Surface Pro gets 1/10 Repairability Score by iFixit !

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When the Surface RT launched a few months ago,it got a Teardown from iFixit,to see how repairable is the new Surface RT tablet,as a result the new Microsoft tablet got a rating of 4/10 repairability from iFixit.

Image Credits[iFixit]

So now after the release of Surface Pro tablet which was launched quite recently,it was time to get a Teardown from iFixit.As reported earlier by Microsoft-News,iFixit recently tear downed the Surface Pro which is powered by Intel based Core i5 Processor and runs on Windows 8 Pro.The Device got a iFixit repairability rating of 1/10(with 10 being the easiest one to repair).If we compare the Surface Pro with the New iPad it has got 2/10 iFixit repairability rating.

Here’s why the Surface Pro got such a low repairability rating by iFixit,

The battery is not soldered to the motherboard, so at least no soldering is required to replace it.
The SSD is removable — but you risk killing your tablet by trying to open it.
There are over 90 screws inside this device. We’re proponents of mechanical fasteners, but this number is a tad crazy.
The display assembly (comprising of a fused glass and LCD) is extremely difficult to remove/replace.
Tons of adhesive hold everything in place, including the display and battery.
Unless you perform the opening procedure 100% correctly, chances are you’ll shear one of the four cables surrounding the display perimeter.

Source[iFixit],Via[Microsoft-News]

x86 Based Apps Running on Windows RT,Thanks to a Jailbreak

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We all know that one of the major limitations of Windows RT is the limitations with running Legacy x86 apps,since the Operating System is compiled to run on ARM based processors.

But thanks to the Hackers community who are always upto something new and challenging,we have already saw someone running early version of Mac Running on the Surface RT.Now a member from XDA Forum has released a Tool which allows us to run x86 based apps on Windows RT after jailbreaking the device.

The tool basically emulates x86 instructions and passes Windows API calls to WinRT kernel with necessary modifications,which allows x86 based legacy apps to run on Windows RT based tablets.Currently since the program is in the Beta stages,it only runs a few apps like WinRar,3D,Pinball,Heroes of Might and Magic,7Zip etc.but not without some glitches like Sound issues and hanging.

So we can say that this is pretty much of a proof of concept and we should give the developer some more time to make the tool more stable before trying it out.But if you are willing to try and risk it out make sure you follow all the Instructions by the XDA Developer Here,but do it at your own risk as it may damage your device or void the warranty.

Source[XDA],Via[Neowin]

Surface RT’s Patch Tuesday Update Includes Fix for WiFi Limited Connectivity and Driver Updates

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Yesterday Microsoft released the Patch Tuesday update for Surface RT along with the updates for their desktop version of Windows operating system(Windows 8).

While answering a Query at the Microsoft Answers Community Forum the Moderator detailed the Surface RT update.The new Surface RT Updates includes fixes for the “Limited Connectivity” issues that the users have been facing with their WiFi connection over Surface RT.It also contains driver updates which improves the performance with Windows,Volume and Power buttons of the Surface RT Tablet.

So if you are a Surface RT Owner and fed up with the Limited Connectivity issue then,Hover your Mouse cursor to the charm bar,hit the Settings button,Tap on the Change PC Settings option and Select the Windows Update option from the list and Check for Updates,to update your Surface RT Today.

Source[Microsoft Answers Community]

Microsoft Hiring Developers for Unifying Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8/RT Stores?

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We all know that Windows Phone 8 and the latest Windows 8 operating system works on the same kernel(NT Kernel) and it was obvious that it was there for the future scope for seamless porting of apps from one platform to the other.

As reported earlier by WMPowerUser,it seems that Microsoft is already moving forward with the idea of Unifying Windows Phone and Windows 8 Store.A recent Job post on the Microsoft Careers site hinted at a position(which is now been filled) which goes like,

“Do you wish the code you write for Windows Store apps would just work on the Windows Phone and vice versa?”

So if this is what the Software Giant is planing to do,it would be good for the future of Windows Phone 8 Store and the Windows Store due to the two way compatibility(Windows 8 to Windows Phone and vice versa) and would definitely attract more and more developers to the unified ecosystem of Windows.

Source[Microsoft Careers],Via[WMPU]

Surface Pro and Surface RT’s User Available Storage Space Detailed

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There’s been a lot of talks going on about exactly how much free space will be available for the users after the initial Operating System and Default apps in the Surface RT/Pro devices.Thankfully,Microsoft has put up a detailed Page which discusses the User available storage space on both Surface RT as well as the Surface Pro devices.

The Surface RT which comes in 2 variants the 32GB and the 64 GB versions.While the 32GB version of Surface RT features 16GB of User available space the 64GB version has around 45GB User available space.

Here’s the breakdown of the Surface RT’s Storage

Surface with Window RT (decimal system)	32 GB	64 GB
Total storage as reported by Windows (binary system)	29*	58*
Storage space reserved for Windows recovery tools	-5	-5
Available storage reported by File Explorer	24	53
Windows RT, Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview¹and built-in apps	-8	-8
Available storage reported by File Explorer	16	45

So roughly around 29GB actual space (as per the binary system) is available in the 32GB version,with around 8GB space taken up by the operating system,Office suite and built in apps,while around 5GB of space is reserved for the Windows Recovery Tools,giving users 16GB of storage space.Similarly with the Surface RT 64GB version, around 58 GB actual space(as per the binary system) with same amount of storage space accumulated by the Operating System and the Windows Recovery Tools,giving the user 45GB to play with.

