Surface Blog

Surface + Spartan Assault stand out on E3 show floor

2013-06-14T19:09:29Z

As many of you know by now, the latest installment to the Halo franchise, Spartan Assault is coming only to Surface, Windows Phone and other Windows 8 devices. Of course we are excited about this as big Surface fans, and longtime Halo heads. But E3 was the first time we got show off why we are so excited, stacking the Microsoft booth on the show floor with rows of Surface tablets so attendees could really get hands on with the new game. We held hourly score attack sessions, challenging players to rack up their best score for a chance to take home a Surface of their own. I just wanted to share a few photos from the event here on the blog with you as we all get ready for Halo Spartan Assault to hit the Windows Store later in July.

Bryson Gordon

Director - Microsoft Surface

Personalize your Surface with Cool Accessories

2013-06-13T21:43:21Z

When it comes to having the best possible Surface experience, accessories are a big player. We are extremely proud of the Surface accessories that we’ve designed to help you do more. We’ve also partnered with some awesome companies to offer you accessories that are designed specifically for Surface. As you think of how you want to use and personalize your Surface, the products that these companies have brought to market deserve a serious look:

Rebecca Minkoff Pyramid-Studded Surface Sleeve in pink

A Magenta Surface Touch Cover compliments the Rebecca Minkoff sleeve above for those who enjoy this bright hue.

Rebecca Minkoff Pyramid-Studded Surface Sleeve in Black

Nixon Surface Sleeve in Black

The Surface Type Cover pairs well with both black sleeves above for a sleek look.

The Incipio Padded Nylon Sleeve for Microsoft Surface

The Incipio Padded Nylon Sleeve in cyan pairs very well with our Surface Touch Cover in cyan.

We want you to be able to make your Surface truly yours. You can expect more cool accessories that are designed for Surface in the months ahead. For now, be sure to check out the latest accessories that are available now.

Brian Crum

Product Manager – Accessories

PS If you’re interested in creating ‘Designed for Surface’ accessories, then check out the details of the program here.

The latest updates and improvements to Surface

2013-06-12T19:59:18Z

Spoiler alert – we’re sharing some more updates to Surface that will make it even better. Before your eyes glaze over at the thought of installing updates and trying to understand them, remember that these updates show up of their own accord via Windows Update. So while it’s important to us that you know the work that’s being done, there is not a lot of homework for you here.

Our last post on updates and improvements was back in March, and since then we’ve been hard at work on a number of things that will impact the way you use your Surface.

The natural place to begin is the improvement to WiFi connectivity. As anyone who has ever reset a router or called their cable company in a moment of darkness knows, WiFi connectivity is not the product of a single thing, but the interaction between the connection coming in from a service provider, the network hardware (cable modem or router, or cable modem with an integrated router), the operating system, and the device you’re using to access the internet. There were improvements back in the March update that reduced the instances of ‘limited connectivity’, and we’ve gone further since then to minimize these events from the Surface side. We take the ability to get and stay connected very seriously and hope that you’ve noticed the improvement.

We’ve also published a new driver for the Surface USB to Ethernet adaptor for Surface Pro to allow direct Ethernet connection to a wired network, including the ability to PXE boot (PXE stands for Preboot eXecution Environment – it means you can boot from the network).

The convenience of always having a great keyboard (and the click) is one of the things that truly sets Surface apart, and we continue to refine the typing experience on Touch and Type Cover. Those of you that really take your Surface everywhere will appreciate an update that improves typing performance when you don’t have a hard surface to work on – meaning Touch and Type Cover are now even better at catching every single keystroke wherever you’re typing.

I mentioned an expanded list of keyboard shortcuts in a post last week, but I’m going to call them out again since updates we published yesterday make these available on either Touch or Type Cover with Surface RT as well as Surface Pro. Not everyone aspires to be a master of keyboard shortcuts, but for those who do the productivity gain is pretty great and you will garner the respect and admiration of those who watch you work.

