Microsoft Surface RT Price Cut

Surface RT was officially launched in Malaysia  on 25th April 2013. After just not more than 3 months of launch, Microsoft recently announced that its Windows RT-powered tablet would be getting a price cut of as much as 30 percent.

With the price reduction of RM 450 across all variants, the stand-alone 32GB Surface RT now costs RM 1549 1099  while the 64GB variant is priced at RM 1849 1399. As for the Touch Cover bundle, they are now listed at RM 1849 1399 for 32GB and RM 2149 1699 for 64GB respectively. This is a move by Microsoft to boost the sales of the tablets. You can refer to the spec for 32GB Surface RT here.

At the same time, there is an educational promotion available to K-12 and high-education institutions in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S.

The promotion is valid from 24th June to 31st August 2013, offering 32GB Surface RTs without a keyboard for USD 199 (~RM 600), tablets with a touch keyboard for USD 249 (~RM 750), and those with a type keyboard for USD 289 (~RM 870). Too bad the promotion does not include Malaysia.

Would you consider getting yourself a Surface RT after the big price slash? For me, I would rather get a Windows 8 laptop with touchscreen than a Surface RT as the apps are very limited. Let's see will Microsoft have another round of promotion after this.

Microsoft Home Use Program

The Microsoft Home Use Program is a Software Assurance benefit available under a company’s Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. Under this program, employees of that particular company may be eligible to purchase Microsoft Office with discounted price.

If you are working in a multinational or public listed company, you may be eligible to purchase Microsoft Office with just only RM 28.61. To check for the eligibility, you need to go to Microsoft HUP site. If you don't know the program code, you can choose just to enter your work email. If you're eligible, an email will be sent to your work email inbox.

The Microsoft softwares that are available to purchase through HUP are:

1. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013
2. Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
3. Microsoft Project Professional 2013
4. Microsoft Visio Professional 2013

Each employee can purchase a single license for either Office Professional Plus 2013 or Office for Mac 2011. On top of that, one each of other products like Visio and Project may be purchased as well. 

Google Chromebooks

Google had launched a new type of computer that looks like a laptop, feels like a laptop but they run in Chrome OS. Chrome OS is an operating system that has multiple layers of security, cloud storage, and the most popular Google products built-in to help you get things done faster and easier.

Compared to a typical computer running in Microsoft Windows, these are the advantages of a Chromebook:

1. Ultra fast boot time. Boots in seconds.
2. Strong security. Need not worry about viruses and malwares.
3. Automatic update for free. Need not purchase and install updates manually.
4. Maintenance free. No need to spend hours to install patches.
5. Cloud storage. Store all your data online.
6. Free apps from Chrome Web Stores. No more buying and installing softwares.

Chromebook is designed for the web. However, in rare cases when there is no Internet connection, we are still able to work with the offline app.

Chromebooks are available on sale in 8 countries now, starting from USD 199 (~ RM 600). The price is really affordable as a typical netbook already costs RM 900. This is definitely a computer for everyone.

Microsoft Surface Tablet

Microsoft will unveil its first tablet, the Surface, on October 26. The Surface will be available in two versions, the Windows RT Surface and the Windows 8 Pro Surface. Both versions come with 10.6" display, with RT having a 1366x768 HD screen while the Pro has a Clear type Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen with 16:9 widescreen.

The Surface RT is powered by ARM based NVDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 720p HD rear and front facing cameras. The Surface is made with VaporMg™ magnesium casing and comes with integrated kickstand. By connecting a 3mm Touch Cover to the tablet with a single magnetic click, you can turn the Surface into a small notebook.There are five choices of Touch Covers that are different from typical keyboards. The Surface keypads provide a smoother typing experience thanks to their touch-based surface.

The tablet comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB (Surface Pro) options. However, you are able to expand the memory using external memory sticks thanks to microSD card slot. In addition to the Cover port and micro SDXC card slot, the tablet has headphone jack, USB 2.0 port and a HD video-out port. The Surface will only be able to go online using a short-range Wi-Fi connection, without 3G nor LTE connection option. Preorder is available in 8 selected countries. Click here to view the Surface preorder price and accessories.

Microsoft New Logo

In July, Microsoft reported a quarterly loss for the first time since 26 years on the market. One month later, Microsoft came up with a new logo to replace the current logo which had been used for 25 years.

This is the first and major step taken before the official launch of Windows Mobile 8 in 5th September, one week ahead of iPhone5, and Windows 8 in October.

Windows 8 is the product that Microsoft is relying on getting back its market in the consumer business, especially on smartphones and tablets. Windows 8 is the first Microsoft OS that is able to run in both x86 and ARM processors.

If you buy a new PC now with Windows 7, you can upgrade to Windows 8 with USD 14.99 when it is released.