Kurt Shintaku's Blog

This was something that was being passed around Twitter over the last couple of days.  Apparently someone with access to a virtual net had a little too much time on their hands.

The is the command below… and in the event it no longer works by the time I post this, I have a snapshot of the humorous, geeky results:

• tracert 216.81.59.173
  

And the new commercial is out for the recently released Surface Pro!

Funny, in all the fervor over Surface Pro, not a lot has been written about the offers they extended to all the people that picked one up from the Microsoft Stores.

There were 3 offers that came with the unit when purchased by way of a pamphlet & a bunch of special one-time-use 25-digit codes:

1. SKYPE – Free unlimited calls for 1 month (US & Canada)
2. SKYDRIVE – 3GB of bonus online storage
3. MAGAZINES – Free bonus digital issues of US Weekly & Rolling Stone Magazine for NOOK

Do you own a new Surface? (RT or Pro)  Would you like to provide feedback about your experience?

We have a Surface Owner Feedback Program in place if you’ve got a device and would like to invite you to visit to sign up.  As a thank you for providing this feedback, we’ll enter you to win $200 in Surface accessories.

NOTE: You’ll need to enter your Surface’s serial number. This serial number is a 12 digit number that can be found on the back of the box or on the back of the Surface itself.

Visit the URL below to sign up!

• INFO: Surface Owner Feedback Program
  http://www.gfk.com/surface

You may have heard that we were planning to launch Surface Windows 8 Pro (a.k.a. Surface Pro) in New York but cancelled the event due to a blizzard that hit the region. 

Well, in less than a week, the product team moved the entire launch to Las Vegas and the ‘Fashion Show Mall’ on the Las Vegas Strip (right across from Treasure Island, Wynn/Encore, and Venetian/Palazzo… my Vegas home base!) with very little announcement or warning.  I personally know what goes into these launch gigs and let me tell you, this is nothing short of unbelievable.  Just think of all that has to be re-coordinated:

• PMs, Event Mgmt, Talent, Assistants
• Props/Event equipment, Flights/Transportation, Hotels/Planning Rooms
• Communications center, tech equipment, product delivery
• Email/phone media coordination, PR & web marketing, public notification
• Event venue, walkthroughs, service agreements/contracts, legal
• …

Much sleep much have been lost leading up to this gig, but that’s how the Surface team rolls… and that’s what our fearless leader, Panos Panoy, is like.  (Did you notice how ON he was in his delivery?) 

So a fellow named UberGamer256 captured the event on his Nokia Lumia 920.  PROPS TO THAT GUY.  It appears to be the only recording of what was most assuredly a very expensive event to coordinate at the last minute in a weather-safe area.

Here’s his video:

Clarification around Surface hardware volume purchase details will be made available shortly.

With the release of Surface Windows 8 Pro, we’ve also released the “Getting Started Guide for Surface”, a 68 page document (1.35MB PDF) that is written for BOTH the Surface Windows RT owner or the Surface Windows 8 Pro owner.

• DOWNLOAD: Surface User Guide (PDF)
  http://download.microsoft.com/download/B/D/4/
  BD44C612-D08E-4586-9345-ACA8AB978BC8/Surface_Getting_Started_guide.pdf

This is not a “reference manual” but rather a guide for individuals new to Windows 8 & the Surface hardware in general.  More nuanced configuration & support can be found on the Surface support web site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/support/home

If you haven’t seen this photo shoot, you gotta check it out.  It highlights this year’s coolest Windows 8 devices.  And they start with the HP Envy x2 & they go straight to the Samsung ATIV SmartPC Pro.

• NEWS: Presenting More Than Performance- The 2013 Windows 8 Device Lineup
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Features/2013/Feb13/02-07OEMFashionWeek.aspx

To quote BGR, “Windows Phone is hammering iPhone in India”.

The latest Nielsen survey confirms one of the major smartphone trends of 2012: That the Windows Phone operating system showed remarkable strength in India even before the new wave of Nokia (NOK) and HTC (2498) models launched in January. According to Nielsen, Windows Phone grabbed 8% of India’s smartphone market last autumn, far ahead of BlackBerry (BBRY) at 3% and iPhone at 1%.

• BGR: Why the Lumia 620 is so important to Nokia: Windows Phone is hammering the iPhone in India
  http://bgr.com/2013/02/08/nokia-lumia-620-analysis-india-322642/ 

UPDATE 2/12/13:
The investment site, The Motley Fool, has weighed in on the Forrester Report now that Surface Pro is clearly in demand by customers nationwide.

• MOTLEY FOOL: A Huge Win for Microsoft
  http://www.fool.com/investing/general/
  2013/02/11/a-huge-win-for-microsoft.aspx

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In what may be a surprise to some, it turns out that the majority of information workers want to the productive when using a tablet OS, and how do they want to do that?

Through Windows-based tablets.

This is based on a ~10,000 person study of office workers as documented in Forrester Research’s report, “2013 Mobile Workforce Adoption Trends”.  (Snapshot credited to ReadWrite’s article)

• READ WRITE: 200 Million Workers Want Windows 8 Tablets, Not iPads
  http://readwrite.com/2013/02/04/200-million-workers-want-windows-8-tablets-not-ipads
• THE REGISTER: Windows tablet is most desired by office workers
  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/07/office_workers_want_microsoft_tablets/
• ZDNET: Forrester: Surface drumming up more demand with global mobile workforce
  http://www.zdnet.com/forrester-surface-drumming-up-more-demand-with-global-mobile-workforce-7000010860/

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NOTE:  The Forrester Research report is a $2500 document with a lot of research behind it – that’s why you won’t find it publicly available, in case you’re wondering.  Here’s a description of it if you’re interested:

Have we hit peak bring-your-own-device (BYOD)? Which apps are most important on smartphones? How many employees are interested in Windows tablets? Do employees use mobile devices for work more at home or in a public place? The answers to questions like these form the backdrop for your own firm’s mobile workforce strategy. By starting with a data-driven understanding of which devices, platforms, and apps matter to a global workforce, you will make investment decisions about BYOD and mobile apps, devices, and platforms with your eyes wide open. Read this report to get the story based on Forrester’s Forrsights Workforce Employee Survey, Q4 2012 of 9,766 global information workers.

• REPORT: 2013 Mobile Workforce Adoption Trends
  http://www.forrester.com/2013+Mobile+Workforce+Adoption+Trends/fulltext/-/E-RES89442