Fn + Caps:	Locks F1-F12 into being function keys. Do it again and you get the charms, volume, Home, End, etc. if you are in the function lock mode, you can get the inverse options by pressing the Fn key, naturally
Fn + <spacebar>:	Print Screen
Fn + <spacebar> + Alt:	Print Screen for the in-focus App only
Fn + Del:	Brightness Up
Fn + Backspace:	Brightness Down
Fn + <left>:	Home
Fn + <right>:	End
Fn + <up>:	Page Up
Fn + <down>:	Page Down

Also in the vein of making sure your Surface serves you well in a wide variety of settings we published an update to the LifeCam driver on Surface Pro that will enhance image clarity in low light conditions, this update also improves performance and reliability when you switch between the integrated camera and an external camera.

Lastly, a firmware update has boosted the volume of the speakers on your Surface RT. Depending on what I’m doing I might plug in a headset or use external Bluetooth speakers, but day-to-day I do use the speakers on the device more than either of these. The boost in volume is great for games, videos, Lync, and Skype calls.

We are committed to continually improving Surface. I mentioned last week that there’s a lot coming with the Windows 8.1 update later this year (read more on that here in case you missed it) and we’re constantly working to ensure that Surface really is the one device for work and play.

Brian Hall

General Manager – Microsoft Surface

A Note in Celebration of Eggfest

2013-06-11T06:20:19Z

Let me confess something up front. I am obsessed with my Big Green Egg. This past weekend was Eggfest across the country, where multitudes of Eggheads (this is what we call ourselves – and there is an army of us around the world) get together to celebrate, share ideas and most importantly, eat great food. I missed it. My nephew decided to have his 5^th birthday party the same day. Kids. Geez.

This got me thinking though. One of the things that is interesting about the Egg is that it can’t really be classified. When you speak to Eggheads, we simply refer to it as The Egg, not a grill, not a smoker. In fact, if you go to the Egg’s company site, they describe it as: “The most versatile cooking device ever. Is it a grill, an oven or a smoker? Yes.” Yes is exactly right. These guys are on to something. Is the Surface any different? Is it a laptop, a tablet or an Ultrabook? Yes. Hold that thought. I’ll come back to it.

I then got thinking about us Eggheads and why we are so passionate about the Egg. Why do we come together in parking lots around the country to cook and why we are always looking to tell people to get one of their own? To me, it comes down to the transformation that the Egg has helped create in how we think about cooking. The Egg is a radical rethinking of what the cooking experience can be. The Surface is doing the same for how people use technology to get work done. With just my Green Egg, I can sear steaks at over 800 degrees, do long, low-and-slow smokes for 18+ hours, bake bread (with amazing crust) and grill peaches for dessert. With just my Surface, I can go from a powerful productivity device with Microsoft Office, USB Ports and a click-in keyboard, to a gaming and entertainment device, to a great platform for Skype-ing with friends and family.

This experience is why there are Eggheads. There isn’t a group name for them yet, but this is also why people who own a Surface, love them unlike any other device they have previously had. The Surface and the Egg are transformational and when that happens, you want to share that both with people like you, and with people who aren’t.

Now, a lot of folks buy these beautiful, multi-burner, stainless steel $1500+ gas grills that you find everywhere they sell barbeques. People feel like that is what they should buy – they are expensive and when they look down the rows of houses in their neighborhood, they glisten on decks, seeming beacons of culinary status. I don’t think us Eggheads are counterculture, I don’t think we’re rebelling – I just think we have had an experience with a device that has transformed us and there is no going back to the old way of doing things. This is also what I hear when I speak to our Surface customers. From students to doctors, artists, small business owners, road warriors and others, they express this feeling of discovery, of something new that is a radical rethinking of how technology is part of their personal, professional and creative lives. And they think it looks awesome to boot.

