FUTURE PROCESSORS WILL NOT SUPPORT OLDER VERSIONS OF WINDOWS

Enterprise customers are notorious for hanging on to legacy operating systems for the sake of compatibility; however, it looks like Microsoft is about the change the deal. Redmond has announced that it will no longer support older versions of Windows on future computer processors.

The announcement clarifies that the change will take effect with the arrival of the next generation of processors from the three major manufacturers; namely AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm. When this happens, enterprise users will begin losing support for all versions of Windows that aren’t Windows 10. From then on, the newest processors will always require the most current generation Windows operating system for support.

To ease the transition, Microsoft is creating a list of Intel Skylake processors that will continue to support Windows 7 and 8.1, but the programme will only last until 17 July 2017. Essentially, businesses are being given an 18 month period to upgrade their systems for the impeding change.

Older versions of Windows require additional work from manufacturers to maintain compatibility with newer features. Some features on new hardware are also quietly dropped, since making them function with older operating systems would prove too costly. For instance, Windows 7 has no native support for USB 3.0; and making it work would require additional drivers.

Industry analyst Patrick Moorhead speculates that there is more to the announcement from Microsoft. Essentially, he believes that Redmond is simply taking the blame for a decision made by the entire industry. Supporting legacy software is extremely costly, and it has been suggested that a full third of manufacturers’ resources go into supporting older software.

The new policy is also likely to get enterprise customers to upgrade to the latest version of Windows; something that they have proven extremely resistant to doing. Microsoft on the other hand, would love it if everyone played along with its plan and consistently upgraded to the latest version of Windows; and this pushes everyone in the right direction.

[Source: Windows Blog; via Ars Technica]

Surface Phone with possible x86 processor said to launch in 2016

Microsoft revealed two pretty powerful Windows 10 smartphones at an event in October, but now we’re getting a taste of what might launch in 2016. A new report claims the long-rumored Surface Phone may be in the works for next year.

According to WindowsCentral, earlier plans for a metal Surface Phone designed by Nokia have been scrapped. Instead, Microsoft exec Panos Panay and the team behind the Surface series is hard at work on a new flagship phone. The device is apparently referred to internally by the codename NorthStar or simply as “Panos’s Phone.”

We still don’t know much about the device, but one defining feature could be its mobile processor. Several sources told WindowsCentral that the new phone could pack an x86 chipset from Intel. That’s a lot more power than Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon lineup offers, and an x86 processor would allow the phone to run PC applications.

It’s unclear when exactly the new phone will launch, though it probably won’t make an appearance until late 2016. That should leave Microsoft plenty of time to perfect the device, and give the Lumia 950 and 950 XL a full year of flagship status. It’s also possible Microsoft could push the device out as soon as next summer. The announcement may hinge on when the company is ready to announce its next big Windows update, allegedly called Redstone, which is expected to improve Continuum and add several new features.

The Surface Phone has been the subject of plenty of rumors, so let’s hope this one actually comes to fruition.

The Surface Phone you've always wanted is happening

Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed that the rumored Intel-powered Windows 10 phone slated for May 2016 has been cancelled. Instead, an all-new flagship phone lead by Panos Panay and the team of engineers that built the Microsoft Surface andSurface Book has been given the green light. Slated for a release in the second half of 2016 this may be the long-wished-for Surface phone. Here is what we know and what we don't.

Earlier in July I noted that sources had told me that Microsoft's super-secret phone project was slated for May 2016. Almost nothing was known about the venture except that the phone was metal, and somehow Intel was involved. At the time, I was led to believe it was a Microsoft project, which never sat well with me (more on that below), but it seems it was yet another Nokia carryover.

Any details about the project, however, are now moot. The latest I hear is that this 'metal' phone has been cancelled.

Although supporters of Windows Phone probably just gasped in horror, this news is more interesting than it seems on its face. There is also flip side to the cancellation: Panos Panayand his Surface team, who are now responsible for all of Microsoft's premium device engineering, are getting their shot at Windows Mobile and making a premium flagship phone.

