Microsoft Surface Pro 256GB Tablet available now…

Back in February Microsoft released the Surface Pro which has a storage capacity of either 64GB or 128GB. I have been quite happy with my 128GB Surface Pro despite some of the bad reviews claiming that battery life was in the 3 to 4 hours range. I personally can get through an eight hour day with my Surface Pro using it on “Power Saver” settings, of course this is using it on and off during the day when I am out on meetings.

Fast forward seven months later, Microsoft makes the 256GB Surface Pro available. I would have liked if Microsoft had made the 256GB Surface Pro available at launch. I would have paid the extra to get the 256GB version if it was available at the time.

Microsoft will be holding an announcement September 23, which should bring to light, the new Haswell Surface Pro along with several new accessories and we should also hear more on the 256GB Surface Pro.

Microsoft announced pricing for Windows 8.1 starting at $119

Now that Microsoft has announced the pricing for Windows 8.1, you can expect starting price at $120 for Windows 8.1 if you are upgrading from any other previous version of Windows or $199 for Windows 8.1 Pro version. Same applies to Windows 8.1 Pro, this price is for upgrading from any previous Windows or if you plan to run Windows 8.1 on a VM machine.

If you are already running Windows 8 on your current system, Windows 8.1 will be a free upgrade to your current version of Windows 8 you have.

For those that happen to downloaded Windows 8.1 RTM from MSDN or TechNet, and already have your product key from Windows 8. You can still continue to use your existing Windows 8 key, but you will have to use the product key from your subscription to get Window 8.1 RTM to load. Once it has installed. Go to your activation and chose to put your key, at this point you will use the Windows 8 key. After all, Microsoft is providing Windows 8.1 as a free upgrade so why not use your key.

Microsoft has done some great improvements with Windows 8.1, as I have been using it on the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 with 4G LTE. I wiped everything and did a fresh install to test out if everything would work. Once I installed some drivers from Lenovo everything has been very smooth on the ThinkPad Tablet 2. I will do some quick videos showing some of the new features you can find with Windows 8.1.

Win Free Copy of WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe

Here is a great way to convert your videos you always wanted to have on your mobile phone, tablet or any other device to take on the road. WinX HD video converter has the program just for that. The best part is if you leave a message I will be picking some lucky winners for the full product.
With WinX HD video converter you can edit, trim merge and add subtitles very easy to your video project. You will also be able to output your video files in the highest possible quality. Video resolution and bitrate parameters are totally adjustable so you can balance the video quality and the file size, great for YouTube!

Okay I will be giving away a few licenses for WinX HD video converter, just leave a comment after I tweet, you can follow me over at @MobileHG and leave a comment, and I will randomly chose from the comments. Good luck!

Case Review: Classic stand case cover for Microsoft Surface Pro tablet

 

I decided to give the classic stand case cover with the stylus holder for my Microsoft Surface Pro a try. If I use any type of cases I usually like to keep them as slim as possible to add the least amount of bulk, yet keep my devices looking clean and protected. This is the case with the classic stand case from MiniSuit.

Another advantage of the classic stand case cover is that you can still have either the type or touch keyboards attached to your Surface Pro or you can chose to remove them and still use the classic stand case. This alone is a great deal for me, as sometimes I travel knowing that I will be using the keyboard.

Lets take a look the classic stand case cover and see how well it fits around the Surface Pro.

Windows 8: Get a copy of Photo Booth Pro free until June 9th

If you have been feeling a little left out, knowing that on your Mac you have Photo Booth, well now you can get that feeling back.  Head over to the Windows Store on your Windows 8 computer and search for Photo Booth Pro. You might want to do this quickly, you have till June 9th to download the application for free. I gave it a spin and I really like the simple UI.

Acer Iconia W3-810 tablet: Staples taking Pre-Sale for June 16 delivery…

Earlier we had seen rumors of the Acer Iconia W3-810 with 8.1-inch screen, Amazon slipped and had posted the Acer Iconia W3-810 with some specs but was quickly taken down. Well now Acer has officially announced the Acer Iconia W3-810-1600 and is available for Pre-Sale at Staples for $380 with June 16 delivery. This makes the Acer Iconia W3-810-1600 compatible pricing with the iPad Mini and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

The Acer Iconia W3-810-1600 is the smallest Windows 8 tablet to be announced and soon you will be able to get your hands on one. The specs are going to be more in line with the current Atom Z2760 Dual-Core processor that is powering many of the lower end hybrid tablets. Remember, this is the new Atom Z2760 processor which has proven to handle all your basic needs and for on the go tablet. What makes these tablets very portable is that, the newer Atom Z2760 processor gives you anywhere from 8 to 10 hours of battery life depending on the device.

