Hello
Microsoft are holding a special event on 6 Oct in New York with a huge agenda of equipment including:
- Surface Pro 4
- Windows Lumia 950/XL information (and potential launch dates)
- Microsoft Band 2
- Hololens
- and more
Full run down can be found at:
http://www.windowscentral.com/source-code-microsofts-october-press-event-page-seems-confirm-product-...
http://www.windowscentral.com/what-expect-microsofts-windows-10-devices-event-nyc?utm_medium=slider&...
Hope this is of interest
DD
Taken from the event live:
Hololens
The event opened with Microsoft Hololens being formally announced with development kits being priced at $3k and available for developers in Q1 2016. There was a huge display of holograms in your living room - a lot of new future fun! Onwards...
Microsoft Band2
It was stated that it is user feedback that has improved it - it must curve around the wrist was one feedback.
It has guerilla glass and improved touch as well as all the original features that people liked. Cortana integrated as part of the Microsoft Band2/Health apps.
Customers asked for something specific - how to track elevation. This was resolved with an 11th sensor - the barometer, which tracks height in real time.
Microsoft say it is clear that the band is providing data for users to track their own health which customers are using. There is a lot of data available, from running routes to calories burnt, sleep patterns, heart rate... it is a long list. The new band2 has constant and immediate access to all the data applicable to the owner - Microsoft Health enables people to dig in and track where they ran and what they achieved. You can also access this via your Microsoft Health apps on phone and in Windows10.
An amazing new and very clever feature is VO2 Max whih is enabling people to identify maximum volume of oxygen they can consume. Top sports athletes do this - now you can too. Only the Microsoft Band2 does this outside of the lab.
Golf also benefits - it provides shot detection to help identify types of swing, based on built in sensors to track and monitor your game, discounting practise swings and knowing where you are.
Band2 will continue to work with all of the operating systems still. Microsoft have brought in a large number of new partners including Uber, Facebook, MyFitnessPal - all one touch away. Weight loss company "Lose It!" announced as joining at this event.
Price and Availability:
Band2 available Oct 30, $249 - £199 in the UK Pre-order available from today.
Surface and Lumia
Surface is now worth $3.5Billion each year, with other hardware vendors selling Microsoft. Lumia is now considered as an opportunity to reinvent the smart device category. More businesses are taking on Lumia (key - business).
Panos Panay introduced the Mobile Device Section.
New phones:
There is a huge desire within the team to bring great devices to market. 110 million devices in 8 weeks running Windows 10. Desire to bring that fresh consistent updates to the Windows 10 on Phone. Full office, including full Outlook on a phone. The Lumia 950 family brings all this.
Hardware specs confirmed:
- 2 antennas in the product to give best connectivity to the mobile (cellular) network.
- Octacore (XL) and Hexacore (950) processes confirmed with liquid cooling technology.
- 5.2 inch (950)
- 5.7 inch (950XL)
- OLED
- 564, 518PPI
- Glance screen technology (as per the earlier Windows phones), using 0 battery life.
"Nothing more important than the camera at the moment. " - so with that, the following was noted.
- 20MP sensor
- Triple LED RGB Natural Flash to remove red eye and ghosting
- "Great in lowlight"
- Dedicated camera button
- 5th generation optical image stabilisation.
- 32GB storage
- Memory expansion with MicroSD (theoretically up to 2TB)
Other hardware information included:
- USB-C on the bottom of the device - 30 minutes for 50% charge, so rapid charge is making the most of the USB-C connectivity.
- Windows Hello for Iris security.
- Devices can dock with Continuum, meaning that you can connect your phone to the TV, a monitor, USB, etc.
Continuum for phone empowers the user to use the phone like a PC.
Microsoft Display Dock turns the phone into a PC, with a proper PC experience. It's a PC in the pocket... and the phone remains the same whilst using continuum - you don't lose the phone when it becomes your PC. Copy and paste is still available - all the keyboard shortcuts work like it really is a PC.
