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Microsoft unveiled its next-generation Surface tablets this week, including a new Surface 2 with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, Windows RT software, and a $449 price tag. But Asus gave us a good reason not to care about Microsoft’s tablet: The upcoming Asus Transformer Book T100 has an Intel Atom Bay Trail processor, up to 11 hours of battery life, full Windows 8.1 software, and a $349 price tag.
It also comes with a keyboard included — something you’d have to pay extra for if you were buying a Surface tablet.
Here are some of the most popular articles from the past week.
- Hands-on: Asus Transformer Book T100 $349 Windows 8.1 tablet (with keyboard)
The Asus Transformer Book T100 is the netbook evolved. It’s a small, light, and cheap notebook — but it also happens to be a tablet. The keyboard is detachable. The only problem is that it’s not yet available. - ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available again for $80 (unlocked)
The ZTE Open is one of the first phones to ship with Mozilla’s Firefox operating system. It’s an entry-level phone with a low-resolution screen and a relatively slow processor. But you can buy an unlocked model for just $80. - Acer’s new Chromebook has a Celeron 2955U Haswell CPU
Acer’s next-gen Chromebook is expected to have a faster processor, longer battery life, and about the same $199 starting price as the last model. - FlashCast makes running custom Chromecast firmware easier (if you have a hackable Chromecast)
The good news is that this tool makes it much easier to install custom firmware on a Chromecast. The bad news is that if you’re already running the latest official Google firmware, there’s no easy way to root your Chromecast or install custom ROMS. - DukePad: DIY plans for building a Raspberry Pi tablet
So you got a $35 Raspberry Pi for your birthday… but what you really wanted was a tablet… then you should probably just go buy a tablet. It’d be cheaper than building one yourself. But for DIY enthusiasts, it’s nice to know you *could* build one yourself. - Microsoft introduces Surface 2, Surface Pro 2 tablets
Microsoft’s next-generation Surface tablets go on sale in October. There’s a new model with a Haswell processor, and for some reason Microsoft still thinks people will buy a Windows RT model with an ARM-based chip (this time an NVIDIA Tegra 4). - Oppo N1 smartphone has rotating N-Lens camera, CyanogenMod option
Chinese phone maker Oppo’s new phone has an enormous 5.9 inch display, a camera that rotates to face forward or backward, and it’ll be the first phone to offer an option for an officially supported build of CyanogenMod.