1. New laptops: The new Surface line from Microsoft
Microsoft introduced the Surface Laptop Go and gave the Surface Pro X an update that further expanded Microsoft's Surface product range.
So, is any of this important? Let's take a look.
Surface Laptop Go: - The new Surface Laptop Go has a 12.4-inch touchscreen display, a 10th generation Intel CPU, from 4 GB RAM and 64 GB eMMC storage options, a "13-hour battery" with "typical device usage "As well as fast charging and a good surface keyboard and 1.1 kg.
- It also goes back to Windows 10 S, and the display is 1536 × 1024, which isn't quite 1080p resolution.
- But it tries to be affordable, starting at $ 549, which bangs it against the world of Chromebooks, iPads, and Macs for educational purposes, or against cheap portable options for those who need it too.
- Probably no one should buy the $ 549 option, which has unacceptable specs in 2020. That means it's really a $ 699 device: for that, you get twice as much RAM with 8GB and 128GB of SSD storage, plus Windows Hello and a fingerprint reader on the internet power button. Please pass the $ 549 option and ask companies to stop releasing new products "at" attractive prices so that those devices cannot be purchased.
- At the high end, prices for 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage go up to $ 1,120, but only for business customers
- It fits anywhere above the Surface Go, with its 10-inch tablet shape starting at $ 399. The Surface Go 2 started at $ 729, but you had to buy a keyboard for $ 130.
- This puts the Surface Laptop Go in the middle. Yes, Microsoft finally has an affordable laptop.
- And yet it's an expensive option. Yes, the finish quality is top notch, and the form factor and post-sale experience appear to be good. The tool is worth something, just like Apple.
- However, the Dell XPS 13 can hover around that $ 700 price tag on offers for a very competent laptop. I currently see it on sale for $ 784 with 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a far better display.
- Even the 13.5-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 went on sale for $ 700 with the Core i5-1035G7 CPU, 8 GB RAM / 128 GB SSD.
- I still expect the Surface Laptop Go to be useful in the $ 700 range as a Microsoft Surface will be attractive to the mass market. But it would have been much better if the $ 549 device had met 2020 specs in some way.
New Surface Pro X: - The upgraded Surface Pro X now has a Microsoft SQ2 processor and starts at $ 1,499.99. 16 GB RAM / 256 GB SSD will be available from October 13 in North America, Australia, India and Japan and from October 27.
- This processor has been widely reported to be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G, just without the 5G. The Gen 2 features the Snapdragon X24 LTE modem, better AI performance, and support for newer Wi-Fi standards (though still not Wi-Fi 6) and Bluetooth, plus better image processing for sharper webcams, but it doesn't seem to be do in themselves be faster.
- There are also new surfaces and colors for the keyboard.
- Microsoft now says it has 15 hours of battery instead of 13 hours.
- However, running the Arm-based processor still means app compatibility issues. Microsoft announced earlier this week that it was adding 64-bit x64 apps to its emulator support, and also announced that Edge and Teams are now optimized for Windows on ARM.
- What I'm missing here is the jump in prices. The Pro X was already considered expensive in the model that started at $ 999. Now we're starting at $ 1,500 for this model and the $ 1,000 SQ2 option seems to be missing and need to add a keyboard for $ 104?
- Hm.
- We'll have to see if the SQ2 really offers more.
2. Get the new Chromecast for free when you sign up for YouTube TV ($ 65) for Android Authority for just a month.
3rd patent: Apple is working on self-healing coatings for future leaflets (Android Authority).
4. Google disables selfie retouching by default with new Pixel (Android Authority) phones.
5. The new HP Specter x360 14 laptop has an aspect ratio of 3: 2 and a Thunderbolt 4 port in the corner (The Verge).
6. Can the Pixel 5 camera still compete with the same old aging sensor? (Good headline, but the answer is almost definitive. It turns out that outside of physical size, sensor hardware may not be as important as we should think ...) (The Verge).
7. Facebook opens its app for experimental predictions for all users (Engadget).
8. Go in-depth with Nintendo's Augmented Reality Mario Kart RC Car and priced at $ 99 per kart (Ars Technica). Speaking of racing: Honda will leave Formula 1 to focus on fuel cell and EV technology (Engadget).
9. A Mac with a T2 security chip is required to stream Netflix 4K on macOS Big Sur. Why? The T2 chip also has processing chops (Apple Terminal).
10. Linus Tech Tips somehow have one Apple Developer Transition Kit with the new Apple Silicon and plans to tear it down and compare (Twitter).
11. "Have we ever found live specimens of a supposedly extinct species?" (r / askcience).
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