Microsoft OneDrive and Cloud integrated. USB drives will mount within the phone using the Microsoft Display Dock - enabling people to connect thumb drives to their phone.
A surprise announcement was the Lumia 550 - a budget Windows 10 device and will be available in December. Prices around £100 (from the suggested $139) and is likely to be as popular as the 430 or 530. No specs yet.
Lumia 950 and 950XL - how much and when:
Available in November.
950: £499
950XL: £549
Carriers to be confirmed, although O2 are listing the device on their forthcoming sheets.
Lumia 550 - how much and when:
Available in December. $139.
Surface Pro4
Challenge for consumers over purchase of laptop vs tablet - its now gone with the Surface. Surface Pro3 has helped people grow with it and the way people have adapted to use this product.
- PixelSense is key to this
- 0.4mm Gorilla Glass
- All year battery life in pen
- Microsoft Pen and Touch
- Erase on the top of the pen (dig here at Apple Pencil not having eraser)
- 50% of people using Surface Pro3 use Microsoft Pen.
- 1024 points of pressure in the Pen
- Batteries can be changed manually.
- Pen will stick to the Surface Pro4 - pen storage.
- OneNote in one button.
- DoubleClick the pen will let OneNote make a decision to take a screen grab for you to ink on
- 16GB RAM, 1TB storage.
- Demonstration of creating sheet music (StaffPad)
- USB retained.
- 5 Pen Colours and interchangable pen tips to change the type of ink/drawing/writing.
- Cortana integrated into the pen - hold the button down and it calls up Cortana
- Edge integrated into the SurfacePro4
Performance is key to the surface - 30% faster than the Surface Pro3, 50% faster than MacBook Air.
Surface connection dock:
Two 4k display ports
4 USB 3.0
Ethernet
One productive connection.
New Type Cover
Lighter type cover, backlit, scissor desgin, precision glass trackpad - Pro3 compatible. 1.3mm key travel. 40% larger track pad. Fingerprint reader integrated for those who don't have or want Hello (Pro3 compatible)
Windows Hello
Windows Hello will log in a user without having to change user log ons. No need for shared user accounts! Integrated into Pro4.
Prices and availability:
Starts at $899.
Available for pre-order now, out Oct 26.
SurfaceBook.
Customers wanted a bigger screen - hence the SurfaceBook. It features a unique hinge with backlit keys. Microsoft bill this as "The Ultimate Laptop". It was clear from the presentation that they view this as a direct head to head MacBook Pro competitor, with demonstrations of the high end GPU capabilities. Editing 3D images and 3GB movie files in Premiere live on stages was done with ease. It was also clear that although planned, the laptop was not just going through motions - it was something that the customer could do, too.
Key facts:
- Nivdia Graphics, USB, SD etc
- 13.5 inch screen, 6 million pixels, 267dpi.
- Pixel Sense integrated. Touch Experience.
- Optically bonded to give better colour, contrast, clarity.
- Typing experience - best-in-class stroke, backlit keys. 1.6mm of travel within the keys.
- Trackpad optimised, with glass and 5 points of touch.
- Ultimate performance - Latest Core processor, GDDR5 memory, 12 hr battery life.
- "Fastest 13 inch laptop ever made"
- No drain when the laptop is asleep.
Surface Dock works with the SurfaceBook as well. The hinge is called "Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge". Then the real "cool" factor was shown - it can act like a Surface tablet - detachable from the keyboard (using muscle wire). It was also pointed out that the GPU is in the base, not the screen where the PC is - so take it off the keyboard, it will loose the GFX power, even though it maintains the other bits like processor, memory, sdd, in the tablet element.
It does make the device quite thick... does that really matter though?
Performance:
In comparison to Macbook Pro - 2x faster.
Prices and availablity:
$1499, Pre-order now, out Oct 26
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