maximumpc.com DEC 2019 MAXIMUMPC 13
MICROSOFT has a sketchy history of making
hardware (bar the Xbox), but its Surface
series has shown that it can produce
decent gear, and the latest additions to the
family continue to impress.
First is the Surface Pro X, a superslim
two-in-one tablet powered by a custom
3GHz Qualcomm ARM processor, boasting
13 hours’ battery life. It has extremely
narrow bezels on the 1880x1920 screen, is
just 0.28 inches thick, and weighs 1.7lb. It
is beautifully light and thin. Prices start at
$999, and it should be available now.
More startling are the Surface Neo
and Surface Duo, two dual-screen folding
devices. The Neo is essentially two 9-inch
screens connected by a 360-degree hinge.
It boasts the thinnest LCD screens ever
created, according to Microsoft. There’s
a keyboard that attaches magnetically
to one screen, the remaining portion of
which becomes a smart bar, or Wonder
Bar, as Microsoft has it. It’s powered by
a Intel Lakefield processor, and runs
Windows 10X, a new version of Windows
that intelligently supports dual screens.
The Duo follows the same format, but
with 5.6-inch screens. It runs Android—a
surprise. Despite what you might think,
the Surface Duo is not a folding phone.
Microsoft is quite clear on this, having
given up on phones after spending
fortunes on various projects. It certainly
hasn’t been designed with phone use as a
priority. There’s no external screen to view
a caller on, for example.
Both look good, but neither will be
available before late next year. Prices
are unknown, but likely to be fairly high.
Other announcements include the fact
that the Surface Pro is to get USB-C ports,
the release of Surface Buds, wireless
earphones, and an AMD-powered Surface
Laptop 3. Microsoft seems to have learned
how to make impressive gear. It’s almost
enough to make you forget the Zune. –CLMicrosoft hardware gets
innovative and stylishSURFACE SHOCK
Robot Dog
for Sale
After years of amazing us with
videos of robots, Boston Dynamics
has put a model on sale, or rather
lease. A four-legged robot called
Spot is available to selected “early
adopters.” More general sales are
expected to follow if all goes well.
The 2.75ft-tall robot can walk
at 3mph, carry a 30lb payload,
cross rough terrain, and even
work in the rain. The swappable
batteries last 90 minutes. Spot is
programmable, and comes with
a range of accessories. Expected
tasks include construction,
delivery, security, and home
assistance. How practical Spot
will be is debatable, but it is
hypnotizing to watch it walk about;
it looks uncannily biological while
clearly being a machine. No exact
price has been revealed, but
Boston Dynamics says it will cost
the equivalent of a luxury car. –CLThe Galaxy
Fold returns
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold is back,
after its debut was cut short by
multiple screen failures. It has
been redesigned to be more
durable. Samsung claims the Fold
is now good for 200,000 folds. The
first thing many testers decided to
do is try to break it. In one test, it
reached 119,380 folds. Not bad.
iFixit, whose breakdown of the
original caused such a fuss, has
taken this new version apart, too.
The verdict is that it’s better, but the
changes are largely superficial—
it’s still alarmingly fragile. The list
of warnings it comes with paints
quite a picture. You must keep it
away from objects such as coins,
credit cards, dust, and fluff. You
must only touch the screen lightly,
and never fold it back on itself, or
twist it. The Galaxy Fold starts
at $1,980—that’s a lot to lose by
shutting your phone too hard. –CLMore PlayStation 5 Details Emerge
MORE SNIPPETS ABOUT the next Sony PlayStation have been confirmed by PlayStation
CEO Jim Ryan and system architect Mark Cerny. The official name is PlayStation 5 (no
surprises there), and it’s due on sale by November 2020, ready for a showdown with
the next Xbox. It has been confirmed that the AMD-supplied Navi GPU has hardware
ray tracing built in, as well as 8K support if your screen can handle it. Game storage
is on SSD, and much effort has been put into reducing the footprint of games by
removing duplicated data, and allowing for partial or modular installations. Games
will load about 15 times faster, too, helped by PCIe 4.0 support. Physical games will
use 100GB optical disks, with the optical drive doubling as a 4K Blu-ray player.
The UI has been worked over to show more information about a game before
you launch it; you’ll be able to see your progress, or if your friends are playing,
before you join. The new controller, the DualShock 5, will have adaptive triggers with
variable levels of resistance, so different functions will feel different, such as giving
weapons different trigger pulls. A lot of work has been put into the rumble, too, to
try to simulate different surfaces. Another confirmed feature is a new power-saving
mode that uses just half a watt. The PS5 will also be backwardly compatible with PS
games. There will be some sort of cloud features, too, but specifics remain a secret.
Sony isn’t giving much away about the hardware, but we do know it’s set to be
based around a high-end eight-core AMD Ryzen processor, and there’s a custom
audio chip, claimed to be “profoundly different.” It’s still over a year away, but the
PS5 is generating quite a buzz. Microsoft is going to have a fight on its hands. –CL©^
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