Surface Pro 4 price

Surface Pro 4 price

In the past few weeks, hype about the Surface Pro 4 has been intensifying as prices of the previous models, the Surface Pro 3 have been dropped in the Microsoft Store. Moreover, an event scheduled for September 24 also sparked rumors about the Microsoft release schedule of devices, but it turns out the September 24 event is one to do with Microsoft Office 365 and its further development for learning and education. But that leaves us wondering about the Surface Pro 4 release date and the new hybrid’s future.

According to the Microsoft event schedule, although full, there’s nothing to lead us on about the Surface Pro 4 release window, although there are a few secretive private events listed, too. With Microsoft keeping mum about the Surface Pro 4, we can only speculate about the new device. The Redmong giant hasn’t confirmed yet that the Surface Pro 4 would be launched this year, but judging by the discount on the previous model as well as the stages of Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, the device should not be too far ahead.

With the Surface Pro 4 Microsoft will most likely try and upgrade the previous model to the standards that users want to see and it will focus on integration of Windows 10 and Cortana into a possibly new design for a seamless user experience within the Microsoft ecosystem. With the deployment of Windows 10 Mobile closing in and people already getting excited aout the new Microsoft Lumia devices to come, the company has a lot to do in the remaining few months of the year.

Microsoft has bought up new cloud security firms, as well as invested a lot in Azure and its mobile app suite, going as far as releasing a new Skype Messaging app in the Windows store. That means that the release date for both the Surface Pro 4 and the Microsoft Lumia flagship of the year is close and we don’t have to wait that much to actually get a glimpse of the new devices. Still, the number of leaks about these devices is oddly small, as few people have published anything other than just rumors.

Nonetheless, we’re confident that the Surface Pro 4 is not fiction, and neither is the new Microsoft Lumia flagship. We’re in doubt about the release date, as some suggest early October while others say that by the end of this month, pre-orders for new Microsoft devices should go live. Whichever the case, we’re also confident that the company is on the right track this year, especially with the positive response that the company is gathering with the release of Windows 10 for free worldwide.

Even though we don’t know much about the Surface Pro 4. we’ve enough information about hardware development in order to get an idea of what to expect this year. At the same time, we can judge by the faults people saw in the Surface Pro 3 in order to pinpoint new features that could be included in the revamped version of the hybrid.

With that in mind, I suggest you take these specs with a grain of salt until we have confirmation from the company. First off, the Surface Pro 4 line-up will include multiple devices with similar specs, just like last year. Apparently, the Surface Pro 4 display will be either 12- or 14-inches, depending on what you like best, both displays with QHD resolution. Rumors about 4K resolution displays on the Surface Pro 4 have also been noticed, although they seem less plausible than a QHD display.

The Surface Pro 4 is going to be an important step in hybrid history, as it will involve new processors and new technologies. With that in mind, our best bet when it comes to Surface Pro 4 hardware would involve the new Skylake processors, most likely the H series, in three different configurations, as usual. 4GB and 8GB RAM should be on board the Surface Pro 4 depending on the variant that costumers will choose, with storage starting at 64 GB and up to 256 GB. Some say the design of the hybrid won’t include fans, which would be an interesting combination.

The new Skylake CPUs and their performance and efficiency might counter overheating problems, but I’m not sure if a fanless design is the way to go when it comes to the Surface Pro 4, where performance is more important than design.

Since we’re on the topic of design, the Surface Pro 4 design shouldn’t change that much. A premium metal chassis, a nice TypeCover keyboard which is supposed to be sold separately as usual and a stylus will remain the staple pieces of the hybrid. What will change however is compatibility, as Microsoft confirmed that Surface Pro 3 accessories will be compatible with the Surface Pro 4. Moreover, we do expect a new stylus to be launched, one with more features, better sensitivity and its own drawing pad, sold separately, for those graphic artists out there.

The battery life of the Surface Pro 3 wasn’t disappointing, but it could have been better. This is an area where Microsoft is sure to improve, and we expect the Surface Pro 4 battery life to be exemplary. Battery life is very important for Surface users, and improving on that is one of the most necessary upgrades that Microsoft should consider before releasing the device. Since manufacturing of the Surface Pro 4 is most likely near completion, we can’t suggest anything else to the company this late. Nonetheless, we sure hope that the Surface Pro 4 turns out exemplary.

Some say the Surface Pro 4 release date will be October 19, although we can’t pinpoint where that rumor originally started. We are hoping for an earlier release, maybe before the iPad Pro goes on sale, because that would help Microsoft gain a bit of traction and create a bit of hype around its new products, to counter the Apple offensive. We’ll have to wait and see. As soon as the company releases information about the future of the Surface Pro 4 and Windows 10 Mobile, we promise to be all over it.

