Articles about Microsoft Store

One year after it went on sale, Nokia Lumia 1020 is still the smartphone to beat when it comes to delivering the best Windows Phone imaging experience. That can be attributed to its mighty 41 MP camera, which continues to be in a league of its own, unmatched in resolution by any of its modern rivals.

In the US, Lumia 1020 has been an AT&T-exclusive since its launch, in July 2013, much like other Windows Phone flagships which have been released in the second-largest smartphone market. But, now, you can buy it unlocked, right from Microsoft Store, without any AT&T branding in tow.

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While Long Island is rather close to Manhattan, it is a far different experience. NYC is full of things to do, Long Island simply isn't. Retail is a pastime for us -- going to Best Buy, Target or the mall is a big deal. So, when Microsoft announced plans to open up a new store in the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, there was a huge buzz. Lately, that buzz was magnified when a Demi Lovato concert was announced to accompany the opening. Microsoft would be giving away tickets and chances to meet the singer.

Truth be told, I did not know who Demi Lovato was (a pop singer), but apparently I am in the minority as thousands upon thousands of people (mostly young girls) started lining up at 10pm the night earlier to sleep at the mall so they could achieve tickets at 11am the following day. Yes, they waited in line 13 hours! This resulted in a really exciting store opening and BetaNews was there covering it.

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Over the past couple of years Microsoft has opened an ever-increasing number of stores across the US and Canada, even one in Puerto Rico. The efforts are in direct competition to rival Apple, and often appear in close proximity to the Cupertino, Cal.-based company's stores.

Today the software giant announced that ten new specialty stores are slated to open, and the events will be taking place rather soon. In an official announcement received by BetaNews today, the company announced the new locations and grand-opening dates. Areas and dates include:

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I have no idea what 12-year old kids are interested in -- I am guessing Justin Bieber and Instagram; lord only knows. However, as a tech-guy, I always have my eye on what smartphones and tablets people are using in public. From my observations, iPhones and iPads still reign supreme for tweens. And so, it is not surprising that 12 year old Victoria asked her dad for an iPad Mini.

While many kids are whiny brats nowadays, she took a more responsible approach and created a presentation as to why buying it is a good idea. Her father, rather than simply giving in and buying it, instead tweeted Microsoft to give it a chance for rebuttal. Microsoft responded to her presentation in epic fashion.

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It used to be that people would upgrade their computers when they wanted to. However, there also used to be more compelling reasons to upgrade. Personal computers used to see huge hardware improvements every year -- faster processor, more RAM, etc. Consumers saw hard evidence of why an upgrade was necessary.

Nowadays however, computers have become "fast enough" -- they are lasting longer and longer. More importantly, people actually saw a benefit in upgrading to Windows 95, 98 and XP. Conversely, there haven't been huge selling points to upgrade to Windows 7 or 8.x for the average casual computer user. Microsoft is ending Windows XP support on April 8th, so it wants consumers to upgrade. In a potentially desperate move, the company announces that it will buy your old, dust-filled XP machine for $100 -- a crisp Benjamin.

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When the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 were unveiled last year in Manhattan, I was on hand. While the tablets were the stars of the event, there were many interesting accessories too. My favorite accessory was the Surface Music Kit as it allowed music creation in a unique way. However, the Power Cover was intriguing too. You see, it acts like the normal type cover, but dramatically extends the battery.

Sadly, the Power Cover has been unavailable for purchase. Surface fans such as myself, have been clamoring to obtain it. Luckily, a release date has finally come to light -- March 19th. It will work with the Surface 2, Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 -- the Surface RT has been left out of the party.

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Folks looking to purchase a small Windows 8.1 tablet now have one more option available to consider, as the ASUS VivoTab Note 8 just made its way to Microsoft's online store. The device can be had for $329 in the 32 GB storage trim, making it slightly more expensive compared to the $299 its maker had revealed it would cost at launch.

For the money, the VivoTab Note 8 packs an 8-inch IPS, five-point multi-touch display with a resolution of 1280 by 800. There is an Intel Atom Z3740 processor, running at 1.33 GHz (1.86 GHz on Turbo Boost), inside, backed by 2 GB of RAM and a one-cell battery that is rated at up to eight hours of use on a single charge.

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When Nokia unveiled the Lumia 1520, the Finnish maker did not provide an exact launch date for its new Windows Phone 8 phablet. However, the device was announced to be available in a limited number of markets, including US.

