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Samsung SUR40 – The Microsoft Surface

By Cheryl | Posted in Microsoft | December 9, 2011 – 1:30 pm

They look good in movies and now they’re starting to creep on to the market. Yes, computer surfaces could be coming to a shop near you.

Samsung have teamed up with Microsoft to release the Samsung SUR40, and although the name may not impress, the surface itself certainly does.

Using the Microsoft platform, the release marks the first time the company have allowed for the sale of the technology, and why wouldn’t they test the waters? The surface is very impressive with a 40-inch LCD display allowing a staggering 50 simultaneous touch points at one time, recognising fingers, hands and objects placed on the screen.

I’ll let Microsoft explain why forking out a cool $8000 could be money well spent for your business…

  • Make content more engaging. Give your customers immersive and collaborative ways to engage with photos, videos, documents, maps, custom applications, and more.
  • Plan and simulate. Bring to life real-time “if/then” modeling and visualization, simulations and calculations—perfect for financial services, healthcare, and other consultative environments.
  • Make learning more fun. Breathe new life into the education process with rich visualizations that encourage teamwork and enhance learning.
  • Transform the shopping experience. Make shopping more immersive by connecting customers with more options, recommendations, product and service comparisons, and personalized service.
  • Connect with customers through games and pastimes. Have some fun by putting Surface in restaurants, bars, hotel lobbies, and other venues, associating memorable experiences with your brand.
  • Communicate and connect. Give people an efficient and intriguing new way to get the information they’re looking for—like maps and tourist destinations in a hotel lobby. Or use it to help them exchange personal information so they can connect with each other and to your business.

    • For more information visit http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/whatissurface.aspx and http://www.samsunglfd.com/product/feature.do?modelCd=SUR40

    You’ve got mail… oh no, maybe you don’t…

    By Nicola | Posted in Microsoft, Twitter at 12 | January 5, 2011 – 1:01 pm

    Hundreds of people complained to Microsoft at the weekend when they logged into their Hotmail account to find all of their emails had disappeared.

    The problem, which was apparently caused by a ‘computer glitch’, was eventually resolved after a matter of hours but only after e-mails were mistakenly sent to account holder’s deleted mail folders in a majority of cases.

    Microsoft spokeswoman Catherine Brooker said that all of the affected users now have their e-mails back and that the problem only applied to a limited number of people. The company would not say how many e-mails were lost.

    She added: “Microsoft is still investigating the root cause of what happened in this particular instance to prevent this from happening again.”

    Hotmail currently boasts a staggering 360 million users, according to web traffic measurement group comScore.

    The online Hotmail message board has accumulated 489 pages of complaints about lost and deleted emails dating back to early November.

    Facts about emails:

    1. 160 billion emails are sent daily, 97% of them are spam.
    2. Spam generates 33bn KWt-hours of energy every year, enough to power 2.4 million homes, producing 17 million tons of CO2.
    3. Queen Elizabeth of Britain sent her first email in 1976.
    4. 9 out of every 1,000 computers are invected with spam.
    5. The first electronic mail, or “email”, was sent in 1972 by Ray Tomlinson.
    6. It was also his idea to use the @ sign to separate the name of the user from the name of the computer.

    MSN Music links with Zune Marketplace

    By Cheryl | Posted in Entertainment, Microsoft, Twitter at 12 | October 19, 2010 – 11:52 am

    Zune MarketplaceMicrosoft recently announced that it will join MSN Music with Zune Marketplace when it is unveiled in the UK.

    What is MSN Music?
    MSN Music is part of MSN web services which is owned by Microsoft. Delivering music news, videos, artist information and other live performances, the service was set up to compete with the Apple iTunes store.

    What is Zune Marketplace?
    Zune Marketplace is a digital media player from Microsoft offering music, video, podcasts and pictures downloads. When the marketplace was first opened it was home to around 2 million songs, this has now jumped to more than 6 million as demand for the service has continued to grow.

