a worthy successor to Windows 7, and worthy of your attention. Dissenters can keep complaining as often and as loudly as they want, but I’ll be too busy enjoying Windows 8 to notice.

Windows 8 Review is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s no secret that Google is aiming to create a whole new segment in the world of portable computing with Chrome, and here with the newest Samsung Series 3 Chromebook, especially at its eye-opening $249 price point, it appears that the big G will make that move. If you’ve got a need for an internet machine for school, for fun, or for a present for your mother who doesn’t use her desktop anyway, this device might just be perfect. It’s light, it’s extremely inexpensive, and most important of all: it’s a high quality machine. Samsung and Google have made some fabulous strides forward since September of 2011, of that you can be certain.

Hardware

This piece of Samsung hardware is the most basic Chromebook you can buy right this minute, but it’s not the low-quality piece of hardware the price suggests. Instead you’ve got a machine that Samsung and Google very obviously went through a lot of work to perfect, and they’ve taken all the bits from the machines that have been successful in this arena and stuffed them into a quality package here without a doubt. This rings true especially in the keyboard and the trackpad.

The real test a person such as myself must go through to decide if a notebook is going to work long-term is if the keyboard is able to take my non-stop usage and real need to be able to type relatively quickly. With this keyboard I certainly can do both of those things. One of the main reasons for this is that the keyboard is so extremely close in shape, size, setup, and spring to the MacBook series from Apple. It’s absolutely uncanny, in fact, with the main differences being in the special buttons that Chrome uses to execute commands like Full Screen, Back, Forward, and Reload (all of which work directly with the Chrome web browser which is, of course, at the center of your Chome OS experience.)

The trackpad is also extremely nice – the only more perfected trackpad I’ve ever used has been on the MacBook (Pro and Air, the same in the end). You can do the soft-tap we’ve seen running rampant over every Windows-toting notebook here as well, but unlike many notebooks, it’s not something you’ll do on accident. You’ve also got keyboard and touchpad settings in the Chromebook just incase you do want to increase or decrease speeds and such – but you’ll likely be fine right out of the box.

This Chromebook weighs in at 2.5 pounds and is 0.8 inches thin, working with what Google and Samsung say is 6.5 hours of battery life. It would appear very likely that Google has been modest in its estimation of how long this machine will stay active, even while movies are playing and oddities are rendering. Even with the 46% battery left I’m looking at right now, the machine has nearly 6 hours quoted as being left – and the machine has been out and on for at least 12 hours without need for a charge. This machine has some undeniable standby power abilities, that’s for certain.

The display is 11.6-inches large with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution across it, this making for a display that’s certainly OK, but not the best in the industry by a long shot. What you’ve got here is Samsung providing you with the amount of pixels you’ll need to watch relatively high definition videos without making a case for having a display that’s mind-blowing. The viewing angles on this device are also far from perfect, but certainly usable in most single-user situations. You won’t want to use this for a YouTube party, if you know what I mean.

You’ve got a VGA camera built-in for average video chat on the web (on Google+ Hangouts, of course) as well as a full-sized HDMI port for video output. You can connect to this device with 1 USB 3.0 port, 1 USB 2.0 port, and Bluetooth 3.0. Inside is a Samsung Exynos 5 dual-core processor – this is the next generation of processors working for mobile devices Samsung introduced last year and made available here in 2012, only available on this Chromebook thus far. The next-newest after this is a Samsung Exynos 4 quad-core which you’ll find on the Galaxy Note II.

Software and Performance

The newest version of Chrome OS provides you with the ability to download and upload files to storage on your Chromebook – this is one of the biggest stumbling points for people who only know the operating system to be an “internet only” sort of situation. Now that I can download an image from one webpage and upload it to another, I can write articles in a blog – I now have a machine with the most basic set of requirements I need.

Its worth noting that it appears the quality of this machine is above that of every tablet we’ve had our hands on thus far – if only because the operating system is made to handle notebook operations. One should not expect that since this device uses a processor from the Exynos lineup with two CPU cores (two less that the Galaxy Note II) that it wont work as hard on everyday tasks as a smartphone or tablet would. On the contrary – this is a minimally powered notebook with all the non-web elements stripped away – that’s all.

You’ve got 2GB of RAM that will not let you down unless you absolutely push the limits of the device on purpose. If you’ve got 20 or more tabs open, each of them playing videos or keeping up with Twitter feeds, for example, you’re not going to see as fast a performance speed as if you’re being a reasonable person working with just a few tasks at a time. This machine is not made to be a workhorse – it’s made to take care of basic tasks, management of your daily duties, and web browsing.

