Chinese smartphone maker Lenovo has launched Phab, smartphone and tablet hybrid in India. Company had announced the device last year in September at IFA. The phablet is the lite variant of the Phab Plus smartphone that was launched in India in October last year at Rs. 20,990. The Lenovo Phab comes with a price tag of Rs 11,999 and it will be available only on Flipkart.

Phab is dual-SIM (Micro-SIM + Micro-SIM). It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system topped with the Vibe UI of the company. It features a 6.98-inch HD (720x1280 pixel) IPS display with 1280x720 pixels resolution.

It is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor clocked at 1.2GHz. The phablet has 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage which can be expanded further using a microSD card(upto 64 GB).

Onboard sensors include an accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and digital compass.

It is equipped with Dolby Atmos audio technology, 3 microphones and dedicated voice processor support. The device bears a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing camera for selfies. 

The connectivity options of the device include 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi  802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, and Micro-USB connectivity.  It houses a massive 4,250 mAh battery rated to deliver up to 24 hours of talk time, and up to 20 days of standby time. 

The Phab weighs 250 grams, and measures 186x97x8.9mm. Currently the smartphone has only been launched in its Tuxedo Black colour variant, though it was launched internationally with Polar White, Aqua Blue, and Cherry Red colour variants as well. 

Elite x3 Phablet will be available in Asia Pacific and Japan in September this year. HP Elite x3 bridges the gap between laptop and phone. The price of Elite x3 device is yet to be announced.

It enables frictionless multi-screen transitions between a phone and a desktop PC. The device sports 8MP front camera and 16MP rear camera.

For users' security, the device has both a fingerprint reader and an iris recognition camera, offering biometric security as part of Window's biometric Hello framework.

The Elite x3 offers a unique computing experience by leveraging the power of the Snapdragon 820 processor, the optional HP Desk Dock and the optional Lap Dock, allowing the device to let people work on their own terms no matter where the locale. Users can also enjoy easier, faster charging with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

It includes a DisplayPort for external monitor support, two USB-A and a USB-C connection for business continuity and wired Ethernet to seamlessly scale user's productivity at their desk.

Smartron, India’s first true global IoT brand with “designed and engineered” in India for India and the world, today announced the launch of its first ever range of products, t.book, the impressive high performance Ultrabook convertible.


Specifications:
The tBook has a metal body construction; specifically, it uses a mixture of magnesium and aluminum. With a beautiful finish on every edge and corner, the hybrid tablet looks pretty neat and clean. The combination of Smartron Orange and Grey color on the back side, it looks beautiful. And what’s look nicer is the kickback stand. With a price point it comes with, one would think that build quality of the stand wouldn’t be sturdy, well, I’ll stop you right there.

 

The Kickback stand is pretty stable; you feel the solid body when you pull it out from the space assigned to it. Edges have dedicated keys and ports, such as power button, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card slot, Type-C with USB 3.0 support, 2 X full USB 3.0 ports, micro HDMI port, and a magnetic pogo pin on the bottom edge, which is used to attach the keyboard. As well as you would see dual stereo speakers and dual microphone for better noise cancellation during those conference calls. With a dimension of 308.5 x 9.5 x 206.5 mm, the tablet feels to hold and offer an excellent grip. It felt light enough to carry around in your backpack.


Keyboard:
keyboard, comes as an attachable accessory that you can use when you want to browse comfortably . It’s always good to get an attachable keyboard to use when typing is all you need. And before you ask, it’s a full-size keyboard, which we thought needs some work. But I can judge more about it once we use it as our daily driver machine, which we are hoping to in near future.

Display:
Moving to the display, it has 12.2-inch WQXGA display with IPS technology and a resolution of 2560 x 1600, which is as better as it gets on a size that large. We didn’t get to play videos on it, but the system colors felt pretty good on it, just a couple of minutes of browsing will tell you that how clear the display is, as well it has good viewing angles too. With a 16:10 ratio, the content on this display is as wide as it gets, the multi-touch certainly felt responsive with

couple try, as well as the company is claiming that it as a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. tbook,  sports a 12.2-inch IPS display with WQXGA (2560 x 1600 pixels) resolution. It is powered by the 64-bit Intel Core M processors clocked at 2GHz. There is 4GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD storage, and a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion.

