News - Windows 8 and Surface launch event roundup

[HEXUS]

Microsoft has put its cards on the table, will it come up trumps?

Read more.

[aeonf242]

No sign of Windows 8 Download yet..<edit. wait for midnight?>

The new Windows...coming soon

A new era of PCs built for Windows 8 and Windows RT will be available shortly. You'll be able to buy and download Windows 8 Pro, or get the software package at online retailers and in stores.

If you can't wait to find your next PC, check out our Tablet and PC buying guide.

Come back soon—we can't wait either!

[Biscuit]

i read the engadget round up of of RT, they seemed quite keen on it.

I dont like bing, or IE and have no desire to let them grow on me.

Il just wait for the other mobile OS's to steal the cool features MS have used i reckon.

[peterb]

Ground breaking or catch up?

Probably the latter, but I'm sure the marketing will ensure its success.. But I can't see me upgrading anytime soon.

Where they will steal a lead over Apple will be the wider availability of hardware, but there they are competing with Android devices.

[Biscuit]

Actually, from reading about it, its a bit of both. Microsoft have played catchup and at the same time done a good job of showing where the platform needs to go with regards to multitasking and interacting with apps beyond their basic main screen/page. Basically doing what (IMO at least) Apple should have been doing with all that talent and money.

[howdee]

Us tech geeks better get ready with a foolproof, buletted, PowerPoint style 'pros and cons' list that will be easy enough on the unsavvy among our friends and relatives. Include in the footnote your very own one-line joke/opinion, start brewing litres of coffee and brace for impact. 'Tis all I can advice LOL

[billybear]

I'm after a laptop/hybrid with a i7, Full HD Multi touch and a dedicated graphics card. Anyone know of anything?

[crossy]

The duo mentions the Surface USB port; a tablet with a USB port, something “other device owners can only dream about”!

Bull**it - my very old Asus TF101 has TWO full USB ports, and even the new Transformers have the same single port as the Surface. And I'm sure that there's other tablets out there with USB ports, (Toshiba Thrive being one that I saw recently).

Taking aim at the whole of the computing world with his marketing double barrel blunderbuss Mr Sinofsky said “It's not just a tablet, but it's the best tablet I've ever used. It's also a laptop, and it's the best laptop I've ever used."

Again hyperbole - I'm willing to bet a lot that there's folks here that won't be happy with the Windows8 (RT) that's running on the Surface and will prefer the "full" edition. Others will need something a bit more powerful (not me though).

Where I will agree with Mr Sinofsky is that my experiences with the ASUS Transformer have convinced me that the large screen tablet that docks into a keyboard (Bluetooth keyboards are NOT the same) are definitely the way to go - and definitely a seamless replacement for any netbook. iPad's - despite their undoubted strengths - feel "incomplete" to me.

Like I've said before - a version of the Transformer would be my preferred Windows8RT tablet - not only for the dual/backup/dock battery (which the Surfaces keyboard lacks) but also because I don't like the looks of the Surface's keyboard - reminds me too much of the old Sinclair ZX's.

[dangel]

Bull**it - my very old Asus TF101 has TWO full USB ports, and even the new Transformers have the same single port as the Surface. And I'm sure that there's other tablets out there with USB ports, (Toshiba Thrive being one that I saw recently).

...yeah but does it support 1000's of devices to plug into it? MS' hardware coverage is darn good, and that's more the point.

Where I will agree with Mr Sinofsky is that my experiences with the ASUS Transformer have convinced me that the large screen tablet that docks into a keyboard (Bluetooth keyboards are NOT the same) are definitely the way to go - and definitely a seamless replacement for any netbook. iPad's - despite their undoubted strengths - feel "incomplete" to me.

Like I've said before - a version of the Transformer would be my preferred Windows8RT tablet - not only for the dual/backup/dock battery (which the Surfaces keyboard lacks) but also because I don't like the looks of the Surface's keyboard - reminds me too much of the old Sinclair ZX's.