Cr.Geeksnack ,Synergy | YouTube ,bangkok21st ,doly news ,

Microsoft Wins International Design Competition

Microsoft Wins International Design Competition

Microsoft is starting the new era of the company with accolade from the International Design Excellence Award committee for bringing back the pop-up menu with the new Windows 10. The software company is among the nine top tech innovators vying for the highest award in the Digital Design category.

"Top Winners honour this year are Google Inc. for the virtual reality cardboard headsets, Adobe for the Ink and Slide tablet, Samsung for the Digital Door Lock, and Intel for the WiDock."

If you remember, the feature was axed with the introduction of the modern-looking, but slightly confusing layout of the Windows 8. Bringing it back for the last version of the OS seems like a good call for aesthetic (and function) purposes according to the awards panelists.

But, Microsoft is not just bringing back an old, familiar feature, the company has fitted further improvements to make it easier to use and more reliable. The old layout was re-introduced, but was reintegrated with the menu board of the touchscreen-friendly design of the Windows 8.

Pressing the "Windows" logo will launch a pop-up list that contains apps alongside a live menu reminiscent of the layout of the Menu page from the previous version of the OS. The design committee explained that the new 'Start; design "is unified across the familiar and learned legacy of the Start menu on desktop PCs—and the modern capabilities of the Start screen on phones and tablets."

Surprisingly, none of the categories this year have given a nod to Apple Inc. and any of its products except for Beats Electronics which has received acclaim for a set of wireless headphones.

Microsoft has not won the category yet; the company is joining more tech companies vying for the Gold awards. Among the brands receiving the Top Winners honour this year are Google Inc. for the virtual reality cardboard headsets, Adobe for the Ink and Slide tablet, Samsung for the Digital Door Lock, and Intel for the WiDock.

Consumers vote for any of the 81 products nominated to win the "IDEA People's Choice Awards" to be announced by the end of the month.

Cr. au.idigitaltimes,e-news ,Synergy | Facebook

Windows 10 : More & More

Windows 10 : More & More

It has been a busy time in Redmond. Three hundred and two days ago, on September 30, 2014, Windows 10 was announced by Microsoft. The name, at the time, was a bit of a surprise, and Windows 10 was born out of the ashes of Windows 8.1. Over the last three hundred days, we have seen a pronounced change in how Microsoft develops software.

Windows 8 was the crowning achievement of Steven Sinofsky, and his sudden departure from the Redmond company only weeks after Windows 8 shipped perhaps signaled that Microsoft knew out of the gate that Windows 8 would be controversial and difficult to adopt for their core user group. A new direction was necessary.

And so we have Windows 10. Separated from Windows 8 by more than just a number, it was also forged by a Microsoft who was more open about the development process than I can ever recall. The day after Windows 10 was announced, Microsoft opened up the Windows Insider program, to give anyone who wanted a look at the new take on Windows to give it a spin, and not only that, they could offer feedback and suggestions for apps and features.

The changes made to Windows 10 over the last three hundred odd days, have been dramatic, which is a testament to how the new Microsoft takes and processes the huge amount of feedback it received.

Windows 10 Start Menu and Desktop in October 2014

The Windows Insider program was very successful. Very quickly the number of people who had signed up was over a million, and the last count that I saw was that there are over five million people in the Windows Insider program. The response has certainly been enthusiastic.

Windows 10 Start Menu and Desktop at release

Of course it helps that the software being tested showed that Microsoft was listening well before the Insider Program even began. Windows 8’s biggest pain points, such as the Start Screen, full screen apps, and the Charms bar, were not going to be tweaked in this release, but completely done away with. Back was the Start Menu, back was windowed apps, and back was what made Windows, well, Windows. Where Windows 8 was promoted as touch-first, Windows 10 was created as productivity first, with the OS trying to assist you with things like Snap Assist rather than get in your way.

There is a lot of changes and features to go over, and in typical AnandTech style, we are going to provide as much information about each as we can. I wanted to ensure that we did the review with the final code, to ensure any of our tests would be accurate and real-world results. Hopefully the full review is worth the wait.

With Windows 10 being the first ever free upgrade, here is a quick look at what to expect if you signed up to get the upgrade on day one.

