As Surface hits stores in China, Ballmer talks it up while Apple boss calls it ‘compromised, confusing’

Microsoft's new Surface tablet launches on Friday. Ballmer's been singing its praises in various interviews, while Apple boss Tim Cook has been doing what he can to dampen any excitement.

Thanks to the earth’s rotation and the sun’s rays and the time zones and the International Date Line and the general way in which the universe has organized itself, it’s consumers in China who will be among the first to get their hands on Microsoft’s new Surface tablet.

The brand new device, which marks Microsoft’s entry into an already crowded market, launches Friday, along with the Redmond-based company’s new Windows 8 operating system.

Ballmer

In an interview with the BBC this week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer described the new product launches as an “epic” moment for the company. “It’s right up there in the top two or three big moments, including Windows 95 and the launch of the IBM PC, and it really starts us on this new era of computing,” Ballmer said.

Asked about the Surface, Ballmer gave a perfectly worded answer that sounded like a voiceover for an ad, describing it as “the one device you need for work and for play, that you can just take with you; you can really do what you need to do for school or for your job, you can really enjoy movies, books, entertainment, reading, games, all in one thin, light package – there’ll be nothing like the Surface with Windows 8.”

China

Consumers in China will be among the first to discover if Ballmer’s words are baseless baloney or bang on the money, with many in the country about to tear the packaging off the new tablet in the next few hours.

IDG News reported “hundreds of buyers” lined up outside one particular Beijing electronics store overnight,

One guy waiting in line, Chen Shi, reiterated Ballmer’s comment that the device is for work as well as play. “The tablet supports more software features for office work, things that you would actually use,” he told IDG. “Basically, Microsoft is reinventing the tablet, because now people are used to using their tablets as toys, and only use them to play games. These tablets lack features to do work for the office.”

Cook

Of course, Microsoft is late to the game when it comes to tablets, with Apple’s iPad dominating the market since launch day in 2010, and other big-hitters such as Amazon and Google already in the business. Apple CEO Tim Cook wasted little time in throwing in a few choice comments about Microsoft’s new arrival, telling analysts during an earnings call Thursday that though he hadn’t yet had a chance to use it, he was getting the impression from reviews that Microsoft’s new tablet “is a fairly compromised, confusing product.” But he would say that, wouldn’t he.

It’s the opinions of ordinary consumers that really matter, and these will soon begin filling forums across the Web. Only then will we have a better idea if the Surface is going to sink or swim. Or simply be used as a skateboard.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Search.xxx, the porn-only search engine, makes its premiere

A new search engine that will only provide pornographic links launches today, spelling an end to embarrassing Google search history.

When reports emerged last year that the company behind .xxx web domains aimed to launch a porn-only search engine, the public reaction was fairly mixed. On one hand, some people greeted the idea with intrigue, saying it was finally time to have a place to consolidate and separate private searches from ordinary searches on Google or Bing. On the other, Google and Bing do the job just fine, as long as you remembered to clear your search history before someone else uses your computer and found your naughty recent activity.

Today, Search.xxx is reality. ICM Registry, the company that operates .xxx domains, promises the search engine will help streamline the search process while protecting users from the virus and malware that often plague pornographic websites. The porn-only search site can also be useful for those switching over from Google, since Google tend to avoid giving you pornographic hits in the first few results. Google’s autocomplete also begins to stop when it recognizes you’re typing a relatively inappropriate word since it’s a fairly family-friendly site.

“There’s as much porn as you would like out there,” ICM CEO Stuart Lawley tells Digital Trends in a phone interview. “Some of the major search engines with their algorithms … are effectively de-ranking adult searches in many cases.”

Lawley also says Search.xxx will be ad-less, so no pop-ups will bombard your search experience — or as Lawley describes it, “an assault on your senses.” Users will also be able to set up their sexual orientation to customize their search results, and categories of video types will be located on the left side to filter what you’re looking for. Of course, the results will still only display other .xxx websites, which could leave out your preferred sites that are still under the .com domain. Still, it’s a problem Google can help you solve given some extra time and effort.

“It’s only .xxx sites because those are the sites we know abide by the code of conduct and go through the McAfee scan,” Lawley says. “It’s a service that’s free of charge [for both users and .xxx domain owners] … It’s a giveback to our existing customers, and we hope to generate a substantial volume of traffic to .xxx owners, justifying their investment in the .xxx space.”

Next step in ICM’s agenda is to launch a subscription service for pornographic videos, matching online video streaming services available today. Clips can be downloaded at approximately $2, just like movies, videos, and TV shows off iTunes. A competitive pricing structure for sure, considering that Netflix and Hulu Plus are just $8 a month at their most basic level.

For those who are still contemplating why you might want to switch over from your preferred search engines to a porn-specific one, here’s how Lawley puts it:

“Porn is very personal,” he tells Network World. ”You may have been looking for Brazilian midget transsexuals, and you’re sitting there at home with your kid or your wife saying, ‘Let’s go on a holiday to Brazil,’ and the next thing, it’s suggesting Brazilian midget transsexuals from your previous Google search history.”

And that’s a conversation none of us ever wants to face.

[Additional reporting by Andrew Couts]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com