Surface Phone?

The most obvious question is whether this will be the shoot-to-the-moon Surface phone that has been alleged ever since the first Surface tablet was announced years ago. Unfortunately, details of what exactly this device is remain unknown.

The most I have heard is they are currently exploring different technologies. The engineering team has the ability to fabricate hardware right on Microsoft's campus, so that experimentation should not be a surprise. Indeed, a phone prototype was recently spotted at their facilities leading to more speculation about a 'Surface phone' existing someday.

My guess is they are still exploring design, hardware and features and that is something that likely won't be finalized until mid-2016. Interestingly, I keep hearing it being referred to not as "Surface phone" but just as "Panos's phone".

Intel's involvement

Intel is also involved in this project suggesting some overlap in what was planned with the now-scrapped 'metal phone' that was a Nokia design. Presumably their role is in co-developing a chipset for the phone beyond the normal Qualcomm ones found in modern smartphones today.

Intel's connection to this project is the most tantalizing. Many speculate that this will be a device that runs an x86 chipset or is something much more powerful than current Qualcomm Snapdragons. The ultimate vision some of us have is that such a device could not only run Windows Store apps but classic Win32 apps. A true computer in your pocket.

The problem with that idea is that there are a lot of technical problems to solve. For now, we will have to wait until something more definitive comes out. My hunch is this is one of the technologies they are exploring, but its ability to make the cut to the final product is not guaranteed if the experience is poor.

Timeframe

Multiple sources have put the planned date for this phone as sometime in the second half of 2016. I have heard as early as August but also a more general Q4 2016 suggesting a fall release.

Assuming this phone is lining up with Microsoft's other projects there are two possible scenarios:

August 2016 – This date seems to line up with Windows 10 Redstone aka the next big OS release from Microsoft. The site WinBeta recently claimed Redstone would improve onContinuum. More specifically, Redstone would let apps seamlessly transfer presence from the phone to the PC and even let you make calls from a PC through your phone. Tying that into some new phone hardware could be attention-grabbing.

However, the planned date for Redstone is still a bit of a mystery.

Fall 2016 - Putting the date forward to an October or November release for the 'Panos phone' could line it up for a fall refresh of Microsoft hardware. Nevertheless, it is not yet clear if Surface and Band are on a yearly schedule or an 18-month one. There were 18 months between Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4, but that almost entirely hinged on Intel Skylake being available for the market.

If Microsoft is on a yearly schedule then another October event for Surface Pro 5, Surface Book 2, Band 3 and the first 'Surface Phone' would also make sense. Plus, it makes the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL a one-year high-end phone, something that is common these days with Apple, HTC, Samsung and others.

Why no Surface Phone until now

For years, many fans of Microsoft have been calling for a Surface Phone to be made. However, it should be noted that as of October 2014 Microsoft was still losing money on the Surface. It was not until January 2015 that Microsoft announced one billion in revenue had been earned from a successful holiday turnaround. This was all after the infamous $900 million write-down from 2013 over the failed Surface RT.

The idea of wedding the bruised Surface brand with the struggling Windows Phone one did not make a lot of business sense before 2015.

However, now that Apple and Google are going forward with their own Surface-like devices and the Microsoft's Surface sales are doing well you could say the time is now right for such a merger.

There is another issue too. When I reported that the original Intel project was a purely a Microsoft endeavor, I had some issues with that claim. Specifically, which department was making it? Research? Surface? Xbox? None of those groups made sense. The one group that did make sense was the Devices group headed by Stephen Elop once the Nokia acquisition went through.

Panos Panay was not yet in charge of the Devices group, ergo not in charge of Windows Phone until late July 2015. This occurred after Stephen Elop and his team were let go presumably due to past failures including the cancelled McLaren smartphone and the ho-hum Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL that were in late development.

The way I see it, there was no way a "Surface phone" could have existed before July 2015. Now that I hear this cancelled Intel project was a Nokia one the bigger picture comes together. Microsoft is evidently sweeping out a lot of the old Nokia designs, people and strategy for something new.

