Rumor has it that Microsoft has at least two more Surface devices set to launch this year — a new entry-level 12.5 inch Surface Laptop with a lower starting price than any current model, and a 2nd-gen Surface Pro X tablet powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 processor.
Now we can add another rumor to the mix: they’ll both launch Thursday. That’s according to German website WinFuture, which has a pretty good track record with leaks of this sort.
The new entry-level Surface Laptop is expected to have just 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and an Intel Core i5-1035G1 quad-core processor, but with an expected started price of $699, it would be Microsoft’s most affordable laptop to date. Customers who want beefier specs can pay for upgrades or opt for a different model.
In other recent tech news, Roku has new hardware, the crowdfunded Volla Phone is set to ship with a choice of Ubuntu Touch or Google-free Android software in November, and it turns out that Acer/Gateway’s new Walmart-exclusive laptops actually offer decent bang for the buck if you’re looking for a Windows laptop priced at less than $400.
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
- Microsoft Surface Laptop “Go” and 2nd-gen Surface Pro X coming Oct 1? [WinFuture]
Microsoft’s rumored 12.5 inch entry-level Surface Laptop “Go” and a new version of the Surface Pro X could be unveiled as soon as Thursday. The laptop is expected to have a starting price of $699. - Volla Phone set to ship to crowdfunding backers in November [LinuxSmartphones]
First announced a year ago, this smartphone is set to ship with a choice of a Google-free Android operating system called Volla OS or Ubuntu Touch (which is an even more Google-free operating system, I guess). - Battle of the $350 laptops: Acer Swift 1 vs. Gateway Ryzen 3 3200U [Ars Technica]
This tale of two sub-$400 laptops shows that a new Walmart-exclusive Gateway (Acer) branded laptop with a Ryzen 3 3200 chip actually offer some pretty good bang for the buck, when compared with a similarly priced Acer-branded laptop with a Pentium Silver CPU. - A Redditor got Stadia to run on an iPhone [Engadget]
Third-party app brings Stadia to the iPhone. It’s basically a web browser that’s configured to support Google’s game streaming service. - Roku launches new hardware and features [Variety]
Roku introduces a new $100 Roku Ultra, a new $130 Roku Streambar (compact soundbar and 4K media streamer), and promises to deliver Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support for some Roku 4K devices. - ScummVM “Interactive Fantasy” 2.2.0 Sees the Light [ScummVM]
ScummVM 2.2.0 released, adding support for Interactive Fiction games 1976 and onward. The software which allows you to play classic PC games on modern hardware also adds support for several other titles including Ultima IV, VI, and VIII. - Tiny Rock Pi S SBC gets PoE & audio HAT add-on board [CNX Software]
The Rock Pi S is a 1.7 inch square single-board computer with a quad-core processor, Ethernet and USB ports, and a $10 starting price. Now there are PoE and audio HAT add-ons available for the tiny PC.
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I’m curious to see the pricing structure of this new Surface Go laptop. I hope 8gb of ram isn’t too expensive.
I think this product only exists because Microsoft is probably bracing for the impact of a cheap ARM powered Macbook hitting the market.