There is no Eggfest equivalent for Surface owners, no digital meeting place where people named ‘T-Rex’ post now legendary techniques for cooking steaks, but I’m thinking that maybe there should be. I know there are a lot of you out there, speaking with pride about a device that is transformational, taking on legions of gas i-grill owners in message boards, one-to-many, like some sort of digital Spartan. Well, this is Surface. You inspire us. Enjoy the ribs.

Bryson Gordon

Director, Microsoft Surface

Egghead

Sustainable Designers Linsey and Crystal are Using Surface Pro to Help the Environment

2013-06-07T18:16:31Z

One of the things that get us most pumped in the Surface team is to hear about people using Surface for things that amaze us. We built Surface to be productive, but never imagined some of the ways it would be used.

We are inspired by many Surface users, and we want to share their stories. This is part of a series that does that.

INDO is a Chicago-based design studio run by friends and designers Linsey and Crystal who have a shared passion to inspire change and create a better world. The duo creates works of art out of materials that have been diverted from waste and recycling streams. Some of our team met them to learn how they are using Surface Pro to plan and deliver cool creative projects while maintaining their emphasis on sustainability. We love what they’re doing, and we made this video to inspire more great work from Surface customers. Enjoy!

What is it about Surface Pro that you enjoy most?
We love being able to bring Surface everywhere! The click in keyboard makes using it super fun and easy. The other day we had a small meeting on the fire escape at work to enjoy the weather and could do that by bringing Surface!

How has Surface Pro helped you do more and helped in your design processes?
Surface has helped us have productive onsite client meetings with all of our paperwork, drawings, files, and imagery electronically at our fingertips. Efficient and productive meetings are key.

How does Surface Pro enable you to stay true to your core beliefs of sustainability?
We try to print as little as possible. Surface Pro enables us to be more paperless than ever, by bringing digital materials to meetings, keeping on top of email, sharing photographs... we absolutely love the paper-freedom it offers.

What are three of your favorite apps?
We are constantly using Internet Explorer to scour the Internet for materials, posting things to Twitter, and accessing Dropbox for files.

How are you using Surface Pen? Any apps you use specifically for the pen?
SketchBook has been really great for us to be able to sketch on the go without having to keep track of papers flying around. The control and precision you have with the pen is like having a pocket full of writing utensils in one. It's an added bonus that it helps keep the screen free of fingerprints!

Do you have any favorite Surface accessories you like to use? Covers? Cases? Mice?
We love our covers. They are made of recycled rubber and lined with industrial felt. Surface fits perfectly inside (with the keyboard of course) and they are made by our studiomates (Strand Design) right here in Chicago.

How did you two meet and decide to start INDO?
We met in 2002 working in a coffee shop. After college we started moonlighting as window dressers. A few years of building our portfolio got us to a point where we were too busy for our full time gigs so we decided to try our darndest and make a business out of it. Owning our own business allows us operate in a way that is totally in tune with our beliefs - conscious consumption, collaborative consumption, recycle, be nice, enjoy every day, grow, follow the golden rule and all that good stuff.

What does it mean to be a sustainable designer?
To us, it means that you are aware of how your actions affect the greater community and the world, and allowing that awareness to influence your actions.

What’s your favorite part of your job?
Connecting with people. Not only do we get to learn about all of our clients, their businesses and what makes them tick - we get to share what we do, create a story together, search for materials, and explain why repurposing is important.

What was one of your most memorable and/or favorite projects you’ve completed?
The Script wall was definitely one of our most favorite projects. We were able to work with real movers and shakers in Chicago - the project was for Steppenwolf Theater Company. Waste Management (then called ‘Recycling Services’) donated thousands of pounds of paper, and the worldwide advertising agency, Ogilvy, oversaw the project. It was amazing to work with such an incredible team to create that 40’ wall of paper.

Can you share with us one tip for more sustainable living?
Ask questions! - Do I need this? Where was this made? Is this recyclable? Do I need a disposable cup or can I BYOmug? Then take a deep breath, don't be overwhelmed and take it one step at a time.

