Another Microsoft ad disses iPad’s specs, multitasking, AirPrint and more

Wow, that was quick. Following on yesterday’s Windows 8 commercial which uses Apple’s Siri to highlight the iPad’s perceived flaws – such as its $499 price point versus an Asus VivoTab Smart and lack of Office (go figure), the Redmond-based software giant today release another ad along the same lines.

Suggestively titled ‘Comparison: iPad vs. Windows 8 Tablet’, the commercial pits an iPad 4 against an Asus Vivo Tab RT, which is based on the same ARM CPU technology like Apple’s tablet. However, the software maker has been caught cheating…

As you can see below, the commercial praises the Asus hardware for being thinner (0.37 inches versus 0.32 inches) and lighter (1.44lbs versus 1.16lbs) than the iPad 4.

Of course, the Windows maker also highlights its Office offering (“One Note app only comes with Microsoft Office”) and multitasking capabilities of Windows 8 that allow users to run two apps concurrently in split-screen mode.

You also need to buy a micro SD adapter for your iPad, the ad proclaims, and can only print to a special AirPrint-compatible printer whereas the Asus tablet prints wirelessly to “nearly all printers”.

Microsoft also has a nice web page up where users can choose to compare an iPad 4 to an Asus VivoTab Smart, Dell XPS 10, HP Envy x2 and Microsoft’s own Surface RT.

ipadvsvivo

Unfortunately for Microsoft, Elliot Temple of curi.us points out that a comparison between the iPad and the Asus device on Microsoft’s web site is inaccurate, to say the least.

iMicrosoft claims the Asus tablet “has a bigger touchscreen” whereas in reality Asus’ device has 3.55 percent less area than the iPad, not 36 percent more as Microsoft depicts.

microsoftcomparison

Elliot explains:

The iPad screen is 7.76 by 5.82 inches. The ASUS screen is 8.8 by 4.95 inches. ASUS is larger in one direction but smaller in the other direction, and has 3.55% less area than the iPad, not 36% more as Microsoft depicts.

How can the screen with a larger diagonal measurement be smaller? Because it’s a different shape. Long and thin gets you a bigger diagonal but a smaller screen, for the same diagonal inches.

On a related note, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates recently asserted that people are frustrated because the iPad “lacks real keyboard and real Office”.

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Posted in Tech

10 million Samsung Galaxy S4 units sold, new colors coming!

After launching globally on April 27th, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has now surpassed 10 million units sold in less than one full month, according to Samsung.This sets a record for a Samsung handset, for the quickest time to 10 million units sold. The Galaxy S4′s predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S III, took 50 days to accomplish the same thing. The Samsung Galaxy S II needed 5 months to hit the 10 million sales mark, while the original Samsung Galaxy Sreached 10 million in sales after 7 months.

Currently available in 110 countries, the Korean based manufacturer expects to eventually sell the Android flagship in 155 countries with 327 partners. And Samsung also plans on adding more colors options to the phone. Currently available in White Mist and Black Forest, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will receive new color options this summer including Blue Arctic and Red Aurora, followed by Purple Mirage and Brown Autumn.

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Posted in Tech

Samsung acquires 10% stake in Pantech for $47.6 million

Samsung buys stake in Pantech, securing innovation access

Samsung has apparently acquired a 10% stake in Pantech, its fellow South Korean phone maker, for reasons yet unknown. That makes Sammy one of the largest shareholders in the company, after Qualcomm and the state’s Development Bank.

This marks a string of stake-buying by Samsung, which recently fronted the struggling Sharp north of a $100 million to secure access to the groundbreaking IGZO screen technology and other niceties.
Pantech is actually one of the most innovative makers in recent years, at least on its home turf, as it was the first to have the Vega Racer with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, not to mention the 5″ Vega N5 phablet. Its Pantech Vega LTE handset also was first with a full-fledged gesture recognition function, and Pantech Vega Racer 2 was the world’s first with glass ceramic body.
This year marked the arrival of Pantech Vega Iron, which comes with a metal frame that gives it not only a premium feel, but also makes it sturdier and more durable. Moreover, it boasts a bezel that is only 2.4-millimeters thick, which is a record achievement, so Samsung has obviously been taking notes with each of these releases, and jumped the gun on the shares acquisition.
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Posted in Tech

Xbox One: Microsoft unveils new console that ‘Changes Everything’

Microsoft revealed a new Xbox console on Tuesday that not only integrates TV, internet and gaming, but also will measure your heartbeat and recognize your voice.

The company said the Xbox One will revolutionize its users’ lifestyles by integrating the cloud, voice control and gesture technology into a simple, intuitive machine.

“It changes everything,” Marc Whitten, an Xbox executive, told a packed hall of technology journalists at the company’s campus in Redmond, Washington. “This is rocket-science stuff.”

Analysts who had wondered whether the company could follow up on the success of its Xbox 360, first unveiled in 2005, said its successor offered a complete entertainment system designed for the family, not just gamers.

“The Xbox One really looks to advance the state of video game technology and entertainment in a way that we haven’t seen before,” said Brian Blau, a director of Gartner Research.

