5 Microsoft Surface Deals You Can Save Big with Right Now

Many of the best computers in the world right now are made by Microsoft. In particular, the Surface range is packed with remarkable specs at reasonable prices. If you are seeking an upgrade, take a look at these five deals on Surface devices — now with up to 27% off the MSRP via the XDA Developers Depot.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 13.5″ Touch Core i5 8GB (Cobalt Blue)

Offering up to 15 hours of battery life, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 was made for working on the move. Running Windows 10 on a crisp 13.5″ LED display, it offers excellent performance thanks to an Intel i5 chip and 8GB of RAM. PCMag called it a “sleek ultraportable with a top-notch build.” Originally priced at $1,299, it’s now only $979.99.

Microsoft Surface Pro 12.3″ Tablet 4GB RAM – Silver (Wi-Fi + 4G LTE)

This lightweight device boasts 50% more power than most tablets and a stunning 2736 x 1824 touch display. Under the hood, a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor offers smooth multitasking. You get 13.5 hours of battery life, and the 128GB SSD offers plenty of room for media. Worth $1,299.99, this 4G-enabled model is now 15% off at $1,099.99.

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Tablet 1.9GHz Intel Core i7 with 512GB SSD

The updated Surface Pro is “arguably the best-made Windows 10 tablet going” according to The Guardian. This version has a remarkable 16GB of RAM and a speedy i7 processor packaged inside a sleek frame. You also get plenty of solid-state storage, 13.5 hours of battery, and a 12.3-inch PixelSense display. It’s usually $1,499.99, but you can get yours now for $1,279.99.

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 256GB 12.3″ WiFi Intel Core i7

If you don’t need crazy specs, this version of the Surface Pro 6 is a great option. You still get that i7 chip and crisp display bolted into a body that measures only 0.33 inches thick. This version also has 256GB of solid-state storage, great battery life, and Intel graphics. Worth $1,499.99, it’s now down to $1,089.99. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Tablet 1.9GHz Intel Core i7 with 1TB SSD

Need more storage space for photos, movies, and games? This Surface Pro 6 has you covered, thanks to a huge 1TB SSD. It runs Windows 10 Pro on an i7 processor and 16GB of RAM — a combination that delivers “big performance gains” in the words of CNET. Originally $1,499.99, this lightweight monster is now only $1,429.99.

Prices subject to change

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The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 reportedly won’t have an S Pen because of technical limitations

The Samsung Galaxy Fold is arguably one of the most innovative phones in the past decade. It was the first publicly available mass-market foldable phone and was easily my favorite phone. In my review of the phone, I called it the future of smartphones. This future is fantastic and foldable, but this foldable future is still a while away from matching our current reality of glass slab smartphones. There’s plenty more that foldable can do to make them better smartphones for the mass-market, and one such feature would be the S Pen. The S Pen would be the perfect addition to this small tablet form factor, but unfortunately, the tech isn’t there yet despite previous rumors pointing towards its inclusion. According to a new report, there are some technical limitations that prevent Samsung from adding the S Pen to the Galaxy Fold 2.

A new report from The Elec out of South Korea, there will not be an S Pen on the Galaxy Fold 2. Since the last Galaxy Fold, there have long been rumors about the Galaxy Fold 2 picking up the S Pen. As much as it seemed like a bad idea because of the plastic screen, consumers wanted to see a convergence of the Note series and Fold series. Unfortunately, this year is not the year it happens. As Mr. Ross Young of DSCC hinted, Samsung had to make the decision between Ultra Thin Glass and no S Pen or a thicker plastic display with an S Pen. If this new report is right, Samsung has opted for the Ultra Thin Glass option.

Which would you prefer on the Galaxy Fold 2, ultra thin glass (UTG) with no S-Pen or plastic cover film with an S-Pen?

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 3, 2020

Another reason Samsung might have decided to skip the S Pen on the Galaxy Fold 2 is because of the hinge. According to a few internal sources, the hinge on the phone would have caused the digitizer layer for the S Pen on the display to die over time, creating a massive dead zone across the middle of the display. This, of course, would not be a product Samsung would want to release. There were also issues with the S Pen tip leaving dents on the plastic cover, and worse, the S Pen could have pierced the display when used with extreme force on the display panel.