Reading between the lines: What Panos was telegraphing about those new Lumias

I have argued that some of the Microsoft teams, especially the Surface group, are not fond of these new Lumias, and I believe there is still some in-house cleaning going on to bring on a new strategy. That strategy change is an acknowledgement that Windows Phone as an iOS and Android competitor has failed.

Instead, Microsoft may be trying to create a new category to leverage Windows 10. I wrote about this just a month ago, asking if Microsoft wanted to reboot the concept of a phone, and I still think it holds true.

And now for something different

Microsoft's Windows mobile strategy is still in many ways chaotic. Indeed, since 2007, when then-CEO Steven Ballmer laughed off the iPhone, Microsoft never quite found their way in the smartphone market. Constant reboots of the OS design and concept, and partnerships that have come and gone bought time and kept some interest, but in the end it has not worked on the scale Microsoft needs to justify long-term investment.

There are a few ways forward that I see for Microsoft:

(A) Cancel Windows 10 Mobile (B) Continuing selling Lumias and trying to compete with iOS, Android (C) Do something very different

I have argued in the past that (A) is just not feasible, not yet. The whole concept of Windows 10 and the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is too dependent on the mobile branch existing. Cancelling it now would be a terrible message to developers and calls into question the entire UWP paradigm (not to mention Satya Nadella and Terry Myerson's leadership).

Going with option (B) is what Microsoft has done up to the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. Although the company stands behind those products, they are not advertising them on TV or pushing hard in retail channels. It should be clear they are pulling back as the only people will buy those phones are already converts and those with some interest in Continuum.

Nadella cancelling many models and reducing their Lumia portfolio is another blow to that route.

Solution (C) can lead to success, but is also the most difficult to achieve. Creating or redefining a product category takes major R&D and a visionary team with the chops to make it a reality.

Can Panos Panay and his group do that for the phone? I have no idea and the odds are against them. Nonetheless, the Surface Book design does inspire confidence.

So this is everything we know about this 'Panos phone' so far:

• This is a Surface team design
• Due in second half of 2016
• Intel is testing something with it
• It may or may not run x86 apps (TBD)
• Likely timed with Windows 10 Redstone

Other than that it's a complete mystery. If I had to guess, it is also going to be an expensive phone as Panay is in charge of premium devices and experiences. The Surface Book puts into perspective how far they will go for a laptop and they even raised the Band 2 by $50 to make it higher quality.

Until Microsoft announces this phone, there is not much else that can or should be said. For now, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL stand as the high-end offering for Windows 10 Mobile, and we expect them to hold that position for several months, if not an entire year. However, like all things in tech there is always something around the next bend, and the Surface Phone could be it.

INSIDE THE MOTHERSHIP: TOUR OF MICROSOFT REDMOND CAMPUS PART 2

In the first part of our Microsoft‘s Redmond campus tour, we kicked things off from Microsoft Store in Bellevue and then progressed to the actual campus ground itself starting with Microsoft Visitor Centre as well as the campus own public transportation network. From there, we checked out some of the current projects that researchers and engineers at Microsoft Research Lab are working on.

So now, it is time for Part 2 of the tour. Let’s begin this with this question: where do Microsofties in Redmond campus go to eat?

Well, they could choose to go outside of the campus but then again, there are actually plenty of places to eat within the campus itself with variety of cooking style to choose from. One such cafeteria that we visited is called Café 34 which is located in Building 34 of the campus that not only feature variety of food but also a hydroponic installment that produces fresh microgreens for the café and part of the company’s sustainability effort.

Next, we head on to the nearby Microsoft Executive Briefing Center which is where the company hosts highly focused briefings with their invited guests and customers. Within the center is a section called Microsoft Envisioning Center which houses proof of concepts and prototypes that showcases Microsoft’s vision of the future.

The Envisioning Center itself contains several spaces that represents several scenarios in workspace and home. For example, there is a space dubbed as Action Center that is designed to drive collaborations and features a really large wall-sized touch display. There is also the highly impressive smart kitchen concept that mixed interactivity and contents together with object recognition capability in order to assist users.

