Latest news with #Surface
Gizmodo
13-06-2025
- Gizmodo
Best Buy's Giving You $1,000 Off Refurbished Microsoft Surface Touchscreen Laptop, Nearly Free Right Now
Looking to replace you laptop but don't feel like shelling out thousands for the latest MacBook? Well you don't need to sweat. You can grab yourself something perfectly capable of meeting your everyday needs. New is overrated. Like-new is good enough for just about anything and is a great way to save yourself hundreds and hundreds of dollars. What happens to new products anyway? Well I'll tell you. They become old. It happens to us all. Stop trying to fight the entropy of the universe and just accept things get old. Get this refurbished Microsoft Surface for the insanely reduced price of just $300 for a limited time. The Microsoft Surface laptop is a super versatile option that can fulfill a lot of the needs of pretty much anyone, be it you're a student, small business owner, or just someone who wants to go online with something other than their phone. Right now, you can get the 2017 Microsoft Surface Pro laptop for a crazy $999 off. That's over a 75% discount from its starting price of $1,299. See at Best Buy Performance and Portability This Microsoft Surface Pro laptop boasts an Intel 7th generation Core i5 processor, engineered for exceptional speed and performance. It comes with either 8GB of memory, allowing for smooth performance across a diverse range of applications, whether your using them for school work, business or leisure. The storage supports 256GB so you'll have plenty of space for files, photos, and more. The screen measures in at 13.5 inches across, weighing 2.76 lbs. and coming in at just 0.56 inches thin. It can fit easily into your backpack or bag so you can take it with you wherever you're headed without being weighed down. The keypad is a staple of the Microsoft Surface, with its comfortable to type on keys, soft palm rest, and large trackpad. It attaches to the Microsoft Surface magnetically so it can be removed when needing to use the Surface simply as a tablet. When not using the Microsoft surface at all, you can fold the keypad up against the screen to keep it protected. Great for traveling with it in your bag. For a limited time you can secure yourself this refurbished first generation Microsoft Sruface Laptop with a 13.5″ touchscreen and 256GB of storage for a full $999 cheaper than when it first launched. That means right now the price is down from it's original listing of $1,299 to just $300. That represents a savings of over 75%. See at Best Buy
Gizmodo
12-06-2025
- Gizmodo
Windows 11 Pro for 95% Off Brings the Price Down to Almost $0, This Limited Deal Expires Soon
If you're looking to upgrade your PC's operating system, we have great news for you. You can enjoy a new UI designed for multitasking with a whole slew of new security features with Windows 11 Pro. StackSocial has Windows 11 Pro down to a measly $10 (use code 'MSO5') for a limited time. Typically a new Windows license will run you about $200, but it's a solid 95% off at the moment. That's right, StackSocial's discounts go hard. So if you've been considering upgrading, there's no better time this moment. See at StackSocial Maximize Your Productivity With These New Features Universal Search is a new tool now on the the taskbar that lets you literally search for anything. Whether you're looking for specific files or apps on your computer or need recipes or maps on the web, it will look through all systems to find exactly what you need. Contacts, notes from class—you name it. All with one search bar. We all know what OneDrive is at this point, don't we? Sync your files and preferences across all your devices. Need to respond to an urgent email with an attachment? Maybe you forgot to submit a paper. Deadline is within the hour and you're nowhere near home nor your laptop? Just pull it up on OneDrive from your phone and submit. Boom. I personally love having it so when I travel, I can just take my Surface and not have to worry about not being able to access all my stuff from my main PC at my desk at home. Desktop is a complete game changer, albeit a poorly named feature. As a freelance worker, I use the same PC for work, leisure—pretty much everything. It can be cumbersome having all of that on one desktop. Luckily, Windows 11 Pro lets you have multiple. You can organize custom desktops with different shortcuts, widgets, and even wallpaper. Set yourself up with a desktop for school, one for personal use, for gaming, a side hustle perhaps? Then easily swap between them all right on the taskbar. And there are so many Windows shortcuts you may not even know about. You ever use Win + V? It's like Ctrl + V on steroids. This will pull up your whole clipboard and history of what you copied. Makes its tremendously easy to move multiple bits of info into a form or spreadsheet. No more flipping between tabs — just copy everything you need, then use Win – V to access all of them and select the right ones for the right fields. The latest operating system from Microsoft—Windows 11 Pro—has been cut down in price by a crazy 95% (use code 'MSO5'. Upgrade your system's OS to Windows 11 Pro for just $10. See at StackSocial