While the S Pen on the Galaxy Fold 2 might have been the device of the future we are all hoping for, it’s good to see Samsung taking the time to perfect the technology instead of rushing it and having another breaking Galaxy Fold issue. The Galaxy Fold 2 is likely going to launch at the August 5th virtual Unpacked with an official release in early September. I know I’m very excited to see all that this device has to offer!

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The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 reportedly won’t have an S Pen because of technical limitations

The Samsung Galaxy Fold is arguably one of the most innovative phones in the past decade. It was the first publicly available mass-market foldable phone and was easily my favorite phone. In my review of the phone, I called it the future of smartphones. This future is fantastic and foldable, but this foldable future is still a while away from matching our current reality of glass slab smartphones. There’s plenty more that foldable can do to make them better smartphones for the mass-market, and one such feature would be the S Pen. The S Pen would be the perfect addition to this small tablet form factor, but unfortunately, the tech isn’t there yet despite previous rumors pointing towards its inclusion. According to a new report, there are some technical limitations that prevent Samsung from adding the S Pen to the Galaxy Fold 2.

A new report from The Elec out of South Korea, there will not be an S Pen on the Galaxy Fold 2. Since the last Galaxy Fold, there have long been rumors about the Galaxy Fold 2 picking up the S Pen. As much as it seemed like a bad idea because of the plastic screen, consumers wanted to see a convergence of the Note series and Fold series. Unfortunately, this year is not the year it happens. As Mr. Ross Young of DSCC hinted, Samsung had to make the decision between Ultra Thin Glass and no S Pen or a thicker plastic display with an S Pen. If this new report is right, Samsung has opted for the Ultra Thin Glass option.

Which would you prefer on the Galaxy Fold 2, ultra thin glass (UTG) with no S-Pen or plastic cover film with an S-Pen?

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 3, 2020

Another reason Samsung might have decided to skip the S Pen on the Galaxy Fold 2 is because of the hinge. According to a few internal sources, the hinge on the phone would have caused the digitizer layer for the S Pen on the display to die over time, creating a massive dead zone across the middle of the display. This, of course, would not be a product Samsung would want to release. There were also issues with the S Pen tip leaving dents on the plastic cover, and worse, the S Pen could have pierced the display when used with extreme force on the display panel.

While the S Pen on the Galaxy Fold 2 might have been the device of the future we are all hoping for, it’s good to see Samsung taking the time to perfect the technology instead of rushing it and having another breaking Galaxy Fold issue. The Galaxy Fold 2 is likely going to launch at the August 5th virtual Unpacked with an official release in early September. I know I’m very excited to see all that this device has to offer!

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This open source Galaxy Buds client lets you manage your Buds from your Windows PC

The Galaxy Wearable app allows users to connect Samsung wearable devices to their smartphones. One can also manage the Galaxy Buds family of wireless earbuds through the same app after installing appropriate plugins. For PC and Mac users, Samsung provides a similar companion application named Galaxy Buds Manager in order to check for software updates and install the new firmware on the Galaxy Buds/Buds+. Samsung utilizes a proprietary communication protocol between the buds and the companion app, but a developer has now managed to reverse-engineer it. The person, Tim Schneeberger, has also released an unofficial open-source Galaxy Buds client, which is far more versatile than the official app.

The initial version of the unofficial client, which is also named as Galaxy Buds Manager, is released as a Windows-only app. You need .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher to run it, which means porting the app to Linux and macOS using Mono may be possible in the near future.

The client offers the following features:

• Display detailed sensor statistics on the dashboard, this includes:
  • Voltage and Current of the in-built ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) of both Earbuds
  • Temperature of both Earbuds
  • More precise battery percentage (instead of steps of 5)
• Perform a self-test with all onboard components
• Display various (debug) information, including:
  • Hardware Revision
  • (Touch) Firmware Version
  • Bluetooth Addresses of both Earbuds
  • Serial Numbers of both Earbuds
  • Firmware Build Info (Compile Date, Developer Name)
  • Battery Type
  • Other sensor data
• Equalizer: unlock ‘Optimize for Dolby’ feature
• Touchpad: Combine Volume Up/Down with other options

The initial version of this unofficial companion app is designed for the original Galaxy Buds. 2020’s Galaxy Buds+, however, are not supported by the client at this moment, since Tim doesn’t own a pair, and we confirmed that they are not compatible. We hope the Galaxy Buds community will help the developer by providing required logs and message dumps to expand the device compatibility list.

