Here we go again with another Surface News Roundup covering the week ending March 20th, 2016.
The SP5 and Surface Phone rumors continue to dominate the news streams but there are still some choice, new stories for your perusal.
Here’s the run-down:
- Samsung’s New $900 Surface Clone Includes The Keyboard
- Surface 3 Cleared For Takeoff
- Price Cuts On SP4
- March Security Bulletin Dropped This Week
OK, so let’s get started… [divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Samsung’s New $900 Surface Clone Includes The Keyboard
Starting this past Friday you could pick up Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S at Best Buy for just $900. It will be available in Microsoft Stores on April 4th – yes, Microsoft will be selling it.
Unlike Microsoft’s own Surface Pro tablets, the detachable keyboard is included with the price. However, there’s a tradeoff..
Also, unlike the Surface Pro lineup, which uses mostly Core i5 or i7 chips, the TabPro S is only powered by a Core m3. This low-power chip should allow for a long battery life but the tablet will not be as “snappy” as a Surface.
So, if you’ve been wanting something like a Surface but a little cheaper, give the TabPro S a look.
Related: PC World, Samsung [divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Surface 3 Cleared For Takeoff
More and more airlines have been ditching up to 20 KG of paper in the cockpit in favor of Microsoft Surface tablets. The SP3 was the first tablet the FAA approved for use in cockpits but finally, now the Surface 3 has also been approved.
As a result, ExpressJet has adopted them for use on their flights.
Using Windows 10 EFB has increased situational awareness. It helps us in the flight deck to not have to fumble through our bags to find time-sensitive information during critical phases of flight. – Renee Devereux, Airline Captain, ExpressJet Airlines
Since the Microsoft Surface started dominating the electronic flight bag (EFB) market. Customers like Delta have been saving around 1.2M gallons of fuel and 7,500 sheets of paper annually which I’m sure had something to do with ExpressJet’s decision to get on the Surface bandwagon.
Related: MSPowerUser, Microsoft
Weekly Surface News Roundup: Price Cuts on SP4
In a move that’s prompted even more Surface Pro 5 rumors, Microsoft has cut the cost of the i5 versions of the Surface Pro 4 by as much as $100. In addition, there are also some pretty good deals on the Surface 3.
If you want to take advantage of them, hurry up, it looks like the deals will expire on March 26th.
Related: Geeky Gadgets, Microsoft, NeoWin [divider]
Weekly Surface News Roundup: March Security Bulletin Dropped This Week
Earlier this week, Microsoft sent out their monthly OS security patches. While these patches don’t directly affect the Surface, they do include patches for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (one of which is running on your Surface).
This time, “Patch Tuesday” (as it’s colloquially known) included a multitude of patches but only a handful affected your Surface. All of the patches that installed on your Surface were for security problems related to Edge or Internet Explorer.
So, if you noticed that there were patches but couldn’t figure out what changed, now you know.
Related: Microsoft [divider]
Tim
Kent Beck is an American software engineer and the creator of extreme programming, a software development methodology that eschews rigid formal specifications for a collaborative and iterative design process. Wikipedia
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