 

The tbook is backed by a 37W.hr battery which the company claims to last for 10 hours of continuous usage. On the connectivity front, it has two USB 3.0 ports, one Micro-HDMI, and one Type C with USB 3.0 for charging. Even though the tablet is powered off, it can be still used for charging other devices. The tablet packs two 1W stereo speakers and dual microphones for noise cancellation.

                      

In the camera department, it includes 5MP autofocus rear camera and a 2MP front camera. It measures 308.5 x 206.5 x 9.5 mm. It also comes with the T-Care shortcut for remotely fixing the problems within the tablet. While the tbook will be on sale starting from April 8th via Gadgets 360 and the tphone will be launched on April 18th.

 

The device is powered by Intel Core M processor, which is said to be next generation chipset bringing the best efficiency in terms of power usage and performance. That’s why the company is claiming a battery life of up to 10 hours in web browsing while a 28 days standby time, which is something of an amazing feat. But then again, we would only know it better once we get started on using tBook as our daily driver machine.


The processor offers turbo frequency if up to 2GHz, it is supported by a 128Gb SSD drive, which said to be numerous times faster than HDD. Moreover, there is a 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM inside the system, which ensures swift multitasking. It would be coming with Windows 10 Home, which can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro as well as would come pre-installed with 30 days trial version of Office 2016 Edition.
 

 

Apart from all this, the company has created a Tron X, which is all set to deliver software experience with t-cloud, t-store, and t-care. This all is listed under the Hubtron, company’s native artificial engine integrated on every smartron device. With this users would be able to access their data, profiles, content, services, and community. We can’t explain how useful these features are yet as we haven’t tested them yet. That said we are certainly looking forward to it. It’s all a lot to take in at the time, but one can make sense of these services once they use this service.

                           

The idea of owning a portable, powerful hybrid machine would be accessible to more consumers as Smartron tBook priced at Rs 39,999 is something that many consumers would be interested in to get their hands-on with. The specifications on this tablet are very promising; from design to display, enough number of ports to an array of hubtron services and performance to battery life. This was our first impression of the Smartron tBook hybrid tablet.

For detailed review Stay tuned with us.

Apple is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and till now it has proved that Apple is an excellent machine with lots of capability since from it's foundation in 1976.Long waited moment comes to an end after Apple launched it's new product-Apple I-pad pro 9.7 in March,2016.

This new i-Pad of Apple is available in three different models differentiated on the basis of the Internal Storage capacity i.e. 32GB/128GB/256GB with Wifi and LTE supported 4g network  in every set if wanted by user. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has the highest resolution of any iOS device It has quickness of 1.8 times the CPU performance of iPad Air 2, the A9X chip delivers incredible responsiveness.A portable keyboard is can be connected by smart connector

This 64-bit A9X chip gives iPad Pro the power to easily take on tasks once reserved for workstations and PCs. Tasks you'd never consider doing on a PC as it is faster than any speeding laptop. Despite this barrier-breaking performance, the A9X chip's efficient architecture enables up to 10 hours of battery life.
 

This new tablet of Apple has remarkable cameras on both the front and the back. The 12.9‑inch model's 8‑megapixel iSight camera lets you shoot beautiful photos and video. The 9.7‑inch iPad Pro comes with a 12‑megapixel iSight camera, which can capture 4K video, 240‑fps slow motion videos and Live Photos. It's also the first iPad with True Tone flash, so skin tones look great regardless of lighting.

Things are sharper on the other side of iPad Pro too. The front-facing FaceTime HD camera's latest sensor makes video calls more lifelike. And on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the 5-megapixel FaceTime HD camera features Retina Flash with True Tone for gorgeous selfies.

