Microsoft Thanks ‘MacBook’ Disappointment for Great Sales; Honda Teases Electric Car with AI; Gates & Others Start Alt Energy Venture Fund

Posted: December 12, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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November was a banner month for Microsoft Surface consumer sales. According to techcrunch,com, they credit ‘Macbook disappointment’ for the bump. Apple, on the other hand, says they got more orders for the new Pro with limited ports than any previous Macbook Pro. Of course, Microsoft rolled out a freshened Surface book and the new, high line Surface Studio, which has gotten a lot of buzz.

Honda has dropped a picture of it’s experimental electric vehicle called the NeuV. The verge.com says they will show it at CES January 5th, and are saying it will come equipped with artificial intelligence of some kind built into what Honda calls an ‘emotion engine.’ The engine is a set of technologies that will “enable machines to artificially generate their own emotions.” So, does this mean sometimes your car will act like Grumpy Cat, and other times like an excited puppy? Stay tuned.

Bill Gates, Jack Ma, and other tech giants have formed a billion dollar tech venture fund to back cutting edge energy technologies, with the goal of searching for breakthroughs that they hope will reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero. Others involved are John Doerr, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson. Geekwire.com says Gates will be Chairman of the billion dollar Microsoft Ventures fund.

Microsoft Surface Studio; New Size for iPhone 8

Posted: October 27, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Microsoft has rolled out its Surface Studio all-in-one PC. They claim the thinnest display ever built. According to techcrunch.com, it features what they call TrueColor, which allows creative types to change color on the fly…say a filmmaker is working in DCI-P3, but wanted to know how it will look on a TV that doesn’t support P3 color…it can instantly show RGB color. The display also has True Scale…and inch of screen is an inch in real life. The touchscreen can lay down flat, and besides the usual keyboard and mouse, it supports the Surface Pen and a new device called the Surface Dial. The dial can be used on the desktop, or laid right on the display, and has varying functions. The dial works with the Surface Book, Pro 3, and Pro 4. The Surface Studio is on pre-order now, will ship by the holidays, and starts at $2999.

While dueling rumors have the iPhone 8 either all glass or just front and back glass with a bezel, 9to5mac.com reports that Apple will add a new size…a 5 inch model. Apparently, they haven’t decided if it will replace the 4.7 inch size, or be produced as a third size, along with the 5.5 inch iPhone. Some reports point to a curved screen like the Samsung Galaxy Edge, while others see a flat all-glass front coming. It may be that Apple is experimenting with a couple different designs, and we may have a better idea by spring.