Surface pre-order deliveries delayed in the UK and Canada, Microsoft offers coupon for the inconvenience

We began hearing grumblings of delayed Surface deliveries in the very early hours of this morning, and it seems it's not an unlucky few that are suffering, but an unlucky many. There were reports of delays to shipments in the UK and Canada less than a week ago, but Microsoft was quick to dismiss the claims as an error and put minds at rest. Now, it seems, the white flag has been waved and blame acknowledged. Eager to appease disgruntled customers, the company is offering a £50 or $50 Canadian coupon (depending on your accent) to spend in the Windows Store as recompense. While it provides little relief to those who had a shut-in weekend planned, at least you can trick out your new toy when it finally arrives, at Microsoft's expense. And, if you've received neither a Surface nor a coupon, we suggest you reach out for the freebie -- if your fingers aren't hitting tiles, they might as well be hitting keys instead.

[Source: Engadget]

Google Nexus 10 leaks: Android 4.2, Exynos 5250 (1.7GHz), 2,560 x 1,600 resolution

Unless we're looking at one of the most elaborately photographed fakes in the world, this is the Nexus 10. With the Nexus 7 apparently going over quite well at just $199, it was only ever a matter of time before the Nexus family expanded to house a 10-incher. With Google's own Vic Gundotra posting images from a unit that he's using at some exotic locale, it seems that another unit has slipped beneath the camera at BriefMobile. The site has managed to apprehend one of the 10.1-inch slates, and in turn has discovered quite the bounty of information.

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read more]

Apple's Tim Cook sees Microsoft Surface as a 'fairly compromised, confusing product'

Anyone wondering what Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks of Microsoft's new Surface tablet didn't have to wait long to get an answer. Cook offered a fairly blunt assessment of the device on the company'squarterly earnings call today, saying that while he hasn't personally played with one, "we're reading that it's a fairly compromised, confusing product." He went on to say that "I think one of the things you do with a product is make hard trade-offs. The user experience on the iPad is absolutely incredible," adding, "I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats, but I don't think it would do all of those things very well. When people look at the iPad versus competitive offerings, I think they'll continue to want an iPad."

As for Apple's own new tablet, the iPad mini, Cook dismissed the notion that it would cannibalize other iPad sales. "The way that we look at this," Cook said, "is that we provide a fantastic iPod touch, an iPad, and an iPad mini. Customers will decide which one, two, three or four they want, and they'll buy those." He went on to add that "we've learned over the years not to worry about cannibalization of our products. The far bigger opportunity is the 80 to 90 million PCs shipped each quarter. I think a great number of those people would be better off buying an iPad, or a Mac. That's a bigger opportunity for Apple. Instead of looking at cannibalization, I see an incremental opportunity."

[Source: Engadget]

Visualized: A sea of Surfaces

A table of 100 of iPads at WWDC 2012? How about a sea of hundreds of Microsoft's Surface RT tablets and accessory keyboard covers standing under the hot lights?

[Source: Engadget]

New Kindles start shipping today in Europe, Lovefilm launches on Kindle Fire

As promised, Amazon has started shipping its latest Kindles on the other side of the Atlantic, with theKindle Paperwhite as well as the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD making the trip. Amazon's branded video services did not make the trip, so Lovefilm is filling in, offering a free month to buyers of either Fire tablet. Despite the switch in names, the Kindle Fire / Fire HD Lovefilm app will support features owners have gotten used to in the US like Whispersync pause / resume across devices, watch list and X-Ray for Movies that brings in extra info about any actors or scenes that are being watched. The Kindle Fire 8GB is available for £129/€159, while the Fire HD in 16GB or 32GB editions costs £159/€199 and £199/€249, respectively. The Kindle Paperwhite isn't invited to the video party, but it starts at £109 for the basic model or £169 with 3G.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple announces iPad Mini with a 7.9-inch, 1,024 x 768 display

There it is, the long-telegraphed iPad mini has just been announced at Apple's late-2012 press conference. The 7.9-inch display device has the same 1,024 x 768 resolution as the iPad 2, which doesn't bode well for the elder slate's future. The new hardware is 7.2mm thick, .68 pounds heavy and has been manufactured with a new process with the same anodized edges as the iPhone 5. While Phil Schiller didn't mention the Nexus 7 or Google directly, he compared the new device against its rival in terms of its app library and screen size. He claimed that the .9-inch increase in diagonal space gives Apple's slate 35 percent more display area than Google and ASUS' collaboration.