So it has full HD Video playback 1080p & HD video recording (30 fps) with Slo-mo (120 fps).Along with it,it also has Time-lapse video with stabilization, Video image stabilization Improved face detection & 3x video zoom Video along with geotagging.These remarkable features have left a great impact on Tablet market

iPad Pro handles the tasks we'd usually done on  a PC but it is lighter than any PC we could hope to be. The 9.7-inchiPad Pro packs heavyweight performance into less than 500 grams. The 12.9-inchiPad Pro is thinner than iPhone 6s and weighs just over 700 grams. Due to the aluminium unibody, both sizes feel reassuringly solid in the hand. iPad Pro uses Touch ID technology to turn your fingerprint into an unforgettable password.

It do have various sensors like Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer enabling it for best gaming and app performances.

This iOS9 based device is the world's most advanced, intuitive and secure mobile operating system. From powerful multitasking features to Night Shift, iOS 9 is designed to help us to get the most out of iPad.
 

You can get even more creative and productive with accessories designed especially for the scale, capabilities and power of iPad Pro.

Apple iPad Pro 9.7 is finally reminding the people that it remains in the race. Many people had started believing that Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 had snatched the initiative from Apple.

With the launch of latest Apple iPad Pro 9.7 now Cupertino based Apple is trying to reassure its core fans that it remains firmly in the game.surface-pro-4 image

 There is no denying the fact Apple is trying to attract those customers who are planning to ditch laptops for more portable tablets, but want a powerful machine to complete their work.

It must be kept in mind that latest 9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro comes loaded with all the power and performance of the original extra-large iPad Pro, but its size is small. Inside, there's a powerful processor, 256GB of storage and a new "True Tone" display that adjusts its color based on the light around you.

Nonetheless Apple is going to face a stiff competition from Google, Microsoft and Samsung, who have already launched Google Pixel C, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and Samsung Galaxy TabPro S respectively.

The newest iPad Pro isn't cheap; the 32GB Wi-Fi model will set you back $599. But the starting price for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is $899 for 128GB, so it's a bit of a toss up, since you get much more storage with the entry-level Surface Pro 4.

But Microsoft includes a stylus with its tablet, while the Apple Pencil for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will set you back $99. Neither the iPad nor the Surface Pro 4 include the keyboard cover in their price, though. The Smart Keyboard for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will cost $149 when it begins shipping; the Type Cover for the Surface Pro 4 costs $129.99.

Power

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is powered by Apple's latest and fastest mobile processor, an A9X chip and M9X co-processor. These are some blazing fast internals, on-par with an early-2015 MacBook Air. But the entry-level Surface Pro 4 has an Intel Core m3 processor, and can be configured all the way up to Intel Core i7 with 8GB of RAM, so it has a bit of an edge when it comes to power.

Display

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a similar display to the iPad Air 2: a 9.7-inch, 2,048-by-1,536 Retina display. Apple added something it calls True Tone, though, which adjusts the display based on brightness and ambient light temperature. 

Plus, it's 25 percent brighter than the iPad Air 2, Apple says. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 ships with a 12.3-inch 2,736-by-1,824 screen, so it's a little larger and sharper than the smaller iPad Pro. Its PixelSense technology also gives the screen high contrast and cuts down on glare.

Perhaps the biggest difference between these two devices is the operating system. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro runs iOS, whereas you get full Windows 10 with the Surface Pro 4. So while iOS provides all the games and mobile apps you love on the iPad, the Surface Pro 4 is capable of running full desktop apps, a better experience for enterprise tasks.

Designers will be drawn to the iPad Pro because of its compatability with the Apple Pencil and suite of creative iOS apps. Mobile workers who PC-like power, however, will likely be more taken with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

We will Soon Bring Out detail Review of iPad Pro9.7"..

Apple today announced a new iPad in the iPad Pro family, debuting the 9.7-inch iPad Pro with all of the features of the existing 12.9-inch iPad Pro, including the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro even has a few improved features over the 12.9-inch version, including a True Tone display and better rear and front-facing cameras. 

iPad Pro is a new generation of iPad that is indispensable and immersive, enabling people to be more productive and more creative. It's incredibly fast, extremely portable, and completely natural to use with your fingers, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. And now it comes in two sizes," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a new Retina display with True Tone technology, four-speaker audio system, blazing fast A9X chip, 12-megapixel iSight camera, 5-megapixel FaceTime HD camera, faster wireless, and support for Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. It is the ultimate upgrade for existing iPad users and replacement for PC users.

