Microsoft Surface Attacks MacBook Air

Today Microsoft made a somewhat major attack with its new ads for the Surface Pro 3, coming up against what some consider to be the reigning “King of Ultrabooks,” the MacBook Air. Perhaps Microsoft figured that they would spice things up a bit by taking potshots at Apple, just like the good old days(2006-2009, Google “Get a Mac”). Showing great confidence in their new Surface Pro 3, Microsoft released three new ads titled “Crowded,” “Head-to-Head,” and “Power.” In each instance the tech giant did not waste any time in making the Mac user feel stupid. The Mac user might as well of not even turned on his Ultrabook.

The issues with these two companies go back decades, so it is no surprise that eventually one of the two would try to pin a sticky note on the other’s back. However, a large question seems to sit awkwardly in the minds of the viewer after watching each of these commercials. Is Microsoft really in a position to pose these attacks on Apple? After all there is something to be said for friendly, healthy, competition. Before this question can really be answered, however, examining the hardware in question may help some.

The 13 inch screen on the MacBook Air was not designed for touch, and the 12 inch screen on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 was, which gives one advantage to the Microsoft product.  The next point to consider is each device’s screen resolution. The Surface Pro 3 boasts an amazingly vivid 2160 x 1440 pixel (px) display, with the MacBook Air coming in at 1440 x 900 px without the famed IPS display.  Moving down to the keyboard, the MacBook Air has the point here because of having an integrated, and backlit, keyboard. While the keyboard on the Surface Pro 3 is backlit, many users may find it difficult to get used to the somewhat cramped surface-area, pun intended. Not to mention that the keyboard is not included in the purchase of a Surface Pro 3, consumers must pay an additional $130 USD for it. Being detachable may not be a great enough feature to convince the average consumer to buy one. Although, in an office environment the story may change a bit, but more on that later. Microsoft Surfaces attack on the MacBook Air so far is one for one.

Considering that the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, without the keyboard, is in fact a tablet; having a full size USB 3.0 port as well as a Micro HDMI port for attaching external displays, is quite a feat. However, being compared to a full Ultrabook like the MacBook Air, that may not be enough. With the Ultrabook sporting two USB 3.0, as well as a one Thunderbolt port, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 finds itself arguably out gunned in the port department. Continuing on to the internals of these giants of industry, hard drive space is always important. Both of these devices have the same high-end capacity of 512GB SSDs, although the SSD inside the Surface Pro 3 is just a bit slower. The average user, however, is not going to be doing a side-by-side comparison, and so most likely will not notice the difference. While comparing the highest end versions of these devices it should also be mentioned that both come with 8GB of RAM maximum.

Processor speed is one of the most important specifications to consider when choosing which device to purchase and these two devices are no different. The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 comes with an Intel i7-4650U processor clocking in at 1.7 GHz, with a turbo clock of 3.3GHz. The MacBook Air has the exact same processor as well as clock speeds. Rapping up, both have 802.11 b/g/n/ac wireless capabilities, as well as Bluetooth 4.0. Without the keyboard attachment the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 reaches $1949 USD, while the MacBook Air runs $1749 USD.

Microsoft has always had the lions share when it comes to business users. While Apple has made large strides in this area, and no doubt many businesses may solely rely on Macs, there is little debate as to who is reigning in the business world. Because of the prevalence of both Microsoft Windows and Office in the workplace many companies will no doubt choose the Surface, so there is no need for additional training. In addition, running full versions of Photoshop, for example, with the Surface Pen is quite the game changer.

While much more can be said, and no doubt will be said, about these two devices, the fact remains that they are not really much different from one another in terms of hardware. Being a good sport will always be important in the “Big Tech” business, but until Microsoft pushes past living in 2006 there may not be too much more innovation in the industry. The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a powerful tool, but it should be used to innovate and create more options for consumers, not attack Apple’s MacBook Air.

10 awesome Google features you should be using

BY Varun Raj

The reason the Google home page is so bare is that, way back when it was just starting out in a Silicon Valley garage, no one working there knew how to program a web page to make it look pretty.

In fact, even the word Google was a mistake. The founders really wanted “Googol” – the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes.

Of course, Google is now a noun, a verb and a massive global company loved as much for its innovation as it is hated for its user tracking. It has many tricks and products that you don’t need to spend money on, some of which will make your life easier, and others that will just blow your mind.

Let’s take a look at 10 of them:

Google Flight Search

Need to find the best price on a flight? Google Flight Search is one of the easiest price-comparison sites around. Pick your start point and destination – or destinations – on the map, and then pick your dates. When you pick the dates, be sure to pay attention to the prices on each date and Google's graph of days with the cheapest tickets.

Then you can filter the results by flight length, airline, price, stops and more. When you find a flight you like, you can book it directly on the airline's site. Click here to learn three more secrets to getting the lowest airfare.

Atari Breakout

Need to take a quick break? Thanks to Google, you can play a version of the classicAtari Breakout game on your computer whenever you want. Simply go to the Google Image Search page – www.google.com/images – and search for "Atari Breakout." Then wait for the fun to begin.

Google Public Data Explorer

Google's normal search site is great for most searches, but Google has more specialized search sites as well. For example, the Google Public Data Explorer is a treasure chest full of information on public statistics.

Go to the Google Public Data page and type in a topic. Keep your searches simple, like "Unemployment in the U.S." Google will return results from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You'll end up with an easy-to-read graph, and you can even tweak it with options like gender, age and state.

Google translations

Need a quick translation of a word? Go to the normal Google search page and type in "translate (word) to (language)" in the search bar. For instance, you could type "translate apple to French."

Google will let you know in less than a second that "pomme" is the French word for apple. It also includes a small speaker icon that will let you hear the word if you aren't sure how to pronounce it. For longer translations, check out Google Translate.

Google nutrition comparison search

What's healthier, an orange or a banana? Type "compare" into Google's search bar, along with the foods you want to look at, such as "compare broccoli and asparagus." Google will do the rest.

Google definitions

When you don't know what a word means, don't reach for the dictionary. Type "define (word)" into the Google search bar, such as "define tintinnabulation" and you'll have the definition instantly (it's "a ringing or tinkling sound," if you were wondering).

You'll also get pronunciation and part of speech, and you can click the gray arrow for more information, including word origins.

Google Conversions

Whether you're cooking or helping your child with math homework, odds are you're going to have to convert units of measurement. On the Google search page, enter a search like "convert eight ounces to cups" or "convert 10km to mi." You'll have your answer instantly, and you can even tweak the numbers and units after the fact.

Google nGrams

Google nGrams is a great research tool that lets you search how many times specific words occur in more than 5 million books written since 1800. You can see how words get more or less popular over time.

You can put in multiple words separated by commas to compare two or more words at once. Google lets you adjust the time period and language of the books, and you can see what books contain the words.

Google Sky

If you think Google Earth is great, then Google Sky is going to blow your mind. It lets you search the heavens and see images of stars, planets and galaxies taken from telescopes, probes and satellites.

It includes infrared and microwave images as well as a historic map of the stars made by Giovanni Maria Cassini in 1792. If you don't know where to start, the site has some suggestions that you'll love.