Microsoft goes tablet

The Microsoft Surface

Microsoft has been busy this week. From announcing their expansion into the mobile market with the Surface, to the new Windows Phone 8, they have certainly pulled the spotlight on themselves this month.  When you think of Microsoft, you always think of their software, and the widely successful XBOX consoles. But, this week that changed.

Microsoft's business model has always been mostly software. Save for the gaming console expansion, they had concentrated all their money and work into their big software titles such as Windows, their games, and various other offerings such as Windows Phone.
With the announcement of the Microsoft Surface, one has to wonder what they are up to. It seems a bit out of their field of expertise, considering that most of their hardware offerings are made by third-party partners, such as the Windows Phones. But then again, they are good at surprising us.

The Surface is basically a standard tablet. It will run Windows 8, which with its 'metro' style tile system could be the ideal operating system in the case of mobile computing. Unlike many of its rivals, the Surface will come with a detachable touch-pad keyboard. This allows you to stand it up similar to a laptop or netbook computer. Various rumours are floating around the net, including things like Wi-Fi only connection options, a price tag that will range from $700 to $1000, and full integration with Live, which is of course the same way Windows 8 will work.

MS has been known to go extravagant on many things, and I'm sure this will be no exception. Include with the Surface the soon to be released Windows 8 (which we will assumedly see in the Northern Hemisphere fall) and the new Windows 8 phones that are coming out sometime next year, Microsoft is stacking their cards up on the new mobile venture.

We will have to wait and see what their future will hold.

Desktop Experience

My Setup at the moment

Today, while browsing various sites and also checking an e-mail, I've come across a few different setups that various users have for their desktop workstations. This ranged from a simple screen, keyboard, mouse and chassis setup, to a much larger dual screen, printer and 2.1 sound system.

Personalizing and enhancing your workstation can help make you feel more at home while sitting at your desk, and enjoy your music, games, work, browsing or other activities so much more. A few things that can help out in this regard : 

An extra screen is always a nice touch. New computers quite often comes with mulitple screen ports. Digital outs, VGA outs and these days HDMI is commonplace, and extending your Windows Desktop to two screens gives you so much more space. You can place commonly used applications on the one screen, such as your IM messenger, your music program of choice, and even widgets for weather, or time, or any other desktop interactions you like to have handy. The extended screen makes your computer feel much bigger and spacious, and you feel better running things in full screen knowing that you still have visibility of your instant messenger.

Speaking of desktop apps, with the new Widget system of Windows Vista and 7, and with a multitude of desktop-based applications available on the internet, its always an enhancing experience to broaden the use of your desktop, especially when you use multiple screens to display. From showing a picture from photobucket to giving highlights of feeds you frequent, there is always useful and entertaining widgets and desktop apps on the internet.

Further things to consider:

- Although small speakers are sufficient for most things, you can get a 2.1 speaker set these days for relatively cheap. Listening to music or playing games with just an added subwoofer and better quality speakers can make a huge difference on how your computer sounds.

- USB hubs, (externally powered ones are recommended) is a very useful tool to have handy when you use various usb devices. Especially these days with smart phones and mobile devices becoming integrated with computers. USB hubs give you easier access to the ports as well, and when powered will provide sufficient power to give you the best experience when syncing mobile devices. 

- Spaciousness is an important part of the desktop experience. When you sit and work on a cramped table, with no space to move your hands or even the mouse, it becomes a chore to do work on your computer. Having a spacious table with ample room for all your computer peripherals will make you feel so much more professional and satisfied when you work on your desktop. 

Many other things can be attributed to the experience of enjoying your computer, but those are personal preference, such as color of the chassis, mouse size, keyboard style, and extra devices such as a tablet for drawing, or a headphone-microphone set for gaming. 

I hope you gain some insight after reading this, and improve your desktop experience.