Described by Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller as "the ultimate PC replacement," the 9.7-inch iPad Pro uses the same display components as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro -- custom timing controller, photo alignment, and oxide TFT -- resulting in a display that's 40 percent less reflective and 25 percent brighter than the display in the iPad Air 2. It also has a wider color gamut with 25 percent greater color saturation for more vivid colors. Like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro's display includes support for the Apple Pencil.

Unique to the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is a True Tone display that uses four-channel ambient light sensors to measure the color temperature of the ambient environment, changing the temperature of the tablet's display to match. The feature goes hand-in-hand with Night Shift, the blue light reduction mode in iOS 9.3.

Measuring in at 6.1mm, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro weighs less than a pound. Design wise, it looks like a smaller 12.9-inch iPad Pro, with four speakers for improved audio and a Smart Connector for use with accessories like the new Smart Keyboard. Inside, there's an A9X chip that offers incredible performance and a long battery life, plus there's support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi With MIMO technology, faster LTE advanced, and the Apple SIM to connect to LTE networks while traveling.

 The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has an improved 12-megapixel camera, with Focus Pixels for faster focusing, a better image signal processor, advanced noise reduction, and better face detection. It's the same camera used in the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, with support for 5K video, 63-megapixel panoramas, and Live Photos. There's also a rear-facing flash, the first flash included in an iPad. Apple has also improved the front-facing camera, introducing a 5-megapixel FaceTime HD camera with a front-facing Retina Flash feature.

The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro comes in four colors: Silver, Gold, Space Gray and Rose Gold. Pricing starts at $599 for 32GB of storage, with 128GB and a new 256GB option available for $749 and $899, respectively. Cellular models are also available in 32GB ($729), 128GB ($879), and 256GB ($1,029) configurations.

The 32 GB Wi-Fi variation starts at $599, while the 128 GB and 256 GB Wi-Fi variations are priced at $749 and $899, respectively. It'll be available for pre-order on March 24. Additionally, Apple announced that the 12-inch iPad Pro will be available in a larger 256 GB variation for $1,099.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be available to order beginning Thursday, March 24, from Apple.com, and in Apple's retail stores, through select carriers and Apple Authorized Resellers on Thursday, March 31, in Australia, Canada, China (Wi-Fi models only), France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, US Virgin Islands and the US.

The Apple Pencil for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro continues to be available for $99. The Smart Keyboard designed for the smaller tablet is priced at $149.

Apple is continuing to sell the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2, dropping the price to $399, and the company has added a new 12.9-inch iPad with 256GB of storage for $1,229.

The Twinpad comes with a detachable keyboard with trackpad.

Lava has announced the launch of Lava Twinpad, a 2-in-1 tablet, at Rs 15,999. Being a hybrid device, it can be used both as a tablet and a laptop. The screen of the device can be placed on the front as well as on the reverse side and also comes with a detachable keyboard with track-pad.

As per Lava, the Twinpad will be available in silver colour across all national retail stores, multi-brand outlets and onlinePLATFORMS. It comes with a one-year manufacturer warranty and 6 months warranty for the in box accessories.

Lava Twinpad has a 10.1-inch IPS display with Stylus support, 800x1280 pixels resolution and 5-Point multi-touch support. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core Intel processor paired with 2GB of RAM. The device runs on Windows 10 operating system and is backed up by a huge 7400 mAh battery.

The Twinpad has 32 GB of inbuilt storage, which can be further expandable up-to 64GB via microSD card. It sports a 2-megapixel camera both in front & back panel. Besides, the Twinpad offers Single SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 USB Slots and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

 Commenting on the launch of Twinpad, Raman Sharma, vice-president & business head tablets, Lava International Limited said, "In India, tablets as a category is still evolving but at the same time lines are blurring between phablets and tablets. At Lava, we are constantly    investing in R&D to bring innovative yet relevant devices for the consumers. In Twinpad we have come up with a device that offers great computing functionalities and therefore finds a right fit with students & young working executives who are always on the move. The overall proposition led by dual functionality & a bidirectional screen will redefine benchmarks in this category."

