Microsoft fresh out of $499 Surface RTs after one day of pre-orders

This may be a good sign for Microsoft: a little over a day after putting its new Surface RT tablet up for pre-order, the entry-level $499 version of the tablet has sold out. Its estimated shipping time has slipped from October 26, Windows 8's release date, to a more nebulous "within three weeks."

What we don't know is how many Surface RT units Microsoft has manufactured for this initial run. The $599 and $699 models, both of which include the much-ballyhooed keyboard covers, continue to be available for delivery by October 26, which either suggests that interest isn't so high that people are clamoring for any Surface model they can get, or that Microsoft's margins on the upper-end models are higher, and that they've simply chosen to allocate more of them for shipment.

At the very least, this early sellout is a sign that at least a few people are eager to get Microsoft's first serious attempt at building PC hardware into their hands. Early Android tablets were hampered by the fact that they cost the same amount as the much higher-profile iPad, and have only found serious mainstream success after models like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 brought tablet prices down. With the amount of money and time that Microsoft has been spending on advertising and PR for Windows 8 and the Surface, it's probably hoping to avoid a similar fate.

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Here is how Apple, Google and RIM see you (hint: RIM loves you the most!)

Here is a question of you to think about - how do tech companies actually see you, the user? Think about it. If you imagine yourself on the other side of the fence, what would you think of your customers?

With your products, pricing, everything you do as a company you send out a message. For Apple, users are willing to part with their hard earned cash for an exquisite design and simple functionality. For Twitter, you’re all about what you say.

And then there is the tech dreamer Google trying to serve you up with ads while doing what seems holding what seems the avant-garde in technology.

In the end of the day, it is you who vote with your dollar to support one of those attitudes. And have you asked yourself... what does RIM think of you?

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Google slapped on the stock exchange due to disappointing results

After a premature publication of quarterly results, Google was seriously mauled on the stock exchange. At issue: a fall of 20% of its net earnings, and despite a turnover increasing by 45% to more than $ 14 billion.

Google saw its title severely rushed on the stock exchange Thursday night, breaking thus 9% before the rating is removed. In question, a premature publication, error, last quarterly results of the company.

But if this error has caused the sudden drop of the title is first due to the disappointing performance that reflect these results of the 3rd quarter. The disappointment however is not at the level of turnover, up over a year from 45% to $ 14.1 billion.

No, these are mostly the benefits of Google who suffer - while costs are progressing them strongly. Over the period, net income moves from 20% to $ 2.18 billion. And Motorola, purchased more than 12 billion, contributes to this degradation through a net loss of $ 151 million.

Other indicators concern, such as cost-per-click, what advertisers pay for each click on an ad. In the 3rd quarter, the CPC down 15%. And at the same time, the acquisition of traffic (affiliation) was more costly for Google: + 25% to $ 2.77 billion.

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Google Holding Android Event For October 29th In New York – Nexus 4 Unveiling?

Here we go, folks. The hype officially begins. We’ve just received an invite (above) from Google asking us to attend an Android event set for October 29th. We have a good idea what they have in store for the world, or at least a piece of the puzzle. The LG Nexus 4 has been Google’s worst kept secret, showing up in more leaked images than a Kardashian. But could that really be all Google has up their sleeves?

It’s interesting to note that there was no mention of a specific manufacturer. Last year’s invite (below) had a Google/Samsung logos branded on it. In fact, there’s not even a hint that this will be a device. Maybe this is Google’s way of announcing a change to the Nexus program, no way to be sure. We’ll keep racking our brains looking for clues. In the meantime, what do you guys think will be announced? What do you hope will be announced?

UPDATE: Google first used the term “The playground is open” in their post announcing Android 4.2 Jellybean from Google IO with a “play” on words regarding the wide world of wonders in the Google Play Store. It was later seen by a (much) wider audience when they slapped it as the tagline for an ad on Google.com (seen below) promoting the $199 Nexus 7 Tablet. Does this change your opinion at all on what the event could unveil?

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Titanium Lumia FX800 design concept screams 'Nokia, take note!'

Nokia Lumia 920 is already crushing the preorder pages in Europe, luring customers with its camera module suspension mechanism that allows it to soak up to five times more light than your typical smartphone cam. That optical image stabilization comes with a price, though, and it is a chubbier, heavier device than what we became accustomed to see in flagship smartphones in the last years.

Nokia already said it will unveil a new design paradigm for its Windows Phone 8 devices next year, as it has been coasting so far largely with variations of the polycarbonate unibody shell created initially for the Nokia N9.

Some of these plans might include the use of metal in the chassis, as a more premium material, which will place Lumia flagships on equal design footage with handsets like the iPhone 5, which utilizes glass and aluminum for the slick, thin casing.

One such design concept project comes in the form of the Nokia Lumia FX800, inspiration for which is derived from the Nokia 8910 Titanium, which was introduced way back in 2002. The idea is to give Nokia Lumia aficionados a slim and exclusive handset, which won't clash directly with the Lumia 920 sales, as it wouldn't offer the OIS tech, for instance.

The Lumia FX800 would be a stylish 8mm thin phone cast out of titanium, with a large, 4.65" HD AMOLED display, issued as a high-end exquisite offering by Nokia. What do you think, should the Finns take note from the titanium design concept you are seeing in the slideshow below?

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Internet Explorer 10 preview to hit Windows 7 in mid-November

Windows 7 users wanting to upgrade to Internet Explorer 10 will have to wait a bit longer. Microsoft announced today that it will be shipping a preview of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 in mid-November. There's no public timeline for the release of the final version; delivery of that version will depend on "developer and customer feedback."

On the face of it, the delay is a little surprising. Internet Explorer 10 is included with Windows 8, and since Windows 8 was completed back in August, clearly Internet Explorer 10 must in some sense be finished. The extra time required for Windows 7 may be due to underlying platform differences—Windows 8 supports Direct3D 11.1, compared to 11.0 on Windows 7, for example. So if Internet Explorer 10 depends on Direct3D 11.1 features, either that dependence has to be removed, or Direct3D 11.1 has to be ported to Windows 7.

This would not be unprecedented. Internet Explorer 9 depended on features such as Direct2D and DirectWrite that were built in to Windows 7. To enable the browser to run on Windows Vista, Microsoft shipped an update package that added the new capabilities to the older operating system.

The November preview will be the first version of Internet Explorer 10 to run on Windows 7 since Platform Preview 2 back in June of last year. Subsequent releases were restricted to Windows 8 only. Rather than shipping standalone previews of the browser engine, Microsoft used the Windows 8 Developer, Consumer, and Release Previews to serve double duty as Internet Explorer previews.

Unlike those two Platform Previews—which embedded the new rendering engine into a rudimentary container that lacked even a back button—the November release will be a full browser preview. It will include not just a rendering engine, but also a full browser user interface and shell.

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