Windows 10 gains a personal assistant in Cortana. What originally launched on Windows Phone has been brought to the PC, and it can now work across all of your Windows devices. One of the key benefits of Windows 10 over Windows 8 is that features like Cortana are easily discoverable. Cortana now lives in a search box right beside the start button, and it can keep track of your travel plans, set up reminders, and perform searches for you.

Microsoft is also adding a new browser to Windows 10, with Microsoft Edge. Although based on Internet Explorer under the hood, huge chunks of code have been taken out to improve security, and the rendering and scripting engines have been optimized to make Edge one of the fastest browsers around.

It adds support for new features like being able to markup web pages and share them, and Cortana is built in to provide contextual search results right in the page. It is a big step up from Internet Explorer in standards compliance, and while it’s not quite finished yet, Microsoft has promised to update it often through the Windows Store.

With Windows 8, Microsoft basically built a tablet operating system, and stuck the desktop inside of it. I actually quite liked the design when using Windows 8 with touch, but using it on a large screen desktop could be frustrating. Windows 10 is still designed for both systems, but they have added Continuum to Windows 10 to automatically prompt to switch from one mode to the other.

Optimizing Windows for what you are doing is a much better approach than optimizing for what you’re not doing, and Continuum finally bridges the gap between desktop and tablet on one device.

Gaming is getting a big boost on Windows 10, with support for DirectX 12 which is the biggest change to their gaming APIs since DirectX 10 launched with Windows Vista way back in 2006. DirectX 12’s most important feature is likely its low-level API, which can provide much better performance in a lot of scenarios where developers had been CPU bound before.

Graphics Processing Units are massively parallel devices, but could be bottlenecked by the API being CPU bound. DirectX 12 makes some big changes to the API to give the developers the chance to get around these bottlenecks, and the upcoming DirectX 12 games can add a level of detail that was unattainable before.

Gaming doesn’t stop there though. Windows 10 brings some other cool things to gaming on the PC. The built in Xbox app will support Game DVR, allowing you to record game sessions, edit them, and share them, all within the Xbox app. One of the coolest features coming is game streaming from an Xbox One to any Windows 10 PC, allowing you to use any PC or tablet as the display for the Xbox, as long as it is on the LAN.

 This isn’t new tech, but it will be built into every Windows 10 PC. Windows 10 is also going to offer cross-device gameplay, allowing you to play against people on Xbox One or Windows 10. Some games will even support starting a game on one device and finishing on the other.

The built in apps have all gotten major overhauls with Windows 10, and now work a lot better on a desktop but equally well on a touch device. Photos has gone from an almost unusable application on Windows 8 to a very nicely executed app in Windows 10. Mail has seen a huge change, and has taken queues from their purchase of Acompli, which had one of the best email apps on iOS.

Maps has also gotten a big facelift, and it can sync information among all of your Windows devices. Xbox Music has been rebranded to Groove Music, and the movies app is now a movie player with the Windows Store being unified to include all purchases including movies and TV.

On the security side, Windows 10 brings a lot of features here as well. One I am very much looking forward to is Windows Hello, which will allow you to log in with supported facial recognition hardware, or fingerprint readers. Once logged in, Passport will be available as a service to allow authentication to external services, if they add support.

This will leverage public-private key technology, so if a third party was able to obtain the database of passwords from a web service, they would just have your public key which is useless to them. I’ve said it before, and will say it again. Passwords have outlived their usefulness and any work to move this technology forward should be a huge benefit to everyone.

And these features are really just the tip of the iceberg, with far more available including virtual desktops, drop shadows, a new dark theme, and more. Windows 10 is a big step up from Windows 8, but also from those that hung back on Windows 7. With the free upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 being offered for a year, adoption should be strong, but time will tell. I have been running Windows 10 since October, and as my daily computer since January. It has been worth the wait.

Cr.Anandtech ,ข้อมูลอัพเดท ,bangkok21st

Microsoft Lumia 940 XL with Scanner

Microsoft Lumia 940 XL

A few days after Satya Nadella announced Microsoft‘s new smartphone strategy, a new report by Dutch website MyWindows.nl has suggested that the Microsoft Lumia 940 and Microsoft Lumia 940 XL will boast fairly impressive specs and new authentication technology. The report has since been removed.


The Lumia 940 will feature a 1920×1080 5.2-inch screen while the 940 XL will have a bigger screen and more pixels at 5.7-inches and a 2560×1440 resolution. Both devices will feature polycarbonate bodies and not the metal unibody construction favoured by Samsung, Apple and recently Huawei.

In terms of processing gusto, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 will be used by the 940 XL, coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage while the 940 will use the slightly slower Qualcomm Snapdragon 808.