Microsoft has finally launched the Surface Pro 4 in India at Rs 89,990.The company said that the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 will be exclusively available via Amazon India for the first six months. Microsoft India said that the delivery will begin shipping on January 14. Those who place an order before 2pm IST on thursday will get the delivery on the same day.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 will be offered in three variants.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is available on Amazon India at a discounted price of 58,990 rupees (around $880), which is 20 percent off the original price tag of 73,990 rupees (around $1,104).

Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 3 in India back in early January along with the Surface Pro 4. Both tablets were made available exclusively via Amazon India at least for the initial six months.

After the unveiling, customers in India were able to start booking the device as early as Jan. 7, and deliveries started one week later.

 

Microsoft touts the Surface Pro 3 as a revolutionary laptop that offers unmatched versatility. Using the device's multi-position Kickstand along with the Surface Pro 3 Type Cover, customers can easily transform the device's function from tablet to laptop, depending on their needs.

"You can work just as comfortably on your lap as at your desk," saysMicrosoft. "Plus, you can easily connect your peripherals and transfer files via a full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, and Mini Display Port."

Notable specs of the Surface Pro 3 include a 12-inch clear type full HD display with 2,160 x 1,440 resolution; various SSD options (64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB); an array of sensors that include Accelerometer, Ambient light, Magnetometer and Gyroscope; stereo speakers with sound enhanced by Dolby Audio; numerous ports that are meant for charging, cover, mini display, headphone jack, microSD card reader and full-size USB 3.0; Bluetooth 4.0 with Low Energy technology; Wi-Fi; and processor options that include Intel i3 (64 GB), Intel i5 (128 GB and 256 GB) and Intel i7 (128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB).

The Surface Pro 3 also has a 5-megapixel front camera, a 5-megapixel rear camera, built-in microphones found on both the front and back, and Windows 10 Pro.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is available on Amazon India at a discounted price of 58,990 rupees (around $880), which is 20 percent off the original price tag of 73,990 rupees (around $1,104).


Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 3 in India back in early January along with the Surface Pro 4. Both tablets were made available exclusively via Amazon India at least for the initial six months.

After the unveiling, customers in India were able to start booking the device as early as Jan. 7, and deliveries started one week later.

Microsoft touts the Surface Pro 3 as a revolutionary laptop that offers unmatched versatility. Using the device's multi-position Kickstand along with the Surface Pro 3 Type Cover, customers can easily transform the device's function from tablet to laptop, depending on their needs.

"You can work just as comfortably on your lap as at your desk," saysMicrosoft. "Plus, you can easily connect your peripherals and transfer files via a full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, and Mini Display Port."

Notable specs of the Surface Pro 3 include a 12-inch clear type full HD display with 2,160 x 1,440 resolution; various SSD options (64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB); an array of sensors that include Accelerometer, Ambient light, Magnetometer and Gyroscope; stereo speakers with sound enhanced by Dolby Audio; numerous ports that are meant for charging, cover, mini display, headphone jack, microSD card reader and full-size USB 3.0; Bluetooth 4.0 with Low Energy technology; Wi-Fi; and processor options that include Intel i3 (64 GB), Intel i5 (128 GB and 256 GB) and Intel i7 (128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB).

The Surface Pro 3 also has a 5-megapixel front camera, a 5-megapixel rear camera, built-in microphones found on both the front and back, and Windows 10 Pro.
 

 

During his keynote speech at the Future Unleashed event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that the company will bring its Surface Pro tablet to the domestic market in January.

Announced in October this year, Surface Pro 4 is a convertible tablet powered by Windows 10 operating system.

The new Surface Pro 4 tablet - a larger but thinner and lighter version of the Surface Pro 3. Launched nearly a year and a half after its predecessor, the Surface Pro 4 features a 12.3-inch screen with 267ppi. It runs on 6th-generation Intel Core processor and has 16GB of RAM, 1TB storage packs a G5 chipset, reportedly designed by Microsoft.

There's also a new Surface pen with all-year battery life and interchangeable tips.