If you were hoping for equal specifications to the current-generation iPad, you'll be mildly disappointed. The iPad Mini has Apple's A5 CPU, although it will run LTE and has a 5-megapixel camera. The lack of retina display may contribute to the reported 10-hours of battery life, despite its small size. For the base 16GB, WiFi only model, it'll set you back $329, while the 16GB, LTE version costs around $130 more per model. The WiFi models will begin to ship November 2nd.

[Source: Engadget]

Display expert: Microsoft Surface display not superior to iPad Retina display

After the director of research for Microsoft's Applied Sciences group, Steven Bathiche, boasted via Reddit that the company's new Surface RT tablet could offer more screen detail than the latest iPad, an expert decided to weigh in. The verdict? Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rending technology does indeed give the Surface RT's 768p display some added clarity, but to say that it beats the newest iPad's 2,048 x 1,536 screen is a stretch, to say the least.

Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies performed the comparison using an Asus tablet equipped with a 1,366 x 768 display similar to the Surface RT. Both devices boast Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rendering feature. It's important to note that while the two displays are similar, the Asus tablet's pixel density is 130 ppi, compared to 148 ppi on the Surface RT. The iPad's Retina display comes in at 264 ppi.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin

Gorilla Glass 2 and a chassis forged from magnesium lend Microsoft's Surface slates some durability, but the firm's decided to prove just how tough its tablets are by turning one into a skateboard. The wheeled slice of Windows 8 is said to have been rolled out during a tour of Redmond's Surface skunkworks, but Windows chief Steven Sinofksy couldn't resist hopping on the board today and tweeting a pair of photos. You can pre-order your deck now, though something tells us this mod isn't covered under Ballmer and Co.'s warranty.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft reportedly building up to 5 million Surface tablets for the fall

Just how confident is Microsoft that its Surface tablets will take off? To the tune of 3 to 5 million units shipped in the fall alone, according to the Wall Street Journal's supplier contacts. While that wouldn't be much when Apple already ships more than three times as many iPads, even discounting the supposed 10 million tiny iPads coming this fall, it would represent a strong start for a company that's only just dipping its toes into own-brand computing. Microsoft isn't confirming any numbers at this stage, but the large production volume might explain that Busby Berkeley-style TV ad -- you'd want a full song and dance routine if you had that many Surfaces to sell.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft puts a price on Surface RT: starts at $499, or $599 with Touch Cover

With a stamp from the FCC on its passport, and some fancy new TV ads, the smell of Microsoft's Surface tablet is thick in the air. Until now, however, price has been a mystery. Microsoft has just revealed, via its own store, that if you want a slice for yourself, you can do so starting from $499. That price will get you the 32GB version, without the touch cover, with pre-orders available now, penciled in for a 26th of October delivery date. If you must have that cover, it'll set you back another $100, and the same amount again if you want to hop up to 64GB of memory. With the current status of the larger-memory version showing as out of stock though, those with a thirst for storage still might have to wait a little longer.

Update: It looks like Microsoft might have pulled the listing for now. Perhaps the pages weren't meant for prime-time just yet.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite coming to the UK on October 25th, starting at £109

Amazon has found a relatively clear day in the calendar on which to launch its excellent Kindle Paperwhite e-reader in the British Isles. The ad-supported basic model will knock you back £109, while an extra £60 will get you the 3G version. Amazon's Lending Library service will roll-out at the same time, offering Prime members free loans from a collection of 200,000 books as part of the £49 per year subscription (which also has other perks). If you're shopping around, don't forget that Barnes & Noble's equally glowing alternative is also available in the UK these days, wearing a pretty much identical price tag.

[Source: Engadget]

Acer officially launches the Iconia Tab A110, with Tegra 3 and Jelly Bean

The Acer Iconia Tab A110 first debuted back at Computex, in June. Back then, the 7-inch device was running Android 4.0, propelled along by its Tegra 3 processor. Slated for a Q3 release, we heard following the show that the A110 would in fact be bumped up to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean before it hit the shelves. True to their word, it's Q3 -- just, the device has been bumped to Jelly Bean, and a formal release has been announced. 

The A110 is already up for pre-order with at least one UK based retailer, priced at £180. For the money we get -- besides Jelly Bean and Tegra 3 of course -- 8GB on board storage, expandable via microSD card, 1GB of RAM, a 1024x600 display, a 3420mAh battery, HDMI out and a 2MP front facing camera.

[Source: AndroidCentral - Read the full article there]