Microsoft hardware event: news from the Surface Pro 4 and Lumia 950 XL event – The Verge

Microsoft shows that backwards compatibility is forward thinking

2015-10-07T13:01:01-04:00

We've already talked about the triumph that was Microsoft's launch event yesterday, but I want to touch on one of the subtler aspects of it that might have gone unnoticed: the relationship between the new Surface Pro 4 and the incumbent Surface Pro 3. Yes, there actually is one, and it extends far beyond insubstantial talk of design continuity. The new Surface Pro has a larger display than the old one, but that's achieved with thinner bezels, leaving the tablet itself compatible with all the old accessories. Being the same physical size also makes all of the SP4's upgraded new accessories compatible with the SP3.

This might sound entirely l …

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Microsoft’s epic hardware event in quotes

2015-10-07T08:34:28-04:00

It was, by a wide margin, Microsoft's most exciting and intriguing event in years. Hell, the entire tech industry hasn't generated this much hype and anticipation in a long time. Microsoft's hardware event on October 6th, 2015 will go down in history as one of the best examples of how to turn cold hard technology into warm and relatable objects of desire. In less than two hours. The software company showed off its hardware chops while pursuing the grand overarching goal of the ultimate "magical experience" - which can result only when software and hardware work together in harmony.

For the sake of posterity, historicity, and just good old-f …

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Microsoft’s Panos Panay is pumped about everything (2012–present)

2015-10-06T16:27:39-04:00

The creator of the Surface, Panos Panay, is pumped. About what, you may ask? Everything, we say. More specifically, you may request? Alright, fine, we relent. What follows is a small sample of things Panos Panay has been pumped about over the last three years:

Reactions to the first Surface? Pumped*

Response for @Surface has been awesome. I'm pumped you like it. See you in TimesSquare @MicrosoftStore 10pm tonight! pic.twitter.com/4JCQSKBj
- Panos Panay (@panos_panay) October 25, 2012

Starting up an official Surface blog? Pumped

"I'm pumped for the team to have this new space to share information with you"

GI Joe: Retaliation director Jon …

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Watch Microsoft’s glorious, misleading HoloLens robot battle

2015-10-06T15:50:42-04:00

Be cautious about trusting Microsoft's on-stage HoloLens demos. While the company has released videos that capture the augmented reality experience reasonably well, its events invariably show off whole rooms full of holograms - which is actually one of the the headset's weaker areas. So it's better to think of Project X-Ray, which Microsoft publicly unveiled today, as a vision of what augmented reality could look like. Robo-scorpions! They will burst from your walls! And you have to shoot them! With a wearable holographic vortex gun!

I played a version of Project X-Ray at E3 earlier this year, and although I have serious doubts about HoloLe …

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Microsoft has warmed my cold cynical heart with hot new hardware

2015-10-06T15:02:53-04:00

The very concept of a Microsoft hardware event still feels weird to me. Software constitutes half of Microsoft's name and most of its DNA, and yet today we were treated to a 110-minute presentation showing off Microsoft's hardware-engineering acumen. And the whole thing was so breathlessly exciting that it felt more like 110 seconds. The most inspiring, intriguing, and frankly irresistible new hardware today is coming from Microsoft.

Read next: The Surface Book review and Surface Pro 4 review.

With the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft has taken the concept it pioneered - of a tablet with a keyboard cover, a stylus, and a fully-featured OS - and ha …

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This is how Surface Book’s crazy hinge works

2015-10-06T14:00:59-04:00

Read next: The Surface Book review.

Microsoft pretty thoroughly wowed us this morning with its introduction of the Surface Book, a new laptop that can transform into a typical Surface tablet. There's a lot to be impressed with on the new device, but perhaps the most interesting hardware feature - both visually and functionally - is the Surface Book's hinge. It looks weird. And it also looks kind of awesome.

Microsoft is referring to this as a "dynamic fulcrum hinge," which is probably the coolest of all branded hinge names. In practice, it just means that the Surface Book's hinge seems to flex as it opens and closes the display.

The hinge …

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The 10 most important things from Microsoft’s Lumia event

2015-10-06T13:37:53-04:00

Microsoft is still relatively fresh off the launch of Windows 10, which - as presenter and Windows team head Terry Myerson pointed out - happened less than three months ago. Now, the company is getting ready to release its smartphone variant, Windows 10 Mobile. And while the operating system isn't out yet, we just got our first look at the phones that will run it: Microsoft's two flagship Lumias, along with one budget option.

But the most interesting parts of the presentation weren't about phones. One was a fast-paced shooter played on the HoloLens augmented reality headset - to be clear, it was fairly misleading about the HoloLens' limited …

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The new Microsoft Band is sleeker and more capable than the original

2015-10-06T13:21:43-04:00

The second-generation Microsoft Band promises to be both more fashionable and more useful than the original model. Priced at $249, Microsoft has redesigned its fitness-focused wearable with a curved display (protected by Gorilla Glass 3) and stainless steel fasteners. It now tracks more information - like elevation when you're climbing stairs and advanced health metrics the first Band wasn't capable of. Microsoft is also putting a big focus on tracking your golf game.

Read next: The Microsoft Band 2 review.

Putting it on, the new Band still feels slightly bulky. I always had trouble putting on a jacket with the first version and I'm not to …

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Microsoft just gave the best ‘one more thing’ product surprise in years

2015-10-06T12:29:43-04:00

Microsoft just surprised everyone by introducing the Surface Book: the company's vision of the ultimate laptop. It's crazy! It's like they went from making the Surface tablet, to making a laptop, and then back to making a Surface tablet again - but somehow it looks like it works.

Read next: The Surface Book review.

The bigger surprise, though, is that Microsoft has finally figured out how to give a presentation with verve. The company can mostly thank VP Panos Panay for that, even if at times he came off a little like a parody of a car salesman. (At several points, Panay seemed physically strained by his need to encourage excitement for th …

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This is Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 4: better in nearly every way

2015-10-06T12:29:11-04:00

Today Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 4, and we're getting our first look at it here at the company's big product event. Last year, Surface chief Panos Panay said that Microsoft had hit the right formula to make the Surface Pro a viable laptop replacement. This time, the new Surface is all about refinement and polish. It's thinner, lighter, and faster thanks to Intel's latest chips. The screen is larger (now 12.3 inches), yet the device hasn't gotten any wider. And it showcases an incredibly sharp, pixel-dense resolution, just as Panos Panay boasted on stage. Microsoft says the Surface Pro 4 is 50 percent faster than Apple's MacBook Air …

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