Bryson Gordon

Director – Microsoft Surface

Outlook 2013 RT coming to Surface RT – and more

2013-06-05T07:30:00Z

Hi. I’ve posted here a few times but I haven’t really introduced myself. I’m Brian Hall, and I joined the Surface team several months ago. I learned about how cool Surface was the first time many of you did when Panos announced it last June. I went to our local Microsoft store right when it became available and bought mine. And I loved it as did my wife and kids (my oldest liked that he got his own picture and his own pin. Shhh. It’s his birthday.). I met more people in random places who loved their Surface as a very productive tablet or were intrigued with mine. And so when I got a chance to come work on the Surface team, helping to tell the Surface story to more people, helping Surface users tell their stories, and generally just getting more people to recognize how great Surface is, I jumped at it.

I love Surface Pro, but I think I like Surface RT even more. I love it for its size, weight, battery life, and of course that I can get things done on the same device that is my personal tablet. Mine has been partly appropriated by the kids (my wife Edie got her own), but I use it in particular when I travel and when I’m doing work at home. I see how great it is today and see the very strong promise for the future.

There frankly has been one big thing missing for me, though. It’s the same thing that Edie asked about when she came back from a forestry industry conference. (Seriously, they sound really interesting, even though not that many people wear chaps or have chainsaws). She came back and talked about a guy she met who had a Surface and was showing it off to other people. He said the one thing he really wanted was Outlook.

That made a lot of sense to me.

In my previous role I helped to deliver a new email service to the world, Outlook.com. When we took a fresh look at the email landscape, it was clear to us that many people love Outlook and wanted a great email service to go with it.

I am also someone that has lived in Outlook when I’m doing real work. It’s how I email for work, know where I need to be and schedule time with other people, and manage all my contacts. So while I liked the Mail app for touch, especially after the updates in March, when it was time to do real work, I needed Outlook.

So I am thrilled for myself, for Edie’s colleague, and for everyone else who really likes Outlook to point out that all Surface RT users will get Outlook 2013 RT, alongside a lot of other cool stuff coming with Windows 8.1. Tami Reller announced this just recently at Computex. This means that in addition to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, which all Surface RT users already have, their Surface will get Outlook 2013 RT as part of Windows 8.1 for free via the Windows Store.

We’ll be able to use Surface RT better for work, with some more IT blessing (but not too much, please).

I use my Surface RT for work quite a bit, and bring it in occasionally. It’s my personal tablet, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be able to jump into work mode at times too. To date, though, it hasn’t been able to work with the corporate network as well as I’d like.

So I’m excited to also point out that the Windows team also announced this week that there are a number of new business features and enhancements that will also come to Surface customers with the Windows 8.1 update. We’ll have better access to the corporate network and better VPN options. And IT departments who want to ensure my device is safe enough to access resources and store corporate files will also be able to do. Surface RT with Windows 8.1 will have strong mobile device management capabilities. This will let the IT department manage some settings, give certificates, and protect data, even if it’s my personal system if I want to let them do that to get access to work resources.

The Surface Type Cover and Touch Cover are about to get even better.

We’ve talked about how we keep making improvements across Surface. This is just making a great product even better.

One of the things I like most about Surface is the Type Cover. I like Touch Cover, but after having banged away on laptop keyboards for many years, I’m just more comfortable with Type. I had used a Lenovo laptop for years and loved that keyboard, and have loved Type Cover just as much since I made the switch to Surface.

At times I have missed some of the dedicated keys on my old keyboard, though. For instance just today I was kicking into a presentation with PowerPoint and instinctively hit F5. On Type Cover and Touch Cover, that is also the key for Search and so I ended up in the search screen rather than what I had intended, which was to start the presentation from the first slide. I figured that out quickly, hit escape, and then Fn-F5 and was in business.

