surface

Top five Cracking Open teardowns of 2012

From smartphones and tablets to a $7,000 desktop, we've cracked open a lot of tech this year. And as is the tradition at the end of each year, it's time to take a look at a few of our favorites. During this special episode of Cracking Open, I'm counting down my top five teardowns of 2012.

5. Nokia Lumia 900

First on our list is the Nokia Lumia 900. Released in the spring, this Windows Phone device was Nokia's attempt to recapture some of the American smartphone market.

Unfortunately, as we discovered during our teardown, the phone's hardware just wasn't up to par with the competition. I went so far as to call it mediocre. So why did I include our 900 teardown on this list? Because it's probably this year's best example of why knowing what's inside a device is an important factor in deciding whether to buy one.… Read more

Microsoft Surface tablet pops up in U.K. retail store

Consumers in the United Kingdom can finally check out Microsoft's Surface tablet live and in person.

The RT-based tablet can now be found on the shelves of John Lewis, a well-known department store in the U.K., according to WPCentral.

Surface has been available at Microsoft Store outlets in the U.S., and just last week reached Staples and Best Buy. The tablet has also been available online through Microsoft in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, and Hong Kong.

Today's debut at John Lewis marks Surface's first time in a non-U.… Read more

'Perplexing' Surface pricing can be explained, analyst says

The more things change, the more Microsoft would like them to stay the same.

That's the gist of Horace Dediu's assessment of the tech giant's "perplexing" pricing strategy for its new Surface tablet, as its old mainstay, the PC market, becomes the PC-plus-tablets market. It's the tablet portion of that equation, you see, that's driving the growth in that combined marketplace. (See Dediu's charts.)

For the several decades of the PC era, Asymco's Dediu points out, Microsoft has benefited from the "tax" payments that accrued to it by way … Read more

Developer survey offers top mobile predictions for 2013

It appears that 2013 will be the year that mobile shopping becomes pervasive. According to the just-released "Q4 2012 Developer Survey Report,"  from research firm IDC and Appcelerator, a mobile-platform developer, it's likely that most retail companies will have enabled mobile commerce in 2013. 

The survey, which encompasses the views of nearly 3,000 Appcelerator customers, predicts that 86 percent of shoppers will access a retailer's site on their mobile device while shopping in a retail store, and 71 percent of those surveyed predict the mobile wallet will "permeate" the consumer … Read more

Google, Microsoft 'challenged' vs. Apple, says Goldman Sachs

Google and Microsoft will struggle to vend off Apple's smartphone-tablet juggernaut, according to a recent study by Goldman Sachs.

Titled "Clash of the titans," the 75-page study depicts Google and Microsoft as "challenged" in their bids to compete with Apple.

Some salient points made by Goldman Sachs, which based many of their findings on internal survey results:

Well positioned v. challenged: In the "context of platform adoption," companies that are defined as "well positioned" include Apple, Facebook, Samsung. Amazon is "straddling the line." Google and Microsoft are "challenged&… Read more

FreedomPop offers free home broadband

Wednesday's CNET Update wants to break free:

Freedom Pop is offering 1GB of free home Internet service every month with purchase of its router, which costs $90. Those that stream video or need more data can upgrade to 10GB for $10 a month, or pay-as-you-go for $5 a gigabyte. The service uses Clearwire's 4G WiMAX network. Free home Internet service can shake up the broadband industry, much like Skype changed the voice industry.

Also in today's news roundup:

- Facebook added new ways to access privacy settings.

- Microsoft's Surface tablet is now sold at Best Buy and Staples. … Read more

Microsoft Surface tablet arrives at Best Buy today

The Surface RT tablet makes its official debut at Best Buy today.

Microsoft's Surface will be available for sale at Best Buy's Web site today starting at 2 p.m. PT. The device will then make it way to Best Buy retail outlets and select Best Buy Mobile stores this Sunday, December 16.

Staples also has revealed that it will start carrying the tablet as soon as today.

The move is part of Microsoft's strategy to expand the reach of Surface beyond its own stores. Company officials said that the expansion was initially targeted for early 2013. … Read more

Microsoft Surface still the top Windows 8 device, ad data says

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet remains the single most popular Windows 8/RT device, though its lead isn't as pronounced as a month ago, according to an update of usage statistics.

The Microsoft tablet is still the single most popular device, but its share of usage among Window 8/RT devices has fallen by almost half compared to last month, according to AdDuplex, a Windows ad-serving business.

The ranking is based on data collected from 71 active Windows 8/RT apps on the AdDuplex network on December 7. The numbers don't appear to say anything about trends in … Read more

It's official: Microsoft Surface headed to non-Microsoft stores

As rumored last week, Microsoft is expanding distribution of its Surface tablets beyond Microsoft's own brick-and-mortar and online stores, starting as of mid-December.

The company also is making some of its holiday popups permanent stores, according to a December 11 announcement.

The U.S. and Australia will be first to get more retail stores carrying the Surface RT. "Additional availability will be added in a number of countries in the coming months," according to a Microsoft press release.

Microsoft officials are claiming the expanded retail presence was planned after the first of 2013, but that retailer interest … Read more