Display expert: Microsoft Surface display not superior to iPad Retina display

After the director of research for Microsoft's Applied Sciences group, Steven Bathiche, boasted via Reddit that the company's new Surface RT tablet could offer more screen detail than the latest iPad, an expert decided to weigh in. The verdict? Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rending technology does indeed give the Surface RT's 768p display some added clarity, but to say that it beats the newest iPad's 2,048 x 1,536 screen is a stretch, to say the least.

Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies performed the comparison using an Asus tablet equipped with a 1,366 x 768 display similar to the Surface RT. Both devices boast Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rendering feature. It's important to note that while the two displays are similar, the Asus tablet's pixel density is 130 ppi, compared to 148 ppi on the Surface RT. The iPad's Retina display comes in at 264 ppi.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin

Gorilla Glass 2 and a chassis forged from magnesium lend Microsoft's Surface slates some durability, but the firm's decided to prove just how tough its tablets are by turning one into a skateboard. The wheeled slice of Windows 8 is said to have been rolled out during a tour of Redmond's Surface skunkworks, but Windows chief Steven Sinofksy couldn't resist hopping on the board today and tweeting a pair of photos. You can pre-order your deck now, though something tells us this mod isn't covered under Ballmer and Co.'s warranty.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft reportedly building up to 5 million Surface tablets for the fall

Just how confident is Microsoft that its Surface tablets will take off? To the tune of 3 to 5 million units shipped in the fall alone, according to the Wall Street Journal's supplier contacts. While that wouldn't be much when Apple already ships more than three times as many iPads, even discounting the supposed 10 million tiny iPads coming this fall, it would represent a strong start for a company that's only just dipping its toes into own-brand computing. Microsoft isn't confirming any numbers at this stage, but the large production volume might explain that Busby Berkeley-style TV ad -- you'd want a full song and dance routine if you had that many Surfaces to sell.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft puts a price on Surface RT: starts at $499, or $599 with Touch Cover

With a stamp from the FCC on its passport, and some fancy new TV ads, the smell of Microsoft's Surface tablet is thick in the air. Until now, however, price has been a mystery. Microsoft has just revealed, via its own store, that if you want a slice for yourself, you can do so starting from $499. That price will get you the 32GB version, without the touch cover, with pre-orders available now, penciled in for a 26th of October delivery date. If you must have that cover, it'll set you back another $100, and the same amount again if you want to hop up to 64GB of memory. With the current status of the larger-memory version showing as out of stock though, those with a thirst for storage still might have to wait a little longer.

Update: It looks like Microsoft might have pulled the listing for now. Perhaps the pages weren't meant for prime-time just yet.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite coming to the UK on October 25th, starting at £109

Amazon has found a relatively clear day in the calendar on which to launch its excellent Kindle Paperwhite e-reader in the British Isles. The ad-supported basic model will knock you back £109, while an extra £60 will get you the 3G version. Amazon's Lending Library service will roll-out at the same time, offering Prime members free loans from a collection of 200,000 books as part of the £49 per year subscription (which also has other perks). If you're shopping around, don't forget that Barnes & Noble's equally glowing alternative is also available in the UK these days, wearing a pretty much identical price tag.

[Source: Engadget]

Acer officially launches the Iconia Tab A110, with Tegra 3 and Jelly Bean

The Acer Iconia Tab A110 first debuted back at Computex, in June. Back then, the 7-inch device was running Android 4.0, propelled along by its Tegra 3 processor. Slated for a Q3 release, we heard following the show that the A110 would in fact be bumped up to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean before it hit the shelves. True to their word, it's Q3 -- just, the device has been bumped to Jelly Bean, and a formal release has been announced. 

The A110 is already up for pre-order with at least one UK based retailer, priced at £180. For the money we get -- besides Jelly Bean and Tegra 3 of course -- 8GB on board storage, expandable via microSD card, 1GB of RAM, a 1024x600 display, a 3420mAh battery, HDMI out and a 2MP front facing camera.

