GOOGLE GLASSES - making sci fi reality

Google Co-founder Sergey Brin previewing the Google Glass at the Google I/O

Project Glass is one of the ongoing projects in the Google X Lab, a Skunkworks like laboratory where sci-fi-esque technologies are being developed and tested including a self-driven car and even a space elevator. The product of this project is Google Glass, officially and spectacularly unveiled yesterday in Google's annual developer conference, Google I/O, in San Francisco. The Glass demo-ers wore the glasses while going sky diving, with one of the diver's glasses sending a live feed from the camera to the big screen at the conference. After landing, the divers then mounted mountain bikes and biked into the conference room.

Google Glass is an augmented reality head-mounted display (HMD). The device includes a small display screen above the right eye, memory, wireless networking chip, camera (button on side to control it), compass, gyroscope, and speaker/microphone. Glass will run Android and users will be able to excess the Internet, send emails, interact with social networking websites, send and receive texts, etc. It is essentially a smartphone, albeit a hands-free and much less obtrusive one. The prototypes Google previewed yesterday weighed less than some sunglasses.

Sky diving at the Google Glass demo

Right now, Google is planning to make the glasses available to US software developers early next year at a price of $ 1500 and normal customers less than a year later for prices close to smart phones.

Public reception of the Google Glass is varied. Although there are many positive reviews, some criticise the glasses for lacking practicality, being too fragile, or the possibility of Google inserting ads directly on the user interface. Nevertheless, it is very possible that the Google Glass will be the next big thing (after smart phones) in mobile communication, integrating technology closer and closer into our lives.

WORLD'S FASTEST THINGS - list of the fastest

AS OF JUNE 2012

WORLD'S FASTEST STREET LEGAL CAR ON THE MARKET:

A price tag at US $2.4 million, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport uses a 8.0 liter W16 engine and can output 1200 HP. The Super Sport's slower sibling, the Veyron Grand Sport, uses the same engine but only has an output of 1001 HP. This is due to four enlarged turbochargers and bigger intercoolers in the Super Sport.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport at 430 km/h

WORLD'S FASTEST CAR:

The Thrust SSC is a British jet-propelled car developed by Richard Noble, Glynn Bowsher, Ron Ayers, and Jeremy Bliss. Powered by two afterburning Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines (also used in the British verson of the F-4 Phantom II fighter), the Thrust is the first car to break the sound barrier. It was piloted by RAF fighter pilot Wing Commander Andy Green in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA.

The official record is held by the Thrust SSC at 1227.93 km/h in 1997

WORLD'S FASTEST TENNIS SERVE:

Samuel Groth, an Aussie underdog player ranked 340th in the world set his smash speed record in the 2012 Busan Open Challenger Tennis competition. He was playing against Belarusian Uladzimir Ignatik and lost the match 6-4, 6-3.

Samuel Groth at 263 km/h

WORLD'S FASTEST UNMANNED AIRCRAFT:

Part of NASA's Hyper-X program, the X-43 set its record in a testflight on November 16, 2004. It's top speed was 9.8 times faster than the speed of sound. The X-43 is launched off a B-52 Stratofortress and it is originally boosted by a modified Pegasus rocket before switching to its scram jet engine.  The X-43 is designed to be fully-controllable in high speed flight. It was not, however, designed to land and all test vehicles crashlanded in the Pacific Ocean.

NASA X-43 at 12144 km/h

WORLD'S FASTEST MANNED AIRCRAFT:


The X-15 is a rocket-powered aircraft part of NASA's X-plane series of experimental aircraft. During the X-15 program, 13 different flights by eight pilots met the USAF spaceflight criterion of exceeding altitude of 80 km, thus qualifying the pilots for astronaut status. The record setting flight, flight 188 happened on 3 October, 1967 piloted by William "Pete" Knight. The X-15, like the X-43, is launched by a B-52.

NASA X-15 at 7273 km/h

WORLD'S FASTEST BADMINTON SMASH:


China's badminton doubles player, Fu HaiFeng, achieved this world record speed at the Sudirman Cup in 2005. He and his partner Cai Yun, won the men's doubles in the tournament. 

Fu HaiFeng at 331.52 km/h

WORLD'S FASTEST BOAT:

Powered by a Westinghouse J34 jet engine, the Spirit of Australia driven by Ken Warby on the River Tumut near the Blowering Dam in Australia reached the record on 8 October 1978. The Spirit is now permanently on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. The setting of water speed records is one of the sporting world's most hazardous competitions with an approximate fatality rate of 85% since 1940.