But with an update that will come in about a week for Surface, we’ll have the ability to toggle between what the keys on the top row do, get some quick access to other capabilities like screenshots through shortcuts, and just make some things like paging easier to do with one hand. These include:

Fn + Caps:	Locks F1-F12 into being function keys. Do it again and you get the charms, volume, Home, End, etc. if you are in the function lock mode, you can get the inverse options by pressing the Fn key, naturally
Fn + <spacebar>:	Print Screen
Fn + <spacebar> + Alt:	Print Screen for the in-focus App only
Fn + Del:	Brightness Up
Fn + Backspace:	Brightness Down
Fn + <left>:	Home
Fn + <right>:	End
Fn + <up>:	Page Up
Fn + <down>:	Page Down

Surface is great and only getting better. I wanted to take this chance to introduce myself and highlight a few things I’m pretty excited about that are upcoming with Surface with Outlook 2013 RT, manageability, and Type Cover and Touch Cover getting even more productive. I hope you are excited about these as well.

Brian Hall
General Manager, Microsoft Surface

Surface is the latest outpost for Halo fans

2013-06-04T13:04:36Z

This morning the world learned some awesome news. The latest installment of the Halo franchise, Halo Spartan Assault is landing on Surface, other Windows 8 PCs and devices and Windows Phone 8!

This is a single player campaign spanning 25 missions in the Halo universe, all played in a top down style camera view. What makes this great for Surface? It’s a touch based experience, but you could also click in your Touch or Type Cover to have the flexibility of keyboard and mouse action as well. Of course it comes packed with new experience points and Achievements, in addition to emblems for your Halo 4 Spartan career. We are looking forward to getting this game in the hands of our Surface people, but until that happens check out the screenshots and game trailer and get pumped!

Bryson Gordon
Director, Microsoft Surface

Free Touch or Type Cover with the purchase of Surface RT this month in US & Canada

2013-05-31T04:19:42Z

We are excited to announce a special offer for those of you in Canada and the United States. For a limited time beginning May 31^st, receive a free Touch Cover, Touch Cover Limited Edition, or Type Cover with the purchase of a Surface RT.

Touch and Type Cover do much more than just protect and personalize your Surface RT. They let you get real work done. With Office Home & Student 2013 RT pre-installed - which includes versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote - a keyboard that goes everywhere with you really is the perfect accessory for your Surface.

Surface Touch Covers in cyan, red, magenta, white and black

Surface Type Cover in Black

Surface Touch Cover Limited Edition (Skulls)

Surface Touch Cover Limited Edition (Flowers)

This is a limited time offer so be sure to take advantage of this great deal through the Microsoft Store or other Surface retailers! You can also check out the cool Surface RT offer happening in Western Europe in a related post here.

Brian Hall
General Manager – Microsoft Surface

Surface clicks into big partnership with the NFL

2013-05-21T18:14:04Z

You probably saw some pretty exciting news about the partnership between Microsoft and the NFL as part of our Xbox announcement today.

We were particularly excited on the Surface team about this opportunity because it gave us a chance to show how much more Surface can do. Surface is the world’s first productivity tablet – built for people to have fun and get important things done. The NFL is a great stage for Surface because Surface has the chance to help change the game – including how medical staff take care of players, coaches strategize, players learn, and referees, um, referee. This is a partnership that we’re excited to embark on.

We are also very excited for every fan of the NFL to be able to get a better experience watching NFL games with their Surface in their laps. As we work our way through summer keep an eye for more details about this great partnership.

New Surface Ad

2013-05-18T04:16:20Z

We’ve gotten LOTS of really nice feedback on our high-energy Surface ads. The ones people have liked most have been those that ran when we first released Surface RT and Surface Pro.

As much as we love the ads and others have, they’ve also been a bit polarizing. Some of our biggest Surface fans have been downright angry (ANGRY!) that we aren’t talking about more of what it actually does! Generally speaking, people have talked about how they love that Surface is really the world’s first productivity tablet. It’s a tablet, of course, with beautiful design, great feel, and lots more. But what makes it truly different is that you can also do your work – because of Office, because of the iconic click-in keyboards and Surface kickstand, and because it has ports – for when you need to share a file via USB, get pictures from the camera, add more storage with SD, or plug into a screen.

