Microsoft announced yesterday, at a press event in New York, a series of new Windows 10 devices (most of which are heading are way before the end of the year). Having watched the entire 2 hour press event I have to admit the enthusiasm of the key speakers was captivating. However behind the glitz and glamour there were a range of products that seem to walk the walk and talk the talk!...
New Lumia Phones
First up we got to see the latest slim-line Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL which when combined with the new Continuum dock will transform the devices into a desktop solution - as demonstrated on stage. For example you can use the same Windows short-cut keys to copy/paste, bring up the task-view and generally interact with the environment as you would on a standard Windows 10 desktop.
What’s cool about Continuum is that your smartphone experience remains intact while the desktop wizardry is taking place. Thus you can be opening documents like you would on a PC/Laptop and yet still take phone calls or make texts using the standard phone interface.
Spec wise the phones are no slouch either given the aforementioned continuum feature. For example the 950 has a 5.2” (~70.5% screen-to-body ratio) capacitive AMOLED touch screen with a 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution (~564 ppi pixel density). While the Chipset is the Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808, alongside a Dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57 & quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU and an Adreno 418 GPU.
RAM is also plentiful with 3GB and 32GB of storage; which will support up to 200GB microSD cards.
Both phones also feature a new 20MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics, optical image stabilisation, autofocus and a triple-LED RGB flash(which should make it ideal in low-level light conditions).
As for the super-sized version of the Lumia (the 950XL) this has a slightly bigger screen at 5.7”, but it does have Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (the 950 has the 3rd gen glass).
It also features a slightly beefed up chipset, namely the Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810, a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A57 CPU and a Adreno 430 GPU.
Each model also comes equipped with the new USB type-C connector which offers faster battery charging. The keynote suggested it could provide 50% of battery life in 30 minutes. The 950 has a 3000mAh battery, while the 950 LX has a 3340mAh battery.
The Microsoft Lumia 950 will cost £500 and the 950 XL will cost £550 when they land in November.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/mobile/phones/lumia/?order_by=Latest
Microsoft Band 2
The sports band now boasts Windows 10 and features Cortana integration, 2 days of battery life, a new curved screen, a barometer, and apps for email, text, running, biking, the gym, and golf.
There are now 11 sensors on the band including an optical heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, gyrometer, GPS, ambient light sensor, skin temperature sensor, UV sensor, capacitive sensor, microphone, a galvanic skin response sensor and an elevation tracker.
Plus the device will also gather a lot more data (recovery, caloric intake, cardio and oxygen intake) for you to digest.
Released on October 30th (pre-orders being taken now) for approx £199.
http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-band/en-gb
Surface Pro 4
The Surface Pro 3 was classed as one of the best laptop replacement devices on the market and the Surface Pro 4 is certainly following in its footsteps.
What’s key here is that the optional dock, that allows you to link up the device to a larger screen etc, is also compatible with the older Surface Pro 3. So while they have innovated there is still consideration for the older devices.
With the Surface Pro 4 they have improved the weight and thinness i.e. 292 x 201 x 8.4mm and weighing 766g vs the Surface Pro 3's 292 x 201 x 9.1mm and 794g. The bezel has now been reduced around the 12.3” screen to provide more real-estate for your Office apps.
Resolution wise the Surface Pro 4 features a 2,736 x 1,824 pixel-resolution display with a PPI of 267 vs the Surface Pro 3's 12" screen with a resolution of 2160 x 1440.
Different Models
As per the 3rd model you also get various configurations to pick from, to suite your budget and power requirements. However each model will feature a 6th Generation of the Intel processor and various RAM/hard drive combinations…..
For example:
- Intel Core m3: 4GB, 128GB > £749
- Intel Core i5: 4GB, 128GB > £849
- Intel Core i5: 8GB, 256GB > £1,079
- Intel Core i7: 8GB, 256GB > £1,299
- Intel Core i7: 16GB, 256GB > £1,449
- Intel Core i7: 16GB, 512GB > £1,799
Battery life is estimated at 9 hours, based on the Core i5, 256GB, 8GB version of the Surface Pro 4.
Accessories
The Surface Pro 4 comes with a new Type cover which features redesigned backlit keys with more spacing between them and a low 1.33mm travel (making less noise and providing improved feedback). The trackpad is also 40% larger than before (a feature requested by fans). Similar to the dock the new Type cover will also work with the Surface Pro 3.
Finally you have a new stylus pen with an eraser on one end and interchangeable nibs at the other. According to the keynote it provides pin point accuracy (1,024 points of sensitivity) so you can use the pen for a variety of tasks ranging from artwork to creating musical notation!
No news on a UK release date yet, but we will put this info on the site when we get it.
Surface Book
However the biggest surprise of the day was the Surface Book - Microsoft’s MacBook Pro killer. At first appearance it appears to be a 13” notebook with a lot of power, yet look closer and it has a new hinge system (that Microsoft calls a Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge) that allows the screen to bend around or be removed at a touch of a button!
As mentioned above the screen on the Surface Book comprises of a 13.5" display with 6 million pixels (267ppi). It also features a 3,000 x 2,000 resolution display which is in a 3:2 aspect ratio.
What makes the screen extra special is that it's an optically bonded PixelSense display which allows for an enhanced pen and touch experience.
It also has the thinnest Gorilla glass seen on a laptop which should result in a clearer picture that will be more responsive to the touch - thus ideal when using the device in tablet mode.
Additionally the screen will work with the Surface Pen, which as mentioned earlier has 1,024 points of sensitivity - ideal for a range of consumer and business related tasks.
All of this power is packed into a chassis that is 7.7mm thin and weighing 725g.
Power at the Base
The GPU resides in the keyboard so when the screen is attached you get maximum power, but at a slight reduction in battery life. However when it's detached it will act as a tablet, with less power, yet more battery life (so there is a compromise).
Microsoft stated that while the laptop is not aimed at gamers the power is sufficient enough to do well at this task!
This is not surprising as the GPU was designed by the Xbox engineering team, so the laptop features the latest sixth gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GPU with GDDR5 memory.
As per the Surface Pro 4 the keyboard features backlit keys with a trackpad that is made of glass and offers 10-points of touch. While at the base there are also two USB 3.0 ports
Storage wise you get a choice of either 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB SSD variants, plus 8 or 16 GB RAM.
At the front you have a 5MP camera and an 8MP camera at the rear – both of which support 1080p.
Price and release date: The Surface Book will be available from 26 October for $1,499 in the US. This price is for the i5 with 8GB RAM version, while the Intel Core i7 with 16 GB of RAM will cost you $2,699. No news yet on a UK price or release date.
HoloLens
Microsoft’s HoloLens was also on display, this time the team was showcasing the game 'Project XRay', which allows you to shoot at robots that seemingly emerge from the walls! Check it out below...