Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Surface Touch Cover 'Splits Within Days'
An anonymous reader points out a report at the Guardian of a potential problem for early adopters of the Microsoft Surface tablet. The Touch Cover is one of the available protective covers for the device; it acts as a keyboard, and has both a gyroscope and an accelerometer on board. Unfortunately, some users have found that the edges of the Touch Cover have split open after only a few days of use. "The defect is identical in each case: the cover ... begins to split at its seam where the device attaches magnetically to the main computer. [One developer] was told to return his Touch Cover to Microsoft for a replacement, and Microsoft has been swapping faulty covers for users where it has retail stores. It's unclear whether the problems that people have encountered are due to a faulty batch or are a subtle problem that will become more apparent as more people use it for longer — but the fact that users in the US and the UK have reported the problem suggests that it is not isolated to a single manufacturing batch."
I would say that this story might be a bit over-sensationalist. I have Surface and the touch cover and it's working well. Actually, the whole thing is much better than Android based tablets or iPad. It just works, and you have Windows underneath.
Microsoft Kinect Spy System - Revisited (2)
"So you just got the Kinect/Xbox360 gaming system and you're having fun, hanging out in your underwear, plopped down in your favorite lounge chair, and playing games with your buddies. Yeah, it's great to have a microphone and camera in your game system so you can "Kinect" to your pals while you play, but did you read that Terms of Service Agreement that came with your Kinect thingy? No? Here, let me point out an important part of that service agreement.
If you accept the agreement, you "expressly authorize and consent to us accessing or disclosing information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft, our partners, or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the Service; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public."
Did you catch that? Here, let me print the important part in really big letters.
"If you accept the agreement, you expressly authorize and consent to us accessing or disclosing information about you, including the content of your communications⦠on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public."
OK, is that clear enough for ya? When you use the Kinect system, you agree to allow Microsoft (and any branch of law enforcement or government they care to share information with) to use your Kinect system to spy on you. Maybe run that facial recognition software to check you out, listen to your conversations, and keep track of who you are communicating with.
I know this is probably old news to some, but I thought I would mention it because it pertains to almost all of these home game systems that are interactive. You have to remember, the camera and microphone contained in your game system have the ability to be hacked by anyone the game company gives that ability to, and that includes government snoops and law enforcement agents.
Hey, it's MICROSOFT. What did you expect?
And the same concerns apply to all interactive game systems. Just something to think about if you're having a "Naked Wii party" or doing something illegal while you're gaming with your buddies. Or maybe you say something suspicious and it triggers the DHS software to start tracking your every word. Hey, this is not paranoia. It's spelled out for you, right there in that Service Agreement. Read it! Here's one more part of the agreement you should be aware of.
"You should not expect any level of privacy concerning your use of the live communication features (for example, voice chat, video and communications in live-hosted gameplay sessions) offered through the Service."
Did you catch it that time? YOU SHOULD NOT EXPECT ANY LEVEL OF PRIVACY concerning your voice chat and video features on your Kinect box."
# http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z20/TyrantAsh03/tf_spy_fyi_i_am_a_spy.png
Continued..
"Listen up, you ignorant sheep. Your government is spending more money than ever to spy on its own citizens. That's YOU, my friend. And if you're one of these people who say, "Well I ain't ever done nothing wrong so why should I worry about it?' - you are dead wrong. Our civil liberties are being taken away faster than you can spit. The NSA is working away on its new "First Intelligence Community Comprehensive National Cyber-security Initiative Data Center' to keep track of every last one of us. This thing will be the size of 17 football stadiums. One million square feet, all to be filled with more technology and data storage than you could imagine. And 30,000 spy drones a
They're just holding it wrong!
I just glued the screen of my Nexus 7 so that it doesn't squeak, replaced the lens of my iPhone 5 to avoid the purple flare, I'll fix this too. Bring it on!
One article claims 2 users have reported this. The linked thread mentions three. I'm sure that they're may be more, but three reports of problems doesn't seem like a reason to declare a universal flaw yet.
They have been replacing RROD-ed Xbox360 left and right since releasing it to the market, and it took them 2 to 3 generation for them to solve overheating problem. So expect the cover problem to be resolved at least sometime next year
Like a little slip of a cover is worth the bitching !! Deal with it !! Live with it !! Take it like a man !! Or are you a little girl crying because her doll's clothing has a wrinkle !!
iFixit showed Surface RT was a LTL106AL01-002 which is only a 1280x800 display, Not the 1366×768 Microsoft claim.
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Teardown/11275/3
Here it is:
http://xingkong.en.alibaba.com/product/664763875-214117051/LTL106AL01_002_laptop_led_screen.html
So, how does that work? You go in with your faulty cover, you leave with a new user? Do you get to choose your user?
It's OK! Users with this problem just have to reboot the tablet and it will be fixed.
servers you right, sucker!
Gosh, it took them long enough to come out with a new product, you would think they would of tested it by now.
I just checked mine and it looks solid. I don't even see how a split could happen. Seems like a solid piece of rubbery plastic.
Foxconn knows how to beat its workers to death if a seam on one of the products they made split...
Maybe Apple does have it right. (sic)
Nuff Said.
Lisias@Earth.SolarSystem.OrionArm.MilkyWay.Local.Virgo.Universe.org
Have gnu, will travel.
Microsoft made no compromises when they designed the Surface. The keyboard cover was designed to split after light use to enable the consumer to buy additional $100 replacement covers.
Have gnu, will travel.
My work provide me with a Surface RT and I have been using it daily for more than two weeks with no visible wear yet. Could be a fluke, I certainly do not think 3 reported issues mean their is a systemic problem.
Jorgie
Way to be on the ball /. - this was on most other tech sites two days ago.
Slashdot - news that mattered.. days ago.
Seriously? They put inertial sensors in an add-on instead of in the device itself? I guess in the PC world you never know what hardware configuration people have and they wanted to carry that over.... dumb.
Loose Microsoft tiles eventually peel off, and break. Welcome to the hardware edition to Windows 8!
cpghost at Cordula's Web.