Surface fans want us to tell this story. And we do too.

So we’re happy to have a new ad we’re just releasing, one that tells the story and we think keeps some of the energy we’ll always have for Surface.

Hope you like it!

Brian Hall
General Manager – Microsoft Surface

Surface Pro release dates in Western Europe and a great promotion for Surface RT to go with it

2013-05-16T15:59:16Z

As we recently announced, we are expanding the number of markets where Surface Pro and Surface RT will be available. We’re excited for more people to be able to get Surface on the dates below. Some markets are still confirming timing so aren’t included here...

17 May – France

23 May – The United Kingdom

30 May - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland

31 May – Germany

A special offer on Surface RT

We also have an exciting special offer for our customers in Europe. People who purchase a Surface RT from now until June 30, 2013 receive a free cover of their choice, including Type and Touch in black, white, or cyan.

This offer is only available for a limited time in these markets:

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

We value every Surface customer and look forward to more with these two updates.

Brian Hall
General Manager – Microsoft Surface

A Day in the Life of Adventure Photographer Chris Burkard

2013-05-03T18:15:39Z

The Surface team had the chance to spend the day with adventure photographer, Chris Burkard. He gave us a special inside look into what a typical day for him is like, and showed us how he stays connected and edits his photos while on the go using his Surface Pro. Chris is a California native who currently lives in San Luis Obispo. He’s been interested in photography ever since high school and strives to capture photos that take you right to the heart of the moment. You can visit Chris’ website, Chris Burkard Photo, and check out his Facebook Page to keep up with all that he’s doing. In the day we spent with Chris, we captured a really cool video of him using his Surface Pro and chatted with him a bit to learn more about how he’s using it.

How are you using your Surface Pro for your photography?

For my photography I can use it to display photos to clients in meetings and also use it as a substitute for my laptop on the road to answer client emails. I have also been able to get some editing done using the Surface Pro.

Which photo editing programs do you like to use on your Surface Pro?

I have mainly used Lightroom 4 on the Surface Pro, but have heard of people who really love the ability to use Photoshop on the tablet as well.

How has using Surface Pro helped your ability to edit your photos?

It has helped the range of places I can work on my editing. Before I would only edit when returning from a trip, but the tablet allows me to space some of this editing out more on the road and travels with me light and compact. That is a huge bonus as I like the travel as light as possible on trips.

What is it about Surface Pro that you enjoy the most?

I enjoy the portability and ability to use it as a communication tool between clients and I whether it is emails or presentations or just pulling up images on the spot for them.

Favorite part of your job?

The favorite part of my job is probably visiting new untouched places or cultures that are foreign to me. Really being able to come back with stories about places I never dreamed I would be able to visit. I consider myself blessed to be able to see many unique places this world has to offer and it is always great to be able to capture those moments and inspire people to go and find these experiences for themselves.

Of all your work what is your most favorite photo you’ve ever taken?

That is a tough question. I love photographs for their visual aesthetic, but also connect with ones that have a great story behind them. I would say my shot that won the Red Bull Illume a few years ago was my favorite. The image was taken in Chile and was an image I had thought of in my head, but had no clue how lucky I would get. The weather that morning was horrendous and rain plagued most of the day. Not until that evening did it clear just enough to get a late surf in. The backwash of the wave jacked up perfectly for Peter Mendia to tuck into this perfectly lit barrel.

Watch our video with Chris and get a first-hand look at how he’s using his Surface Pro to click in and do more!

My Surface Story – Doing More with Less

2013-04-30T22:41:29Z

‘My Surface Story’ is a new monthly series we’re kicking off on the Surface Blog. It will feature the stories of real people using Surface as they work, play, and travel. The posts will be written by Surface users, and we’re excited to see the many ways that Surface lets people ‘click in and do more’. First up in our series is Philip De Rop (@phderop) who shares with us how his Surface Pro has truly become the one device he needs whether he’s on the road or in the office.

