Back in May, Samsung announced the company was planing on bringing a notebook display to market with a resolution even greater than Apple's Retina devices. Today, Samsung has officially announced the first application of the panel, used in the new ATIV Q. Boasting a 3200 x 1800 qHD+ display, the hybrid is capable of running both Android and Windows 8, reports Engadget.
During an event in London on Thursday, Samsung showed off the ATIV Q, which is capable of use in four setups: tablet, typing, stand, and writing. The 13.3-inch screen is apparently setup with a non-reflective glass for outside use, according to Samsung, and offers an up to 178 degree viewing angle. The hybrid ATIV Q also takes advantage of S Pen support.
The ATIV Q runs on an Intel Core i5 Haswell processor and weighs 2.84 pounds. Switching between the Android Jelly Bean or Windows 8 operating systems does not require a reboot of the ATIV Q, you only need to press the start button. While Samsung's new hybrid will allegedly launch sometime later this year, there's no word yet on pricing.
When Microsoft first revealed its plans for modernizing the Windows 8 operating system, many users balked at the idea of having to learn new ways of doing the same things that they’d done in previous versions for years. Understandably, many users freaked out. Even more purchased new devices running the operating system only to realize that had no idea how to do any of the things they’d relied on the Start Menu for. Chief among the things people still have a hard time understanding is how search works in Windows 8.
Just as with most actions, Microsoft has broken up the functionality of the Start Menu into two elements. The first, the Start Screen, is the new default user interface for Windows 8. It’s that touch and keyboard friendly area with Live Tiles that is featured whenever a user hits the Start button on their device. The second area is the Charms Bar. Unlike the Start Menu there’s actually no persistent visual element that lets you know it’s there. Instead Microsoft requires users to simply know how to access them after a short video tutorial.
Here’s how to use that Charms Bar’s search function to find what you’re looking for in your favorite Windows 8 applications, like Netflix, and for files stored on the device you’re using. From any area on your computer swipe from the right if you’re using a tablet or place the mouse curser in the right hand corner of your screen if you’re using a keyboard and mouse. The Charms Bar will appear, presenting you with ‘Settings’, ‘Devices’, ‘Start’ ‘Share’ and finally ‘Search’. Click on the Search Charm. By default, Windows 8 will treat all searches as if you’re looking for apps. If you are searching for an app, type in the name of the application until you see it on the left and click on it or tap it. If you are looking for a setting select Settings just underneath the field where you’re seeing the keywords you are searching for. Once you’ve found that setting hit or tap enter. The same process goes for any files that you’ve stored on that Windows 8 device as well, just tap files underneath the Search field. You’ll also find a list of apps that you can search using this system as well. To search apps, simply type the name of the thing you are looking for, and click on the application in the search menu that you wish to search through. In our example, we’re search the Xbox Music application for ‘Britney Spears.’ Again, this method also works for files stored on your computer. Above, we’re searching for all the Britney Spears songs downloaded to our Windows 8 Device.
Since the Charms Bar is available at all times, users can search directly from any application installed as well. To do so, just enter the application and hit the Search Charm.
In 30 seconds, Microsoft's ad pitches some of the benefits of owning a Windows 8 tablet over an iPad running iOS, such as the ability to pinch to zoom to see more apps on the home screen, built-in SD card compatibility, running two apps on the same display, and a lower price. Redmond not only enlists Apple’s intelligent virtual assistant to push their own product in this ribbing ad, it also mimics Apple’s own advertising style, showing two tablets side by side against a backdrop of white.
The commercial begins with Microsoft pointing out that users can’t pinch on the home screen to see multiple pages of apps.
“I’m sorry, I can’t zoom like that,” says the soon-to-be updated Siri, in a robotic monotone.
The Dell tablet user then slides in an SD card from their camera, while the same action on the iPad prompts Siri to protest, “You can’t put an SD card there, or there, or there.”
She then compliments Windows 8’s ability to run two apps on the same screen before lamenting about the iPad's $599 price tag, which is $200 more than the Dell XPS 10’s current special offer price of $399. What the ad doesn’t mention is that the XPS 10 normally starts at $449 when it’s not on sale.
These parody ads are becoming common for the Microsoft, which has not only mocked Apple and Siri, but also Android and Samsung in its take on the smartphone war, a fight in which Windows Phone is all but absent.
The timing of the most recent commercial is particularly interesting.
Microsoft released Office 365 Mobile for iPhone earlier today, but left both the iPad and Android devices in the cold. This can be been seen as an attempt to drive more Windows 8 tablets sales which, as seen in a previous and similar ad, is capable of running PowerPoint.
There’s also the old argument that Windows 8 only boasts a library of 65,000 apps or so, while iOS carried more than 250,000 as of July 2012. What Microsoft wants customers to remember, of course, is that Office can’t be found in Apple’s expansive collection.