Access to the entire range of Google services here means you’ll be working in the Chrome web browser – the only offline items here are changing your wallpaper, storing files in your local downloads folder, and working on a calculator. You can also use a Beta product on the machine if you want to go bigger: Chrome Remote Desktop. With this environment you’re able to access your larger machine virtually, seeing it through your browser window and controlling it as if you were there at that other machine in-person – though it’s significantly more laggy than real life, when it comes down to it.

What you’re seeing above is a connection between the Chromebook and a MacBook Pro, both of them connected to the same wireless network. It’s not a perfect system, by any means, and it’s a bit difficult working with a display that’s mean to be much larger inside a browser window that shrinks it, but it’s interesting to say the least. This system is not limited to your local network, mind you, you can do tasks remotely, just so long as both devices are connected to the web.

This is all topped off by the fact that current purchases of the Samsung Chromebook come with 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years. That would cost you $100 if you bought it outright.

Wrap-up

This Chromebook from Samsung is a value offer you might just need to think about, if only because the quality matches the price so very closely. Considering the alternatives start at several hundreds of dollars higher, you risk being called “silly” for not considering the Chromebook in your decision making process in purchasing a new notebook. Where this device leaves off at a price of $249, the MacBook Air picks up – starting at $999.

Google and Samsung have created a machine with a price point that’s impossible to ignore. We’ll be using this device for an extended period to see how “game changing” it really is. Meanwhile, please feel free to let us know if you’ve got any questions about this device and we’ll certainly do our best to answer to the best of our ability. Have a peek at the Chromebook tag portal as well to keep up with all things Chromebook through the future!

Samsung Series 3 Chromebook (late-2012) Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Smartphone cases are a mixed bag nowadays — some are great, some are good, and some are just pretty awful. On top of the fact that cases are a hotly-debated item in the first place, it’s pretty difficult for case manufacturers to get the attention of smartphone users, and only a few have done it successfully. Loop Attachment has made a pretty unique silicone case called the Mummy, and it’s arrived just in time for Halloween. I ended up trying one out for myself to get a first impression and see how well it worked.

Personally, I don’t use a case on my phone since I’m not a huge fan of them to begin with. However, the Mummy case got my attention pretty quickly, and it’s one of the few cases that I was excited to actually try out. Obviously, right away you’ll notice the back of the case makes it look like the phone is wrapped with mummy wrappings (hence the name). The Apple logo and the “iPhone” are still visible, which is some clever design work to say the least. The mummy wrappings also serve another purpose besides just looking cool. You can stick credit cards, IDs, or cash in between the case and the phone, which also makes it a great makeshift wallet.

As with any silicone case, it can be a little difficult to slide your phone in and out of your pocket due to the rubbery texture, but the Mummy actually felt less rubbery, and it slid into my pocket a lot easier than most cases would. However, just like with any case, the Mummy does add a little bit of thickness to the iPhone, which gets rid of one of the features that makes the iPhone appealing in the first place. It can take time to get used to the size difference, but if you love the thinness of the iPhone, you’re probably not even using a case anyway.

The button “extenders,” so to speak, for the volume and power buttons work surprisingly well; they don’t take any more effort to push than normal, which can’t be said with most other iPhone silicone cases sadly. The opening for the ring/silent switch just above the volume buttons is a bit off, but that’s only because the case is catered towards both the iPhone 4 and 4S, which have slightly different placements when it comes to that small switch — not a huge deal there.

I did find it a bit of a nuisance trying to fit a credit card into the back of the case. Loop didn’t make it easy, since you kind of have to jimmy it in pretty good. There were even times where I was afraid I was going to scratch up the back of my iPhone with my credit card. Cash is even worse, since it’s more flimsy than a card. The trick is just to lift up the flaps and slide it in as best you can.

Overall, if you’re looking to get a minimalist and stylish silicone case for your iPhone, I’d probably tell you to get this one, despite the couple of very minor flaws. The case is well built, looks great, and has a one-of-a-kind unique Halloween theme that also works year-round.

Loop Attachment makes the Mummy case for the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and the new iPhone 5 (pre-order only). The iPhone 5 version will be available early next month for a special introductory price of $20. The iPhone 4/4S version costs $25, or you can get a bundle of three Mummy cases for $60.