News & Reviews:   Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Malaysia recently announced the arrival of the Surface 2 here in Malaysia at a price tag of RM1399 for the 32GB version and RM1699 for the 64GB version. Tech specs for the Surface 2 look to be upgraded somewhat with a 1.7GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor but it is still running Windows RT 8.1. Additional accessories like the Type Cover 2 or Touch Cover 2 cost RM409 and RM379 separately. The Surface 2 should be available after 14 March 2014 but it's announcement has also meant a price cut for the existing Microsoft Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets. The 64GB Surface RT tablet has been discounted down to RM1199 from RM1399 while the 128GB Surface Pro is now RM1899 from RM2749. Considering the slightly lower pricing for the Surface 2, we expect the Surface Pro 2 to go for around RM2649 making the current Surface Pro tablet a very tempting choice for those looking to get an older but powerful Windows 8 tablet.

While we've heard of a smaller Microsoft Surface Mini tablet from the Microsoft Surface range of tablets before, some other tech specs and a concept render have also recently surfaced. Apart from a previously revealed 8-inch 1080p display, the Surface Mini is said to also offer air gestures, be powered by an Intel Bay Trail chipset and arrive in 2014. While it is still unclear how the Surface Mini would implement air gestures (either through proximity sensors, IR sensors or LeapMotion like sensors) the feature certainly sounds interesting as is the concept render of the Surface Mini tablet. No Malaysia pricing or release dates were available though but we'll keep you updated.

It appears that some users of the recent Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets have been having problems with their tablets related to overheating. The main symptom of this is that the screen for the tablets becomes so dimmed that users can't see what they are doing. This often comes up when either the Surface 2 or Surface Pro tablets were doing processor intensive tasks like games or multi-tasking (multiple programs running at the same time). When contacted, Microsoft have said that the company is aware about the problem and are currently working on an update to fix the problem. According to them, a quick fix is to let the overheated tablets cool down first, which should take about a minute or two. The screen should then return to normal brightness afterwards. Here were their exact words:

"Surface devices may dim the screen as thermal temperatures rise from extended, high CPU intensive activities - like gaming. In some scenarios this does not appear necessary...We’re working on a tuning update that will remove this unnecessary dimming event. You can expect this update in an upcoming Windows Update package. In the meantime allow the Surface to cool down for a minute or so in order to return the screen to previous brightness levels."

Diversifying what you can do with your Microsoft Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2 tablet is Microsoft's new touch covers, one of which is the new Surface Remix Project which has resulted in the Surface Music Kit cover. Compatible with the Microsoft Surface 2, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro tablets, the customized touch cover features a set of sliders and buttons similar to those on a DJ's mixing table. When attached to the aforementioned tablets, the accompanying mixing app installs automatically, allowing you to mix a song complete with vocals, drums, bass and keyboards as well as other templates. The custom cover is pressure sensitive so you can have a more intuitive experience controlling beats, instruments and vocals. The app syncs beats per minute automatically and also provides mixing recommendations while also exporting resulting mixes into MP3, WAV or WMA formats. DJ and Linkin Park member Joe Hahn has also been invited to act as the Surface Remix project product ambassador while the #RemixProject competition has a free Surface 2 + Surface Music Kit combo for creative Vine video submissions on remixing your life. Microsoft eventually hopes to see other Touch Cover possibilities come from this with many interesting creations already in development which you can see from the videos in this article.

We've been hearing rumours about the Intel Haswell refresh of Microsoft's Surface tablet range for months, so it comes as no surprise when Microsoft officially announced the new Surface Pro 2 tablet. While the new version packs in a better 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor it also adds in tech specs and features which include 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options, 4GB to 8GB of RAM and a 10.6-inch full HD ClearType HD display. The new Intel Haswell chips increase battery life by up to 75% and the Surface Pro 2 adds on new cover options such as the Power Cover which includes a 30wh battery to help extend battery life even further.

In line with the Intel Haswell revamp of the Microsoft Surface Pro tablets, the Surface RT line of tablets gets a revamp as well in the form of the new Microsoft Surface 2 tablet. Featuring Windows 8.1 RT and running on a new NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, the Surface 2 is thinner, lighter and faster. Other tech specs include a microSD card slot, a USB 3.0 port, 32GB and 64GB storage along with a 10 hour battery. The new Touch Cover 2 keyboard is also very much updated including backlit keys, 1092 sensors and is 1mm thinner than the original Touch Cover. Other features include a free pre-installed Microsoft Office 2013 RT suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Note and Outlook RT along with 200GB of free SkyDrive cloud storage for up to 2 years and one year's worth of International Skype calls. Pricing in Malaysia hasn't been determined yet but we estimate the Surface 2 to be at $449 (RM1437) for the 32GB version and $549 (RM1757) for the 64GB version. For more information check out the Surface 2 site.

Microsoft continues slogging on with their Surface range of tablets as reports show that Microsoft are currently working on 3 new Surface tablets. Surface Pro 2 will be the Intel Haswell refresh of the current Surface Pro while the Surface 2 will be the revamp (hopefully replacement) for the Surface RT tablet. The third Surface tablet looks to be something in the 7-inch to 8-inch range as it will be named the Surface Mini. Perhaps Microsoft is getting impatient for other manufacturers to come out with their 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablets and is working on a reference design. However, if the Surface Mini gets priced much higher than the others but has the same tech specs this won't serve Microsoft very well.

Barely 3 months after it's official release in Malaysia and Microsoft Malaysia are cutting down the price for the Microsoft Surface RT tablets. The price decrease follows what Microsoft has done for the US market with an overall RM450 decrease worldwide. This means that the Microsoft Surface RT tablets are now priced as follows:

• 32GB Microsoft Surface RT - RM1099
• 64GB Microsoft Surface RT - RM1399
• 32GB Microsoft Surface RT Touch Cover combo - RM1399
• 64GB Microsoft Surface RT Touch Cover combo - RM1699

Microsoft may be going to cut the Surface RT tablet prices down by $150. This means that after the price cut, you can get the 32GB base version Surface RT tablet at just $349 (RM1106) while the 64GB version would go for $449 (RM1422). Adding on an extra $100 would get you the Touch Cover.

It's been a while since we said that the Microsoft Surface Pro would be coming to Malaysia, and now it has done just that. Unlike the previous Surface RT, the Microsoft Surface Pro uses a full (not crippled) Windows 8 Pro operating system. The base model for the surface pro starts from RM2749 for the 64GB version and RM3049 for the 128GB version. Thankfully, pricing remains quite close to the US pricing, with not as much change as certain other products. As a plus, it is about RM200 lower here than the price of the Microsoft Surface Pro in Singapore.