Being proof of concepts, all the products and services shown in the company’s Envisioning Center have no exact roadmap in terms of engineering or availability for end users but considering the level of technology that we already have at the moment, majority of them are not far-fetched at all. The showcase spaces do change from time to time though as prototypes come in and go.

As a huge corporate organization, it is not surprising to see that Microsoft maintain a number of art pieces. In fact, Microsoft Art Collection is one of the largest corporate art collections in the world with around 4,728 pieces which include a section of Berlin Wall (yes, the real wall) that was a gift from Daimler-Benz AG to Bill Gates in 1996.

While we were walking and commuting from one building to another, we can’t help but to notice the beautiful sceneries all over Microsoft Redmond campus thanks to the abundance of trees within the area. The arrival of autumn further highlight the lushness of the campus which also has its own jogging/biking trails and numerous playfields.

So, here it is: Building 1 which is one of the six original building that Microsoft occupied when the company moved into its Redmond campus in 1986. As you can see from throughout our tour, the campus has significantly grown since then. Just don’t go looking for Building 7. 

While we have our own theories, none of the Microsoft staff that accompanied us knew why this rather lonely chair is here, at the lake in the middle of the campus original buildings. Like, seriously.

This particular part of the campus is called The Commons which is considered to be some sort of a shopping mall specially developed for Microsoft staff at the campus. There are plenty of things that Microsoft staff can get done here as the area houses post office, credit union, bicycle shop, telco providers and hair salon (yup).  Of course, there are quite a number of restaurants in The Commons which include a bar as well.

This life-size elephant statue was used during Kinect for Xbox 360 World Premiere event in 2010 which involved a massive show performed by the world renowned Cirque du Soleil.

Located in the same building as per Microsoft Visitor Center is the Company Store which is also opened for public with the exception of a small section within the store that is specifically reserved for Microsoft staff. The store features tons of merchandises bearing Microsoft’s branding as well as its products. We spotted the legendary Ninja Cat Unicorn t-shirt in the store as well but only Microsoft staff is allowed to purchase it. Too bad then.

So, that’s it for the second installment of our Microsoft Redmond campus tour. Stay tuned for part 3 next week where we’ll be meeting some of the folks that are working in the campus (including a Malaysian) together with a tour of Microsoft Garage and Microsoft Cybercrime Center.

INSIDE THE MOTHERSHIP: A TOUR OF MICROSOFT REDMOND CAMPUS PART 1

As a global force in computer and software technology for both consumer and enterprise,Microsoft has plenty of establishments throughout the world. However, Redmond is where Microsoft considers as its hometown since the Pacific Northwest city is the location of the company’s corporate headquarters. We recently visited the massive campus and had a glimpse of what it feels like to be among the Microsofties right at the heart of Microsoft.

Interestingly, our tour didn’t begin at the Redmond campus itself. Instead, it started at theMicrosoft Store that is located in a mall at a nearby city called Bellevue which itself holds a special place in Microsoft’s history as the company was based in Bellevue after it was relocated from Albuquerque in 1979 and before Microsoft permanently moved to its Redmond campus in 1986.

Surprisingly, the outlet in Bellevue was not the first Microsoft Store around as that honor belongs to the outlet in Scottsdale, Arizona. Instead, it was the seventh outlet in the line and if you wondering, no, there is no Microsoft Store in Redmond campus. However, there is a different kind of retail outlet called the Company Store (more on that later).

While we have previously explained the differences between Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store in Malaysia and Microsoft Store in United States, those differences were very apparent and felt amplified once we stepped into the outlet itself.

The first stop of our actual Redmond campus tour is Microsoft Visitor Center which is one of the very few areas within the campus that are openly accessible to members of the public. It acts as a “museum” that briefly explains the history of Microsoft and showcases a selection of products as well as technologies that the company produced.

