surface

Most of the time, if something tries to be good at two things it ends up being not-so-good at either one.

Microsoft's Surface can be used like a laptop or like a touch-screen tablet. You can also switch between the Metro touch interface and the conventional Windows desktop, which was designed with a hardware keyboard in mind.

One of the downsides of the Surface as a tablet is Metro's learning curve. Pinching, swiping, and tapping are all part of opening apps, files, and settings in Metro. Unfortunately, it isn't always clear where an application's settings are … Read more

New tidbits about what's coming for Microsoft Surface RT and Pro devices are continuing to trickle out. Here are a few additional ones worth mentioning from various places around the Web.

Wi-Fi updates coming for Surface RT: As Microsoft execs mentioned during a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything Q&A, Microsoft is planning to roll out two additional sets of fixes meant to improve "Wi-Fi connection robustness" on Surface RT devices. The first fix will be delivered today, February 12, which is Patch Tuesday. Another is set for March 12, according to company officials.

Surface end-of-support … Read more

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet has seen its share of headlines since it debuted in October -- not all of them good.

For example, last month a patch prevented some users from accessing the Windows Store, and before that, the 32GB Surface RT was revealed to have only 16GB of available storage.

Well, hey, bugs are to be expected in any OS, and cheap microSD cards can solve your storage problems. The bigger question: Are you willing to pay $499 for that tablet?

If not, how about this: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Staples has the Microsoft Surface RT 32GB tablet for $424 shipped (… Read more

The Surface Pro ad is here, but so are gripes about supply.

The ad (above) has an obvious business bent, focusing on pen input. And, of course, how light it is (two pounds). There's also a nod to the touch interface and USB connectivity.

The ad was directed by Jon M Chu, who directed the earlier Surface RT ad.

Meanwhile over at the official Surface Blog commenters are howling about supply.

"I went to three Best Buys, and two Future Shops. Sold out everywhere...Am I disappointed? Of course, I was really looking forward to 'trading-up' my iPad … Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The launch of the Surface Pro at the Microsoft Store in LA's Century City was a relatively low-key affair compared with the debut of the Surface RT.

When I arrived just after 10 a.m. there was a small line (see photo). That said, both versions -- 64GB and 128GB -- of the Surface Pro had sold out immediately.

Of course, no one would say how many units were set aside for first-day sales, and the lines didn't exactly snake around the Westfield Century City mall. So, it wasn't like a Depression-era run on … Read more

Microsoft's Surface Pro has sold out at the company's online store in the U.S. within hours of becoming available.

Both the 128GB and 64GB versions of the Pro are shown as out of stock on MicrosoftStore.com. As of this writing, Microsoft's online store in Canada still has both versions. The devices are also being sold at various brick-and-mortar retailers.

The $900 and $1,000 price tags (64GB and 128GB, respectively) don't include the keyboard-equipped "Touch Cover" for the device, which figures prominently in marketing for the gadget. That add-on costs another $120. (… Read more

With the Surface Pro set to go on sale Saturday, consumers will have a pretty stark choice between two Microsoft tablets that look remarkably similar.

When I walked into my local Los Angeles Microsoft Store earlier this week -- where the Pro was already on display next to the RT model -- it was hard to tell right off the bat which Surface was which.

Not surprising, since both tablets display the same Metro screen and there's a mere 4.2mm difference in thickness.

So, let's recap what sets the Pro apart from the RT version. … Read more

Microsoft's planned Surface Pro launch event in New York City tonight has been canceled due to a blizzard that's expected to hit the area today.

But users who aren't put off by the rain, sleet, and snow will still be able to go to the Union Square New York Best Buy store and purchase Surface Pros starting at midnight.

Microsoft had invited a number of "Most Valuable Professionals" and other selected guests to attend a prelaunch event near the Best Buy store. The head of the Surface team, Panos Panay, was going to be in … Read more

Is the Surface Pro a tablet or a laptop? Well, let's put it this way: benchmarks put it squarely in the laptop category, leaving Apple and Android tablets in the dust.

Chip review site Anandtech ran benchmarks on the solid-state drive in Microsoft's new Surface Pro tablet, underscoring the performance gap with the flash drive in Apple's iPad 4.

It's a "full blown" SSD, wrote Anand Shimpi of Anandtech, referring to Micron Technology's C400 solid-state drive in the Surface that Anandtech tested.

The Micron SSD posted speeds of 400 megabytes-per-second when reading data … Read more