[Source: AndroidCentral - Read the full article there]

NTT DoCoMo launches lightest Android tablet ever

Today, NTT DoCoMo launched the NEC Medias Tab UL N08-D, which weighs a scant 249 g. By comparison, other 7-inch tablets like the Kindle Fire HD weigh in the neighborhood of 400 g. Even the Nexus 7 is a relatively tubby 345 g. Apparently the NEC Medias Tab UL pulls this off by using a kind of carbon fiber that's used in modern aircraft construction. The Medias Tab UL isn't too thick, measuring a mere 7.9 mm on the profile. The specs don't even seem to suffer for all of this lightness, either:

• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• 7-inch 1280 x 800 LCD display
• 8 megapixel Exmore R back-lit camera plus secondary 2 megapixel shooter on the front
• 3100 mAh battery
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 75 Mbps downlink

There are a few cool software features too, like a web browser that lets you actively view two tabs at the same time, and an "HD haptics" vibration feedback mechanism that's applied to just about every on-screen element.  

Anyone in Japan can find more info and information purchasing over at NTT DoCoMo. For the rest of us, how important is weight to your choice in tablets? Does an obnoxiously light device appeal to you, or do you prefer having a little bit of solid heft to your gadgets?

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Google Nexus 7 mod unlocks 720p recording on front-facing camera

To the delight of live event crowds everywhere, the ASUS-made Nexus 7 sidestepped the primary camera route, only furnishing the slab with a 1.2-megapixel front-facer. While it didn't take long for app-makers to tweak their wares especially for Google's statement tablet, users over at XDA Developers have dug a little deeper to unlock the shooter's 720p recording potential, removing the previous 480p cap. There are a several (relatively simple) ways to get it done -- visit the source for the full instructions.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon's Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD arriving in the UK October 25th, starting at £129

In case you haven't heard, Amazon happily took the wraps off of its new Kindle Fire lineup duringtoday's earlier event in Santa Monica, California. And, for those living in the UK, you, too, can have the online retail giant take your money for one of these slates pretty soon -- well, at least for a couple of the fresh models. As far as pricing goes, the entry-level Kindle Fire will cost a mere £129 (around $205), while the 7-inch Fire HD takes on the slightly heftier price of £159 and £199 for the 16 and 32GB, respectively. Obviously, this leaves out that 8.9-incher Fire HD, though it looks like Amazon's only bringing the smaller Fires to the United Kingdom, as there's no mention of the company's larger tablet anywhere on the site. Still, folks looking to pre-order can do so now at the source link below, but better hurry, since Amazon does note they're all being fulfilled on a "first come, first served" basis.

[Source: Engadget]

Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite hands-on at IFA 2012 (updated: video)

Back in July, word got out that Huawei was prepping a revised version of its entry-level Android tablet, dubbed the MediaPad 7 Lite. As that name implies, this Android ICS tab's of the 7-inch variety and, thus, lends itself well to one-handed use for busy on-the-go types. Considering this isn't part of the outfit's top shelf portfolio, its mix of specs have been kept quite modest: there's a single-core 1.2GHz Cortex A8 CPU underneath that 1,024 x 600 IPS display. But before you knock it for falling short of even 720p territory, bear in mind this device's being marked at a 229 Euro price point -- so it's affordable and geared squarely for the budget segment.

[Source: Read the full story on Engadget]

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 gets priced on Vodafone Germany

Poking around the Vodafone booth at IFA 2012 in Berlin, some new information appeared regarding the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Note 2. A price. What we see here is the pricing for the 16GB LTE version, but the non-LTE Note 2 seems to be carrying the same price.   It's the off contract price that's of particular interest here. That €639.90 price tag translates to £508 or $804 in UK and U.S. pricing respectively. While not necessarily an accurate representation of what the cost may be when the Note 2 makes it to the U.S. it isn't too far off the price we would expect for such a device in the UK. 

[Source: Android Central]

Possible 'iPad Mini' Spotted in iOS App Developer Logs

Instapaper developer Marco Arment has spotted two new iPad device codes in his logs that he believes represents the long rumored "iPad mini".   The new identifiers found were "iPad2,5" and "iPad2,6". As Arment notes, the iPad2,1 through iPad 2,3 designations are known to represent the iPad 2's WiFi, GSM and CDMA models. The iPad2,4 represents a die-shrunk/cheaper version of the iPad 2 that was released alongside the 3rd generation iPad. Finally, the 3rd Generation iPad carries a designation of iPad3,x.  

[Source: To read the full article visit Mac Rumours]