CNET
11-06-2025
- Business
- CNET
Act Fast to Grab This Microsoft Surface Pro 12 Bundle for a Massive $203 Off
If you're unsure whether you'd rather purchase a laptop or a tablet, why not consider a device that serves as both? Today's 2-in-1 laptops are more powerful and versatile than ever, so purchasing one might help you save money while still getting features that'll help you work, study and play comfortably. Right now, we've spotted Microsoft's 12-inch Surface Pro 12 bundle for just $947 at Amazon -- a $203 savings for a limited time. This bundle includes a 12-inch Surface Pro 12, keyboard and Slim Pen 2 ($103 separately). With these accessories, you can start using the tablet as a laptop immediately. Microsoft equipped every Surface Pro 12 with Microsoft 365 Copilot, so you'll get Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. Plus, there's 1TB in cloud storage, so games, files and documents can be backed up securely. The Snapdragon X Plus processor also provides speedy yet reliable performance, so you can complete tasks without interruptions and even experiment with AI features. And with a battery that lasts up to 16 hours, you won't have to worry about losing power in the middle of the workday. If you'd prefer to grab just the Surface Pro 12, the 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD version is just $770. Keep in mind that there's no discount for the tablet on its own right now. To better take advantage of this purchase, check out our article on the best ways to use a 2-in-1 laptop. Why this deal matters This Microsoft Surface Pro 12 deal includes a keyboard and Slim Pen 2 for a massive $203 off the original $1,150 asking price. The Surface Pro 12 is slim, has a battery life that'll get you through the day and includes a host of Microsoft's best software, like Excel, Office and PowerPoint. But there's no set deadline for this deal, so we suggest acting fast.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
AMD is allegedly working on Arm-based "Sound Wave" APUs for Microsoft's Surface laptops next year
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. AMD is allegedly working on an Arm-based SoC, codenamed "Sound Wave", in a bid to power Microsoft's Surface laptops next year, claims Kepler via ITHome. Moving away from traditional x86 designs, Sound Wave is reported to feature the Arm ISA and will likely leverage off-the-shelf Cortex cores. Details on exact specifications, availability, and pricing remain under wraps, so it's wise to approach this leak with caution. Looking beyond its historical Wintel roots, Microsoft has made a clear push towards the WoA (Windows on Arm) platform. This was put into effect with the firm's partnership with Qualcomm, which yielded the Snapdragon X family. This was likely a significant catalyst that motivated Intel to engineer an efficiency-first alternative: Lunar Lake. In fact, even Nvidia is entering the WoA space with its rumored N1 family of SoCs, developed in partnership with MediaTek. The strong success of the Nintendo Switch, powered by Nvidia hardware, underlines a lucrative market for Arm-based handhelds. These Sound Wave SoCs, if true, could be a foundation for the Steam Deck 2, but I must emphasize this is highly speculative. Microsoft's current-generation Surface Pro 11 and Surface 7 laptops are powered by chips from Qualcomm and Intel. AMD's existing gap in efficiency compared to Snapdragon X, Lunar Lake, and likely soon-to-launch N1 offerings could be bridged with these Arm-based SoCs. It is suggested these APUs will slot into the FF5 socket, succeeding FF3, which is home to the Steam Deck's Aerith/Sephiroth APUs. Regarding the integrated graphics, AMD should continue to employ its established Radeon IP instead of adopting Arm's Mali graphics solutions. Lunar Lake sticks to x86 roots, and while it might be inferior in performance to Arm-based equivalents from Qualcomm and Apple, it comes extremely close in efficiency, even exceeding them in battery endurance tests. That being said, Lunar Lake wasn't exactly cheap for Intel, including expensive manufacturing with TSMC's N3B process, Foveros 3D packaging, on-package LPDDR5x-8533 RAM, and next-generation IP blocks like Xe2-LPG for graphics. This is why ex-CEO Pat Gelsinger characterized Lunar Lake as an expensive one-off design. So, AMD's decision could be driven by the high costs and complexities associated with building an ultra-efficient x86 design, especially for the sub-10W range, and Microsoft's growing push for Windows on Arm and AI-first PCs. Likewise, can Microsoft address the teething optimization and compatibility issues that still plague the WoA ecosystem by then? We should reserve our judgments until AMD actually reveals these products, assuming they're even in the pipeline. While AMD could reveal more at CES 2026, we'll probably have to wait a bit longer as Microsoft tends to announce new Surface products during the summer season. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Mint
08-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Alexa! Can this Amazon executive make you cool again?
