intel

The other Windows 8 hits some snags

Don't be surprised if the other version of Windows 8 -- you know, the one that doesn't run on Intel chips -- stumbles out of the gate.

We got a taste of this on Friday when Hewlett-Packard confirmed that it won't offer a Windows RT tablet this year.

I heard about these issues in May when a little birdie told me about problems with RT and Qualcomm and Texas Instruments at PC makers. And I wrote at the time (May 15) that HP's Qualcomm-chip based tablet "may not happen this year."

(So, just to … Read more

Microsoft to feel Surface heat from PC makers

Microsoft's Surface tablet has got PC makers hopping mad. So, they're going to do something about it.

"[PC makers] are pissed off and they are looking for strategies now to not only counter the iPad but counter Surface," said a source at a large company that's part of the ecosystem -- the component suppliers and device manufacturers -- that does business with PC makers.

Separately, Roger Kay, principal analyst at EndPoint Technologies, told CNET last week that there was no shortage of "teeth gnashing" among PC executives and managers in response to the … Read more

Intel showcases futuristic technology

Who doesn't love hypothesizing about our future flying cars or robotic housemaids? Or better yet, seeing an actual demo.

Tuesday's Research@Intel event trotted out the technology we might be using in the next 15 years. Like headlights that adapt to weather conditions. Ever notice that when it's raining, you can't see for toffee? Smart headlights use a high-speed camera and processor to predict the raindrop's location and then turn off the light in that precise spot so instead of seeing a reflection, you can see through the rain. As a San Franciscan, I was … Read more

Microsoft tablet and iPad to duke it out at large companies

Windows 8 Pro tablets have a shot at slowing iPad adoption at large companies, said Deutsche Bank -- though an analyst tempered the assessment with reservations.

Microsoft's Surface tablet running Windows 8 Pro can "leverage" the large existing base of Windows customers, giving it a better chance at checking the "penetration" of Apple's iPad at large business accounts, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore wrote in a research note on Monday.

We see the x86-based Pro as a corporate [laptop] replacement. This offering has more potential because the OS is backward compatible, has more robust … Read more

Microsoft unveiled Surface after seeing partners' designs, says analyst

How many ways can Microsoft tick off its partners in the wake of the Surface tablet announcement? Well, here's another.

At issue is Microsoft's access to PC makers' designs, said Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights & Strategy and formerly an executive at Advanced Micro Devices.

"Microsoft looked at what the [PC makers] were doing, seeing if it could meet their Windows 8 needs and then took action based on that," he said in a phone interview, citing conversations with -- and the sentiment of -- senior level executives at top-tier PC makers.

Moorhead continued. "… Read more

What makes the Microsoft Surface tablet different? (poll)

Despite Microsoft's best efforts on Monday to demonstrate why Surface is different, it's a crowded market out there.

All of the first-tier players like Samsung, Amazon, Sony, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and Motorola (not to mention a Google-branded device that is expected) have already saturated the Android tablet market.

And then there's the iPad, which is simply shorthand for tablet in a lot of consumers' minds and commands most of the market. And has a two-year head start, to boot.

So, it's a tall order for Microsoft and Windows 8.

That said, the rollout of the 10.… Read more

Microsoft Surface shows Apple could be wrong

In one sense, Microsoft has succeeded already, by demonstrating that there is a third paradigm: a transformable tablet.

That alone strikes me as a very intentional rebuttal of the Apple argument that a laptop and tablet is a "forced" convergence. (Tim Cook).

And Steve Jobs knocked the idea before that, saying it was "ergonomically terrible" and "we've done tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn't work."

Well, Microsoft showed us Monday that it could work. That's all I (and consumers) need to see. (I had been … Read more

Meet the Intel man who's out to beat ARM in smartphones

It's not often you meet someone in the tech industry for whom the only way is up, but Intel's Michael A. Bell is one of those people. His job is to break Intel into the smartphone market -- and whatever he does, he can't end up reducing its market share.

Previously a vice president on the Mac side at Apple and then in charge of product development at Palm (the Pre and the Pixi were his handsets), Bell is now vice president and general manager of Intel's Mobile and Communications Group. His job is to take … Read more

Microsoft Surface tablet, iPad spec check

Microsoft did not skimp on specs for its new tablets.

More than any single feature, the 3mm-thick Touch Cover (see photos below) stands out. Using pressure-sensitive technology, Touch Cover senses keystrokes as gestures, allowing faster touch typing than is possible with on-screen keyboards, Microsoft claims.

The Touch Cover attaches to the tablet with a built-in magnetic connector, "forming a natural spine like you find on a book, and works as a protective cover," Microsoft said.

There is also an option for a slightly thicker 5 mm Type Cover that adds moving keys for a more traditional typing experience. … Read more