For those who are well-versed in computing history and technology, we feel that there is nothing new to learn at the Visitor Centre for them which might be even too limited for such crowd but nevertheless, it might be able to help generate interest in computing and information technology for the youngsters.

Microsoft’s Redmond campus is so massive that the company decided to implement its own transportation network called Microsoft Connector. The network not only allows Microsoft staff to travel from one building to another within the campus but it also helps them commute to the campus from their home and vice versa.

Located in Building 99, Microsoft Research Lab was first opened in 1991 and soon expanded to 10 other locations throughout the world including including Microsoft Research Asia lab that we visited earlier this year in Beijing, China. In total, there are more than 1,000 researchers and engineers working on various subjects including machine learning, natural user interface, hardware and devices, quantum computing and many more.

In general, the work done by Microsoft Research can be categorized into four: Disruptive, Blue Sky, Mission-Focused and Sustaining. It might not be obvious to end users but plenty of the work done by Microsoft Research did actually end up in consumer products.

One example is in the area of machine learning which powers plenty of Microsoft products out there that are required to process huge amount of data continuously. Such products include Bing Search which itself a big machine learning system as well as Cortana and Microsoft Band wearables.

We were told that even the matchmaking system in Halo games for Xbox consoles also utilizes machine learning in order to players according to their playing patterns and skills. During our tour, Microsoft Research has also showcased several projects that are currently in progress at the division.

There are still more to come from our tour of Microsoft’s Redmond campus. So, stay tuned for part 2 of the tour coming your way next week!

Microsoft will pay $200 for your old laptop, or $300 if it's a MacBook

Microsoft has launched a promotion called Easy Trade Up designed to get people to switch to new Windows 10 machines. If you buy a qualifying computer from the Microsoft Store for over $599 until October 20th, the company will give you a rebate after you send in your old laptop or all-in-one — you'll get $200 for a Windows computer, and $300 for a MacBook. Your trade-in computer has to be under six years old and in working order with a minimum display size of 11.6 inches. The offer is running in the US, UK, Canada, India, Brazil, France, Germany, and Taiwan.

This kind of promotion is a tactic Microsoft uses pretty frequently when it wants to juice sales. Recent years have seen the company offer $200 for iPads traded in against a Surface, $100 for PS3 owners switching to the Xbox One, $650 off a Surface Pro 3 in exchange for a MacBook Air, and $200 gift cards for a traded-in iPhone. The question with deals like these, as ever, is whether you'd get more money hawking your old device on Craigslist, eBay, or elsewhere; trade-in site Gazelle offers up to $539 cash for a MacBook Air, for instance.

Intel, Microsoft, HP, Dell and Lenovo Unite for Big PC Advertising Push

Intel and Microsoft are teaming with three leading PC makers on a new ad campaign designed to make potential computer buyers more aware of all the things a modern PC can do.

The campaign, with the slogan “PC Does What?” is set to be announced Thursday at a Webcast featuring the companies’ top marketing executives, according to sources familiar with the companies’ plans. It will feature TV, print and online advertisements, sources said.

The fact that Intel, Microsoft, HP, Dell and Lenovo all want to see more PCs sold is hardly news. But that they have gotten together on a unified campaign is a first.

Historically, much of the PC industry’s advertising has been subsidized by Intel and Microsoft, whose profit margins are far larger than those who make PCs. But typically they work individually with each PC maker rather than as a group.

As for the campaign, it will run in the U.S. and China and is designed to let people know that the latest PCs do a lot more than the machine they likely have at home and at work. Intel noted when it launched its newest chip family that there are 500 million PCs out there that are five years old or older.

The effort comes as PC sales continue to decline as consumers put their money into other devices, including smartphones, TVs and tablets. PC sales are forecast to shrink by more than 8 percent and not stabilize until 2017, according to the latest forecast from IDC.

Intel and Microsoft are providing the bulk of the funds for this effort, but Dell, Lenovo and HP are also kicking in ad dollars.

Sources declined to say just how much is being spent, but one described it as a “sizable” campaign, commensurate with promoting a $300 billion per year industry.