Under the hood of the Acer Iconia W3-810-1600 you will get the following:

• 8.1" 1280 x 800 resolution, Acer CrystalBrite™ LED-backlit TFT LCD with integrated 10-point multitouch screen
• 32GB Internal Storage
• Windows 8
• Intel® Atom™ Dual-Core Processor Z2760 1.5GHz with Intel® Burst Technology up to 1.8GHz
• 2048MB of LPDDR2 800 MHz Memory
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator
• 2MP Rear-facing camera, 2MP Front-facing camera
• MicroSD memory slot up to 32GB (SDHC 2.0 compatible)
• 802.11b/g/n Wireless
• Bluetooth® 4.0 + EDR
• 1 x Micro USB 2.0 port, 1 x Micro-HDMI™ with HDCP support, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack (headphone/speaker), 1 x DC-in Jack for AC adapter
• Up to 8 hours of battery life

The Acer Iconia W3-810-1600 will be available in a 32GB and 64GB version. If you pick up the 32GB version, you might want to pick up a 32GB MicroSD and configure to have Windows 8 use as a storage drive. This will give you some extra storage for your documents and any pictures that you will want to carry around.

If you plan on running any games on the Acer Iconia W3-810-1600, you might want to stick with an i5 Core or higher, especially now that Intel has announced Haswell with up to 9 hours of battery life with DVD playback.

I am looking forward to getting my hands on the Acer Iconia W3-810 and give it a test, for the most part I would mostly use this small of a screen on the metro side of apps and this should make my everyday Windows 8 experience yet, that much more portable! 

Great deal on HP Envy x2 at Staples with $100 coupon

Just not to long ago Office Depot had offered the HP Envy x2 for $599 which was a great deal. Now Staples has a great deal as well with $100 off coupon that is good until 5/27/13. If you want to take a look what the HP Envy x2 offers, head on over to my last review of the HP Envy x2. If you are in the market for a 11.6-inch hybrid tablet and you asked me, I would recommend the HP Envy x2 unless you need a digitizer for using the tablet to take notes, then I recommend the Samsung ATIV 500T Smart PC.

Staples is showing the HP Envy x2 for $599.99 after a $56.00 savings and a $44.00 instant savings. Then you can use your $100 off coupon and to grab the HP Envy x2 for $499.99 with keyboard dock! Sure this won't replace your high gaming machine, but this Atom tablet will allow you to do your daily activities for the most part.

Get a Windows 8 tablet as low as $399 at Staples...

When we started to see Windows 8 tablets released at the end of December and early January 2013, you could expect to pay anywhere from $699 and up depending on the type of Windows 8 tablet you purchased. Fast forward May 2013, now Staples has some really good deals going on with a $100 coupon that you can use towards any Windows 8 tablet.

If you had been wanting to pickup the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T, now is your chance. Staples is showing the ATIV 500T for $499 and if you use your $100 off coupon, you are basically paying $399 for a Windows 8 tablet that has great battery life and a digitizer to take notes and works great. I had done a review of the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T and an unboxing video.

If you want to take advantage of the extra $100 coupon, you will have to hurry up as the coupon shows that it is only good until 5/27/13 so you have a few more days left.

Update for Microsoft’s Mail, People and Calendar app now available

 

If your like many of us that had heard that Microsoft would be pushing an update for the Mail, People and Calendar app for Windows 8. Head over to the Store and chose “Your Apps” that should enable for the related apps to request for update. You might need to close the Store app and then come back.

Before the update you can see that the Mail app is not so touch friendly.

One thing you will notice is that the Mail app has become more touch friendly and is much quicker in opening up. You no longer will see the turning circle when you open the Mail app. Searching for emails also has greatly improved prior to updating. I get over 40 emails a day and the need for quicker searching is a great welcomed feature with the new update. Another nice feature and very useful one is the ability to create folders as well. This comes in very handy as I also like to create folders for dropping certain emails when I am on the road to review for later. Yes I do use Outlook 2013 but when your on the road it is much easier to open up the Mail app and also is easier on the battery life rather than using the full Outlook 2013. Still wished that we could sync with Google contacts and calendar, but that’s on another issue.

I don’t use the Calendar app any longer since I can’t sync with my Google Calendar, but there is also some nice added features. Again, once you click on the Calendar app it opens up rather quickly or just might be because I really don’t have any Calendar appointments. I will give this a try on my Samsung Smart PC Pro ATIV 700T which I do sync my Google Calendar with the Windows 8 Calendar app. Lucky I was able to set up the Calendar app before Google pulled the plug. Now Microsoft needs to change the method to sync with Google so that we can continue to sync just like we do with iOS and Google.

The Calendar app now comes with a workweek-only view that shows just Monday through Friday, this is similar to Google Calendar.

You also see dateline showing where you are in the day, great to glance and see the time slot when it comes to making your  appointments. 

Last but not least, the People app received the fewest improvements. You now can post to your Facebook contacts right from the app, this can save you some time and makes it very fluid. You can also sort out to show “What’s New” page from your social network. 

You should see the new update show up in your Store apps. Once you update your Mail, People and Calendar apps, give them a try and see what new feature works best for you. 