Talking about the newly launched Surface Pro,which runs Windows 8 Pro operating system and sports 64GB and 128GB as storage options.The 64GB variant has around 29GB of user available storage while the 128GB version has around 89GB of user available space.

Here’s the Breakdown of Surface Pro Storage

Total storage as reported by Windows (binary system)	59*	119*
Storage space reserved for Windows recovery tools	-9	-9
Available storage reported by File Explorer	50	110
Windows 8 Pro and built-in apps	-21	-21
Available storage reported by File Explorer	29	89

The 64GB version has around 59GB actual space(as per the binary system)with around 21GB memory utilized by the Operating System and built in apps and around 9GB of space reserved for Windows Recovery Tools,giving users around 29GB to play with.Similarly the 128GB version which has around 119 GB of actual space(as per the binary system) with same amount of storage space accumulated by the Operating System and the Windows Recovery Tools as with the 64GB version ,giving the user 89GB to play with.

If you still feel that much amount of memory is not enough,you will always have the choice to put in a Micro SD Card to bump up the memory or use an external storage device.

Source[Surface]

Surface Pro 128GB Goes Out Of stock within Hours of Official Launch

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Microsoft officially launched the Surface Pro yesterday and within hours of the launch the 128 GB variant of the Windows 8 tablet from Microsoft priced at $999 is out of stock in US online store.

Earlier we got reports about the 64GB version of the surface Pro was listed as out of stock,but now it seems like they have some more 64GB Surface Pro in their inventory,but the 128GB version is still out of stock.

Similar thing happened during the surface RT launch,but due to poor distribution strategy the device put a dismal show in the last quarter as per some surveys.will the Surface Pro emerge as a strong competitor for the likes of iPads and Nexus 7′s or not?We will have our answer in coming months.

If you are planning on buying a surface Pro device,then head over to Microsoft store before the device goes out of stock again!

Surface RT Coming to 13 more Countries on 14th February

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As we all know Microsoft is releasing the Surface Pro version starting today in the Microsoft’s Retail Stores,Online Microsoft Store,Staples and Best Buy across United States and Canada.

Along with that Microsoft announced in their press release that the Surface RT version will also see a major rollout on14th February,with Surface RT launching in as many as 13 countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

They also recalled the new available offers with new accessories,while the 64GB Standalone version of the Surface RT will be available for $599 giving users the choice to select the touch/type cover of their liking with new limited available Touch Covers in Red,Cyan and Magenta available for $129.99.There’s also a Wedge Mouse Surface Edition which costs around $69.95.

Checkout the Official Press Release for more details.

[Rumor] Windows Blue will put many Microsoft Products on Yearly Update Cycle

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Its been a while since we last reported about Microsoft’s much anticipated Windows Blue update.The update is expected to put the Microsoft Operating System on yearly upgrade cycle.

According to recent reports from ZDNet,Operating System is just one of the products which Windows Blue intends to put on yearly upgrade cycle,which includes products like SkyDrive,Hotmail,Windows Server and some other Microsoft products.These updates are expected to be launched this summer or fall.

The update could bring a new version of Internet Explorer,Bing and other apps and some Driver updates to improve the battery life of the portable devices and performance improvements and these updates could be released through the Windows Store.If this is really the way Microsoft going to update their products this will help them to compete against Apple and Google who follow the yearly upgrades for their products themselves.

Source[ZDNet],Via[TheVerge]

Surface Pro AMA Session Answers Hints at Battery Packs Add-on

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Surface Pro is all set for the release on February 9.The Big brother of Surface RT will run on an Intel Core i5 processor and will be running on Windows 8 Operating System.

A couple of months ago we reported that Surface Pro may have a battery life of around 4 hours(almost half of that of Surface RT) which is disappointing battery life for a Tablet as compared to the likes of iPad which provides 10 hours of battery life.But it seems like Microsoft has plans to improve the battery life of Surface Pro with Battery Pack Add -ons.

In a recent AMA Session on Reddit a user questioned about the mysterious connectors on the bottom of the surface pro,here’s what the Surface Team had to say,

Wow – I’m pumped you caught that – we haven’t announced what they are for but they aren’t an accident! At launch we talked about the “accessory spine” and hinted at future peripherals that can click in and do more. Those connectors look like can carry more current than the pogo pins, don’t they?

Another user asked a question about the external battery or a keyboard which doubles up as a battery to which the Surface Team Replied,

That would require extending the design of the accessory spine to include some way to transfer higher current between the peripheral and the main battery. Which we did..

So we can expect some exciting accessories for the Surface Pro in coming months,which would further boost the Surface Pro sells.

Source[Reddit],Via[Neowin]

[Report]Around 200 million Workers Would Choose Windows 8 as their Next Tablet!

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Microsoft launched the Windows 8 platform eyeing the Tablet market which is currently lead by apple iPad and though its still early days to talk about the impact of Windows 8 tablets in the worldwide market share,but according to some new reports from Forrester Windows 8 tablet future looks bright.

According to their latest reports,over 32% of their surveyed workers favoured Windows 8 as their next Tablet operating system choice as compared to 26% who chose iPad as their next tablet,with around 12% choosing the third alternative Android tablets as their choice.

Only thing which could question the legitimacy of this report is the number of workers polled for this survey.In this survey Forrester polled around 9766 workers,so to project these numbers to a larger scale like a country or even bigger population is always a factor to be taken into consideration.So with these less numbers we can’t predict that around 200million people would go on to buy the Windows 8 tablet.

If this is really a trend in the Workers then we would see it reflect upon the upcoming Surface Pro devices which are slated for launch in a couple of days time.

Via[ReadWrite]