Surface Pro 4 is 50% faster than Apple's MacBook Air, Panos Panay, the corporate vice president for Surface Computing at Microsoft, said at the event. The latest Microsoft tablet is priced at $899.

Nadella, however, did not reveal whether Microsoft plans to introduce its new Surface Book laptop in the country at the same time.

Along with this, Nadella said that the new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL smartphones will hit the market in the next two months.

The Lumia 950 includes a 5.2-inch display and a hexacore processor, while the larger Lumia 950 XL has a 5.7-inch display with an octacore chip. The specs on the budget 550 had not been released as the event continued.

The 950 and 950XL handsets feature a 20-megapixel rear camera, have up to 32GB of storage, 4K video and use liquid cooling technology. Microsoft said storage on the phones could be extended to up to 2 terabytes using a memory card.

Priced at $549 and $649 respectively, the Lumia 950 and 950XL became available in US in November.

Apple's largest tablet ever, the iPad Pro, is coming Nov. 11 to stores and online, Apple announced Friday.

Previously the company had kept the tablet's release date a secret, only saying it would come out in November, according to 9to5 Mac. 

Apple first announced the iPad Pro at their special press event in September. The new iPad's announcement came at the same event as that of the new iPhones and an updated Apple TV.

The newest iPad is different from any other tablet offered from Apple because of its size at 12.9 inches. It also has a brand new processor, the A9X, which will help it run extremely fast. The screen on the iPad Pro will offer improved graphics and it will be more sensitive so that users can draw on the screen using the new Apple Pen.

The iPad Pro will also have a total of four speakers, the first time an iPad has this many. Finally, the iPad Pro will allow for split-screen apps, allowing users to operate two apps at the same time.

With the iPad Pro come two new accessories: the Apple Pen and the Smart Keyboard. Both of these accessories will be available on Nov. 11 as well. The Apple Pen will cost $99 while the Smart Keyboard will cost $169.

This will be Apple's most expensive iPad ever, with a starting cost of $799 for the 32GB model. The company decided not to offer a 16GB model, skipping straight up to a 32GB model, a 128GB WiFi-only model for $949, and a 128GB LTE model for $1,079.

Apple has not confirmed that they will be offering any pre-order opportunities for the iPad Pro, MacRumors reports. 

9to5 Mac reported that Apple will conclude training its employees on the iPad Pro by Nov. 6.

It also announced new apps for Windows 10, including Box, Facebook, Instagram, Flipagram, Candy Crush Soda Saga and Uber. All of the apps will be available on the new devices.

"Microsoft's now working to showcase that it's building out its ecosystem based on Windows 10," said Susan Schreiner, an analyst at C4 Trends.

"They're really trying to unify their prods around Windows 10, and that seems to be in line with Nadella's vision," she told TechNewsWorld.

Microsoft's top-of-the-line product is its Surface Book laptop. Taking Microsoft's two-in-one concept to the next level, it breaks out into three configurations: a portable clipboard, which results when the 13.5-inch display is detached from the keyboard; a laptop; and what Microsoft calls a "creative canvas" -- a screen on the back of the main display, which can be connected to the keyboard for pen input.

The Surface Book has a sixth-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, up to 16 GB of memory, a multitouch PixelSense screen and a Surface Pen. A discrete graphics chip is offered as an option.

Microsoft promises the Book will have up to 12 hours of battery life.

Pricing begins at US$1,500.

Microsoft also unveiled the Surface Pro 4 tablet, with a multi-position kickstand and an improved keyboard.

It has a 12.3-inch PixelSense display and uses sixth-generation Intel Core M, i5 or i7 processors.

The Surface Pro 4 Type Cover has a redesigned mechanical keyboard and an optional fingerprint reader.

It has up to nine hours of battery life.

Pricing starts at $900.

Microsoft is taking preorders for both the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4; both products will be available in the United States and Canada Oct. 26.

"What's going to be interesting is, Apple will be making an announcement for the iPad before the end of the year," Schreiner commented.

That might spark another free-for-all in the tablets market.

The Surface Book is "arguably the most powerful thin laptop on the planet," remarked Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. "It uses Intel's Skylake and Nvidia graphics to get there."