Spirit of Australia at 511.11 km/h

WORLD'S FASTEST WATERSLIDE:

Located in Fortalez, Brazil, the Insano is the tallest water slide in the world at 41 meters high. This is as tall as a 14-storey building. The whole descent takes just 4 to 5 seconds and during that time it is possible to reach speeds of up to 105 km/h.

The Insano at 105 km/h

WORLD'S FASTEST TRAIN:

The MLX01 is an experimental maglev train developed by the Central Japan Railway Company and the Railway Technical Research Institute. It reached its record on 2 December 2003 on the Yamanashi Maglev testline. It had 3 cars. Maglev trains use magnets to levitate on the track, thus experiencing minimal friction.

JR-Maglev MLX01 at 581 km/h with three cars

BALLOON SCULPTOR COMBINING ART AND SCIENCE - Willy Chyr and his balloon art

Willy Chyr is a Torontonian who has quite an unusual career path given his educational background. Chyr has a B.A. degree in Physics and Economics from the University of Chicago and had been partway working his way through a PhD in Physics. Chyr, however, decided to become a balloon artist. It turns it wasn't a bad choice as he has gained quite a reputation as an artist. Over the past year, Chyr's sculptures have been featured in magazines and museum exhibitions around the world. He even had a spread in Elle magazine.

Before university, Chyr would never have dreamt of pursuing a career in art. However, it was only after first year when he joined Le Vorris & Vox Circus (in a very unexpected move) that the gears started moving. There, he learned how to juggle, unicycle, perform magic tricks, and most importantly, twist balloons. Then, in his last year of university, he and a group of students were looking for a school grant and decided on an electronic based project of making balloon sculptures based on bio-luminescent creatures with lights embedded throughout. Their project caught the attention of the Museum of Science and Industry and Chyr continued to create balloons on the side and even went to study in an arts school.

Chyr's work has been described as "exploring the intersection between art and science". In many of his works, he has taken inspiration from his old textbooks and created balloon sculptures based off of genetic molecules and neuron pathways.

Recently, Chyr has caught the attention of the world's largest brewer and they have announced that their new bottle labels will feature one of Chyr's designs (he calls it, A Glimpse of Something Ephemeral). It will be one of six other creative projects by various individuals that is aimed to celebrate independent thinking.

NEW PRIMITIVE MINERAL FOUND IN METEORITE - a titanium oxide named panguite

The mineral in question is called Panguite, a titanium oxide named after the Pan Gu, a giant from Chinese mythology that created the world through separating ying from yang and thus forming the skies and the Earth. It was discovered by a team of Caltech scientists looking through a space rock called the Allende meteorite, which was part of a larger meteorite that broke into thousands of fragments over the Mexican state of Chihuahua in 1969. The scientists believe panguite is among the oldest minerals formed in the Solar system.

Carbonaceous chondrites are a diverse class of primitive meteorites and the Allende meteorite is the largest specimen ever found on Earth and it has been extensively studied ever since. So far, nine new primitive minerals, including panguite, has been discovered on the meteorite. The search for these minerals involves the use of scanning electron microscopes on the space rocks, and specifically on areas such as refractory inclusions (which is also where panguite was found). Refractory inclusions are among the first solid objects formed in the solar system and contain minerals that are stable at high temperatures and in extreme environments (thus the "refractory" in the name) produced by the solar nebula.

Scientists continue to study primitive minerals such as panguite in an effort to learn more about the conditions under which they formed and subsequently evolved, thus increasing our understanding of the origins of our solar system.

ScienceDaily

ORSOS ISLAND, MAN MADE ISLAND FOR THE RICH - recently put on sale

Orsos Island is a man-made island that Austrian entrepreneur Gabor Orsos has dreamed up and is planning to sell and build. The target market, of course, are the mega-rich. The "island" has a price tag of 5.2 million euros. According to Orsos, "interest has been massive from all over the world... We have already had the first pre-orders and have some potential buyers coming from Australia next week" (AFP).