Unofficial Galaxy Buds Manager for Windows: Download || Source Code

The developer has also shared the structure of the custom RFComm Serial protocol used by the Buds to receive and send binary data, which should be beneficial for other tinkerers.

---

Source: r/galaxybuds

 

The post This open source Galaxy Buds client lets you manage your Buds from your Windows PC appeared first on xda-developers.

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This open source Galaxy Buds client lets you manage your Buds from your Windows PC

The Galaxy Wearable app allows users to connect Samsung wearable devices to their smartphones. One can also manage the Galaxy Buds family of wireless earbuds through the same app after installing appropriate plugins. For PC and Mac users, Samsung provides a similar companion application named Galaxy Buds Manager in order to check for software updates and install the new firmware on the Galaxy Buds/Buds+. Samsung utilizes a proprietary communication protocol between the buds and the companion app, but a developer has now managed to reverse-engineer it. The person, Tim Schneeberger, has also released an unofficial open-source Galaxy Buds client, which is far more versatile than the official app.

The initial version of the unofficial client, which is also named as Galaxy Buds Manager, is released as a Windows-only app. You need .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher to run it, which means porting the app to Linux and macOS using Mono may be possible in the near future.

The client offers the following features:

• Display detailed sensor statistics on the dashboard, this includes:
  • Voltage and Current of the in-built ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) of both Earbuds
  • Temperature of both Earbuds
  • More precise battery percentage (instead of steps of 5)
• Perform a self-test with all onboard components
• Display various (debug) information, including:
  • Hardware Revision
  • (Touch) Firmware Version
  • Bluetooth Addresses of both Earbuds
  • Serial Numbers of both Earbuds
  • Firmware Build Info (Compile Date, Developer Name)
  • Battery Type
  • Other sensor data
• Equalizer: unlock ‘Optimize for Dolby’ feature
• Touchpad: Combine Volume Up/Down with other options

The initial version of this unofficial companion app is designed for the original Galaxy Buds. 2020’s Galaxy Buds+, however, are not supported by the client at this moment, since Tim doesn’t own a pair, and we confirmed that they are not compatible. We hope the Galaxy Buds community will help the developer by providing required logs and message dumps to expand the device compatibility list.

Unofficial Galaxy Buds Manager for Windows: Download || Source Code

The developer has also shared the structure of the custom RFComm Serial protocol used by the Buds to receive and send binary data, which should be beneficial for other tinkerers.

---

Source: r/galaxybuds

 

The post This open source Galaxy Buds client lets you manage your Buds from your Windows PC appeared first on xda-developers.

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OPPO F9 and F9 Pro are getting the ColorOS 7 stable update with Android 10

Oppo is updating the Oppo F9 and F9 Pro to ColorOS 7, the latest version of Oppo’s custom skin. The Chinese OEM last month rolled out stable ColorOS 7 updates to a wide range of phones, including Find X, Reno 10X, Reno, Reno 2, and more. At the time, the company promised that the Oppo F9 and F9 Pro would be next to receive the update with the official rollout starting June 10th. And that’s exactly what they’re doing today.

Oppo says the update will be rolling out in batches — a small part of the user base will receive the OTA initially, with the rollout gradually expanding to more users. ColorOS 7 is a significant departure from the previous iterations of ColorOS, offering a cleaner and clutter-free UI with a bunch of new features. After updating the F9 and F9 Pro, users can look forward to things like system-wide dark mode, new navigation gestures, new Digital Wellbeing tools with Focus mode, revamped Camera UI, updated system apps, and a whole lot more.

You can check for the update by visiting Settings > Software Updates and clicking on Trial Version from the gear menu. Other Oppo phones which are also scheduled to receive the ColorOS 7 based Android 10 update this month include the Oppo A5 (2020), A9 (2020), and F7. Meanwhile, the F15 and R15 Pro will get their updates in July.