It is one of the first products out of Microsoft's new conjoined lab, Enderle told TechNewsWorld, and "looks like what [Apple chief design officer] Jony Ive might design if he were allowed to bridge the iPad and MacBook."

Microsoft is aiming the Surface Book at the MacBook Pro, and targeting the MacBook Air with the Surface Pro 4.

The Surface Book and Pro 4 "will compete very strongly for replacement sales of tablets and PCs," Eric Smith, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics, told TechNewsWorld.

Microsoft's flagship Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones are essentially your office in a pocket with Windows 10's Continuum capability, their ability to connect to monitors through a Microsoft Display Dock, to run Office 360 apps, and let users add a keyboard and mouse.

The new Lumias have the latest PureView cameras with 20-MP sensors on the rear, triple LED natural flash and 4K video capture.

They use tablet-class liquid cooling and can be charged over USB Type-C ports from flat to 50 percent battery capacity in 30 minutes.

Price is $550 for the 950 and $650 for the Lumia 950 XL.

Still, Microsoft's "behind [in the mobile area] and trying to catch up," Enderle said.

Windows Phone devices still suffer from a dearth of apps, for example.

However, "with 110 million Windows 10 users, the hope is Microsoft has the critical mass to get the apps built now," Enderle said.

Microsoft has reported a four-fold growth in its developer base, he noted, but "if they had this kind of an effort a decade ago, they wouldn't be where they are now."

Perhaps a sign that the mighty iPad's popularity is waning, Apple announced the iPad mini 4 (and iPad Pro) alongside the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus rather than hosting a separate event this year. But if you're in the market for a new tablet, the new models have plenty to offer. Here's our iPad mini 4 review.

iPad mini 4 review: What's changed?

Design

Glance at the new 8in tablet and you might not immediately spot the subtle changes in its chassis. But just as Apple made the iPad Air 2 thinner than the original iPad Air, the mini 4 is now 18 percent thinner, a little taller and lighter.
203.2x134.8x6.1mm, 299g (+5g for cellular model)
While the old Smart Cover will physically fit, you really need one designed for the mini 4 because the magnets appear to have been repositioned and the old covers don't connect as well.
Specific-fit cases for older iPad minis are unlikely to work with the mini 4 either. Apple hasn't made a Smart Case for the new tablet, but you can pair the new iPhone-style silicone case with a Smart Cover to get all-round protection.

Mute switch

If you missed it on the Air 2, you'll also miss the mute / lock rotation slider on the iPad mini 4, because it's gone. Those settings are now only in the Control Centre which you get to by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

iPad mini 4 review: Screen

It still has a 7.9in diagonal and a 2048x1536 resolution, but the screen on the mini 4 is a big upgrade. It's the upgrade we'd hoped for on the mini 3, but at least it's here now. Apple has removed the air gap between the cover glass and LCD which not only improves the build quality - the tablet feels more solid - but it also improves contrast (a lot) and makes everything look noticeably better.
The screen also gains the anti-glare coating of the Air 2 and while there are still reflections, it makes a noticeable difference and really helps to cut down on glare and improve the screen's perceived quality.
Measuring the new display with our Spyder4, we're pleased that the iPad mini finally matches its bigger brother and has - as near as makes no difference - 100 percent sRGB coverage.
What that means in the real world is that colours are vibrant instead of a bit muted: put an older iPad mini next to an iPad mini 4 and it's obvious that it has an inferior quality screen. They're also more accurate, so photos and videos will look the same on an iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4.

