Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft’s Surface tablets could already be considered warning shots across the bow, signalling that a change in strategy was underway. For anyone who was in doubt, however, CEO Steve Ballmer has clearly spelled out in a shareholder letter that Microsoft now sees its own devices as crucial to the company as anything else. There’s a “fundamental shift” in how the Redmond-based crew works, he says, and investors should expect that Microsoft will periodically make “specific devices for specific purposes” (like Surface or the Xbox) that show off services in the best light possible. Ballmer adds that plans in the long run focus on new device types and learning interfaces. The message is ostensibly a rosy one for the company’s future, but there’s also a subtext for hardware makers that have complained about competing against their OS partner: get used to it. Ballmer sees Microsoft-designed hardware like Surface as complementary to what third parties do, and his company isn’t about to reverse course anytime soon.

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Ballmer braces us for a ‘fundamental shift’ in strategy with more Microsoft-designed devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s no doubt that the last few months of 2012 are going to be pretty big for Microsoft thanks to the incoming launch of Windows 8, but now CEO Steve Ballmer says that the launch of the new OS could be bigger than most of us are expecting. Speaking in a recent interview with The Seattle Times, Ballmer elaborated on his recent comments that 2012 would be the most “epic” year in Microsoft’s history, saying that the launch of Windows 8 could eclipse that of Windows 95.

For those who don’t remember the launch of Windows 95 all too well (or weren’t even around, which is strange thought): it was big. Windows 95 was everywhere when it launched, and it did a lot to make Windows a household name – not easy for a computer operating system in the early-to-mid ’90s. Now Ballmer hopes that the launch of Windows 8 can top the historic launch of Windows 95. “You know, Windows 95 was certainly the biggest thing in the last 20 years until now,” he said. “I think Windows 8 certainly surpasses it. It’s a little hard to compare things like the founding (of the company) and the introduction of the first popular PC and the system that popularized it, but it’s at that scale.”

Indeed, we’re seeing Windows 8 make a lot of changes to the classic Windows formula, perhaps most importantly boasting a touch-friendly design. Can it top the obsession of Windows 95? That’s a pretty lofty goal for Microsoft, and it’s going to be hard to pull off. With so many manufacturers going all-in with Windows 8, however, and the fact that Windows 8 signals a departure from Windows installments of the past, it just might.

Ballmer also talked a little bit about the pricing for Surface in his interview with The Seattle Times, saying that the “sweet spot” for pricing will probably range from $300 to $700 or $800. That’s a pretty broad range, to be sure, and it suggests that Microsoft may not be all that interested in having Surface compete with less expensive 7-inch tablets like the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire HD 7. We’re still waiting for solid pricing details though, so Ballmer’s estimate could change by the time Surface actually arrives. Stay tuned.

Ballmer: Windows 8 launch could be bigger than Windows 95 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Reprising a Windows Phone 7 giveaway from back in 2010, Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer announced at the company’s annual event that all 90,000 or so full-time employees are getting a taste of its latest hardware. That’s one Surface for Windows RT tablet and Windows Phone 8 phone (we’re told that last time around these came with two year contracts) in late December, along with a new touch compatible office computer running Windows 8, presumably arriving sooner. Forbes indicates those PCs can be a desktop, laptop, ultrabook or tablet, and we have a pic of one employee’s new Lenovo-built slate running Windows 8 on a Core i7 CPU with 8GB of RAM after the break. Pulling an Oprah, again, isn’t just one way to improve employee morale, it also ensures everyone’s familiar with the new products as they roll out and are ready to tell people about them. Will that provide the necessary bump to catch up with the competition from Apple and Google? Only time will tell, but if you’re wondering what to say when someone asks if every single person wants a Surface then our advice follows after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Microsoft gifts full-time employees with Surface tablets, Windows 8 phones and PCs

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile

Microsoft gifts full-time employees with Surface tablets, Windows 8 phones and PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 01:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to the start of another fabulous week of tech, gadgets, entertainment, and everything in-between here on SlashGear! Start your morning off right with a foretelling of a tablet future for Nokia, complete with a hinge for folding over! Next have a peek at the Sony Xperia NXT series as its available in the USA this week! If you’re working with Skype, you might want to keep an eye on this message leak bug that’s been creeping around your software’s insides.

The folks at Huawei are getting set up to offer a wider range of storage products for the near future. It’s seeming more and more likely that Steve Ballmer will be revealing the details of Office 15 later today. Have a peek at the Gauntlet keyboard-glove that’ll be perfect for your Google Glass early next year.

You can now order Raspberry Pi in general, pre-orders having been shipped and the online store ready for action. There’s a bit of talk surrounding iPad challengers this morning, starting with a new 10-inch Kindle Fire. Those of you that own the HTC Desire HD, you might be out of luck as far as Ice Cream Sandwich goes.

The folks at Activision and Marvel Comics have finally made way for a Deadpool-centric game that’ll be released later this year. The relationship between Anonymous and WikiLeaks has beed detailed in part. It appears that SpaceX is ready to complete its Dragon design review – kids in space next year!

Al Capone’s 1928 Caddilac will be heading to auction very soon. The New York Times has reported that they’ve got sources confirming the iPad Mini. Google’s Project Glass has had its Artificial intelligence and controls detailed in full in a patent application. Microsoft has sold its share of MSNBC.com in its entirety to Comcast.

The Nokia Lumia 900 has had its AT&T price cut in half, and we can expect Apple’s OS X Mountain Lion to launch on the 25th of July.

SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: July 16, 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week we’re seeing quite a bit of news on the RIM front, mostly because the heads of the company have been vocal in the face of a possible incoming lawsuit that will be headed by angry investors – bits like We don’t build phones in China and re-elections of the board are running wild. On a lighter note, you’ll want to check out the kickstarter for Ouya if you’ve got a love for Android and video games – console style. There’s a couple of new Motorola devices out there soon, too, the RAZR V for Canada and the ATRIX HD for AT&T in the USA.

Steve Ballmer has spoken – Microsoft will “leave no space uncovered that is Apple’s”. Steve Wozniak, on the other and of the tech world, is speaking up on Megaupload, Microsoft, and Google Project Glass.

Over in Finland, researchers have started recording the Northern Lights in sound form. AT&T has come forth with a bit of their own speech technology with a Watson-powered speech API for developers. In their Safari case, Google will have to pay a tiny $22.5 million dollars in damages.

New Google Chrome APIs have been released for cameras while Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has been released to AOSP. Head on down to Google’s developer pages for both systems and get to work making masterpieces!

SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: July 10, 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.