Microsoft Blog, News and Reviews UK

Microsoft Announces Surface Book 2 with 13″ & 15″ Display & Nvidia 1050/1060

by James Smythe | Oct 18, 2017 | Microsoft, Laptops & Notebooks, News, NVIDIA | 0

Normally with product releases, there is all sort of leaks and hypes about a new product, but Microsoft seems to have gone under the radar with their newly announced Surface Book 2. It has been a few years since the original was announced, and it was generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best convertible laptops around. You had a well-crafted laptop, featuring a top of the range mobile CPU in with a travel-friendly 13.5-inch screen. What really differentiated the Surface Book was the discrete GPU embedded into its base, it was believed the original GPU...

Microsoft gives up on Windows 10 Mobile

by James Smythe | Oct 10, 2017 | Microsoft, News | 0

It probably comes as no surprise but Microsoft has finally given up on its mobile OS. While Windows mobile was actually a good OS it never gained traction, coming out far too late and not getting the backing of App developers. If the earlier versions of Windows Phone were more like Windows 10 Mobile then they may have had a chance. This new version of the OS aims to provide greater consistency with PCs, including more extensive synchronization of content, a new universal application platform that allows one app to run on multiple Windows 10 devices such as PCs,...

Microsoft finally announce the Xbox One X

by James Smythe | Jun 13, 2017 | Microsoft, News, Xbox One | 1

Everyone already knew Project Scorpio was in development, which is now named the Xbox One X. Most of the specifications have been leaked too, but now we have firm details on its looks, release date and specifications. Being released November 7th worldwide, priced at $499 or £449, the One X will be the most powerful console on the planet. The new console will ship with 6 teraflops of graphical power, more than its main competitor, the PS4 Pro, with 4.2 teraflops. Microsoft is using a custom GPU engine on Scorpio that runs at 1172MHz, a big increase over the...

Windows 10 S Announced: Windows Chromebook alternative

by James Smythe | May 4, 2017 | Laptops & Notebooks, Microsoft, News | 0

So, the rumours of a lightweight low-cost Windows OS are true. As rumoured Windows 10 S locks down the system forcing you to use only Windows Store apps, which should mean the system runs faster and is less prone to security issues due to app sandboxes. It is supposed to be focused on the education market but you Microsoft and its partners will also sell devices to the masses. The appeal for schools is that Microsoft has added tools that make setting up and managing hundreds of machines far easier, and these are environments where administrators already dictate what...

Microsoft Project Scorpio’s official specifications promises true 4K gaming

by James Smythe | Apr 7, 2017 | Microsoft, Xbox One | 0

The Xbox One S was just an interim upgrade for the Xbox with the main upgrade always going to be Project Scorpio. We now have the specifications of this new console and it is looking like a beast (still not as good as a PC though) Inside each system will be a CPU featuring eight custom x86 cores, clocked at 2.3 GHz, a custom GPU with 40 customised compute units clocked at 1172MHz and 12GB of GDDR5 RAM. Players will also have 1TB, 2.5-inch hard drive to play around with, and a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive. The 12GB of...

Microsoft Surface Event: Microsoft’s Surface Book i7 offers twice the graphics power

by James Smythe | Oct 27, 2016 | Microsoft, Laptops & Notebooks, Tablet | 0

As you would expect from the Microsoft Surface Event, a new updated Surface has been launched. Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Book i7, a refresh that focuses on pure power. As the name suggests you now get a Core i7 CPU, but a hefty upgrade to the GPU built into the base, using a GeForce GTX 965M. Admittedly it would have been nice to see a GTX 10xx GPU, but the launch timing was probably a bit close to each other for that to happen. There's also a larger battery that promises up to 16 hours of battery life...

Microsoft Surface Event: Surface Studio and Surface Dial

by James Smythe | Oct 27, 2016 | Microsoft, Full Systems | 0

The annual Microsoft Surface event may not have as much hype behind it as the Apple and Google events, but they still announce some very interesting products. The Surface line has been a big success for Microsoft, then there have been announcements such as the Hololens which throw a curve ball and create a huge amount of buzz. While not as wacky as the Hololens, or even that unique Microsoft announced the Surface Studio at the latest event. It is an all in one aimed very much at creatives, with a 28-inch, 4,500 x 3,000 and extremely attractive design....

Windows 10 Anniversary Update Launching August 2nd

by James Smythe | Jul 1, 2016 | Microsoft | 0

It has been nearly a year since the launch of Windows 10, and Microsoft is launching a major update to iron out some of the bugs people have found over the past year. Named the Anniversary update, it will be launched on 2nd of August. One of the features that has been sorely lacking since launch, though is extensions for the new browser, Edge. With the Anniversary Update, extensions will finally be available. There are a few extensions already in the preview builds, such as Adblock, Adblock Plus, Lastpass, Microsoft Translator, and a few more. Microsoft is focusing even...

Microsoft Xbox One S Leaks Before E3. Smaller, Faster and 4K

by James Smythe | Jun 13, 2016 | Microsoft, Xbox One | 0

NeoGAF members have posted multiple images of what they say is the Xbox One S, and the leak points to a huge overhaul for the console. It is around 40% smaller than the original with a unique and attractive patterned case, with the power brick being internal. This system will support both 4K video and High Dynamic Range content. It will come with a 2TB hard drive, a streamlined controller and a vertical stand for showing off. No words on pricing or release date, but expect to pay a significant premium on current...

Windows 10 Anniversary Update Will Arrive in Summer

by James Smythe | Mar 31, 2016 | Microsoft | 0

Windows 10 is supposed to end the cycle of major Windows releases such as XP/Vista/7/8 etc, and instead focus on gradual updates for the OS. Microsoft have just announced at their developer conference that this summer will see one of them major updates in the form of the so-called Anniversary Update. This update will bring some hefty improvements including but not limited to: Windows Hello's biometric authentication to all kinds of apps. Vastly improved stylus support including ‘Ink Center’ that you can easily access whenever using a stylus. It includes an improved Sticky Notes, which can now recognize your...

Microsoft kills off Xbox as we know it. Merges PC/Xbox Platforms

by James Smythe | Mar 2, 2016 | Microsoft, Xbox One | 0

Microsoft have announced that they are effectively killing off the Xbox platform as we know it and instead will be unifying the platform with PC using Universal Windows Applications (UWAs). Universal Windows Applications (UWAs) have been one of Microsoft focusses for a while now and it is a development platform that will allow games to run across PC, Xbox, tablets and smartphones. The main goal will be that all games developed for the PC or console will be fully cross compatible, and that the Xbox console itself will eventually become an upgradable unit. What this could mean is that...

Microsoft Announces Surface Book: A High End Convertible Laptop

by James Smythe | Oct 8, 2015 | Laptops, Microsoft, News, Tablets | 0

The biggest surprise from Microsoft’s recent launch event was the announcement of the Surface Book. In the words of Microsoft’s Panos Panay “What if you wanted a Surface — but you wanted a laptop Surface, something with a bigger screen, something with the perfect typing experience of a laptop?” Well the Surface Book is your solution, it has a traditional looking keyboard so it can sit on your lap fine, but like other devices in the surface range it can work as a tablet too, the screen is completely detachable from the keyboard. The specifications are very impressive with...

Category: Microsoft