Microsoft’s Windows 8 is in many ways the first real competitor to the dominating iOS running iPad as a “post-PC” platform. But there has always been one thing lacking - hardware. Most Windows OEMs doesn’t have a particularly good track record of making high quality hardware. It leaves a big gap. However, Microsoft finally fills this gap with its very own tablet - Microsoft Surface.

Surface is essentially a hybrid tablet. It has two different versions: Intel based with Windows 8 Pro, and ARM based with Windows RT. The later steps more on the tablet space, with a generally very sleek form factor: 9.3mm and 1.5lbs. It has a 10.6-inch ClearType HD Display, which the resolution is currently unknown. It has two storage choices: 32GB and 64GB.    

The Intel version is more of a computer in terms of processing power and the fact that it runs Windows 8 Pro (which supports traditional PC software). It’s 13.5mm thin and weighs 1.9lbs, with 64GB and 128GB variants. The display also has a higher resolution than the RT version. It also has an extra digital ink support through a pen that sticks to the device by magnetism. Both devices has a kickstand on the back, and seemingly premium magnesium case.

But the device itself is only half of the story. Under the bottom side of Surface hides magnets that connect two types of docks specifically made for it - Touch Cover and Type Cover. They are not just covers. In fact the biggest role of it is being the missing piece of tablets - an extremely light, thin and easy to connect / disconnect keyboard dock.

The Touch Cover is a 3mm thin pressure-sensitive multi-touch capacitive keyboard and trackpad. While the Type Cover is a tradition keyboard with physical keys. But still it is only 5mm thin.

Although many details are still kept secret, processor and graphic models, RAM and price range just to name a few. Surface is very likely going to be the best Windows 8 device.It is made by Microsoft and runs pure Windows, without any bloatware and “customizations”. We are very well aware of the benefits of having hardware and software coming from the same company. Early hands-on also reveals Surface being a piece of very well built hardware. Together with a bold new OS with great potential,

Surface could very possibly be my next computer.

source Microsoft

Tech/Media The Voyager 1 space probe, which launched in 1977, has now reached the edge of the solar system Chris Wickham at Reuters reports. It will soon become the first and only man-made object to enter interstellar space, Voyager is now about 18 billion kilometers from the sun. It’s traveling at 17 kilometers per second. It takes 16 hours and 38 minutes for its radio signals to reach earth. The probe is powered by plutonium, a power source that is designed to last until 2025. After that, Voyager will keep speeding through space, but we’ll never hear from it again. Voyager carries some communication media that were state-of-the-art in 1977 but now seem absurdly antiquated, even on earth: A phonograph record and a gold-plated copper disk that hold “sights and sounds” of the 70s. Any alien who encounters Voyager and can figure out how to extract meaning from these media is to be commended. SEE ALSO: A Bunch Of Cool Things I Just Learned About The Commercialization Of Space http://www.businessinsider.com/voyager-is-leaving-the-solar-system-2012-6

Samsung’s Galaxy S II wrote history. Not only is it one of the best sellers of Samsung, it very much helped Android to be established as a true competitor to the iPhone. Naturally, the next generation of Galaxy S series has been drawing an enormous amount of coverage and anticipation.

After months of waiting, speculations and recent leaks, Samsung finally unveiled their latest flagship - Galaxy S III.

Size: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm

Screen: 4.8-inch 720p HD Super AMOLED (PenTile)

CPU: Quad-core 1.4 GHz Exynos

RAM: 1GB

Camera: 8 megapixel, with auto focus & 3.3fps burst mode

Storage: 16/32/64GB internal; micro-SD expandable

Cellular: HSDPA+ / LTE

Battery: 2,100 mAh

A major difference between the Galaxy S III and it’s predecessor is the emphasis on software features. TouchWiz on Galaxy S III is not the same as the Gingerbread-like one of Galaxy S II Android 4.0 update. It’s now calling it “TouchWiz Nature UX”, with a central theme of the nature.

The star of the show is “S Voice”, Samsung’s version of Apple’s voice assistant Siri. It understands natural language, it replies the user. It has some added features as well. It can recognize the voice of user, who can set up a specific voice command for unlocking the device.

“Smart Stay” is an eye-detection technology which can shut the screen down when the user closes his eyes. “S Beam” is Samsung’s version of Android 4.0’s Android Beam. Besides NFC, S Beam utilizes Wifi Direct as well, making the transfer of large files much faster. Lastly, “Pop Up Play” let’s user shrink and continue a video playing and run other apps.

Samsung Galaxy S III announced.

Full details soon.

digithoughts:

You don’t own your apps | Slashgear

What EA (Electronic Arts) has revealed to millions of unsuspecting app downloaders around the world is this: when you pay for an application in the mobile world, you don’t actually own the app itself, you just own the license for the app – and your ownership is not indefinite.

Makes you (re)value physical media a bit higher. I think I’m going to enjoy some 25 year old 8 bit Nintendo games this weekend. Guess we won’t be doing that with Angry Birds in 2037.

The Verge made a very good video to summarize what we do know about the BlackBerry 10 at the moment.

RIM’s attempt of becoming relevant in the smartphone and tablet market has been a catastrophic failure. The new OS “BlackBerry 10” is RIM’s next and possibly last secret weapon.

RIM is holding the BlackBerry World 2012 event now, in which the BlackBerry 10 unveiled. There is still not much details apart from the video above and some pictures. The device being shown is only a dummy as well. But at least we have some idea now about the new OS and RIM’s direction is like:

• Fully touch-based, hardware keyboard no longer a focus (not even hardware buttons for navigation)

• Completely different from the OS in PlayBook

• Major focus is the specially developed software keyboard, with new innovation of word-suggestions and fast typing

Expect more BlackBerry 10 details in the coming days.