Rumors of an upcoming Surface Mini tablet from Microsoft have been swirling for months now, but so far confirmation hasn’t been easy to come by. Is that finally about to change? Invitations have begun making their way out of Microsoft for a “small gathering” (emphasis added), which immediately makes us think we’ll be seeing the elusive Surface Mini. This event lines up pretty well with an earlier report stating a release timeframe and also the possibility of ...

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Last fall, Nokia released its first Windows 8 tablet, the Lumia 2520. After using Nokia phones for years, we were right curious to see what sort of tablet effort the company could put together, and we came away very pleased with what we saw. And if the 2520 wasn’t impressive enough on its own, 2014 brought with it the release of the Power Keyboard accessory that very much dialed things up to 11. All of a sudden now, though, the 2520 has hit a snag, with ...

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Windows Phone 8.1 dropped earlier this week. We saw it at Build, but now we’re actually using it. And it’s for really real. Sure it’s a “Developer’s Preview” and sure some of the features aren’t quite done cooking, but it’s a pretty impressive upgrade to what Windows Phone users have been using. Plus, it’s available for (I think it’s reasonable to say) most Windows Phone users out there, less than two weeks after it’s debut on stage. That’s availability of Apple proportions. The reason this is so exciting is because in so many ways, Microsoft leveled the operating ...

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One of the many changes Microsoft announced at Build 2014 back at the start of April was the arrival of universal cross-platform apps; you’d purchase it once, and then have access to the same software across Windows Phone, your Windows desktop, and eventually even your Xbox One console. Over the weekend, Microsoft started making some necessary changes in order to get this system up-and-running, and today we see the arrival of support for linked apps, as well Dev Center compatibility with new WP8.1 Phone Store ...

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When an avalanche of reviews is rumbling its way down your mountain, it’s rarely easy to assemble a podcast team – but as we frequently remind you, the Pocketnow Weekly has never missed a week, and we’ll be damned if it’ll do so now. So despite the forthcoming reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S 5, Gear Fit, Gear 2, Oppo Find 7a, Nokia X, and the just-completed reviews of the ZENS Qi line, BlackBerry 10.2.1, and the Verizon HTC One M8, we’re banding together behind microphones in three separate cities on two continents to bring you the news and editorials of a very ...

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Last year, rumors were flying around hot that Microsoft was putting together a pint-sized version of its Surface tablet, the presumed Surface Mini. From the sound of things, we’d be getting a device with a display in the seven-to-eight-inch range, and that the aspect ratio might change to an iPad-style 4:3. But then by the time 2014 started looming over the horizon, these Surface Mini rumors began drying up, and we haven’t heard anything noteworthy in several ...

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The original Surface Pro was a respectable tablet (and far superior to the first-gen Surface RT), but last year’s Surface Pro 2 took a good thing and made it even better. Then first thing this year we heard that Microsoft was already taking things up a notch, and upgrading the tablet with a beefier processor. Instead of the 1.6GHz Intel i5-4200U that shipped with the Surface Pro 2 initially, Microsoft was transitioning the tablet to using a ...

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The Lumia 2520 graced our lives months ago, brightening our unboxing desk and leaving a lasting first impression. Sadly, it didn’t stick around long enough for us to give it the full review treatment, disappearing in a shipping accident so mysterious we sometimes still bring it up on the

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Last year’s Surface 2 was a solid improvement over the first-gen tablet, keeping the same kickstand design but making a number of internal upgrades, like moving to a Tegra 4 SoC and a 1080p display. Back when it was introduced, we knew to also expect an LTE-enabled version of the tablet eventually, with a release planned for sometime this year. About a week ago we started picking up the scent of just that LTE model, and then heard a little about

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Yesterday we shared with you word that Microsoft appeared to be in the final stages of preparation for introducing the LTE-enabled version of last year’s Surface 2 tablet. Supposedly shipments of the tablet were already hitting stores, and photographic evidence existed, but it just hadn’t yet been made available. Today, not only do we finally get to see some box shots of the new hardware, but we also get the other missing piece of the Surface 2 LTE puzzle: pricing. We’re looking at a 64GB Surface 2 here, which ...

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For those of you interested in a productivity tablet that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, Asus left us quite impressed at CES with its announcement of the Asus VivoTab Note 8. What made this tablet special is the fact that it’s a full Windows 8.1 tablet that also supports a Wacom digitizer for stylus input, and that was aggressively priced at just $299, according to Asus. The tablet is now officially launched on the Microsoft Store, though with two minor set-backs as it’s being priced $30 over the initial price that Asus confirmed, and also because it’s already ...

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2013 saw Intel make some of its most significant progress to date in getting its chips back into mobile electronics. Sure, 2012 had early entries like the Motorola Razr i, but by last year Intel was really stepping up the number of products incorporating its silicon. Even really high-profile names like Samsung were experimenting with Intel SoCs. But could Intel be trying just a bit too hard to reclaim some of its glory days, like when XScale ...

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It’s a journey that started back in August of last year, as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced his intention to step down from the position after serving as CEO since the year 2000: over the months that followed, we’ve been hearing all manner of rumors concerning who Microsoft would pick to fill those CEO shoes. Those have included names like Nokia’s Stephen Elop, Ford’s Alan Mulally, and most recently

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A few weeks back at CES we first heard about Lenovo’s ThinkPad 8, another compact Windows 8.1 tablet. But unlike some of the real budget-minded options, Lenovo’s tablet had the specs to potentially attract business users: things like a 1920 x 1200 display, metal body, and options for a whole boatload of storage. Unsurprisingly, we were pretty taken with this slate, especially since it still managed to deliver all ...

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Windows Phone 8.1 promises to make a number of big changes to Microsoft’s smartphone platform. We’ve already seen evidence showing the move away from mandatory hardware buttons, in favor of on-screen virtual alternatives, we could finally get a full-fledged notification center, and its launch could mark the arrival of 

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