iPad mini 4 review: Performance and battery life

Many will think of the iPad mini 4 as a shrunk-down Air 2, but it's not quite as powerful. Instead of the A8X chip, Apple instead furnished the new tablet with an A8 out of the iPhone 6 - or at least a very similar version.
Put simply, the mini 4 is not as fast as the Air 2. In Geekbench 3, it managed 1719 (single-core) and 3101 (multi-core).
The Air 2 scored 1816 and 4523 respectively. So in some apps, which take advantage of more than one processor core, the Air 2 is considerably faster. Those that don't will run with roughly the same performance. According to Geekbench 3, at least.
Again, in real-world use, the mini 4 zips along and feels every inch the premium tablet. Which it is. There's a slight hesitation when using two apps at once in the Split View mode, but it's smooth for the most part and we absolutely love the iOS 9 picture-in-picture mode where you can watch a video (or iPlayer show) in a small window that sits over another app (yes, we know it's also available on older iPads when you update them to iOS 9).
What it means is you can browse the web while the news or a football match, say, plays in the corner.
When it comes to 3D, the Air 2 also strikes out ahead. It scores 52fps and 25fps in the T-Rex and Manhattan GFXBench tests respectively. The mini 4 can manage only 37- and 15fps.
It's still a lot faster than the iPad mini 2 and 3, which share the same graphics chip, which score 22fps in T-Rex and 9fps in Manhattan.
But if you were hoping for an iPad mini with the power of an Air 2, you could be a tad disappointed.
In better news, the smaller battery in the mini 4 actually lasts longer than its predecessors. In our initial tests, it lasted roughly an hour longer than the iPad mini 2.

iPad mini 4 review: Cameras

Another upgrade is the rear camera. This has made the leap from 5Mp to 8Mp, and by all accounts is the same camera as the iPad Air 2's. It's not half bad, either, if you're taking photos in good light. And with the iPad mini, you don't look quite as strange holding a tablet up to snap videos or photos.

The jump to 8Mp is only part of the story. There are multiple benefits of the extra processing power from the A8. First it means you have the extra luxuries of burst photos and slo-mo video (120fps at 720p). Hold the button and photos are taken at a blistering 10 per second. And while slo-mo isn't as slow as the 240fps available on the iPhone 6 and later, it's still a nice feature to have. What you don't get is the option of shooting 1080p video at 60fps, but 30fps is enough for most people.
Panoramas are captured at up to 43Mp - the same as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Stitching is seamless and dynamic range is good, too, making this a feature you're likely to use more than once.
Auto-focus is quick, and face detection is better than before so you're less likely to end up with photos where people are blurry and the hedge in the background is nice and sharp.
As you'd expect, video looks good. Colours are accurate, sound is clear and details are sharp. Software stabilisation is quite effective, too. Things only start going downhill in low light, with noise creeping in to photos as well as videos. But even then, it's hard to think of a tablet that does a better job.
The two photos below have only been resized to 1600x1200 pixels, down from 3264x2448:


The 100 percent crop below shows what the camera is capable of in a handheld macro shot:

The front camera has a 1.2Mp sensor - again the same as the iPad Air 2. Its larger aperture (than the iPad mini 2) lets in more light, although the increase in quality is not always obvious. Maybe next year we'll see a proper upgrade to the FaceTime camera.

iPad mini 4 review: Price, storage and colours

When buying an iPad you have a choice of space grey, silver or gold. No change there, but the fact that nothing has moved on the storage front is more of an annoyance. The base 16GB model is even more inadequate in 2015, especially with the higher-quality camera.
The 32GB option disappeared with the iPad mini 3, so you have to choose between 64- or 128GB versions. As ever, there's also a Wi-Fi + Cellular option in all three storage capacities which costs £100 more (and also adds a GPS receiver as well as 4G LTE).
So, you'll pay a minimum of £319, and a maximum of £579. Our pick, though, is the 64GB Wi-Fi only model which costs £399.
And before we get into the "year-old innards argument", don't forget that these are the same prices Apple charged a year ago for the highly inferior iPad mini 3.
Yes, you can buy a 16GB iPad Air 2 for £399, but we'd rather have the smaller mini 4 and 64GB for the same price. Despite the shortfall in performance.
The mini 4 also gets the upgraded Wi-Fi first seen in the Air 2 - 802.11ac which can run (theoretically) up to 866Mbps. There's also Bluetooth 4.2 and thanks to Touch ID you can use Apple Pay to pay for things in certain apps.
We won't go into the features of iOS 9 since we cover many of these in our iOS 8 vs iOS 9 comparison. It's enough to summarise and say iOS 9 is superb and is a major reason to choose an iPad over any other tablet. It adds loads of useful features and tweaks compared to iOS 8, and the app store is the best stocked of all its competitors.