Oppo F9 XDA Forums

Here’s the full changelog of ColorOS 7 update for the F9 and F9 Pro:

• Visuals:
  • Brand new borderless design makes visuals more attractive and operation more efficient.
  • Added OPPO Sans as the default font. The new font delivers a refreshing feel and fits well with OPPO’s pursuit of blending beauty and technology.
• Smart Sidebar:
  • Optimised user interfaces and improved one-handed operation.
  • Drag an app out of Smart Sidebar to open it in Split-screen mode.
  • Added two settings: Assistive Ball Opacity and Hide Assistive Ball on Fullscreen App.
  • Optimised the Floating Window feature for more apps.
  • Added a bubble: A bubble is displayed when you open an app in a floating window from the Smart Sidebar. Tap the bubble to collapse and open the app.
• Screenshot:
  • Optimised 3-Finger Screenshot: Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen and swipe your fingers to adjust the screenshot size. Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen and swipe your fingers outwards to capture a long screenshot.
  • Added screenshot settings: You can adjust the position of the screenshot preview floating window and set the screenshot sound.
  • Optimised screenshot preview floating window: After taking a screenshot, drag it up and release to share it, or drag it down and release to take a long screenshot.
• Navigation Gestures 3.0:
  • New gesture: Swipe inward from both sides of the screen and then hold to switch to the previous app.
  • Optimised gestures: All gestures are supported in landscape mode.
• System:
  • Added Dark Mode: Protects your eyes while reducing power consumption.
  • Added Focus Mode: Shields you from outside distractions when you are learning or working.
  • Added all new charging animation.
  • Optimised the Quick Settings user interface for easier one-handed operation.
  • Swipe left or right to ignore banner notifications.
  • Added a pause function for screen recording.
  • Added a floating window and settings for screen recording.
  • New sounds added for file deletion, calculator key touches, and compass pointer.
  • Optimised system pre-loaded ringtones.
  • Added TalkBack floating prompts for Accessibility.
  • Colour Accessibility Mode added to improve the user experience for visually impaired users.
  • New management function for recent tasks: You can view memory information about recent tasks and lock apps.
• Games:
  • Optimised visual interaction for Game Space.
  • Optimised the startup animation for Game Space.
• Home Screen:
  • More live wallpapers.
  • Added Art+ static wallpapers.
  • Customise whether to open Global Search or the notification drawer when swiping down on the Home screen.
  • Customise the size, shape, and style of app icons on the Home screen.
  • Swipe up on the Lock screen to switch unlock methods.
  • Optimised the graphic design of password unlocks to facilitate one-handed operations.
  • Supported live wallpapers on the Lock screen.
  • More screen-off clock styles.
  • Added a simple Home screen mode, featuring larger fonts and icons and a clearer layout.
• Security:
  • Connect your phone to Wi-Fi networks using a random MAC address to avoid targeted ads and protect your privacy.
• Tools:
  • In Quick Settings or Smart Sidebar, you can open Calculator in a floating
  • Added the trim feature in Recordings.
  • Added the Weather (dynamic) ringtone, which automatically adapts to the current weather.
  • Added weather-adaptive animations in Weather.
• Camera:
  • Optimised the Camera UI for better user experience.
  • Optimised the Timer UI and sound.
• Photos:
  • Optimised the Album UI for a clear hierarchy and quick lookup of photos.
  • Added Album Recommendations that recognises more than 80 different scenes.
• Communications:
  • OPPO Share now supports sharing files with vivo and Xiaomi devices.
  • Optimised the Contacts UI for a more efficient experience.
• Settings:
  • Search Settings now supports fuzzy match and contains a search history.
• Applications:
  • Soloop Video Editor: Create your video with one tap.
  • Added DocVault, an app for easy management and use of your digital ID cards (available only on phones sold in India).

---

Source: ColorOS Community

The post OPPO F9 and F9 Pro are getting the ColorOS 7 stable update with Android 10 appeared first on xda-developers.

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OPPO F9 and F9 Pro are getting the ColorOS 7 stable update with Android 10

Oppo is updating the Oppo F9 and F9 Pro to ColorOS 7, the latest version of Oppo’s custom skin. The Chinese OEM last month rolled out stable ColorOS 7 updates to a wide range of phones, including Find X, Reno 10X, Reno, Reno 2, and more. At the time, the company promised that the Oppo F9 and F9 Pro would be next to receive the update with the official rollout starting June 10th. And that’s exactly what they’re doing today.

Oppo says the update will be rolling out in batches — a small part of the user base will receive the OTA initially, with the rollout gradually expanding to more users. ColorOS 7 is a significant departure from the previous iterations of ColorOS, offering a cleaner and clutter-free UI with a bunch of new features. After updating the F9 and F9 Pro, users can look forward to things like system-wide dark mode, new navigation gestures, new Digital Wellbeing tools with Focus mode, revamped Camera UI, updated system apps, and a whole lot more.

