Microsoft and Barnes & Noble to announce tablet with Xbox Live streaming, report claims

Microsoft announced this past April that it acquired a 17% stake in a newly-formed Barnes & Noble subsidiary that will focus on Nook tablets and eReaders. What the company may not have mentioned at the time is that the new partnership might also yield a line of Microsoft-branded tablets. Microsoft sent out a last-minute invitation to a press conference late last week, and multiple subsequent reports have suggested that this event will see Microsoft unveil a new line of own-brand tablets powered by Windows RT. According to a recent report from TechCrunch, however, the Redmond-based company plans to take the wraps off a Barnes & Noble joint effort. The site's sources claim the new tablet will be an eReader-media tablet combo, and it will focus on entertainment thanks to the inclusion of Xbox Live streaming support. Microsoft's event begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, 3:30 p.m. Pacific, and BGR will be on hand to cover the press conference live.

‘Xbox Surface' 7-inch tablet said to be on tap for Microsoft event

Rumors and speculation have been flying since Microsoft announced last week that it was hosting a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday, and that might be exactly what the Redmond-based company was hoping for. Early well-sourced reports indicated that a Microsoft-branded tablet is on tap for the event, and a number of subsequent reports have said much of the same. TechCrunch later reported that we should expect a Barnes & Noble collaboration, but B&N squashed that rumor relatively quickly. Next up from the rumor mill? An “Xbox Surface” tablet with a 7-inch display, an ARM based TI processor, full HD 1080p-output and a 28-nanometer AMD graphics processor. An an interesting side note, Microsoft insider “MS Nerd” reported earlier this year that Microsoft would unveil an ARM-based “Xbox Lite” in the near future ahead of a full-fledged next-generation Xbox console, and this very well could be the device his sources were referring to.

Live from Microsoft's tablet event!

After saving things for the very last minute in an effort to keep today's news under wraps, Microsoft is finally ready to get the show under way here in Los Angeles, California. The topic of today's event is still something of a mystery, though a pair of well-sourced reports from last week suggest Microsoft is about to enter the the tablet game with its first own-brand offering. Microsoft is no stranger to hardware, though it has seen mixed results in the past; the Xbox 360 is still the best-selling console in the world seven years after its 2005 debut, but the Zune player was a mess from start to finish. Nothing is confirmed until we hear it straight from the horse's mouth, however, so hit the jump to follow BGR's live coverage of today's event, which is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, 3:30 p.m. Pacific.

Microsoft unveils Surface tablet

Microsoft on Monday announced the Surface tablet during a press conference in Los Angeles, California. Rumors leading up to the event suggested that the Redmond-based company had an own-brand tablet in store, and a leaked spec sheet that emerged on Monday pointed to an Xbox-focused slate that would merge entertainment, gaming and high-definition output into a 7-inch tablet that would mark Microsoft's premiere entry into the market. Bits and pieces of various rumors ended up panning out, and Microsoft unveiled its first Windows RT tablet.

Developing… “Surface fulfills the dream of working anywhere,” Microsoft said of the 9.3-millimeter thick tablet, which includes a magnesium case that weighs less than 1.5 pounds and features an integrated stand to prop the device up while watching videos or typing on a Bluetooth keyboard. The face of the Surface is covered with Corning Gorilla Glas 2, and it includes a magnetic connector to hold a case in place.

The new Surface tablet ships with a number of popular Microsoft apps, including Xbox live, and it includes a native Netflix app as well. USB 2.0 and HDMI-out ports are both on board, as are rear and front-facing cameras. An Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor powers the Surface along with a unique vented active cooling system.

Microsoft's Surface tablet supports both finger and stylus input, as well as 600 dpi “Digital Ink” for drawing, writing and marking up documents.

Microsoft launching its own brand of Windows 8 tablets?

According to Taiwanese industry insiders, DigiTimes, we could be seeing Microsoft-branded Windows 8 tablets in the future. There have been reports about the Redmond giant partnering with Texas Instruments and Taiwanese vendors to create their own hardware. Seeing how Microsoft has been successful with its own hardware before (Xbox 360) and as well as unsuccessful (Zune) - the verdict is in the air whether this would be a good move for the company.

Maybe Microsoft could do a test run with its WP7 smartphones first to see how consumers react to its products. And the idea of a Microsoft-branded tablet does sound like it could have potential to do well. If rumors turn out to be true, we should see these tablets on the market by the end of 2012. What are your thoughts about these rumors? Do you think Microsoft could pull off playing the hardware and software guys for its upcoming Windows 8 tablet?
source: Ubergizmo

Rumor: Microsoft-Branded Windows 8 Tablet in the Works

Microsoft gave us an early preview of Windows 8

Microsoft to date still hasn't delivered a response to Apple's iPad tablet, and the software leviathan might be taking matters into its own hands.

Sources at DigiTimes claim that Microsoft has talked with Texas Instruments and Taiwanese OEMS about possibly distributing a Microsoft-branded Windows 8 tablet by 2013.

According to the source, “Microsoft plans to copy its branding strategy from product lines such as Xbox 360, Zune, Kin smartphone and TV, to compete in the tablet PC segment.”

To date, the Microsoft-branded Xbox 360 line has been one of the company's rare hardware success stories. Microsoft's other hardware products haven't had much luck: The Kin smartphone, Zune PMP, and Microsoft-branded televisions have, for lack of a better word, flopped. Microsoft revealed the core functionality of Windows 8 earlier this month at the D9 conference.

Microsoft didn't return our request for comment. But company representative Frank Shaw did tweet this morning: “Nothing like starting the day with a hot steaming cup of speculation."

The move seems unlikely from a business standpoint. Developing a Microsoft-branded tablet could sour its relationship with other Windows 7 and Windows 8 hardware suppliers, something that Microsoft can't afford to lose. However, computer manufacturer Acer has already expressed discomfort about some of Microsoft's tablet plans: The company's CEO J.T. Wang claimed that Microsoft is imposing “troublesome” restrictions on makers of processors who are making Windows 8 tablets.

Wang didn't elaborate on what those restrictions are. But it's possible that Microsoft's strategy with Windows 8 will be similar to its approach with Windows Phone 7, in which the company issues a strict list of criteria to phone manufacturers, requiring their handsets to contain specific hardware in order to run Microsoft's operating system.
source: Gadget Lab

Microsoft Exec Thinks Tablets are just Fads, Agree?

A Microsoft executive claims that tablet computers, which includes Apple’s iPad, are nothing more than a fad.

“Mobile is something that you want to use while you’re moving, and portable is something that you move and then use,” said Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, during a luncheon in Sydney. “These are going to bump into one another a little bit, and so today you can see tablets and pads and other things that are starting to live in the space in between.”

“Personally, I don’t know whether I believe that space will be a persistent one or not,” Mundie added.

This probably reflects why Microsoft remains low-key in the tablet market, despite the aggressive competition from various manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, LG Electronics, Toshiba, and Motorola. Windows 7 has appeared on a handful of tablets, most of which are only available in Asia.

However, rumors claim that Microsoft is not taking tablet computers for granted, as its next operating system, with the working title “Windows 8,” would be designed for tablet computers. The new OS is expected to be released in 2012, which may also prompt Microsoft to develop a tablet to go with it.

Source