'And it actually played," he says, hands on his knees, leaning into the audience of reporters and analysts at February demonstration of Alexa+, a rebooted, AI-infused version of the virtual assistant. 'Sounds kind of funny right now, but 10 years ago, it was mind-blowing." During that first encounter with Alexa, Panay was working for Microsoft, developing Surface tablets and laptops that earned a cultlike following. Now, he is a year and a half into overseeing Amazon's devices and services—including Alexa, which hasn't changed much in the past decade, even as the tech world has been upended by advances like ChatGPT. After releasing Alexa to widespread acclaim in 2015, Amazon had a head start getting people to engage with AI. But users still primarily ask the voice assistant for things like timers and the weather. Alexa and the devices unit have become a multibillion-dollar drag on Amazon's bottom line, a reminder of how a company known for its limitless expansionary ambitions failed to win at the next big thing. For years, the devices unit unveiled a flurry of products like a house drone, a fitness wristband and a smartphone to see what might land with consumers. Alexa was integrated into microwaves, refrigerators and even eyeglasses. Panay has scaled back the number of launches, focusing instead on ensuring that products like Alexa+ are functioning perfectly before rolling out to roughly 600 million devices. 'I believe simple is always better," Panay, 52, said in an interview. 'Anything you buy from Amazon, you will not only fall in love with, but it's also going to be that much easier to use." Amazon has repeatedly delayed the full release of its smarter Alexa since first showcasing a version in September 2023. In early tests, as generative-AI capabilities were added, it became less reliable for existing tasks like turning on the lights. Responses were too often jumbled or took too long. The company says Alexa+ will be available as an optional software update this summer to most, if not all, customers, though it hasn't announced a specific date. According to the company, the new version of Alexa—which Panay refers to as 'she," a rarity even among employees—will be able to arrange personal calendar events, play the music you want based on a vague description and remember dietary preferences for at-home meals. Alexa will be conversational, able to talk about major sporting events like a human friend, and capable of contacting and scheduling a contractor for house repairs, Amazon says. Panay joined Amazon in October 2023 and inherited some of the delays, but he has also held up its wider release until he is satisfied that Alexa+ will work flawlessly, conversationally and with limited lag time, people familiar with the matter say. He is often testing it out at home and reporting bugs. In one meeting last year, he told staff that he and one of his daughters had prompted Alexa+ to play a top-50 song with only context clues, but Alexa couldn't find the song. He told his team that Alexa+ had to be better at helping people find what they were looking for. Panay built his reputation at Microsoft, where he was known as the 'godfather" of the Surface devices and oversaw Windows. He was instrumental in the popular, minimalist aesthetics of the Surface tablet and was known to ask company engineers about numerous small details. Surface products weren't an immediate success. In 2013, Microsoft took a $900 million charge related to its struggling Surface RT tablet before the Surface Pro 3 became a hit. Panay became the effusive onstage showman, cultivating product launches akin to Apple's. On stage, and most days, he wears all black to simplify his wardrobe decisions and adorns his outfits with gold bracelets or rings, and sometimes flashy Nike sneakers. Panos Panay, shown here in 2017, was well-known for his Surface product launch events at Microsoft. At Microsoft, Panay hosted his friend and comedian Trevor Noah, who's known for his interest in technology, more than once. In 2019, Noah posted on Instagram a photo of himself with Panay in a Microsoft lab, saying he'd asked the executive for 'extra features and free Xbox games." Panay spent weeks preparing for his presentations at Microsoft, said Ryan Day, who worked on the Surface's public-relations team. Panay would ask every team member how they thought a product's story should be told, and he pulled engineers to the side to ask how the hinges on devices would work or to figure out exact dimensions that would entice customers. 'He was obsessed with the mechanics of physical products," Day said. 'He never got up there and winged it." Panay left Microsoft after more than 19 years to join Amazon, where he took over a sprawling division that includes everything from the Kindle e-reader to the Zoox autonomous vehicle and the Project Kuiper satellite-internet business, meant to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink. He knows that getting Alexa+ right is critical because it will release to millions of people who depend on the technology across multiple devices. It's a very public rollout. Some new features, such as certain personalized reminders and routines for family members, grocery ordering, creating personalized music, and third-party services like food ordering through Grubhub, haven't been available for early testers. An Amazon spokesman said that nearly 90% of the Alexa+ features that the company announced are available for early users, though it isn't clear how big that group is. The spokesman said that the rest of the features will be available this summer. Teams have demonstrated Alexa+ to Panay every few weeks. At one internal demo late last year, the assistant accidentally duplicated items in a shopping cart for a recipe. It also would default to recommending bananas to everyone since those are one of the most popular grocery items on Amazon. Panay insists that all of Alexa's problems must be ironed out before the release. 'He really has us putting our back into 'Let's be a world-class consumer electronics company,'" said Daniel Rausch, Amazon's vice president of Alexa and Echo, who reports to Panay. Last year, Panay noticed that the Echo Show visual display with Alexa+ had some screens with an easy-to-spot 'back" button but other screens where he had to swipe to go back. He told staff to make the function consistent, saying other, non-Amazon devices had such consistency. Panay—not to be confused with his cousin, Panos A. Panay, the president of the Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammy Awards—was born in the Los Angeles area and is of Cypriot-Greek descent. He grew up in Burbank, Calif., and received a bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge, and a master's in business from Pepperdine University. Early in his career, he worked at NMB Technologies, where he helped develop products such as keyboards and speakers. He now lives in the Seattle area. Each day, the married father of four wakes up at 4:15 a.m. to journal, typically writing personal memos about the products he and his team are working on. Lately, he says he's learning from 'Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor known for his ideas on Stoicism. 'You can't always be beating yourself up," he said. Philosophical works are 'where I can always be learning and not judging, just trying to be myself at the end of the day." Amazon's original financial strategy was to sell underpriced Echo speakers enabled with Alexa in hopes of getting people to spend more throughout the Amazon ecosystem. It didn't work, and the Amazon devices unit, dragged down by the financial performance of Echo, has overall been a money loser. It became clear that it wasn't going to be profitable alone, which is why the company is now tying Alexa+ to Prime, said a person familiar with the matter. Alexa+ will be included with an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $14.99 a month, or as a separate $19.99-a-month subscription.
