Hasta La Gadget!

Now that the Microsoft Surface is in the wild and we’ve probed it from the outside, the tool-toters at iFixit have opened one up to see what makes it tick — and whether you dare attempt a repair yourself. The first thing they noticed was how tricky it was to remove a plastic access cover, which caused unavoidable damage to the tamper-evident label when they finally got it off. That would tip repair depots that you’ve been rummaging about, likely rendering your warranty moot. Other sore spots included the LCD and glass being fused together, along with a keyboard connector that’s impossible to get out without pulling the display off first. On the plus side, the iFixit team found the battery easy to remove despite being glued to the case (unlike other recent devices), and many un-soldered components that were also swappable. All that added up to a score of four on the repairability scale — meaning that fixing one probably isn’t a great DIY project, unless you’re the patient type.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Microsoft Surface exposes its guts to iFixit, knows if you’ve been meddling with it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We are currently hammering away at our Microsoft Surface tablet review, but we do feel for some of the folks out there who reported that the pre-orders which they have placed for the Surface tablet? Those have apparently been canceled by Microsoft, without any real explanation being given by the software giant. Mark of WP7.nl claimed to have received an email from Microsoft that reads as follows :-

I ordered mine on 10/18 and it was cancelled by Microsoft on 10/27:

The following item(s) have been cancelled from your order:

Product SKU: Z2S-00002

Product Name: Surface HD Digital AV Adapter Qty Ordered: 1 Reason for cancellation: Other

Product SKU: 9HR-00026

Product Name: Surface with Windows RT

Qty Ordered: 1

Reason for cancellation: Other

Hopefully this has nothing to do with production issues, as it is not too often that a company has such goodwill among consumers or the community to have not enough quantities of a highly anticipated device being made available to the masses. Anyone else had their pre-order given the cold shoulder?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Surface RT Review, Microsoft Surface Unboxing, Review Coming Up…,

It just wouldn’t be a major Apple launch if there wasn’t a Microsoft executive calling out his old rival, would it? In a chat with AllThingsD, Windows division lead Steven Sinofsky has expressed doubts that Apple’s iPad mini is really a cost-effective pick against the just-launched Windows 8. It’s a $329 “recreational tablet” when there are work-ready Windows 8 laptops that cost $279, he says. He added that there are at least a few touchscreen Ultrabooks that could undercut the non-touch MacBook Air on price, and he ascribed the difference as much to “engineering” as the cost-cutting measures you’d expect.

Sinofsky was naturally just as keen to champion the advantages for work that Windows RT tablets like the Surface have when competing more directly with iPads, alluding to that Office bundle which hopefully keeps us more productive than a copy of Documents To Go. The company President would certainly disagree with Apple chief Tim Cook’s view that Surface is a confused product, calling it a “PC for everyone” that just doesn’t have to be used all the time. He makes valid points on the sheer value for money that you can get from both Windows PCs and tablets, although it would only be fair to mention that he didn’t touch on the currently low Windows RT app selection, or if the OS was exactly what the market wanted — we’d do well to remember that Microsoft alumni have a spotty track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s destiny.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Software, Apple, Microsoft

Microsoft’s Sinofsky says Windows 8 PCs can undercut Apple’s ‘recreational’ iPad mini originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our retail unit of the Microsoft Surface has arrived from the Microsoft store, and the packaging looks a bit different from the press units, so here’s the unboxing video and some photos of the unit.

We are currently working on the full review based of the actual units that people will buy (retail), so keep an eye out for it on Monday morning. We will go over the design of course, but more importantly, we will cover critical aspects of the tablets such as productivity with Microsoft Office, USB devices, Internet browsing, battery life and off course, apps.

On that note, if there are things that you want to know about the Microsoft Surface, drop a comment below, and we will try to address them in the review. In the meantime, take these images and movie as a teaser. So far, the build quality is just as we expected, and the overall user interface is fast and fluid. Next: let’s see if the device can live up to the hype.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Surface pre-orders canceled?, Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface launch event in NYC,

We began hearing grumblings of delayed Surface deliveries in the very early hours of this morning, and it seems it’s not an unlucky few that are suffering, but an unlucky many. There were reports of delays to shipments in the UK and Canada less than a week ago, but Microsoft was quick to dismiss the claims as an error and put minds at rest. Now, it seems, the white flag has been waved and blame acknowledged. Eager to appease disgruntled customers, the company is offering a £50 or $50 Canadian coupon (depending on your accent) to spend in the Windows Store as recompense. While it provides little relief to those who had a shut-in weekend planned, at least you can trick out your new toy when it finally arrives, at Microsoft’s expense. And, if you’ve received neither a Surface nor a coupon, we suggest you reach out for the freebie — if your fingers aren’t hitting tiles, they might as well be hitting keys instead.

[Thanks to Daniel and all others who sent this in]

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Surface pre-order deliveries delayed in the UK and Canada, Microsoft offers coupon for the inconvenience originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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