touch cover

Surface tablet's Touch Cover splits at seam, users gripe

Microsoft's Surface Touch Cover could be suffering from a defect, according to several users.

Folks over at the Surface Forums are complaining that the Touch Cover splits at a seam near to where it magnetically connects to Microsoft's Surface slate. One user in that forum, "Br1an_g," said that the cover "in the middle at the join to the screen is peeling," adding that it appears the "top layer has come loose and is ruffling up." Other users confirmed they were experiencing similar issues.

According to the Guardian, which was first to report … Read more

Windows 8 reshapes the laptop: Touch models on the rise

Windows 8 is all about touch. And that means a lot more touch laptops and hybrid devices are popping up at PC stores in the U.S.

Microsoft's brick-and-mortar and online stores are among the most aggressive at stocking up on touch-capable Windows 8 portables. Its online store now shows eight traditional (non-hybrid) clamshell laptops with touch screens. Those include the $499 Asus VivoBook X202E, the $899 Sony Vaio T13, and the high-end $1,349 HP Spectre XT TouchSmart.

Throw hybrids, or so-called "convertibles," into the mix and the number jumps to 16. Convertibles -- which include … Read more

Microsoft Surface $499 model 'out of stock' online

The $499 Surface model appears to be a popular item on the Microsoft store's Web site.

As of this afternoon, Pacific Time, that model (without the Touch Cover) is listed as "out of stock." Previously, it had been listed as "back-ordered", along with the $599 and $699 models.

The other two models -- both come with the Touch Cover -- are no longer listed as back-ordered.

"The store periodically will run out of certain models," a Microsoft representative told CNET in response to an e-mail query.

Calls to Microsoft stores in Century City, … Read more

Like Apple, Microsoft wants to explain its cool hardware tech

With the Surface, Microsoft has become a purveyor of cool hardware. And, like Apple, Microsoft wants to explain it you.

The newest video (below) illustrates, among other things, how the touch-cover glass and the screen are fused together into one piece; why the integrated kickstand is important; and little things like how the camera in the back matches the tilt of the screen in its kickstand position.

It's the latest in a series of videos Microsoft has been posting to describe the design effort that went into the Surface.

Other videos include the Making of the Touch Cover for Surface … Read more

Microsoft's Surface tablet vs. the iPad: Seven challenges

Microsoft came out with all guns blazing yesterday with its Surface tablets. Or did it?

The perceived success or failure of what was shown is obviously subjective, and comes down to whether or not you believe in what Microsoft is showing. Moreover, can Microsoft's strategy with the Surface -- and all Windows 8 tablets, for that matter -- succeed in not just being a No. 2 to the iPad, but in being a true iPad rival?

As a user of both the iPad and previous Windows tablets, I think it comes down to these key points.