What’s up with Microsoft these days? Besides the rave over the upcoming Windows 10 operating system, Microsoft has launched products they announced back in MWC 2015.
Surface Pro 3
Microsoft’s take on a multi-functional tablet has had a rough journey, but managed to come out on top this year. The Surface Pro 3 bagged the Best Tablet award at MWC 2015, and it’s no surprise why. The 12” tablet comes with an integrated kickstand and removable keyboard, which turns it into an ultraportable laptop. The 2160 x 1440 touchscreen display is complemented with 4th generation Intel Core processors (from i3 to i7) with on-board graphics chips. It can have as much as 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, which is adequate for a little side gaming with the Surface Pro 3. Its battery can stand up to around 9 hours of continuous browsing, and even comes with a Surface Pen for added interactivity. It can snap up to three apps side-by-side-by-side for the multitasker, and can even run full versions of Office, Photoshop, and other programs. If you’ve ever wondered what the next generation of office-issued devices would look like, we think it would look like the Surface Pro 3.
Lumia 640 and 649 XL
Microsoft also launch two new midrange smartphones that are perfect for people who are ready to move up from their entry level smartphones. For the people who want to experience a different type of OS environment, these Lumias are the devices you’re looking for.
The Lumia 640 is the 5-inch version, and comes with Windows 8.1 with Lumia Denim. The display is HD IPS LCD, has 294 PPI, and comes with sunlight reliability enhancements to presumably aid in viewing angles and would be meant to take outdoors. The 640 XL is a 5.7 inch affair which the same OS version, but drops the resolution to 259 PPI. Both run 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processors, which is just about right for a lower-tier midrange device. For cameras, the 640 XL goes beast with a 13MP ZEISS optics camera, while the 640 runs a modest 8 MP. Both phones come with dual SIM and LTE variants, and is expected to be available in some parts of the world by April.
Universal Foldable Keyboard
The other big winner in Microsoft’s stable is their folding keyboard, which works with any device on any OS platform. It’s around 12 inches when folded out, 5 inches wide, and a sexy 0.45 inches when folded down. It can pair with two devices simultaneously – your phone and tablet – and switch up what you’re currently using with dedicated buttons. It turns itself on by unfolding the device, and easily hooks up to your gadget of choice. Charging is done via microUSB, but don’t think you’ll be doing that every so often: the Universal Folding Keyboard has a battery life of around three months. And while the keyboard’s middle partition may require a bit of getting used to, it’s easily one of the most convenient and better-designed portable keyboards we’ve seen in a while. The Universal Folding Keyboard will be out by July with a reported price tag of USD100, which is around Php4,500.