Ahead of the official launch, Microsoft decided to shed some light regarding the US availability of the Lumia 1520 on AT&T. On the software giant's online store, the phablet is now listed as available to pre-order, with the release date set for November 15.

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If you live in the United States, Microsoft Store online is newly redesigned and celebrates with big savings on the Acer Aspire S7, up to $350 off. The ultra-thin Windows PC is clearly a MacBook Air competitor. The 11-inch model is now available for as little as $899. Lest memory fails me, I saw the same deal inside the physical San Diego Store on Friday night.

The makeover marks the first of many. Microsoft plans to overhaul the online shop in all 228 markets. The new home page is more spacious, with lots more white space and prominently links to three subshops -- Student, Small Business and Developer.

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If you are in the market for a Windows Phone 8 smartphone in the US, then the Microsoft Store should be your first stop. Why? Because the software giant is currently offering a number of devices running the mobile operating system for free on a two-year contract.

The list of devices on offer includes the 8GB HTC Windows Phone 8X (in California Blue and Lime), the Nokia Lumia 920 (in Black, Red and Yellow) and the Lumia 820 on AT&T. And those savings are not to be sniffed at. When purchased from AT&T, the 8GB Windows Phone 8X and Lumia 820 both go for $49.99, while the Lumia 920 runs for $99.99.

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Yesterday, I spent about 45 minutes at Microsoft Store San Diego, which was busy -- sight not seen since Kinect's November 2010 launch. Shoppers came to see Surface, and there were lots of questions and explorations of both tablets, although clearly Pro was the draw. Unfortunately, only the 64GB model is in stock, which somewhat muted sales, or so I observed.

If Surface is a failure, as so many bigmouths on the InterWebs claim, what company wouldn't want one like this? There are many measures of success in retail, and just getting people in the door is one of them. Once inside, shoppers may buy something, or walk out feeling better about the brand, leading to sales of something else later on. "Jesus! Can you believe that Microsoft? Baby, you shop here for my birthday!"

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I can't say if rumors flashing across the InterWebs yesterday are true about Google opening retail shops this year. Not that it matters. The search giant should open stores -- and lots of them. Timing is right, too, and who could have imagined two or even three years ago.

Make. No. Mistake. In the 22 months since returning as CEO (following a 10-year hiatus), Larry Page has injected new vim, vigor and vibrancy into the Google empire. The company is now one of the most disruptive forces across techdom. Android Market branding to Google Play, Google+, Google Now, Nexus tablets, low-cost Chromebooks and stores selling them inside major retailers all debuted during his watch. Then there is ever-tightening cross-integration of products and services creating one of the most formidable cloud applications stacks available anywhere. Google Now, Google Play and Android and Chrome OS devices are reasons enough for retail stores, because the company has a digital lifestyle to sell.

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So much for the naysayers panning Microsoft's flagship tablet, or (wrongly) calling it woefully overpriced (but inferior) iPad. The first Surface Pro shipment sold out -- well, just about -- and only within a few hours, too. I called a half-dozen West Coast Microsoft Stores Saturday evening. None have either model. The online shop is sold out of the 128GB slate, but you can still get the 64 gigger. Stock checks at Best Buy and Staples also reveal sell-outs.

"They cleaned us out!" one California MS Store employee tells me Saturday night. Another says his shop stocked out in a couple of hours. No one would say how much inventory was available, but one person says, "Plenty!" Clearly not plenty enough. The question now: How long will those who want Surface Pro wait? One staffer says he expects more tablets Tuesday. No one else has timeframe.

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The family grows quickly. Microsoft has been beefing up its retail offerings for the past year, trying to get into as many markets as possible in an effort to sell products and compete with the retail juggernaut that is Apple. In fact, the company chose to keep nearly all its popup stores opened from the past holiday season. Now the company has announced five new brick and mortar locations.

Taking into account those popup stores, the company currently operates about 65 retail outlets, but the number is about to expand with today's announcement. New stores will be coming soon to the following list of locations.

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The year was a big one for Microsoft with updates to almost every website and software program, as well as the release of Surface RT. But now it is time to look ahead to 2013 and the company has not only announced the expansion of retail sales for its tablet but the next six company store locations.

Jonathan Adashek, GM of Microsoft's Communications and Strategy, Sales & Marketing Services Group, revealed today: San Antonio, Texas; Miami, Florida;  Beachwood, Ohio; San Francisco, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and  St. Louis, Missouri will join the current locations around the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

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