Windows Phone 8.1 to support up to 10-inch screens, kill RT
Microsoft is set to smash another nail in the already well-sealed coffin of Windows RT by allowing Windows Phone to support screens up to 10 inches across.
Microsoft is set to smash another nail in the already well-sealed coffin of Windows RT by allowing Windows Phone to support screens up to 10 inches across.
The change is said to be part of the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update, the reliable Supersite for Windows reports. Windows tablets running on mobile chips (as opposed to laptop chips) currently run Windows RT, but its phone-based counterpart could well squeeze it out.
That could be alleviated somewhat by Microsoft making Windows Phone's app APIs more compatible with those of RT, so devs have the choice of making their app available across both platforms, a little like they can with iPhone and iPad.
Due next year, 8.1 is also set to improve multitasking and get rid of the back button, so you just hit the Windows key -- again, like the iPhone.
Surface 2 surfacing
The software behemoth is also set to open up sales of its latest Surface 2 tablets to third-party resellers, our sister site ZDNet reports. The scheme to widen availability of the new slates will be trialled in Australia, according to a since-deleted post from a Microsoft partner.
The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 will go on sale on 22 October, with midnight launches possibly overshadowed by an Apple event that day when the Californian company is due to unveil new iPads.
Both tablets offer 10-inch 1080p screens, better battery life and the Pro has new accessories, including a keyboard with an extra battery built in. The 32GB Surface 2 will start at £359 -- £40 cheaper than the 16GB retina iPad. The smallest Pro 2, meanwhile, has 64GB of storage and starts at a much steeper £719, but it runs full Windows 8.
What do you think Microsoft should do here? Give up on RT altogether, or try to make more apps available? Open a window into your heart in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