But perhaps the real interest lies in both phones’ new technologies.
Microsoft will trial its iris scanner on the phones, which is a bold new departure from traditional authentication methods, like fingerprint readers but takes advantage of Windows 10‘s new support for biometric information.


Microsoft’s also employing a 20MP camera at the rear with three-tone flash, and a 5MP up front.

Microsoft has yet to release any concrete information regarding the devices, so gaze upon the spec-sheets with a raised eyebrow for now.

Cr.Gearburn ,bangkok21st ,Synergy | Facebook

How This Couple Retired In Their 30s To Travel The World

How This Couple Retired In Their 30s To Travel The World

Jeremy graduated from college on a Friday, started working on cell phone design at Motorola on a Monday and worked 80 hours a week for the next four or five years. What fueled his work ethic was $40,000 in debt — $35,000 from student loans and $5,000 in credit card debt for food and other essentials.

But his desire to keep up with his peers led him, on his $40,000 salary, to buy a new car and a three-bedroom house, which turned his previous bike ride to work into a 40-minute commute. The added debt got him to focus on his finances, so he began making models of how he could pay it off, mapped out his trajectory to retirement at 65 and began investing. He then used credit card checks charging 0% interest for 12 months to pay big chunks of his mortgage, his student loan and car loan.

When he started working at Microsoft and moved from Chicago to Seattle, getting a salary bump up to $85,000, he made many of the same decisions (which he now calls mistakes) again: buying a house, having a long commute, and not taking a vacation. Three years in, a girlfriend convinced him to take his first real, multi-week vacation — to the Philippines. He spent the first week thinking about work, checking email. But the scuba diving, mangoes and and tropical drinks began to have an effect, and by the third week, he was wondering how he could live like this every day.

He sold his house, began renting close to work and biking to the office. With his costs slashed, he was able to save. At a conference in Beijing, he met his future wife, Winnie, who is from Taiwan and had been saving 50% of her salary in order to travel. Now, Jeremy, 40, and Winnie, 36, are financially independent, travel the world and blog about their envious lifestyle on GoCurryCracker.com. (The site is named for their rallying cry derived from their favorite snack on their honeymoon hiking Mt. Rainier in Washington, during which they endured bone-soaking rain and encountered mosquitoes as big as bats.)

Here’s the story of how they saved enough to retire in their 30s — Jeremy at 38 and Winnie at 33 — and how they’ve been spending their money and time since.

How did you achieve your early retirement?

J: While I was at Motorola, pretty much every penny of income went toward paying off my $40,000 in debt. If I had $10 at the end of the month, I paid an extra $10 to the student loan. I did contribute to my 401(k) but I took out a loan on it to buy a house and when I sold that house to move to Seattle, I had to pay that back.

By the time I changed jobs, I didn’t have much savings per se. But I was close to being debt free. At Microsoft, I started out at a high savings rate — I was contributing to my 401(k), maxing that out and saving more on the side. After I met Winnie and we decided to retire early, we started reading books like “Your Money or Your Life” and improved on that until we were saving upwards of 70% of income. My last two years working, we were depositing pretty much my entire paycheck into my brokerage account, because we were living off dividends and interest.

We lived close to the university and could walk everywhere, so we didn’t have a car. I was commuting by bicycle — 8 to 20 miles every day. We got most of our food at a farmer’s market and CSA. The biggest part of your income is housing, transportation and food, and those three things were cut really aggressively, so our monthly spend was less than $2,000 a month at the end.

I probably worked three years too long, or we saved too much. The goal was always that we wanted to travel, and once we quit, there was a year and a half of bouncing through Mexico and Central America, and then we came to Taiwan to have the baby.
(Courtesy of Go Curry Cracker)

How much were you earning?

Jeremy: When I started out of college, I was making about $40,000 a year, and that went up to more than $50,000 by the time I left. At Microsoft, I started at $85,000 a year and by the end of my 12 years there, I was at around $140,000.

Winnie: I worked in the same industry — phones and computers, and my last job was project manager at Dell. I was making about $32,000 in Taiwan.

Jeremy: We got married five years ago, so Winnie quit when we got married and moved to Seattle, so the last three or four years before we retried, when my salary was at its highest, she wasn’t working.

Winnie: I was a freeloader.

Winnie, when you were working for Dell in Taipei, what were your savings habits?

Winnie: The living cost here is quite cheap if you want to live cheaply, so I could save at least half of my income.

Just in a savings account?

We have something like a 401(k) but it’s run by the government, so I also maximized it, and the rest went to my personal savings account and my brokerage account.

Cr.Forbes