Live from Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 and Lumia event!
Hello! We hope you’re not sick of big keynotes, because Microsoft is about to kick off a press event in New York, and if that invite up there is any indication, some shiny new hardware is in order. If nothing else, we can safely assume that includes the long-awaited Surface Pro 4 — it is their flagship product, after all, and the last-gen version has gone a year and a half without an update. Microsoft is also likely to officially introduce Windows 10 Mobile alongside some new smartphones, including the 5.2-inch Lumia 950 and the 5.7-inch 950 XL. We also wouldn’t be surprised if we got a close-up peek at the lower-end Lumia 550, which has also been revealed in leaks. And hey, if we’re lucky maybe we’ll even learn more about when HoloLens is finally going on sale. Only one way to find out: Bookmark this liveblog link, and check back at 10AM Eastern on Tuesday, October 6th for up-to-the-minute coverage.
Microsoft demos ‘Project XRay’ mixed reality game for HoloLens
One of Microsoft’s most exciting products to date is HoloLens, and today the company revealed a new mixed reality game for the headset called Project XRay. The title was developed internally, according to the Executive VP of the Windows Devices group, Terry Myerson. Similar to the Minecraft experience on HoloLens, Project XRay also looks incredible — particularly because you can turn most any room into your own gaming canvas. Here, though, you’re wearing a holographic weapon on your arm, which you’ll need to defend yourself from a robot attack. Once they start crawling out of the walls, you can shoot lasers at them — yes, lasers. “Holograms behave just like real objects; they can interact with environments and with each other,” said the Microsoft representative on stage about Project XRay.
In other news, Microsoft announced that HoloLens will reach developers in 2016 for $3,000. For now, we’re really hoping we’ll get to experience Project XRay ourselves once the event is over.
Get all the news from today’s Microsoft event right here.
Windows 10 is now installed on 110 million devices
With Windows 10 being a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users, it’s no surprise that many have jumped at the chance to see what Microsoft’s latest OS has to offer. In fact, only a day after its release, the company counted 14 million installs, which sky-rocketed to 75 million less than a month after that. At the “Windows 10 devices” event today, Microsoft’s Terry Myerson provided a brief update, announcing that figure has now reached a whopping 110 million. That’s quite the number, especially considering Windows 10 has only been out for around 10 weeks. The overwhelming majority of installs are coming from regular consumers, too, with just over 8 million attributed to business PCs.
Get all the news from today’s Microsoft event right here.
The new Microsoft Band has a curved screen, fancy metal accents
Remember that awkward, blockly looking fitness bracelet / smartwatch Microsoft made last year, the Band? It’s back, but this time it actually looks pretty nice. A more comfortable, curved screen? Classy metal accents? New sensors, app functionality and fitness tracking features? Yes, yes and yes. The new Band looks like a real product, not the uncomfortable, weird thing we reviewed last year.
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The new Band has all the fitness features as the original wearable (GPS, a heart rate monitor, sleep and calorie tracking, guided workout notifications, etc), but adds in new tricks like a barometer (for tracking altitude), golf swing tracking, deeper Cortana integration and the ability to sort out your body’s VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise.
Yes, the new Band is still very much a high-end fitness tracker, but Microsoft isn’t slacking on the smartwatch elements, either. New partnerships with companies like Starbucks, Uber, Facebook, Runkeeper and Lose It promise to make the new wearable far more useful than the previous generation.
Developing…
Microsoft HoloLens reaches developers in early 2016 for $3,000
Microsoft has been answering a lot of questions about HoloLens as of late, but a few questions have remained: when can you get it? And will you need to mortgage your home to get one? Well, those mysteries have been solved… if you’re a programmer. The crew in Redmond has revealed that a Development Edition of its holographic computing headset will launch in the first quarter of 2016 for $3,000. That’s not a completely outlandish price tag, but it’s safe to say that you won’t be getting this early HoloLens purely for kicks — this is to help prepare apps for the eventual mainstream version of the device. Still, it’s good to hear that this exotic wearable tech won’t be limited to Microsoft’s campus for much longer.
Microsoft’s Lumia 950 XL puts Windows 10 in your pocket for $649
While the Surface Pro 4 may garner the bulk of the attention from today’s Microsoft event, the folks in Redmond had other stuff to reveal, too. Those other announcements include a pair of smartphones, one of which is the supersized Lumia 950 XL. Thanks to a handful of leaks, we already had an idea what the handset would look like and some details of its spec sheet. The 950 XL features a larger OLED screen than its sibling, measuring 5.7 inches at 518 PPI. It also offers 32GB of storage that you can expand via microSD card up to a whopping 2TB. There’s a 20-megapixel Zeiss camera around back with Triple LED RGB Natural Flash, optical image stabilization and a dedicated camera button as well, continuing to leverage the photo chops from Nokia. And, of course, all of that runs on Windows 10.
The new Lumias both pack in adaptive antenna tech that works to give you the best connection possible at all times. The $649 950 XL also carries a Qualcomm hexa-core processor and liquid cooling that was originally developed for the Surface tablet. Microsoft gave both of the new Lumia phones something it calls Glance Screen technology that’ll show you missed calls, emails, time, date and more just by taking a look at the display. The duo also both feature USB Type-C connectors for 5 Gbps transfer speeds and quick charging that can hit 50 percent in 30 minutes. There’s also a Display Dock that had connections for HDMI, DisplayPort and three USB jacks that’ll allow you to connect the handset to a monitor. And thanks to Windows 10 universal apps and Continuum, you can employ those hand Office apps to get work done at your desk… with your phone.
