Microsoft ushers in new era of Windows 10 devices

Microsoft Corp. hopes to unify the experience of its new operating system with a whole slew of new Windows 10 devices. The tech company unveiled new Surface, Lumia, and Microsoft Band devices. Showcasing the innovation possible with Windows 10, Microsoft also shared new gaming experiences from Xbox.

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Now running on 110 million devices around the world, Windows 10 is off to the fastest start in history—seeing upgrades at three times the rate of Windows 7 in the same time period. With more than 1.25 billion visits to the Windows Store, Microsoft also announced all-new universal apps for Windows 10, including Box, Facebook, Instagram, Candy Crush Soda Saga, Flipagram, Uber, and others. These apps add to the existing Windows 10 experiences that will be available on the new Microsoft devices.

Surface Book
Microsoft wants to change up the laptop space with the new Surface Book. It’s a high-performance laptop the company boasts of having “stunning craftsmanship and incredibly accurate and responsive pen and touch support.” Ultrathin, Surface Book combines the power of sixth-generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors with up to 12 hours of battery life. The 13.5-inch optically bonded PixelSense Display delivers a high-contrast 267 dpi display with improved latency and parallax, making it not just beautiful to look at but natural and fluid to write on. The screen also detaches, so it can be used like a clipboard to sketch, take notes, and benefit from Windows programs like Microsoft Edge. An optional discrete GPU allows Surface Book to harness the full power of hardware-accelerated graphics for seamless video editing, fast rendering, or immersive gaming. Surface Book starts at $1,499 (around P69,000).

Surface Pro 4
Microsoft also introduced Surface Pro 4, its thinnest, lightest, and most powerful tablet that can replace your laptop. At only 8.4mm thin, it features a stunning 12.3-inch PixelSense Display and sixth-generation Intel Core m, Core i5, and Core i7 processors. Starting at $899 (approximately P41,000), Surface Pro 4 is not only 30 percent more powerful than Surface Pro 3 but also quieter, runs cooler, and is even more efficient with up to nine hours of battery life. The new Surface Pro 4 Type Cover takes Surface Pro 4 from tablet to laptop in an instant. It features a redesigned mechanical keyboard with optimal key spacing for fast and fluid typing. Backwards compatible with Surface Pro 3, the new Surface Pro 4 Type Cover comes with an optional fingerprint reader, bringing enterprise-grade security of Windows Hello to existing customers. The redesigned Surface Pen packs 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, letting you write, draw, and mark documents with precision ink on one end and an eraser on the other.

Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL, & Lumia 550
The company also reinforced its commitment to mobile with the introduction of Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, the first Windows 10 Lumia phones and newest premium phones from Microsoft.

With Continuum capability for phones enhanced by the new Microsoft Display Dock accessory, connect the phone to a monitor and transform it for larger-screen entertainment, or add a keyboard and mouse to work like a PC with Windows 10 apps like Microsoft Office, while simultaneously taking calls or performing other tasks. With the latest-generation PureView cameras with 20-megapixel sensors, triple LED natural flash, and 4K video capture, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL enable faster focus and crisper images and videos even in challenging conditions.

Lumia 550, Microsoft’s most affordable 4G LTE smartphone running Windows 10, also joins the Lumia family. This device combines the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor with ultrafast LTE speeds and the best of Microsoft services for just $139 (around P6,000).

Microsoft Band 2
Microsoft also announced Microsoft Band 2, the latest fitness wearable designed to help you live healthier and achieve more. The new Microsoft Band features a curved display, making it even more comfortable to wear, and Cortana enables you to reply to texts or set reminders with the touch of a button. Alongside a continuous optical heart rate monitor and onboard GPS, the smart band still tracks calories burned, deep exercise and sleep quality—and now records floors climbed—all while maintaining up to two-day battery life. Microsoft Health is available as a universal Windows app, a dedicated app for iOS and Android devices, and via a Web Dashboard, all enabling people to set wellness goals and receive actionable insights. Pricing starts at $249 (around P11,000).

Xbox brings new gaming experiences
Powered by Windows 10, the new Xbox One experience will launch around the world in November. This free update is a complete redesign built on the cornerstone of Windows 10 and provides the fastest and most social Xbox experience ever. Also launching in November, Xbox One Backward Compatibility lets you play your Xbox 360 games on Xbox One for free with 100 games at launch and hundreds more in the months ahead. Backward-compatible Xbox 360 games will also be playable on Windows 10 through game streaming from Xbox One to Windows 10. Games like Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza Motorsport 6, and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition cement this holiday as the greatest lineup in Xbox history.