The "Orsos Island", named after the company founder, is basically a floating platform measuring 20 by 37 meters. It has no engine and so requires a tow boat for mobility. The "island" offers 1000 square ft. of living space and can sleep up to 12 people plus crew of 4. It is self sufficient in obtaining power through large stretches of solar panels on the roof as well as wind generators but in case of emergencies the "island" also has 2 diesel engines and a 6 000-litre fuel capacity. Water will also not be an issue as the Orsos has the capability of turning salt water into fresh water and turning waste water into clean water. In terms of plants, there will be ample space on the island where palm trees and other assorted flora can grow.

Interior of the Orsos

Right now, no "islands" have been produced yet but the company does have a completed 3D model of its design. Once manufacturing starts, it will initially be in land-locked Slovakia. Orsos expects the first finished products, which includes manufacturing and the transportation down the Danube River into the Black Sea, to be ready in 18 months to 2 years (AFP).

SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT FLOODED BY THE SEA IN A DECADE - sea levels rapidly rising

As global temperatures continue to rise, the ice in the North and South poles are melting rapidly and this reflects on the rate of rising sea levels everywhere on Earth. Our world is not monolithic and different coasts have different rates of rising sea levels depending on factors such as ocean salinity, ocean temperature, and ocean currents. In the US, the Northeastern coasts are hit the hardest with rates three to four times faster than the global average. Californian sea levels are also rising faster than the global average and if this keeps up, San Francisco International Airport will flood in a decade.

In a wider view, scientists predict that the global rising sea level average will be nine inches higher in 2030, 1.5 feet higher in 2050, and 5.5 feet higher in 2100.

From popsci article, http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-06/study-says-california-sea-levels-will-rise-more-five-feet-century

UNIVERSAL ALLERGY VACCINE FOR EVERYTHING - suppressing immunoglobulin E (IgE)

All allergies are caused by the same immune system reaction. The only difference is the allergen that causes the allergic reaction and the severity. For various reasons, allergies are becoming more and more common these days compared to the past and many of us have to take allergy medications daily or have to carry around an epi-pen. Fortunately, a few years from now, such allergies can be a thing of the past. Scientists at the University of Eastern Finland have developed a universal allergy vaccine (which means for all allergens) and hope to have it on the market in 5 - 7 years time.

Most allergy treatments currently either suppress and weaken the immune system or target the allergic response on the surface by suppressing symptoms. The drug that the Finnish team of scientists have developed stops the allergic process altogether and so far have not been found to weaken any other aspects of the immune system.

The main cause of allergic reactions is a chemical released by white blood cells called histamine. White blood cells only release this chemical when the antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE), is activated by allergens. The team of Finnish scientists, led by Professor Juhu Rouvinen, have developed a drug that prevents the activation of IgE by allergens while still allowing allergens to bind with IgG, the body's natural allergy counter that prevents the formation of the IgE-allergen complex. The end result is a greatly diminished allergy reaction that will spell good news for everyone that suffer from allergies, mild or severe. 

The scientists have already formed a bio-tech company named Desentum to produce and sell the drug once it passes a multitude of medical tests to make sure there are no serious, adverse side effects. 

DEATH OF RAREST CREATURE IN THE WORLD - Pinta Island tortoise "Lonesome George"

The Galapagos Islands today are a popular tourist site because of its tropical climate, beaches, and the abundance of wildlife. Historically, the islands are famous for inspiring and providing proof for Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

Isolated from the rest of the world, animal species from the Galapagos that are originally from mainland South America have evolved separately into new species with unique traits each catering to the island they live on and their lifestyle. One such unique species is the giant tortoise. Because of the many islands in the Galapagos (many with different environments), tortoises on each island have evolved into different subspecies and the most outstanding aspect that defines each species is the different shell shapes and patterns. 

At the beginning of the 16th century, the estimated population of all giant tortoises on the Galapagos was 250 000. However, after uncontrolled hunting for its meat, as well as capturing for zoos, the population was greatly reduced and it is only from recent conservation efforts that giant tortoise population has reached over 20 000 individuals. With such a decline, it is not surprising that many subspecies have suffered and some have gone extinct. Just last Sunday, what is believed to be the last member of the giant tortoise subspecies, Pinta Island giant tortoise, passed away. The animal is a male aptly named Lonesome George. He was estimated to be over 100 years old and time of death.

"...in his last years, has been known as the rarest creature in the world"

Lonesome George was discovered on the island in 1972 when it was largely believed that his species has gone extinct. Since then, he has become iconic for the conservation efforts on the Galapagos and, in his last years, has been known as the rarest creature in the world. Scientists have repeatedly tried to breed him with female giant tortoises of another subspecies so to preserve his genotype anyway possible. However, eggs produced have all been in-viable.