You can check for the update by visiting Settings > Software Updates and clicking on Trial Version from the gear menu. Other Oppo phones which are also scheduled to receive the ColorOS 7 based Android 10 update this month include the Oppo A5 (2020), A9 (2020), and F7. Meanwhile, the F15 and R15 Pro will get their updates in July.

Oppo F9 XDA Forums

Here’s the full changelog of ColorOS 7 update for the F9 and F9 Pro:

• Visuals:
  • Brand new borderless design makes visuals more attractive and operation more efficient.
  • Added OPPO Sans as the default font. The new font delivers a refreshing feel and fits well with OPPO’s pursuit of blending beauty and technology.
• Smart Sidebar:
  • Optimised user interfaces and improved one-handed operation.
  • Drag an app out of Smart Sidebar to open it in Split-screen mode.
  • Added two settings: Assistive Ball Opacity and Hide Assistive Ball on Fullscreen App.
  • Optimised the Floating Window feature for more apps.
  • Added a bubble: A bubble is displayed when you open an app in a floating window from the Smart Sidebar. Tap the bubble to collapse and open the app.
• Screenshot:
  • Optimised 3-Finger Screenshot: Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen and swipe your fingers to adjust the screenshot size. Use 3 fingers to touch and hold the screen and swipe your fingers outwards to capture a long screenshot.
  • Added screenshot settings: You can adjust the position of the screenshot preview floating window and set the screenshot sound.
  • Optimised screenshot preview floating window: After taking a screenshot, drag it up and release to share it, or drag it down and release to take a long screenshot.
• Navigation Gestures 3.0:
  • New gesture: Swipe inward from both sides of the screen and then hold to switch to the previous app.
  • Optimised gestures: All gestures are supported in landscape mode.
• System:
  • Added Dark Mode: Protects your eyes while reducing power consumption.
  • Added Focus Mode: Shields you from outside distractions when you are learning or working.
  • Added all new charging animation.
  • Optimised the Quick Settings user interface for easier one-handed operation.
  • Swipe left or right to ignore banner notifications.
  • Added a pause function for screen recording.
  • Added a floating window and settings for screen recording.
  • New sounds added for file deletion, calculator key touches, and compass pointer.
  • Optimised system pre-loaded ringtones.
  • Added TalkBack floating prompts for Accessibility.
  • Colour Accessibility Mode added to improve the user experience for visually impaired users.
  • New management function for recent tasks: You can view memory information about recent tasks and lock apps.
• Games:
  • Optimised visual interaction for Game Space.
  • Optimised the startup animation for Game Space.
• Home Screen:
  • More live wallpapers.
  • Added Art+ static wallpapers.
  • Customise whether to open Global Search or the notification drawer when swiping down on the Home screen.
  • Customise the size, shape, and style of app icons on the Home screen.
  • Swipe up on the Lock screen to switch unlock methods.
  • Optimised the graphic design of password unlocks to facilitate one-handed operations.
  • Supported live wallpapers on the Lock screen.
  • More screen-off clock styles.
  • Added a simple Home screen mode, featuring larger fonts and icons and a clearer layout.
• Security:
  • Connect your phone to Wi-Fi networks using a random MAC address to avoid targeted ads and protect your privacy.
• Tools:
  • In Quick Settings or Smart Sidebar, you can open Calculator in a floating
  • Added the trim feature in Recordings.
  • Added the Weather (dynamic) ringtone, which automatically adapts to the current weather.
  • Added weather-adaptive animations in Weather.
• Camera:
  • Optimised the Camera UI for better user experience.
  • Optimised the Timer UI and sound.
• Photos:
  • Optimised the Album UI for a clear hierarchy and quick lookup of photos.
  • Added Album Recommendations that recognises more than 80 different scenes.
• Communications:
  • OPPO Share now supports sharing files with vivo and Xiaomi devices.
  • Optimised the Contacts UI for a more efficient experience.
• Settings:
  • Search Settings now supports fuzzy match and contains a search history.
• Applications:
  • Soloop Video Editor: Create your video with one tap.
  • Added DocVault, an app for easy management and use of your digital ID cards (available only on phones sold in India).

---

Source: ColorOS Community

The post OPPO F9 and F9 Pro are getting the ColorOS 7 stable update with Android 10 appeared first on xda-developers.

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