Microsoft unveils first laptop, Windows 10 smartphones

ExtremeTech

The spate of fresh products, launched before the year-end holiday shopping season, seeks to build on the July launch of Windows 10. Microsoft said Tuesday that the Windows 10 system was now running on 110 million devices around the world, up from 75 million in late August.

"We now begin a new chapter of Windows 10 with new devices built for Windows 10," said Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella at an event in New York.

Microsoft's first laptop, the Surface Book, has a 13.5-inch detachable screen that can be used like a clipboard. Powered by sixth-generation Intel processors with up to 12 hours of battery life, the Surface Book starts at $1,499.

The software giant showcased two new premium Lumia smartphones that are its first handsets using Windows 10.

Microsoft's Lumia 950 features a 5.2-inch high-definition screen and a 20-megapixel camera, while the Lumia 950 XL has a larger 5.7-inch screen.

Both phones can be connected by a small portable display dock accessory into a personal computer, a large screen or another display device. A keyboard or mouse can be connected, expanding the capacity of a smartphone to operate like a personal computer.

"We want to bring Windows 10 to life in your pocket," said Panos Panay, corporate vice president for Microsoft's Surface division.

The Lumia 950 will price at $549, while the Lumia 950 XL at $649. A third, more modest phone with fewer functions, the Lumia 550, will start at $139. The Lumia phones will be launched in November.

Other gadgets unveiled included upgraded versions of a wearable fitness tracker and the Surface Pro tablet, and a new "mixed reality" HoloLens untethered computer system that lets users manipulate objects made of light. The HoloLens system will not be available until the first quarter of 2016.

Source: AFP