The cause of death for George is unknown. The scientists caring for George stated that it is unusual for him to die so early as members of the species can live up to 200 years old. Currently, George's corpse is being preserved in a cold chamber and a necropsy is planned to figure out the cause of death. 

George's death has brought wider attention towards conservation efforts in the Galapagos and according to the Galapagos National Park, "[t]he plight of Lonesome George provided a catalyst for an extraordinary effort by the government of Ecuador to restore not only tortoise populations throughout the archipelago but also improve the status of other endangered and threatened species".

Not all Hope is Lost

In 2009, a giant tortoise from the Galapagos named Tony in the Prague Zoo is suggested to be a purebred Pinta Island giant tortoise. Tony was hatched in 1960 and resided in the zoo since 1972. Peter Pritchard, one of the world's foremost authorities on tortoises, has found Tony's shell very similar to a Pinta Island giant tortoise's. Research is underway to validate this claim. 

Even if the Pinta Island giant tortoise population has gone extinct, Lonesome George's DNA will be stored in gene banks around the world and one day might be used to recreate the animal. 

WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT APPLE STORES - retail store success

A good product sells itself, and Apple has many. However, in Apple's retail stores, the company does not just rely on the quality of their products for sales. It uses the same innovation and user-dedicated design in their Apple retail stores worldwide. Apple opened it's first retail store in May of 2001. 11 years later, Apple operates 363 stores world wide, is the most profitable store on the planet, makes $5 600 per square foot in the average store, and attracts more than 20 000 customers per store on average.

Apple's success in retail is the result of it's exceptional trait of being able to figure out and home in on what it's customers want and like. Almost every detail is taken care of to make sure customers leave Apple stores with a sense of satisfaction.


The principle that each Apple store operates with is to encourage customers to loiter in the store and use their products. Given Apple's high quality products, theoretically, the longer a customer uses it, the more they will want to buy it.

How does Apple keep their customers satisfied and engaged?

1. Hardware Accessibility: Apple products on display in their stores are readily accessible and usable. Products are not bolted down and there are no passwords. They are constantly powered on and you'll be hard pressed to find one with a dead battery. Apple doesn't stop there. They make sure the customer has something to do on the products. In many other electronic retail stores, I find that on the rare occasion I get access to try out a product, I can't do anything with it as there are no apps/software and no internet access. Apple makes sure basic software are on their products (e.g. iWork and Microsoft Office on their Macbooks and iMacs) and all are connected to the store's Wi-Fi network
2. Staff: Not surprisingly, Apple puts a high priority in hiring top quality staff. Not only are they looking for people that are knowledgeable of the product, they are looking for proactive, outgoing, and just all around happy people. Whenever you go to an Apple store, a customer service rep. is never far away and you'll most likely find yourself being approached by one even if you don't ask. 
3. Environment: Apple stores are clean and brightly lit. Isles are wide and ceilings are high (if possible). There are plenty of stools and chairs for customers to relax on

A MAN AND A CROCODILE AS BEST FRIENDS - Pocho's story

"Pocho" is the name given to a crocodile by a Costa Rican named Gilberto Shedden, or "Chito". Chito found Pocho greatly wounded on the shore of the Parismina River in 1989. Pocho was suffering from a gun shot wound in the left eye from a cattle farmer. Chito, having a soft heart for animals, decided to bring this animal to his house. For several months, he stayed by the crocodile's side nursing him back to health. When Pocho was finally strong enough to return to the wild, he refused and insisted on following Chito. From then on, a deep bond was allowed to develop between man and beast.

For more than 20 years, the duo performed together amidst awe-struck crowds in a 100-square-meter artificial lake at Finca Las Tilapia. Chinto could command Pocho to do tricks such as winking, rolling over, and letting Chito put his head in Pocho's massive jaw. Their acts, not surprisingly, drew international attention. A crocodile, often seen as an unforgiving killing machine, is now a man's best friend.

Keeping a crocodile as a pet is no easy feat and Chito had to work with a vet and a biologist to make sure the needs of Pocho are met. Pocho ate a whopping 30 kg of fish and chicken a week.

Unfortunately, on October 11, 2011, Pocho passed away due to natural reasons. An elaborate funeral was held for him as visitors from all over the country came to say their good byes.

Poncho's carcass will be embalmed and placed on display in a museum in Finca Las Tilapia.