    The Zune pass costs £8.99 per month and allows users to stream media from software on their PC, Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360 or in any browser.

    What does the integration mean?
    MSN Music’s editorial content will now start linking with Zune, and in-turn, Zune will replace the current MSN Music download store. Simple!

    Considering MSN Music gets around 25 million unique visitors in the UK every month, this change will be a big boost for Zune.
    The release for the UK has yet to be announced, but is expected to be towards the end of the year.

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    Top six iPad alternatives

    By Nicola | Posted in Gadgets, Microsoft, Twitter at 12 | September 10, 2010 – 12:08 pm

    Here at QuadroNation, we like to think of ourselves as quite generous (tis true).

    A couple of months ago, we decided to provide our regular blog readers with a daily informative fact and our Twitter at 12 posts continues to keep our readers up to date with all of the goings on in the world of a technical know it all.

    But enough of the self promotion, today we’re here to talk about the iPad.

    Nearly everyone on the planet knows someone who owns one and they are rapidly becoming the must have gadget of the century. Today, forecasts have predicted that there will be 28 million iPad sales before the end of 2011 – yes, 28 million.

    However, did you know there are alternatives to the iPad? Yes, alternatives!

    We’ve compiled the top five touch screen offerings that may just make you stray from your usual digital devise provider Apple.

    HP Slate PC HP Slate PC
    Hewlett Packards’s touch screen slate is expected to go on the market later this year for under $500. Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer has already described it as ‘a beautiful little product… as portable as a phone and as powerful as a PC running Windows 7.’ Fancy.

    It may not look like a real contender to Apple’s tablet but the prospect of having Windows 7 on such a small device is very exciting and demonstrates just where technology is headed in the next few months 2010. £TBC, www.HP.com/uk, out late 2010

    Sony Dash Viewer Sony Dash Viewer
    Sony’s seven-inch touchscreen Wi-Fi ‘Personal Internet Viewer’ runs the Linux-based Chumby OS. Users will be able to access 1,000+ free Chumby apps for news, weather, photos etc, and it can also be propped up like a photo frame. For under $200, could you go wrong? $199 (£120), www.Sony.co.uk, Out April




    T-Mobile Vega T-Mobile Vega
    Available later this year in the UK, the Vega from T-Mobile is one of the first tablets to run on Android. With a 15-inch touchscreen and powered by an Nvidia Tegra 250 mobile web processor, it’s designed for family use within the home. T-Mobile describes it as a ‘family communication network’, which can be accessed remotely by several users. £TBC, www.T-Mobile.co.uk, out early 2010


    Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid Lenovo ideapad u1 Hybrid
    The 11.6-inch Ideapad U1 hybrid from Lenovo features a detachable, tablet-style screen and when the screen is locked into the chassis, it becomes a Windows 7 Home Premium laptop with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It can also transform into a Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered, multi-touch slate with 16GB storage, running Lenovo’s Skylight Linux system. The notebook has built-in Wi-Fi and can use the tablet’s 3G connectivity to get online. The only thing it doesn’t do is make you a cup of tea by the sound of it! $999 (£610), www.Lenovo.com/uk


    Dell Android Slate 5inch Dell Streak
    This visually appealing slate is currently referred to as the ‘Dell Concept Tablet’ and boasts a five-inch screen, runs the Android OS and also totes a five-meg camera with LED flash. It is expected that the device will have 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities . £TBC, www.Dell.co.uk, Out 2010

    And last but not least (if I leave this out my colleague will never speak to me again!)…


    Samsung Galaxy TabSamsung Galaxy Tab
    Samsung will release their answer to the iPad this year, and people already have high hopes for the device. The company have not yet released the specifications of its new device, but what we do know is it will be powered by Android and will have an integrated Flash player, integrated GPS with Google Maps, WiFi, SyncML support, Swype, and Bluetooth.
    The Galaxy Tab is expected to be around half the size of the iPad, making it ideal for people who want something a little smaller. £600-700, http://www.samsung.com/uk/galaxytab, Out October.

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