Windows RT 8.1 update is once again available in the Windows Store

This is what the Windows Alert from Microsoft at Microsoft Community says :

The update to Windows RT 8.1 is once again available as a free download in the Windows Store for users with Windows RT devices.  We immediately suspended availability of the update after reports that a very small number of Surface RT customers—around 1 out of every 1,000 Surface RT 8.1 installs—had experienced an issue that left the update incomplete and their devices unbootable. This was due to a rare situation where firmware updates had not completed at the time of the update to RT 8.1. In most cases, if a customer encountered this issue the result was simply an extra reboot. However, for a very small percentage, the boot configuration data was affected which prevented a successful boot. We worked to quickly resolve the issue and now encourage customers to update their Surface RT devices. Surface Pro and 8.1 customers were not impacted by this issue.   

    As previously announced, there is a recovery solution available for download here for Surface RT customers who experienced the installation issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If an issue occurs with our software or devices, we take immediate steps to ensure a quality experience for every single customer—that’s been our driving priority in this case, despite the very limited number of customers impacted. We are grateful to the customers who shared their Surface RT devices, assisting our efforts to determine the root cause quickly.

New Surface Ad highlights productivity

Be Productive with Surface – The new Surface Ad!

The new Surface ad highlights the Surface productivity using the included Office applications. Use the Snap app feature, to snap 2 apps side by side. Video chat on Skype while you work on Excel sheet.

Here’s the video-

Be Productive with Surface

Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote on Surface.No other Tablet comes pre-loaded with Office Suite.
Learn more at:
http://www.microsoft.com/Surface

[video] Various ports on Surface

Surface has all the ports you need for recharging, uploading, and sharing. Watch this video to learn more.

Charging is simple, connecting magnetic end of power supply to charging port and white LED will let you know you are connected & charging.

Surface also has full sized USB port, so you can charge your cell phones and connect to other devices.

If you want to share photos & videos to all present in the room,connect to VGA projectors & HD displays using one of the custom Surface adapters.

Micros SD card slot lets you add extra storage or transfer content between the devices.

Also has Stereo speakers/ Headset Jack

Bill Gates on Surface, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8

With just days left for the launch of the Windows lineup – Windows 8, Surface and Windows Phone 8, Steve Clayton talks to Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates.

“Check out his thoughts on everything from natural user interfaces to the color of his new Surface RT tablet”

Source : Windows Phone Blog

[video] The Surface Ad!

New Surface Ad ! The Surface Movement.

The Movement for Microsoft Surface -

The Surface Movement

Next generation of Microsoft Surface is now available for pre-order through Samsung in 23 countries including India

Samsung and Microsoft announced today that the next generation of Microsoft Surface is now available for pre-order through Samsung resellers in 23 countries worldwide (Yes, India included)

Here’s the Full Specs of the Surface-

Transfer any surface to Mobile Surface

Microsoft Research will be bringing the Microsoft Surface experience to mobile scenarios. Microsoft will demo it in TechFest 2010

What is Mobile Surface ?

“Mobile Surface is a novel interaction system for mobile computing. Our goal is to bring the Microsoft Surface experience to mobile scenarios and, more importantly, to enable 3-D interaction with mobile devices. We will demonstrate how to transform any surface, such as a coffee table or a piece of paper, into a Mobile Surface by using a mobile device and a camera-projector system. Besides the Surface, we will show 3-D object imaging, augmented reality, and multiple-layer 3-D information visualization. In particular, we have developed a system with the camera-projector component to scan 3-D objects in real time while doing normal projection. To visualize, 3-D data can be projected onto a surface formed by a piece of paper while maintaining the original scale as if it were printed on that paper, and a user can interact with the projected content with a hand. Mobile Surface enables you to interact with digital contents and information around you from anywhere.”

 

MSDN Hands-on Lab “Windows 7 Multitouch” – Manual and Presentation

Last week Microsoft Switzerland ran a hands on lab titled multi touch for developers in Wallisellen. All the participants had Hands-on Experience using HP TouchSmart PC.

Hands on lab manual has four labs:

• Introduction to Windows touch
• Multi touch support in Silverlight 3
• Touch events in WPF 4
• Manipulation and inertia in WPF4

 

One can download the manual from here. (in pdf format, size: 3.8MB)

 

Also at the lab the roadmap of Windows 7 touch platform related to Microsoft surface was also looked into.Can be downloaded here. (Power point presentation .pptx , size 3.49 MB)

 

(Source: Swiss MSDN Team Blog  And the translation can be read here, translated via Bing : Translated ver.)

Microsoft Surface and Objects

Check out this cool demo video about Microsoft Surface -

“Microsoft Surface's vision system in Surface can see what’s going on the table-top. This allows for all manner of natural user interfaces to be employed both with everyday objects, and objects specifically crafted to work with Surface. These objects both make Surface more engaging and it can be more efficient at the same time. “

First commercial Microsoft Surface launched at AT&T Stores

AT&T has become the first company in the world to bring Microsoft Surface to life in a retail environment, giving customers the ability to explore their mobile worlds using touch and device recognition technology. Microsoft Surface is the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft.

On April 17th, Microsoft Surface made its public debut - launching at 5 AT&T stores across the U.S. For the list of Stores check http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=2604

Microsoft Surface, the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft, is a 30-inch table-like display that gives you the opportunity to interact with devices and content in a way that feels familiar — by using touch, gestures, and placement of devices the display.