Get all the news from today’s Microsoft event right here.
Meet the Lumia 950, Microsoft’s first Windows 10 flagship
Microsoft has announced the Lumia 950, the smartphone that will carry the burden of being the company’s first Windows 10 mobile flagship for the next year. The device comes with a 5.2-inch WQHD (2,560 x 1,440) OLED display that comes with a glance screen that keeps your notifications constantly viewable to save power. In addition, the unit comes with the same liquid cooling technology that’s been lifted from the design of the Microsoft Surface. Internals-wise, the company is promising an octa-core Qualcomm processor and 32GB of internal storage that can, theoretically, a take a 2TB microSD card when they’re available to buy.
Of course, the biggest draw of any Microsoft phone is the camera, and the Lumia 950 comes with a 20-megapixel PureView shooter. The lens, as usual, comes with Carl Zeiss glass as well as optical image stabilization, promising buttery-smooth 4K video without any blur or judder. Oh, and that also neglects to mention the Triple LED RGB flash which, the company promises, will end the days of washing out facial features when you take shots in low light.
Interestingly, Microsoft’s Panos Panay opened his portion of the presentation by talking about the 950’s dual antenna setup, where the Lumia 950 switches between the two in order to find the best mobile signal. He didn’t go into too much detail, but it sounds similar the Paratek Adaptive RF tech that BlackBerry included in some of its devices.
The Lumia 950 comes with a USB Type-C port at the bottom of the device, and Microsoft is promising that the phone will fast-charge to 50 percent capacity within 30 minutes.
The Lumia 950 also has a slightly bigger sister, the 950XL, and both devices will launch in November — the former priced for $549, while the latter retails for $649.
Developing…
Get all the news from today’s Microsoft event right here.
Meet the Lumia 950, Microsoft’s first Windows 10 flagship
Microsoft has announced the Lumia 950, the smartphone that will carry the burden of being the company’s first Windows 10 mobile flagship for the next year. The device comes with a 5.2-inch WQHD (2,560 x 1,440) OLED display that comes with a glance screen that keeps your notifications constantly viewable to save power. In addition, the unit comes with the same liquid cooling technology that’s been lifted from the design of the Microsoft Surface. Internals-wise, the company is promising an octa-core Qualcomm processor and 32GB of internal storage that can, theoretically, a take a 2TB microSD card when they’re available to buy.
Of course, the biggest draw of any Microsoft phone is the camera, and the Lumia 950 comes with a 20-megapixel PureView shooter. The lens, as usual, comes with Carl Zeiss glass as well as optical image stabilization, promising buttery-smooth 4K video without any blur or judder. Oh, and that also neglects to mention the Triple LED RGB flash which, the company promises, will end the days of washing out facial features when you take shots in low light.
Interestingly, Microsoft’s Panos Panay opened his portion of the presentation by talking about the 950’s dual antenna setup, where the Lumia 950 switches between the two in order to find the best mobile signal. He didn’t go into too much detail, but it sounds similar the Paratek Adaptive RF tech that BlackBerry included in some of its devices.
The Lumia 950 comes with a USB Type-C port at the bottom of the device, and Microsoft is promising that the phone will fast-charge to 50 percent capacity within 30 minutes.
The Lumia 950 also has a slightly bigger sister, the 950XL, and both devices will launch in November — the former priced for $549, while the latter retails for $649.
Developing…
Get all the news from today’s Microsoft event right here.
Microsoft’s Lumia 550 offers entry-level Windows 10 for $140
Back when Lumia phones were under Nokia’s charge, the 5-series was a budget-friendly range. Nothing’s changed now that Microsoft is in control, as the freshly announced Lumia 550 will attest. As you might expect, the spec-sheet likely won’t start any fires, but the price might: $140.
The Lumia 550 barely got any stage time at the Microsoft Windows 10 devices event, but we did hear it sports a quad-core processor, and LTE — much in line with the rumors we’d heard (and pictured above).
Developing…
Engadget giveaway: win an iPhone 6s courtesy of Spigen!
Live and learn, right? While having a bare-bottomed phone looks great, with one or two catastrophes under your belt, you may not be going commando again any time soon. This is especially true if you have a high-end handset like Apple’s iPhone 6s. That’s where companies like Spigen come in, to wrap your precious pocket computer in a slim, secure shell. The Neo Hybrid line of cases boasts upgraded polycarbonate frames with extra protection where it’s needed. Both the classic version and the Carbon offer military-grade protection, while the Ex provides a clear, flexible shell to show off your phone’s styling. This week’s giveaway pairs both an iPhone 6s (16GB, GSM, T-mobile) with a collection of Spigen’s protective cases to keep it safe and sound. Just head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning.
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Apple iPhone 6s (Space gray, 16GB, MKQX2LL/A – GSM T-mobile), and six (6) Spigen cases (two of each: Neo Hybrid, Neo Hybrid Carbon and Neo Hybrid Ex).
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until October 7th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
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