Looking for a great deal on the HP Evy x2? Office Depot has it on sale $599

If you are in the market for a Atom Clover Trail Hybrid tablet, Office Depot has a great deal on the HP Envy x2 11.6-inch tablet. Normally the HP Envy x2 sales for around $849 and this week you can pick one up for $599. Saving you $250. I got some hands on with the HP Envy x2 at CES this past January and it is a solid convertible tablet.

The HP Envy x2 comes with 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD (eMMC), 11.6-inch display, touch screen, keyboard dock with battery in dock, front and rear cameras, WiFi a/b/g/n, NFC, Bluetooth, HDMI, 2 x 2.0 USB (1x on dock). The build quality is very well designed and feels good in your hands. With the 11.6-inch display, you can comfortably use it with side by side documents, snap view works great on this size screen and other side by side work you might use. The tablet slides very easy onto the dock and is very easy to undock with the slide of the button.

The HP Envy x2 runs Windows 8 and other Windows application you might have and need. This is all done with the outstanding battery of the new Clover Trail processor. If you are worried about the Atom under the hood, well don’t let that distract you from giving any Atom Clover Trail tablets a try. If you are planning on running AutoCAD, or any other high demanding application, then I wouldn’t recommend any Clover Trail tablet. You need to look at the i5 Core tablets like the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T that I have tested, also the Surface Pro tablet which I also have been using. 

HP Envy x2 specs:

• screen resolution
  1366 x 768
• diagonal screen size
  11.6 inches
• memory
  2 GB
• memory speed
  PC2-4200
• memory type
  LPDDR2 SDRAM
• maximum memory capacity
  2 GB
• maximum battery life
  7 hours (tablet only); 12.25 hours (tablet & keyboard) hours
• weight
  3.06 lb
• integrated speakers
  yes
• memory card reader
  no
• audio hardware
  Beats Audio dual speakers
• video hardware
  Intel Graphics Media Accelerator with shared memory
• model name
  Envy x2 11-g010nr
• form factor
  convertible
• hard drive type
  SSD (solid state disk)
• ports
  2 USB 2.0; 1 HDMI
• storage capacity
  64 GB
• operating system
  Windows 8
• tablet processor model
  Atom Clover Trail
• tablet processor number
  Atom Z2760
• touch-screen
  yes
• wireless connectivity
  802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth

Surface Edition Wedge Touch Mouse review

 

Microsoft has also released a special edition mouse which is basically like the original Wedge Touch Mouse that was released last year. The notable difference is that Microsoft matched the Surface casing with the Surface Edition Wedge. Which gives it a nice touch!

Another benefit of the Wedge Touch Mouse is, it is bluetooth making it very easy to pair to your laptop or Surface tablet.

The Surface Edition Wedge Touch Mouse comes with same four-way touch scrolling, which lets you scroll vertically and horizontally. You can also flick the pages up, down and side to side with ease. This has come in handy working with webpages, documents, excel sheets and some Windows 8 features.

It also has the excellent BlueTrack technology  that allows you to use the Wedge Touch Mouse almost on any surface.

You also won’t have to worry when you travel with the Wedge Touch Mouse, you can power down the mouse or if you forget the Wedge Touch Mouse will automatically shut itself off. This is great when tossing the mouse into your bag or when your Surface tablet goes into hibernation.

If you are looking for something very portable with good tracking, take a look at the Wedge Touch Mouse.

Surface Editon Wedge Touch Mouse

128GB Surface Pro now showing shipping in 3 weeks

Earlier this week on Twitter there was some update on the 128GB Surface Pro arriving at some local Best Buy stores and news about having the Surface Pro shipping to Staples and Microsoft stores. But if you tried to go and order online, you would be greeted with "Back Order". So you couldn't place an order even if you wanted. If you drove down to a Microsoft store you could Pre-Order the 128GB Surface Pro with no date of when it would arrived.

Now it looks like even though we had seen that the 128GB Surface Pro would arrive at local Microsoft stores on Saturday, we won't see it arrive until March 1, 2013. I did stop by and talked to the manager at the local Microsoft store today, he said that at this time, they didn't have any date for delivery at the store. He also said that if any 128GB Surface Pro should arrive Saturday, they will be going down the Pre-Order list. I had the chance to pick up a 128GB Surface Pro, but unfortunately I had some errands to do and never made it to the Microsoft store on Feb 9. I did stop by on Monday to place a Pre-Order for the 128GB Surface Pro but now as time has passed by, I'm not that eager to actually purchase it. I'm actually really liking the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T which is working very nicely. There is a few 64GB Surface Pro in-stock at my local Best Buy and Staples stores, so might pick one up to try it out. If I do find that it is the tablet for my needs, I will exchange it for the 128GB Surface Pro.

Windows 8: How to make your desktop more touch friendly

As you know in Windows 8 the desktop is not very touch friendly at all. In the video I will show you how you can make the desktop more touch friendly. This will also work for Windows 7 as well.

So far this has made navigating around with the Acer W510 and Asus Vivo Tab Smart tablets a bit easier. By applying bold to the fonts it has made the text much easier to read.