The effort has also come together rather quickly over the last couple months, the sources said.

Representatives for the companies were not immediately available for comment.

Microsoft: Windows 10 now running on more than 110 million devices

Users have activated more than 110 million copies of Windows 10 since Microsoft began rolling out the operating system on July 29.

That's the latest claim by company officials, as of October 6.

At Microsoft's Windows 10 devices launch in New York City, Windows and Devices chief Terry Myerson disclosed the updated figure.

On August 29, Microsoft execs said Windows 10 was on more than 75 million devices, which was up from the 14 million figure -- the number of copies activated in the first 24 hours the OS was available.

Back in August, when I asked, Microsoft said it was disclosing the number of Windows 10 copies activated by users, not the number of copies of the OS it had sold into the channel.

Microsoft began making Windows 10 available to Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users as a free upgrade for consumers and some business customers on July 29. Those who don't qualify for the free upgrade and are not covered by a volume license with Software Assurance can opt to buy Windows 10 Home for $119 and/or Windows 10 Pro for $199.

Microsoft has released Windows 10 for IoT, but still has not made available Windows 10 Mobile, the version of Windows 10 for Windows Phones and small ARM- and Intel-based tablets.

Microsoft's new activity tracker is the $249 Microsoft Band

A new Surface and new Lumia smartphones might be what everyone was waiting to hear about at today's Microsoft event, but the company made it clear it's still chugging along in another area: wearables.

Microsoft's newest wearable is called Microsoft Band, the same name as last year's activity-tracker. The new one looks sleeker than last year's Band, with a curved, touch-sensitive OLED display coated in Gorilla Glass 3. It now has Cortana integration — if you miss a workout, Cortana will remind you (which could be both awesome and annoying). The new Band also has a barometer, to measure elevation for hiking and stair-climbing.

Like last year's Band, it offers GPS, heart rate, calorie and sleep tracking, guided workouts and smart notifications. It works with iOS, Android and, of course, Microsoft Windows Phone devices. The new Band is available for pre-order today, and costs $249 — $50 more than the starting price of last year's Band.

Microsoft says the Band is meant for both seasoned athletes and people who are just looking to improve their daily health and fitness routines. It records metrics like VO2 max, normally found in watches for serious athletes, and even includes automatic shot detection for golf. But, considering features like voice integration and support for apps like Uber, RunKeeper, Starbucks, Subway and Twitter, it is definitely a kind of hybrid device, a smartwatch that doesn't want to be a smartwatch. Microsoft has thrown in everything but the kitchen sink.

The original Microsoft Band was introduced last fall, and along with it, Microsoft Health, a software platform for all of the data that the activity-tracker recorded. The Band was packed with sensors, let you pay for Starbucks from your wrist, and was even useful when not tethered to a phone (not many wrist-wearables offer GPS without a phone in tow). You could go running with the Band without your phone, and the Health app would later show you where you ran and even break down your run into fast and slow segments.

But the thing was unattractive and clunky, something that became only slightly more understandable when Microsoft said it was licensing its platform to other hardware makers. This new Band shows improvements both in design and in capabilities.

As with all of these early-stage health trackers, the real value proposition is not what they track, but what they can tell you about yourself. This new Band has so many sensors and integrates with so many different apps that it might just be the most feature-filled activity-tracking wristband out there, so until we see what it actually tells us, we won't be able to say what its true value is. Stay tuned for more.

Microsoft unveils first laptop, updated devices using Windows 10

Microsoft, whose shares were up 0.6 percent at $46.89 at midday, said 110 million devices were now running Windows 10.

The company unveiled three phones at an event in New York. The Lumia 950 and 950XL will have starting prices of $549 and $649 respectively when they go on sale in November, while the Lumia 550 will cost $139 when it becomes available in December.

The Lumia 950 includes a 5.2-inch display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor with hexacore CPUs. The Lumia 950 XL has a 5.7-inch display and a Snapdragon 810 processor with octa-core CPUs. The 550 has a 4.7-inch HD display and runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 210 processor. (bit.ly/1QWM6XT)

The new Surface Pro 4 tablet - a larger but thinner and lighter version of the Surface Pro 3 - is priced at $899 and will be available from Oct. 26 with pre-orders starting on Wednesday.