“The Xbox One is a real advancement, one that will transform the way we experience TV, games, music, movies and more. From what we can see so far Microsoft has met and far exceeded expectations for the Xbox One. This is Microsoft branching out into the living room to reach more of a family audience rather than a core gaming audience.”

Fred Huet, a managing partner at Greenwich Consulting, said Microsoft had thrown down the gauntlet to Sony’s PlayStation and other rivals. “The Xbox One is set to mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment.”

The Xbox One, which will be available from the end of the year, will be powered by 300,000 servers, more than the entire world’s computingpower in 1999, said Whitten.

An improved, ultra-sensitive Kinect sensor will track wrist and shoulder rotations and be able to read users’ heartbeats. “This is human control for a human experience.” Its main camera can record 1080P RGB video at 30 frames per second.

Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi wowed the audience by calling out commands and using minimal hand gestures to manipulate content on the Xbox One. He said “a new set of universal gestures to control your TV” would banish the fumbling confusion many feel with existing remotes.TechCruch called it a “massive, massive upgrade” from the original model.

A “snap mode” similar to Microsoft Windows 8 experience allows users to run two activities – such as watching TV and browsing the internet, or using Skype – simultaneously. It offers a second screen.

The Xbox One has 8GB of Ram, along with a Blu-ray drive, 64-bit architecture and a 500GB onboard hard drive. Microsoft also unveiled a new version of its camera-based Kinect system with better motion and voice detection. It showed how users can watch live sports on TV while getting updates on fantasy leagues on a split screen. In an effort to stay ahead of rivals, Microsoft said new content for the popular Call of Duty game can be downloaded on the Xbox One before any other system.

Microsoft said more games would be shown at next month’s E3 video game conference in Los Angeles.

The previous model, the Xbox 360, was launched eight years ago, and has been the leading games console for the past two years.

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Posted in Games, Tech

Samsung Galaxy S4: Voted Best Phone Of The Season

Consumer Reports did its seasonal phone testing and outed the Samsung Galaxy S4 as the winner of current flagships on the market. The previous top was LG Optimus G, which won the holiday season tests.

The shop measures by several criteria, including camera performance, and it was overall satisfied mostly with the wide-gamut Full HD Super AMOLED display, the gesture and eye-tracking navigation, as well as the sharing and multitasking capabilities of the phone: “The S4 delivered top-notch performance in the most critical areas of our tests, including the camera,” they concluded.

Gold Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available for £1700 (~ $2580)

Apple’s iPhone 5 isn’t the only one getting to dip its toes in a gold bath. Samsung’s latest Android flagship has also undergone some gold-plating treatment thanks to a company called Gold genie.

The quad-core edition of the phone retails for £1700, which isn’t that much more expensive than other luxury Android smartphones around. Gold genie has also done the Galaxy S4 in platinum and rose gold. Additionally, you can opt-in for the black or white version of the phone to serve as base.

The gold-plated Galaxy S4 is SIM-free and only the 16GB variation is offered. Check out the source link below for more information and photos.

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Posted in Tech

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Another Microsoft ad disses iPad’s specs, multitasking, AirPrint and more

Another Microsoft ad disses iPad’s specs, multitasking, AirPrint and more

10 million Samsung Galaxy S4 units sold, new colors coming!

10 million Samsung Galaxy S4 units sold, new colors coming!

Samsung acquires 10% stake in Pantech for $47.6 million

Samsung acquires 10% stake in Pantech for $47.6 million

Xbox One: Microsoft unveils new console that ‘Changes Everything’

Xbox One: Microsoft unveils new console that ‘Changes Everything’

Samsung Galaxy S4: Voted Best Phone Of The Season

Samsung Galaxy S4: Voted Best Phone Of The Season

Leaked Image Of The Sony PlayStation 4, And The First Video Teaser Is Here

Leaked Image Of The Sony PlayStation 4, And The First Video Teaser Is Here

Taylor Swift wins eight Billboard awards! Justin Bieber, Gotye and Rihanna among the other big winners

Taylor Swift wins eight Billboard awards! Justin Bieber, Gotye and Rihanna among the other big winners

Apple iPad 5: 33 percent lighter, on track for September release!

Apple iPad 5: 33 percent lighter, on track for September release!

See the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active for the first time!

See the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active for the first time!

Galaxy S3 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update in video with new features!

Galaxy S3 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update in video with new features! & Samsung beats Chromebook Pixel and Retina MacBook with new high-res laptop display

Yahoo’s board agrees to $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr

Yahoo’s board agrees to $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr

Stories you shouldn’t have missed this week!

Stories you shouldn’t have missed this week!

BMW 2 Series caught uncovered during shoot!

BMW 2 Series caught uncovered during shoot!

Samsung officials confirm 5.9-inch Note III coming in September and Galaxy S4 to hit 10 million sales next week

Samsung officials confirm 5.9-inch Note III coming in September and Galaxy S4 to hit 10 million sales next week

David Beckham Retires From Football

David Beckham Retires From Football

Android and iOS Combine for 92.3% of All Smartphone in Q1 2013: Android up, iOS down, Windows Phone 3rd!

Android and iOS Combine for 92.3% of All Smartphone in Q1 2013: Android up, iOS down, Windows Phone 3rd!

App Store hits 50 billion downloads!

App Store hits 50 billion downloads!

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