When asked whether Chito will train another "Pocho", Chito replied,

"Pocho is Pocho, there is only one. Much of the public and all the people of Siquirres responded to him. There is no more Pocho. He will be the only Pocho there ever was."

BEEHIVE IN YOUR HOUSE - fresh honey everyday

The electronics company Phillips designed a concept for an urban beehive. This artificial beehive provides access to fresh honey in the comfort of your home as well as a glimpse into the ever-busy world of a bee. This concept consists of two parts. The first is the outer visage that connects the hive to the outside world. There is a small tube that allows bees to leave the beehive, as well as a flower pot underneath (more for aesthetic purposes) where the bees can use for pollination.

The second part of the concept is where it is most intriguing and ingenious. It consists of an orange upside down tear shaped glass dome that houses an array of honeycomb frames. This frames have a honeycomb texture that allows bees to build their wax cells on. The glass is orange to help the sight of the honey bees, as orange is the wavelength bees use to see. The honey from the bees can be accessed through a small faucet underneath the glass dome. In case there is a need to access the inside of the bee hive, smoke can be released into the hive to calm the bees down.

Besides giving the average household a constant supply of fresh honey and providing a view into the everyday lives of bees, the urban beehive concept has real, positive, environmental impacts. Bees pollinate plants, thus helping the surrounding plant life. Also, since global bee populations are on a decline, the urban beehive will help bolster the population.

PROJECT FIONA - ultra high performance gaming tablet

In recent years we have seen the tablet market boom with the release of the Apple iPad. Many tech companies all want a share of this new unprecedented market and have created their own makes of tablets. These oversized smart phones are all aesthetically appealing with slim cases and large screens. However, aesthetic appeal aside, no one expects that any of these tablets will be used by hardcore gamers to play the latest video game titles such as Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3. Casual games such as Angry Birds and Farmville are more often associated with tablets.

Even though it is generally accepted that tablets do not have a high processing power, Apple has constantly been pushing the limits. Each new generation of the iPad is a lot more powerful than the previous and currently, the iPad 3 runs on a dual core processor. Microsoft's newest tablet product, the Surface, uses a quad core processor. The PRO version of the Surface has an i5 and can run Diablo 3.

However, the iPad 3 and Surface are all designed for purposes besides gaming. So what is the result of a company that is designing a tablet specifically for hardcore gaming? Razor's PROJECT FIONA is the end product. 

Although so far the details are scarce, here is an overview of what FIONA has to offer (http://www.fudzilla.com/notebooks/item/25518-razer-details-its-project-fiona-at-ces):

• 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel screen
• i7 Ivy Bridge CPU
• Multi-touch supported 
• 3-axis gyro
• magnetometer
• accelerometer
• Dolby 7.1 surround sound
• force feedback
• Bluetooth 3.0
• WiFi 802.11bgn 

FIONA will also use Windows 8 as its OS, which means that a multitude of the latest hardcore games will be available on it. 

One of tablet-gaming's greatest setbacks is that the touch screen interface isn't efficient for game genres such as an FPS. The virtual joy sticks on the screen are not perfect and using them can be quite annoying. FIONA meets this problem with two attached nun-chuk like controllers on the sides with joy-sticks and several buttons. The nun-chuks do not sacrifice a whole lot in terms of portability and makes gaming on the FIONA a lot more fun and easy. 

The price-tag of the FIONA is rumoured to be up to $ 1000 and it is slated to come out sometime in the Fall/Winter of 2012.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: At CES 2012, Razor showed off its FIONA prototype running SKYRIM on ULTRAHIGH settings with minimal lag. Now THAT is impressive.

ORBIT LEVITATES LAUNDRY - and cleans without water

The "Orbit" is a concept washing machine designed by Elie Ahovi for the Electrolux Design Lab. The machine levitates your laundry and cleans it with dry ice. No water is used.

In detail, the process first begins with the user loading their clothes into a metallic sphere that is double-coated with shatter-proof glass. The spherical ball is opened and controlled with a ceramic touch screen interface. To levitate the ball, it must first be supercooled using liquid nitrogen. This causes its electrical resistivity to drop and the ball becomes a superconductor. In this state, the ball can levitate as a battery-filled ring surrounding the ball generates a magnetic field.