Philip De Rop is a Quality Assurance Manager at Arkieva, a supply chain software company. He is based in Belgium and travels frequently to Arkieva’s headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. Philip manages a team of software testers, plans test cycles, and is an active software tester himself. Testing is like solving puzzles to him. As a technology and software enthusiast Phillip always enjoys the exciting features new hardware can bring.

Two months ago:

Here I was queuing at Newark Liberty International Airport to go through customs with my heavy laptop bag over my shoulder. While still in the line, I started untying my shoe laces and removed my belt and watch. When I finally reached the trays, I needed about 3-4 trays, 1 for my laptop, 1 for my iPad, one for my shoes and belt and one for my coat. My laptop bag does not go in a tray. People started staring at me, because I took up too much space.

Next I went to the lounge, an advantage for frequent travelers. Here I take 2-3 power outlets, one for my laptop, one for my iPad and one for my phone. People stared at me, because I took up too much space and too many power outlets.

On the plane I took out my iPad, because the laptop is to big too work on (14 inch). I put it in airplane mode and noticed that I couldn't use my Bluetooth keyboard. Airplane mode means no Bluetooth. I had to take my iPad out of its case, keyboard is in a case. Put the case somewhere on my neighbors lap and then put the iPad flat on my little tray table. The display keyboard takes up half of my screen and writing is difficult. Then the stewardess arrived with drinks. I had to put the iPad on my lap, hoping not to spill my drinks on it. People stared at me, because I took up too much space.

Since I have my Surface Pro:

I no longer need my iPad, which saves up a tray at the customs at airports. My laptop bag became a lot lighter. Now people stare at me when I unpack the Surface. I see them think, how can he work using only that small tablet?

In the plane I can still use my keyboard in Airplane mode, so I don't have to get rid of it. People stare at me because I take up so little space.

In the lounge, I plug in the Surface charger and charge both my Surface and my Windows Phone with it. People stare at me, because they can't believe I need so little space and only 1 outlet. I guess they knew me from before.

In the office, my Surface Pro has fully replaced my laptop. I couldn't believe the performance of that little machine. As a tester I have the following software running on my machine: Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer for bug reporting, Microsoft Test Manager for creating and running test cases, our software which is a Supply Chain Software Suite handling a lot of data and using a lot of computing power, Microsoft SQL Management Studio, Jing for capturing and sharing issues with the software, Xmind to map functionality and to follow up test coverage. Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer and Excel. And a virtual machine that runs our software our software in a Windows 7– Internet Explorer 9 environment.

I have hooked up two 24 inch screens to display all the above, through a Targus USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Station. With my laptop, I had to close my lid and could not use the laptop screen. Now I even have access to the Surface Touch screen. A full size keyboard and mouse are linked to the docking station. Why would I ever need an iPad again?

Expanding Surface Pro and Surface RT Availability

2013-04-23T16:01:00Z

At the end of February, we announced that we were broadening the availability of the Surface family. Since then, we’ve gotten a lot of feedback that people want us to expand availability further and faster.

Nope! After trawling around looking a Windows 8 tablets on offer, the Surface Pro is the only one I will consider. Hurry up @microsoft UK
— twiteryeanot (@twiteryeanot) April 12, 2013

Microsoft China announces Surface Pro availability, still no news for Australia.... #want liveside.net/2013/03/27/mic…
— Scott Breen (@scottbreen) March 28, 2013

@microsoft When do you start shipping the Surface Pro in Germany? Waiting since January..... #Microsoft #Surface
— Alexander T. Nikol (@AlexanderTNikol) April 12, 2013

We know it took us a while to get back to you, but we hear you, and are excited to be able to provide an update on the countries where Surface RT and Surface Pro will be launching in May and June. Additional details on launch events, retail availability, and pricing will be provided in future posts to this blog and via twitter at @Surface ahead of actual launch dates.

