The new Microsoft Surface 3 can be pre-ordered today

Bloggers got to try the Surface 3 and
the Lumia 640 and 640 XL handsets
at a gathering in Singapore in April.

While Surface Pro gained many fans, there were some who wanted more. Surface Lead for Consumer Ian Tan, Microsoft Singapore, shared at a media gathering that some customers asked for a lighter, more affordable device, and Microsoft listened.

The new Surface was announced late March in Singapore, and has the same build quality as the Surface Pro 3. Like Surface Pro 3, it is a tablet that can replace a laptop but is even thinner and lighter. Surface 3 has a suggested retail price of S$748 and is optimised to run full Windows and Office and features long battery life. The ability to run Windows apps and the pen experience¹ — great for taking notes or marking documents — make Surface 3 ideal for educational purposes and those with a productivity focus. 

“Surface 3 brings what customers love about Surface Pro 3 to more people, delivering the premium design and productivity of Surface in a more affordable device,” said Tan. “We’ve taken everything we learned making Surface Pro 3 and poured that innovation into this newest Surface. It’s beautiful, versatile, powerful and productive, and our customers are going to love what it lets them do.”

Powered by the new quad-core Intel Atom x7 processor, Surface 3 is responsive but designed to maximise efficiency with up to 10 hours of video-playback battery life². The 10.8" ClearType HD multi-touch display, stereo speakers with Dolby Audio-enhanced sound, and the magnesium design are some of the features which the  Surface 3 that customers will recognise from Surface Pro 3. The three-position kickstand retains the three most popular angles for the Surface Pro 3 said Tan, and are ideal for using Surface 3 while working at a desk, sitting on a couch or holding in the palm of a hand as a writing surface. 

Surface 3 ships with full Windows 8.1 and can be upgraded to Windows 10 for free when available³. They also come complete with a one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Personal, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneDrive cloud storage⁴. The full specifications are here.

Surface 3 accessories include⁵: Surface 3 Type Covers in bright blue, red and black, which feature an improved trackpad and responsive keyset for fast, accurate typing, and four Surface Pen colours — silver, black, blue and red. The Surface 3 Docking Station connects the device to an external monitor and other desktop devices, and Surface 3’s full-size USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader offer connectivity. Tan highlighted the Micro USB charging port, which allows the Surface 3 to be used with a power bank if it runs out of battery. Surface accessories specifics can be found here.

Source: Microsoft.

Surface 3 will be available from retailers and resellers from May 5, and in Asia Pacific, in Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Thailand at launch. 

Pre-orders are accepted at the Microsoft Online Store. Retailers include Challenger, Harvey Norman and Newstead will also accept pre-orders, while commercial customers should contact their authorised reseller. Microsoft Singapore also announced four additional authorised resellers to its Microsoft Devices Programme: Innocomm Technologies, Insight Technology Solutions, JK Technology and Jardine OneSolution (2001). This brings the total number of authorised resellers to seven – including AsiaPac Distribution, SoftwareOne, and UIC Asian Computer Services. In addition to offering Microsoft’s extended warranty and accidental damage, resellers bring a variety of value-added services to the Surface family such as asset tagging, custom imaging, kitting, onsite service and support, device recycling, and data protection. 

Pre-order availability	Available for pre-order at Microsoft Online Store.  Pre-order at authorised retailers Challenger, Newstead,  and Harvey Norman begins in April 2015.
Retail availability	5 May 2015
Surface 3 SRP in S$, with GST	2 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage $748 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage $898
Accessories SRP in S$, with GST	Surface Pen $73 Surface 3 Type Cover $199 Surface 3 Screen Protector $73 Surface 3 Docking Station $288 Surface 3 Power Supply $59

¹ Surface Pen sold separately.

² Testing conducted by Microsoft in March 2015 using 128GB and 64GB units with 4 GB of RAM. Testing consisted of full battery discharge during video playback. All settings were default except Wi-Fi was associated with a network and Auto-Brightness was disabled. Battery life varies significantly with settings, usage and other factors.

³ Free upgrade to Windows 10 for qualified Windows 8.1 devices that upgrade in the first year. More information and additional offer terms available in the coming months. See http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/about?ocid=WIN10_0_WOL_Hero_Home_Windows-10_Null_01 for more information.

⁴ Available on Surface 3 with Windows 8.1 purchased prior to Dec. 31, 2015. While supplies last. Office activation required within six months of Windows activation date.

⁵ Accessories sold separately.

*Some information relates to a pre-release product, which may be substantially modified before it is commercially released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

New Lumia phones come with Office 365 subscription in Singapore till June

Bloggers were introduced to the two new Lumias in Singapore last evening.

Microsoft yesterday announced the availability of the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL in Singapore for only S$299 and S$429 respectively. The new devices offer more personal computing and increased productivity through seamlessly integrated Microsoft Office experiences, OneDrive* storage and 4G connectivity. Both devices are eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10 as it becomes available later this year**.

Highlights include:
 Smooth operations from the on-board 1GB of memory and quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

 Crisp images on the Lumia 640’s 5” HD display and the Lumia 640 XL’s 5.7” HD display.

 Long-lasting battery life with the Lumia 640’s 2,500 mAh battery and the Lumia 640 XL’s 3,000 mAh battery.

 Detail-rich photos even in low light, thanks to the 8 MP camera on the Lumia 640 with LED flash and 13 MP camera ZEISS Optics on the Lumia 640 XL with LED flash.

“People are looking for a device which brings them more flexibility to switch easily between work and play, without breaking the bank,” said Bruce Howe, General Manager, Microsoft Mobile Devices Sales for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. “With the long lasting battery and full range of Microsoft experiences – including Office and OneDrive – the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL are the perfect enablers of productivity for consumers.”

From now to 30 June, the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL will also come with a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, which includes the latest Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote) on the Lumia as well as on one PC or Mac and one tablet. With Office 365 Personal installed, users will receive an additional 1TB of OneDrive storage, and 60 Skype world minutes. To redeem the offer, users will need to download the Office 365 gift app from the Windows Phone Store by 30 June and activate it by 14 August 2015.

The Lumia 640 will be available in glossy cyan, orange, white and matte black, and the Lumia 640 XL will be available in matte cyan, orange, black, and white. Both phones will be available in Singapore at Microsoft Authorized Mobile Resellers in Funan DigitaLife Mall and GadgetWorld, 3Mobile and Handphoneshop outlets from 18 April. All three local operators and A-Mobile will also be retailing the device with data plans. 

*15 GB of OneDrive access comes standard. Additional 15 GB of OneDrive access with activation of Camera Roll. 1TB OneDrive access with activation of included Office 365 Personal subscription.

**Like any upgrade to a new operating system, not every phone will support all possible Windows 10 features. Certain features and experiences will require more advanced future hardware.