surface

Microsoft's Surface RT has a better display than does the iPad -- that's the case being made by one of the tech gurus behind the new tablet.

At a Reddit IamA held yesterday, Microsoft engineers who worked on Surface answered questions about the tablet.

One question asked how users might consider Surface versus the iPad in light of their different screen resolutions. Surface for Windows RT offers a resolution of 1366x768 while the current iPad delivers a resolution of 2048x1536.

Microsoft's Steven Bathiche quickly chimed in to address that issue. Bathiche is the director of research for … Read more

Couldn't resist taking it out for a spin... #surface twitter.com/stevesi/status...

The head of Microsoft's Windows division, Steven Sinofsky, decided to do something rather odd, and he tweeted pictures to prove it.

Sinofsky yesterday tweeted a picture of himself skateboarding on top of a Microsoft Surface tablet. The tablet had two sets of wheels strapped to it, giving Sinofsky -- helmet and all -- the chance to check out the durability of the device. In a second picture, he shows that the Surface made it out of the experience just … Read more

Are we seeing the first signs of keen consumer interest in Microsoft Surface?

Answer: at this stage -- the first day of preorders -- we have no idea if Microsoft's first branded PC is a hit. But one backordered model may point to some momentum.

The $499 model is already showing shipments pushed back to "within 3 weeks," while the two other pricier models are available for delivery by October 26, when Surface goes on sale.

Without knowing how many Surface tablets Microsoft has in the sales channel ready to ship, we don't know what a … Read more

Shortly after announcing pricing for its upcoming Surface tablet, the Microsoft device's engineering team took to Reddit today to hold a virtual Q&A with the site's users.

It was an unusual marketing move by Microsoft, but sending some of its top technical people to interact with the Reddit community offered a rare opportunity for free publicity in a forum where the company could make its pitch to a crowd of technically savvy users. Led by Panos Panay, the general manager of the Surface team at Microsoft, the team answered posted questions for two hours, in what … Read more

While we all patiently wait for Justin Yu's airline troubles to dissipate, CNET editors David Carnoy and Ty Pendlebury join Jeff on the show to chat about the world of self-publishing, the best places to find FLAC music, Microsoft Surface, Xbox Music, and the places you're most likely to break your iPhone.

Topics from today's show:

- Check out David's new book "The Big Exit." Or, for a chance to win a digital or hardcover copy, send an e-mail with "The Big Exit" in the subject line to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com.

- Microsoft Surface dates and prices

- Don't worry, the iPad Mini will come in just 24 easy-to-understand versions.

- Xbox Music is coming. Don't call it Zune!

- Ty's FLAC music-finding guide

- Where you're most likely to break your iPhone. … Read more

Four months after the company unveiled its Surface tablet, Microsoft has finally announced a price and date for the RT version of the device.

Starting today at 9 a.m. PT, the Windows RT version of Surface will be available for preorder at Surface.com with an actual release on October 26 this year. On the same date, Microsoft's brick-and-mortar stores also will begin selling the device; however, preorders are only available online. $499 nets you the 32GB version only, while $599 gets you the 32GB version with a Touch Cover keyboard. A 64GB version with Touch Cover will … Read more

Surface tablet pricing will start at $499, Microsoft confirmed today. But is that low enough to entice reams of buyers?

Right off the bat, that price does have at least two things going for it. One, it comes with 32GB of storage not 16GB like the identically priced Apple iPad. Two, it comes with Microsoft Office -- for now that means Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview. (The final Office version "will be installed via Windows Update when available," according to Microsoft.)

However, that price doesn't include the slick 3mm-thick Touch Cover (the combination keyboard/… Read more

Editor's note: Pricing on the Surface has since been confirmed. Click here for more details from the official announcement post.

Microsoft's Surface tablet pricing has been outed by the software giant.

Earlier today, Surface pricing was posted on the Microsoft Store online site. Not long after, the page was taken down, seemingly because the pricing information was put up on the site before it was supposed to go live. However, TechCrunch was able to snap a screenshot of the page before it was taken down.

Based on that screenshot, it appears Microsoft will sell its Surface with Windows … Read more