Surface Mini May Have Motion Detection Technology

By Kevin Parrish
published

This tablet will supposedly have Kinect-like motion detection.

Chinese website WP Dang (via UnwiredView) reports that Microsoft plans to add Kinect-like somatosensory technology to the rumored Surface Mini.

Earlier during the fall season, the rumored "mini" tablet was originally thought to make its debut in October along with the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, but that didn't happen. Insiders claimed that the team working on the tablet was pulled from the project to help get the Xbox One out on the market in time. Thus, now it looks as if the new tablet will arrive in the spring instead.

According to unnamed sources, the Surface Mini will have the ability to recognize the user's face and hand movements. Sources also said it will likely work much smoother than "Air Gestures" used by the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3. The Surface Mini will even supposedly sport a 1080p display, an Intel "Bay Trail" chip, and run the full Windows 8.1.

Looking back across dozens of rumors, Spring 2014 will serve as a launching pad of sorts for the new "devices and services"-based Microsoft. This will be the same time period Windows Phone 8.1 "Blue" will supposedly hit the smartphone scene, and when Microsoft plans to roll out its first minor update to the Windows 8.1 platform. The company has also scheduled its BUILD conference on April 2 to April 4.

Back in September, there was talk that the Surface Mini may ship with the Xbox brand, and the current news about Kinect-like abilities seems to back up those earlier rumors. The actual screen size still remains in question; various reports say it's 7-inches, 7.5-inches and 8-inches. The name may be Xbox Surface rather than Surface Mini.

Sources have claimed that the unannounced tablet will come preloaded with the Windows 8.1 update – likely Windows 8.1.1 – codenamed "Spring 2014 GDR" (aka General Distribution Release). Surface 2 with LTE support will also reportedly arrive in the Spring 2014 window, as well as the Modern UI-style apps for Office 2013.

Spring, it seems, will be a busy time for Microsoft if all the rumors are true.

Kevin Parrish
8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • wemakeourfuture
    Will Microsoft overprice these and lose another billion dollars?
    Reply
  • rexter
    "Sources also said it will likely work much smoother than "Air Gestures" used by the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3. The Surface Mini will even supposedly sport a 1080p display, an Intel "Bay Trail" chip, and run the full Windows 8.1." Then they should call it Surface Pro Mini if it'll run full version of Windows 8.1.
    Reply
  • JD88
    Microsoft just keeps going around in circles. They put the full operating system on the mini tablet where productivity isn't as important and the ARM based, cut down version on the full size one? Only Microsoft is capable of such brilliance.
    Reply
  • g-unit1111
    12346195 said:
    Will Microsoft overprice these and lose another billion dollars?

    Where Microsoft really lost money wasn't in the price of the Surface Pro, it was confusing the customers with Windows RT vs. Windows 8. Had they not tried to market that crap as a Windows alternative, they probably would have sold big time. If anything Bay Trail + Windows 8.1 will mean this thing will be more comparable to my Dell Venue than anything else.
    Reply
  • tolham
    "surface mini"? microsoft, please don't just blind copy every single thing that apple does. you don't need three different tablets, and the lumia 1520 practically is a mini tablet anyway.
    Reply
  • r3dl1n3
    I don't care if they make a mini Surface.. I just hope they make a Surface phone with Nokia camera tech in it.
    Reply
  • wemakeourfuture
    g-unit1111

    Where Microsoft really lost money wasn't in the price of the Surface Pro, it was confusing the customers with Windows RT vs. Windows 8. Had they not tried to market that crap as a Windows alternative, they probably would have sold big time. If anything Bay Trail + Windows 8.1 will mean this thing will be more comparable to my Dell Venue than anything else.

    It was all price. They could never be successful at their prices. They needed to sell near cost to get marketshare to have developers want to build Apps, which then produce a cycle of more demand.

    They priced themselves near the iPad, that was suicide and evident at their complete and utter failure. They thought if they could copy Apple Stores with Microsoft Stores, and sell their products at similar price point they would make a lot of money. The reverse was reality.

    Amazon is successful because its sold at cost. They make the money off Amazon purchases, that's smart. Microsoft was pricing between Android and iOS, that's plain stupidity. RT and Pro didn't matter when people aren't interested in the price point.

    Nothing should be more expensive than an iPad, unless you want to cater to a niche.
    Reply
  • mitchellvii
    So the Surface Mini will in every way be better than the Surface 2 only more portable and less expensive? They should have gone Bay Trail on the Surface 2 from the start and added a digitizer. That would have been a home run. Maybe Mini will be.
    Reply