surface

I've known for months that today could be filled with regret. When faced with a desperately needed new Windows laptop purchase seven months ago, I agonized over whether to delay my big system purchase until Windows 8 was finally released.

Needless to say, in the rapidly moving tech world, waiting seems to be one of the hardest things to do. So, not surprisingly, today I'm perusing all our great CNET content on new Windows 8 laptops from my 7-month-old 17-inch Windows 7 system and longing to be fingering live tiles.

The problem, of course, is that Windows 8 is the rare operating system upgrade that also requires a hardware upgrade to live up to its full potential -- namely a touch screen. So if I want to have the latest and greatest from Washington state, I need to set aside my relatively recent laptop purchase and invest in a whole new Windows system.… Read more

Confirming one of its worst-kept secrets, Apple took the wraps off the iPad Mini during a press event on Tuesday.

The new device, a 7.9-inch version of its 10-inch iPad tablet, comes in six pricing configurations. In addition to the 16GB tablet with Wi-Fi at $329, the 32GB tablet with Wi-Fi is $429, and the 64BG version is $529. For devices with Wi-Fi and 4G cellular connections, the 16GB tablet is $459, the 32GB is $559, and the 64GB is $659. These devices are shipping two weeks after their Wi-Fi-only counterparts.

The iPad Mini could prove to dramatically expand the base of customers for Apple, … Read more

But seriously, Tim Cook, how do you really feel about smaller tablets?

The Apple CEO let loose on 7-inch tablets during a conference call with investors, insisting that the company would never build one. "We would not make a 7-inch tablet," he said today. "We don't think they're good products."

Cook, of course, is staying true to the late Steve Jobs' proclamation that a tablet that's smaller than the original 9.7-inch iPad was too uncomfortable, and that consumers would have to shave off parts of their fingers to actually use it.

But … Read more

NEW YORK -- Much has been speculated about how well the new Microsoft Surface will fare in the tablet world, particularly against Apple's iPad.

But if consumers flock to the Surface, it won't be because it's an alternative to the iPad. Microsoft's vision for the Surface goes well beyond the traditional tablet market. The company is betting that consumers will want to use the keyboard it's designed for the Surface to create documents, annotate pictures, and more.

And yet, the Surface, which Microsoft launched here today, isn't really a laptop either. The version that … Read more

Microsoft will finally test the waters of the tablet market as its new Surface goes on sale. More than 60 stores in North America will offer the tablet starting tonight at 10 p.m. local time.

The Surface RT, which Microsoft demonstrated at its Windows 8 event today, aims to stand out from the wave of other Windows 8 tablets due to hit the market.

Microsoft touted the contrast of the Surface tablet with its ClearView technology as one that reflects glare better than other screens. A Microsoft engineer recently played up the Surface display as superior to that of the iPad … Read more

Hewlett-Packard has priced its Envy x2 laptop-tablet hybrid at $849.99 -- a small tablet-laptop hybrid that runs the full version of Windows 8.

That price may be high for consumers, but HP is pushing it as a high-quality, high-end "hybrid PC" that effectively straddles both the laptop and tablet paradigms.

It comes with many of the ports found on a PC -- USB, HDMI, SD card slot -- a top-notch IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a large trackpad (what HP calls an Imagepad) for Windows 8 gestures, and a touch display that detaches to become a … Read more

Seems like there's been a new tablet released almost every other day. While I'm excited that the tablet market is showing no signs of slowing down, speaking strictly from a personal standpoint, I could use a break.

I won't be getting one, though! Starting this week, we'll see new Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets from Microsoft and its partners. Then, over the next few weeks, expect major tablet releases from Apple, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and possibly Google.

Are manufacturers flooding the market with too many options? Hey, as long as the quality remains high (and in some cases gets higher), I think we'll be fine.

With the release of the Surface, I thought it would be interesting to compare the current full-size flagship tablets running Windows, iOS, and Android.… Read more