Hasta La Gadget!

After missing initial shipping plans with some undisclosed delays, and despite seeing its welcome party in NYC abolished by a storm dubbed Nemo, Microsoft’s finally started the process to make that long-awaited Surface Pro available to the masses. Starting with US and Canada residents, those seeking Redmond’s in-house hardware and a full serving of Windows 8 can now snag a Surface Pro starting at $899 for the 64GB model, while the more spacious 128GB unit is slightly costlier at $999. And while these prices do include Microsoft’s pressure-sensitive pen, they don’t account for any other fancy accessories, which means potential buyers will have to shell out a little extra cash if a Touch or Type Cover are of interest — more specifically, $120 and $130, respectively. We’ll see how Ballmer and Co. cope with demand this time around, but as history would kindly note, it’s probably best to be one of the first in line just to be extra, extra safe.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft, Microsoft Store

The reviews are in for Microsoft’s Surface Pro, and while it’s been a mixed bag overall, we actually enjoyed our time with the tablet, but one area that many people weren’t too pleased about was battery life. During our tests, we were getting around 4.5 to 5 hours, with 6 hours during some occasions. However, it looks like Microsoft may have a solution.

Panos Panay, Microsoft’s corporate vice president working on the Surface tablet, recently hosted an AMA session (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit about the new Surface Pro. When asked if the company had any plans for an external battery of some kind, Panay said that this “would require extending the design of the accessory spine to include some way to transfer higher current between the peripheral and the main battery.”

Luckily, that’s exactly what Microsoft did. The company added new connector plates to the bottom of the Surface Pro, which aren’t being utilized yet, but Panay hinted at the fact that the company may introduce some new accessories down the line that would take advantage of these new connector plates, which may even include an external battery/keyboard hybrid.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, but it sounds like we should be looking forward to some Surface accessories at some point in the future, whether or not that includes an external battery of some kind. It sounds like a battery-equipped keyboard can be done, though, so it doesn’t sound completely farfetched, but we’ll have to wait and see what Redmond has in store for us later this year.

[via PC World]

Microsoft hints at Surface Pro battery add-on is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Microsoft Surface was the biggest new tech of 2012. Its first iteration—Surface RT, a confusingly named and marketed tablet-with-a-keyboard—bombed. Pretty hard. So why believe in the full-powered Surface Pro? Simple. It’s a braver and more divergent take on the laptop-tablet convergence than anyone else has risked so far. More »

Reports are rolling in that Microsoft‘s Surface Pro is now on display at various retailers, although which stores have it at the moment is unknown. Some tipsters have stated that it is on display at their local Microsoft Store, so if you have one near you and you want to get a sneak-peak at the device, head on over and see if they have one.

On January 16, we reported that the Surface Pro’s production is going full steam ahead, with the first units having come off the production line a couple weeks ago. The product will be officially available on February 9, so even if you find a display model at a local retailer, you (probably) won’t be able to buy it.

The Surface Pro will kick off with a special midnight launch event by Microsoft at Best Buy in New York. The tablet, then, will also be available at midnight, if you’re really eager to own one and can’t wait until morning. The event is only open to individuals who have received an invitation to attend. Although we know it isn’t a press event, it wasn’t specified who will be there.

For those who don’t know, the Surface Pro features Intel hardware, rather than the Surface RT, which features ARM hardware. Because of this, the Surface Pro can run Windows 8 instead of Windows RT, something that has contributed to the RT’s lackluster sales, as consumers aren’t clear on the differences between Windows RT and Windows 8. The Surface Pro will be available at Best Buy and Staples starting at $899.

Microsoft Surface Pro now on display at select retailers is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Those of us lucky enough to work for gadget sites got to check out the Surface Pro last month. Now you can too, dear reader — if you happen to live near a store that got one early. Although shoppers in the US and Canada can’t actually purchase it until February 9th, the device is already on display at some retail locations. Sadly, there’s no way for us to confirm which stores have it (short of making a few road trips), but we do know that it’s going to be available at Best Buy and Staples in the US, along with Microsoft Stores. So, assuming you have one of those chains nearby, it can’t hurt to wander over — you might be rewarded with some advance hands-on time.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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