You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The rest of the industry may have turned its back on Windows RT, but it looks as if Microsoft isn't prepared to ditch the Windows-on-ARM dream just yet. During an analyst call, Terry Myerson, Microsoft's recently crowned software chief, seemed to describe RT as a first attempt, which will be followed up by further devices in the future:
"Windows RT was our first ARM tablet(sic). And as phones extend into tablets, expect us to see many more ARM tablets, Windows ARM tablets in the future."
Myerson's choice of words, and in particular his reference to phones that "extend into tablets," suggests that Microsoft could be looking to bridge the divide between its smartphone and tablet divisions, and perhaps give Windows Phone a much more prominent role than the much-maligned Windows RT. Indeed, using Windows Phone as a tablet OS, or merging WP and RT, would help Microsoft to unify its various platforms and apps -- something it has talked about in the past and that is actually a key focus of Myserson's work:
"... we really should have one silicon interface for all of our devices. We should have one set of developer APIs on all of our devices. And all of the apps we bring to end users should be available on all of our devices."
So, who knows, perhaps Windows Phone and RT have a common future? In which case, the idea of Nokia taking charge of this unified drive -- building phones and tablets on the same platform -- would make a lot of sense.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Microsoft
Via: Neowin
Source: Microsoft
We've seen rumors of new Surface covers and docks; now, it's time for rumors regarding the tablets themselves. Both Neowin and WinSuperSite claim that the next-generation Surface with Windows RT will simply be called the Surface 2, and should represent a performance boost rather than a complete reinvention. In addition to the already confirmed Tegra 4 processor, the new Microsoft slate reportedly includes a sharper 1080p display and 4GB of RAM in an otherwise familiar design. The only noticeable changes to the form factor would be a more flexible two-stage kickstand and a white option, according to tipsters. There's no word on when the Surface 2 might reach stores, although the mid-October launch of Windows 8.1 would certainly be convenient. We'll likely find out more at the September 23rd event.
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
Source: Neowin, WinSuperSite
We're at Lenovo's 2013 press conference, and during the Q&A session, the company's executives offered a hint as to their lack of plans for Windows RT devices. When quizzed on Microsoft's moribund operating system, Australian marketing chief Nick Reynolds said that Intel's Haswell has eliminated the choice between long battery life and good performance. Since, consequently, users can run full-fat Windows 8 and get a full day of use from a single charge, there's not much call for a low-power version. To us, at least, it seems like it's not too far away from them saying that we won't see a follow-up to last year's RT-running Yoga 11, but we'll check with our Magic 8 ball just to be sure.
Nokia's rumored Windows RT tablet is supposedly nearing launch, and The Verge claims to have more details of the slate beyond those tidbits that surfaced at Digi-Wo last month. Nicknamed Sirius, the finished design is believed to resemble a Lumia phone and weigh significantly less than the current iPad. Despite packing a Snapdragon 800, an outdoor-ready 1080p screen and LTE, the tablet would last a healthy 10 hours on battery. It would also include both 6-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front cameras, and Nokia may complement the previously mentioned 32GB of storage with a microSD card slot. Pricing would be competitive with the iPad, according to tipsters. While there's no way to verify the new rumors, the Sirius may launch at a September 26th event; if it's real, we'll find out soon enough.
Filed under: Tablets, Nokia, Verizon
Source: The Verge
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Today's hottest and best-selling tablets and smartphones have one thing in common: they are powered by ARM processors. Offered in such variations as NVIDIA's Tegra, Qualcomm's Snapdragon, Samsung's Exynos and Apple's A6, ARM processors dominate the leading edge of mobile products. At LG's recent announcement of its clever and well-appointed G2 smartphone, much was made of it being the first globally launched phone to include Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800; Android, in contrast, wasn't mentioned once. And the long reach of ARM extends far beyond the bleeding edge. The Hisense Sero 7 Pro -- recently cut to $129 just a few weeks after its launch -- has a Tegra 3 processor while ARM chips from Rockchip and MediaTek power Android tablets at even humbler price points.
For years, Intel has promised it would be competitive with ARM in terms of performance per watt (if not in price). It has made great strides both in its smartphone-focused Atom chips and its performance-oriented Core chips (including Haswell, the CPU behind the MacBook Air's huge gains in battery life), but those in the ARM camp have kept their processors' competitive heat up while keeping their generated heat down.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
This isn't a huge shock, given that ASUS has already publicly expressed woes about poor sales of its Windows RT products, but CEO Jerry Shen's latest comments have a surprising edge of finality to them. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, he repeated that "Windows RT has not been very successful" and said that the company took a writedown on its stock of RT tablets, although he didn't reveal the size of the loss. He also said that, from now on, ASUS will solely make Windows 8 devices that run on Intel / x86 processors, due to the backwards compatibility with Windows software offered by those products. Meanwhile, NVIDIA has also predicted losses due to its involvement with RT, but it seems to be pushing ahead with a next-gen ARM-based Surface tablet regardless.
Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, ASUS
Via: TNW
Source: WSJ
As ASUS goes full steam ahead in the smartphone space, prepping itself for an entry into the US market, the company has apparently done a rethink on its support for Windows RT. Chairman Jonney Shih told All Things D that, as far as the company's work with the Windows 8 offshoot goes, "the result is not very promising." Don't take that to mean that ASUS is set on completely abandoning the OS, but the future of ASUS Windows RT devices doesn't look particularly bright at the moment.
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft, ASUS
Source: All Things D
Hot on the heels of the recent iOS and Android overhaul of OneNote comes an update for the Windows 8 and Windows RT versions which adds Office 365 integration and touch keyboard improvements. The app is available in the Windows Store right now and lets you sign into your Office 365 school or work account and sync notebooks right from within the OneNote app. As for the touch keyboard, it's both invoked and dismissed by simply tapping into any empty space, which makes it easier to use. This allows you to switch seamlessly between inputting text and finger painting -- or basically, just focus on your notes. Hit the source link below for the update.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Via: OneNote Blog
Source: Windows Store