The washing process consists of dry ice being blasted at the laundry at high speeds. The CO2 sublimates on contact with the clothing, causing no damage. Instead, it interacts and breaks down the unwanted organic material in the laundry. The dirt and waste from this process is filtered through a tube that you can clean. To re obtain dry ice, the CO2 is frozen again.

The cleaning process is fast and noiseless but the "Orbit" incorporates several far-fetched technologies not readily available to the masses. However, it would be quite interesting to have a future where this washing machine concept is a common commodity in the future household.

MICROSOFT SURFACE vs. APPLE IPAD 3

Microsoft recently gave the public a sneak peak to its new tablet, the Surface. On first look, the Surface is sleek and stylish. It has a built-in kick-stand and a snap-on keyboard (allowing it to be a laptop as well). Surface will also come with the new Windows 8 operating system. Initial public opinion of the Surface is very favourable and it has been touted as the next consumer favourite.

Microsoft is planning to release two different versions of the Surface, the Surface RT and the Surface PRO. The Surface RT is a slightly stripped down version of the PRO, aimed for casual tablet users. It uses a NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad Core processor and comes with a 10.6 inch display. Onboard memory options include 32 GB and 64 GB. The Surface PRO runs on a much stronger Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 Processor. It has the same sized display. Onboard memory options include 64 GB and 128 GB. The Surface PRO is strong enough to run top notch 3D games such as the recently released Diablo 3.

However, as much as everyone is raving about the new tablet, the real question is: How does the Surface compare to other heavyweights on the market, and especially the IPAD 3?

CASING/DURABILITY

Apple has long been praised for its quality hardware and this is no different for its iPad line. Microsoft understood this and in publicizing for its new tablet, has greatly lauded the "VaporMG" finish on the Surface's casing. The company claims that this finish will not only give the Surface more aesthetic and textile appeal, but also increased durability and better grip. So what exactly is the "VaporMG" finish? According to Microsoft, this casing is made of moulded magnesium and various other metals. The use of magnesium allows it to be extremely thin (down to 0.6 mm in some areas) while still being light and strong.

Not only does the Surface have a quality case, but the screen is also made of Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass has a renowned industrial reputation for being thin yet VERY damage resistant. For Apple's iPad, it is unknown whether Gorilla Glass is used in the screen (as seen from this article: http://home.howstuffworks.com/gorilla-glass-used-in-an-ipad1.htm).

OPERATING SYSTEM

Apple has constantly been criticized for not releasing the OS X on the IPad. The iOS was originally designed for smaller mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch and this limited capability of the iOS is unfavourable to more serious tablet users. The Surface Pro will offer Windows 8 Pro, which has the full OS experience.

SCREEN SIZE AND DISPLAY

Both versions of the Surface (all 10.6 inch) have a larger screen size than the iPad's 9.7 inch.

The iPad's screen resolution, however, outshines both versions of the Surface tablet. Surface RT has a 720p resolution while Surface PRO has a 1080p resolution. The iPad 3's pixel coverage is 2048x1536.

THICKNESS AND WEIGHT

The iPad 3 has about the same thickness as Surface RT (as 0.37 inches thick) while the Surface PRO is 0.53 inches thick.

The Surface RT weighs 1.5 pounds while the PRO weighs 1.9 pounds. Both are heavier than the iPad 3's 1.4 pounds.

PORTS

One of the most attractive advantages the Surface has over the iPad 3 is that there are many more different types of external ports on the Surface. The iPad 3 has only the standard 30-pin dock connector port. Both versions of the Surface come with a USB port, a microSD slot, and a Micro HDMI port.

ACCESSORIES

The Surface comes with a cover that also acts as a keyboard with a touchpad. The keyboard is only 3 mm thick. It also has a built-in kickstand at the back which probs the tablet up at a convenient 22 degree angle. Both features have been greatly praised by critics.

As for Apple, it has many third party companies producing accessories for the iPad but this requires extra time and money to find and buy them.

PRICE

The Surface tablets is touted to be somewhere between $ 600 and $ 1000, a price range very similar to the iPad 3. A 64 GB iPad 3 with Wifi and Cellular currently sells for CA $ 849.99 at Bestbuy.

VERDICT

It is ultimately your choice as the reader to decide what tablet appeals to you more. Personally, I think that the Surface tablets are a lot better compared to the iPad 3. With similar (if not better) quality levels of hardware, way stronger processing power, USB, microSD, and HDMI ports, the trade off for a slightly heavier and thicker build is worth it. The price difference is also not expected to be large.