Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro unveiled

Microsoft has just announced its second generation Surface tablets – the Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro. Both slates are thinner, faster and lighter, with better displays, USB 3.0-enabled, and powered by the latest 8.1 version of Windows 8 RT and Windows 8 Pro.

As expected Microsoft is also launching a new lineup of Surface accessories including a new Type Cover with backlit keys.



Microsoft Surface 2

The new Surface 2 slate is powered by NVIDIA’s latest Tegra 4 chipset with a quad-core 1.7GHz Cortex-A15 processor, GeForce 72-core GPU and 2GB of RAM. The display also got a major upgrade: it’s now a 10.6″ ClearType 1080p display with 5-point multi-touch support. According to Microsoft the Surface 2 is up to 4x faster than the original Surface slate, offers 25% more battery life (10 hours of video playback, 7-15 days on stand-by), and features a 5x better camera and 2x faster bus and Wi-Fi speeds.


The rest of the Surface 2 specs include Wi-Fi a/b/g/n support, Bluetooth 4.0, an USB 3.0 port, microSD card support, HDMI port and a 3.5mm audio jack. There are also a 3.5MP front-facing camera (1/3″ sensor size) plus a 5MP rear camera, both capable of 1080p video recording (stereo audio).

The Surface 2 features an even better 2-stage kickstand.

The Surface 2 is made entirely of Magnesium and should endure a few drops on the ground.

Microsoft is giving you 1-year of free international calls and Wi-Fi through Skype, 200GB SkyDrive storage for two years with instant sync of your files, and, of course, Microsoft Office 2013 RT edition (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook).

The new Surface 2 is thinner and lighter and will be available in 32GB and 64GB version. The suggested retail prices are $449 for the 32GB model and $549 for the 64GB one and it will hit shelves worldwide on October 22.

Microsoft Surface 2 Pro

The Surface Pro also got a proper upgrade. It uses the same 10.6-inch 1080p display the Surface 2 utilizes, but runs on fourth-generation Intel Core i5 chipset with a dual-core 1.6GHz processor (max turbo clock 2.6GHz) with multi-threading, Intel HD Graphics 4400, and 4GB or 8GB LPDDR3 RAM. There is also support for pen-input and the Surface Pen is included within the Surface 2 retail package.

As advertized by Microsoft the Pro 2 slate has 50% faster graphics, 20% better performance, 75% more battery life and 50% more color accuracy on the display compared to the previous generation Surface Pro.

The rest of the Surface 2 Pro specs include 3xUSB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, a microSD card slot, mini DisplayPort, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 3.5mm audio jack. There are also two 720p cams – one at the back and one at the front, and stereo speakers. Finally, the new 2-stage kickstand is also here.

Microsoft will be selling the Surface 2 Pro in 64GB, 128 GB, 256GB, and 512GB versions. All Surface 2 Pro models run on the latest Windows 8.1 Pro version, with 1 year of free international calls and Wi-Fi via Skype, 200GB SkyDrive storage for two years and one-month free trial of Microsoft Office 365 package.

Surface 2 Pro will go on sale on October 22. The 64 GB model costs $899, 128GB price is $999, the 256GB edition is $1299 and t
he 512GB Surface 2 Pro is priced at $1799. We guess these prices are for the 4GB Surface 2 Pro slates, and you’ll have to add a good $100 more if you want 8GB of RAM.Both devices can be pre-ordered right now and they will be shipping for international markets on the 22nd of October
via - GSMArena , TheVerge

Read More..

Microsoft Board names Satya Nadella as CEO

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 4, 2014 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Satya Nadella as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. Nadella previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group.

“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Bill Gates, Microsoft’s Founder and Member of the Board of Directors. “Satya is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth.”

Since joining the company in 1992, Nadella has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products and services, most notably the company’s move to the cloud and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world supporting Bing, Xbox, Office and other services. During his tenure overseeing Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business, the division outperformed the market and took share from competitors.

“Microsoft is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionized the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honored to have been chosen to lead the company,” Nadella said. “The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.”

“Having worked with him for more than 20 years, I know that Satya is the right leader at the right time for Microsoft,” said Steve Ballmer, who announced on Aug. 23, 2013 that he would retire once a successor was named. “I’ve had the distinct privilege of working with the most talented employees and senior leadership team in the industry, and I know their passion and hunger for greatness will only grow stronger under Satya’s leadership.”

Microsoft also announced that Bill Gates, previously Chairman of the Board of Directors, will assume a new role on the Board as Founder and Technology Advisor, and will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction. John Thompson, lead independent director for the Board of Directors, will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors and remain an independent director on the Board.

“Satya is clearly the best person to lead Microsoft, and he has the unanimous support of our Board,” Thompson said. “The Board took the thoughtful approach that our shareholders, customers, partners and employees expected and deserved.”

With the addition of Nadella, Microsoft’s Board of Directors consists of Ballmer; Dina Dublon, former Chief Financial Officer of JPMorgan Chase; Gates; Maria M. Klawe, President of Harvey Mudd College; Stephen J. Luczo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Seagate Technology PLC; David F. Marquardt, General Partner at August Capital; Nadella; Charles H. Noski, former Vice Chairman of Bank of America Corp.; Dr. Helmut Panke, former Chairman of the Board of Management at BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG; and Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Virtual Instruments. Seven of the 10 board members are independent of Microsoft, which is consistent with the requirement in the company’s governance guidelines that a substantial majority be independent.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Read More..