Surface RT will launch in Malaysia on April 25th, in Mexico by the end of May and in Korea and Thailand in June.This expansion will result in Surface RT being available in 29 markets. For those that are counting, it’s already available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Surface Pro will launch before the end of May in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Surface Pro will launch in Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand before the end of June.Surface Pro is currently available in the U.S., Canada, and China.

Moments before the Surface Pro launch in China on April 2nd

The Surface Pro launch in China

Panos Panay, Corporate Vice President Microsoft Surface on stage at the Surface Pro launch in China

Hands on with the Surface Pro at the launch event in China

The enthusiasm for Surface has been fantastic, and we love hearing the stories of people who are making it the one device they use to work and play. This is what Surface was designed to do – simplify your life while letting you do more! In fact, one of our biggest challenges has been keeping our 128GB Surface Pro in stock. We’ve worked hard to increase availability, and most retail partners in the U.S. and Canada as well as the Microsoft Store now have the 128 GB product consistently in stock.

To those of you who have pressed for information – please understand that before making these announcements we make sure that we have the volume of devices in place and alignment with our retail partners to do each launch well. We value every Surface customer. We’re passionate about the products we’ve built, and we appreciate your passion for getting Surface in your market.

Looking forward to sharing Surface with more folks around the world.

Brian Hall
General Manager – Microsoft Surface

Microsoft’s Team of Mad Scientists

2013-04-08T17:52:00Z

Our very own Stevie Bathiche was recently featured in an article with Fast Companythis week. The article served as inspiration for us to share a little bit more about Stevie’s team here at Microsoft, the Applied Sciences group, and the role they played in helping create Surface.

Stevie Bathiche, who is a distinguished scientist, leads the Applied Sciences group. The Applied Sciences group, or “technology asylum”, is made up of about 20 scientists who together form a research team built up with several broad disciplines. Within this group of “mad scientists”, there are physicists, optical, software, computer vision, and electrical engineering researchers who all work together to develop and implement new ideas that truly break new ground in product design.

These are custom displays that the Applied Sciences built that are able to see you and your hands for gestures and more realistic video conferencing.

The same video conferencing display from the back.

This is SpaceTop, an augmented reality desktop that uses a transparent display to create a virtual 3D environment behind the display where you can interact with digital objects as if they were in your hands.

The Applied Sciences group played a significant role in making Surface what it is today.

One problem Stevie, in partnership with the Surface Engineering Team, was asked to solve was the distracting reflection a user sees when interacting with their screen. When you hold up a piece of glass you can see your reflection because the glass is denser than air. Solving this issue meant having the fewest layers of glass possible (the team knew that more layers meant more reflections). The solution they developed to eliminate these reflections was ultimately to fuse all the optical layers together (touch sensor, protective glass, and other layers) so that the layers became the same density and matched each other’s index of refraction as close as possible. The end result was reduced glare, reflections, and even making the display stronger and more resilient.

Stevie and his team also helped build one of the thinnest keyboards in the world, our Touch Covers. Teaming up with the Touch Cover development engineers, they began with a goal of building a keyboard that was just 4.5mm thick. When the team was through, 4.5mm was just a memory and the 7 layers that make up Touch Cover today have a combined thickness of only 3mm. But there’s more to the Touch Cover.

The keyboard senses a number of unique signals and gestures from the user. Using those signals, the Touch Cover is capable of telling the difference between when the user is trying to rest their hands or finding the home position vs. the gesture of typing. Touch Cover is a smart keyboard. With all its pressure sensitive electronics wrapped in fabric, the Touch Cover is the thinnest keyboard on the market and a fantastic accessory for Surface.

Their work is hard…so they like to drink a lot of coffee.

The Applied Sciences group comes to work to give serendipity its best chance and to create novel ways for people to interact with their devices. We’re proud of the work they’ve done to date and can’t wait to see what the future brings.