Might want to give it a go - i've read a stack of reviews now and everyone of them seemed genuinely surprised by the touch keyboard and the physical key version got a fair bit of love to. I'd rather reserve judgement based on that - and it's certainly nothing like the ZX's rubberised keys (weird comparison - why not the Z80 or 81?).

[Obscurity]

Il just wait for the other mobile OS's to steal the cool features MS have used i reckon.

The other OS's already have way more cool feature
Padfone 2!!!

[mikerr]

I know surface Rt is the ARM version with all that entails, but I'm a bit confused with surface pro:

is surface Pro "just" a full x86 laptop convertable with detachable keyboard (running windows 8 desktop) ?

Is any touchscreen laptop running windows 8 more or less the same as surface pro ?

Apart from detachable keyboard, what would you lose ?

[dangel]

I know surface Rt is the ARM version with all that entails, but I'm a bit confused with surface pro:

is surface Pro "just" a full x86 laptop convertable with detachable keyboard (running windows 8 desktop) ?

Is any touchscreen laptop running windows 8 more or less the same as surface pro ?

Apart from detachable keyboard, what would you lose ?

Not much - it's really just a question of which form factor suits you. Personally i'm very interesting the pro because it pretty much hits on the things I need and MS do seem to have amazing build quality in their device. So yes, it's basically a PC in tablet form with full Win 8.

[crossy]

...yeah but does it support 1000's of devices to plug into it? MS' hardware coverage is darn good, and that's more the point.

Erm, remember this is the "standard" Surface not the Surface Pro (that most Hexiens seem to be hanging on for) in so it's WindowsRT (not full Windows) in which case - unless you know different - then there's no guarantee that Windows current level of support for USB devices will be carried over to 'RT. Okay it's a sure bet that there'll be a heck lot more supported than Android (and as for iOS - ha!)

Might want to give it a go - i've read a stack of reviews now and everyone of them seemed genuinely surprised by the touch keyboard and the physical key version got a fair bit of love to. I'd rather reserve judgement based on that - and it's certainly nothing like the ZX's rubberised keys (weird comparison - why not the Z80 or 81?).

Hmm, I've seen those too - Matt Honen in particular claiming he could get up to 90wpm after a little practice.

As to the Sinclair reference - I was thinking Spectrum in particular, but I remember that there were similar type keyboards offered for my old ZX81 (never had a ZX80).

I'll take a lot of convincing that Dell, HP, Sony etc won't ship better keyboards with their versions of the Surface. Although the one I'd really like is a redo of the infamous (?) Thinkpad "butterfly" keyboard. I had one of those for a couple of weeks and it was superb - and a joy to watch folding and unfolding (I'm easily amused).

[Biscuit]

I'll take a lot of convincing that Dell, HP, Sony etc won't ship better keyboards with their versions of the Surface. Although the one I'd really like is a redo of the infamous (?) Thinkpad "butterfly" keyboard. I had one of those for a couple of weeks and it was superb - and a joy to watch folding and unfolding (I'm easily amused).

or the most important one - Lenovo!

[dangel]

Erm, remember this is the "standard" Surface not the Surface Pro (that most Hexiens seem to be hanging on for) in so it's WindowsRT (not full Windows) in which case - unless you know different - then there's no guarantee that Windows current level of support for USB devices will be carried over to 'RT. Okay it's a sure bet that there'll be a heck lot more supported than Android (and as for iOS - ha!)

Yup, I know but Anand has already reviewed it and found there to be far more device support than other platforms and it's only going to grow. It may well be Windows 8 for ARM but it's still a full version of Windows (albeit with restrictions) at it's core - this isn't anything like WinCE.

Steven Sinofsky says Windows RT has drivers for 420 million devices out there:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Steve...weekly_id35927

[nat327]

I'd rather wait for Surface Pro. Looking a lot better