Launched nearly a year and a half after its predecessor, the Surface Pro 4 features a 12.3-inch screen with 267 pixels per inch. It runs on 6th-generation Intel Core processor and has 16GB of RAM and 1TB storage.

Surface Pro 4 is 50 percent faster than Apple's MacBook Air, Panos Panay, the corporate vice president for Surface Computing at Microsoft, said at the event.

LOVING IT

"We're moving people from needing to choosing to loving Windows, and these devices promise to fuel even more enthusiasm and opportunity for the entire Windows ecosystem," Chief Executive Satya Nadella said at the event.

Microsoft suffered its biggest-ever quarterly net loss in the three months ended June 30 after taking a $7.6 billion writedown on its Nokia handset business.

The company had said savings from the restructuring of the business would be pumped into its new flagship operating system, its fast-growing cloud business and its hardware division, which includes Xbox gaming consoles.

Microsoft also said its new tablet and smartphones will come with Windows Hello, an automatic biometric sign-in option introduced earlier this year.

The feature allows users to scan their face, iris or fingerprints to verify their identity and give them access to Windows phones, laptops and personal computers.

Microsoft also introduced a Surface Pen, which has year-long battery life, 1,024 pressure points and comes in five colors with inter-changeable pen tips.

The 950 and 950XL handsets feature a 20-megapixel rear camera, have up to 32GB of storage, 4K video and use liquid cooling technology. Microsoft said storage on the phones could be extended to up to 2 terabytes using a memory card.

The Microsoft Band 2, which allows users to monitor their fitness and exercise regime, will be priced at $249 when it becomes available on Oct. 30.

Unlike its predecessor, Microsoft's entry product in the wearable technology market a year ago, the new Band has a curved display, which uses the Corning Gorilla glass 3, and has a barometer sensor to track elevation.

"The event was solid and showed Microsoft has stepped up its game on the consumer device front. Now the question is will consumers buy the products," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets, who attended the event.

"...It is clear from presentations as well as speaking with the Microsoft team that Redmond feels that Windows 10 will help finally vault Microsoft into relevance on the smartphone landscape," Ives said.

"That said, this is going to be a long road for Nadella as Microsoft plays major catchup on this key market."

Microsoft said it was taking applications for a development kit for HoloLens, the holographic lens device that allows users to see 3D renderings of computer-generated images. The kit will be available in the first quarter of 2016 for $3,000.

HoloLens, which looks like a wireless visor, gives Microsoft a stake in the emerging market for virtual and augmented reality, which is also being targeted by Facebook Inc's Oculus.

Microsoft's shares have risen less than 1 percent since the start of the year.

New Microsoft technology might bring Windows 10 to Android phones

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a seemingly strange partnership with Xiaomi for beta testing Windows 10 mobile. The company proved that it can easily install a Windows ROM on an Android device, suggesting in the future it might decide to compete against Google this way. Rather than launch new Windows hardware, Microsoft might one day provide just the software that would make possible installing Windows on any Android handset.

The software maker has yet to confirm such plans, but the company is toying with technology that will let users boot two operating systems on smartphones and tablets, something that’s not yet available on any device.

Titled User Selectable Operating Systems, a new patent application published a few days ago describes smartphones and tablets that would let users select what operating system to boot.

Microsoft’s technology would let phone makers preinstall multiple operating systems on a device in a compressed form, with the user able to select which operating system he or she would like to boot. For example, a phone could have Windows 10 and Android ROMs – though the patent doesn’t explicitly mention any of them – and users would be able to select which OS they prefer and perform a full install for one of them. There would also be the option of deleting the others.

It’s not clear at this time whether Microsoft is working with any OEMs to preload Windows 10 onto Android devices, but the invention clearly shows the company is thinking well outside of the box on making its mobile operating system more popular with smartphone users.