Will This Tablet Change Everything? (And We Don't Mean the iPad Mini)

Surface TabletMicrosoft (MSFT) is hoping that its Surface tablet is ready for prime time -- even as market-dominating Apple (AAPL) prepares for the big announcement of what is expected to be the iPad mini Oct. 23.

The software giant is introducing TV commercials this week to show off the head-turning tablet that's powered by Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system. The company went for one of the largest audiences of the week, rolling out the ad during the Denver Broncos remarkable come-from-behind win against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football.

The ad (watch it here) plays up the simplicity of the full-sized tablet's kickstand and magnetic keyboard, features that Microsoft hopes will set it apart from the market-leading iPad.

Will It Be Enough?

Outside of the success that Microsoft has had with the Xbox 360, consumers don't necessarily view the company as a player in consumer tech hardware.

There have been plenty of misses as the company tries to take on Apple:

  • The Zune may have had some nifty social sharing features, but the public stuck to the Apple's iPod. The Zune sputtered for a couple of years.
  • Microsoft's Kin may have put an interesting spin on smartphone screen presentations with its tiled landing page, but folks weren't willing to trade in their Apple iPhones. The Kin was killed within a month.
Does Microsoft really stand a chance in taking on Apple's iPad? It might.

Let's Have Some Fun

This week's Surface ad is whimsical. It's a playful choreographed dance number where the clicks of keyboards attaching and kickstands being snapped into and out of place provide a rhythmic groove to the uplifting score.

Surface users are dancing, twisting, and in one case even smooching. The marketing campaign is throwing a wide canvas by featuring everything from young uniformed schoolgirls to an elderly couple and from business pros to a family having a picnic in the park.

The spots don't even play into the real advantage of having a Microsoft-powered tablet hitting the market: Microsoft Office.

Surface Tablet

iPads and Android tablets have plenty of apps that can work with files cranked out by Microsoft's Word or Excel, but this will be the tablet that can natively work with the company's productivity programs.

How big a selling point this ultimately is will be dictated by the success of Windows 8. The new operating system is turning heads, but there's a fear out there that Microsoft's new tablet-centric platform may present too steep a learning curve for corporate users and even many consumers running earlier versions of the program on their desktops and laptops.

Then again, if Microsoft wants to matter in tablets, it's not going to get there by playing it safe.

Microsoft is taking chances, and the biggest gamble of all may be if this upbeat marketing campaign will be enough to woo the public when Oct. 26 rolls around and the Surface is finally available to the public.


Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz does not own shares in any of the stocks in this article. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Microsoft. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended creating a bull call spread position in Apple and a synthetic covered call position in Microsoft.



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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/16/surface-tablet-microsoft-ipad-rival-launch/

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Consumers And Investors Blissfully Ignorant Of Economic Reality

U.S. investors and consumers remain confident even though a global recession threatens again and smart money and corporations position for trouble ahead.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/10/16/consumers-and-investors-blissfully-ignorant-of-economic-reality/

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Don't Get Taken for a Ride When it Comes to Car Repairs -- Savings Experiment

Savings Experiment: Car Mechanics
Owning a car can be expensive, especially when that check engine light comes on. The warning usually means you have to make a trip to the mechanic, and spend a boatload of money.

If this happens, visit your local auto repair shop and get an estimate of what needs to be done, but don't agree to everything on the spot. Instead, take the estimate and do some research at home.

A great place to start is on a site called RepairPal.com. This handy website not only helps you find the best mechanics in your area, but it also offers a list of common makes and models, as well as the problems you may experience with them.

Beyond that, the site provides an extensive encyclopedia that allows you to look up car part functions and the definition of services so no one can take advantage of you. Create an online estimate for your car issues, and if you're not happy with the in-person estimate you were given, the site will help you find a reputable auto repair shop in your area.

Car mechanicSo, the next time you see that check engine warning, follow these tips to avoid getting taken for a ride.

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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/16/saving-on-car-repairs-savings-experiment/

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Don't Get Taken for a Ride When it Comes to Car Repairs -- Savings Experiment

Savings Experiment: Car Mechanics
Owning a car can be expensive, especially when that check engine light comes on. The warning usually means you have to make a trip to the mechanic, and spend a boatload of money.

If this happens, visit your local auto repair shop and get an estimate of what needs to be done, but don't agree to everything on the spot. Instead, take the estimate and do some research at home.

A great place to start is on a site called RepairPal.com. This handy website not only helps you find the best mechanics in your area, but it also offers a list of common makes and models, as well as the problems you may experience with them.

Beyond that, the site provides an extensive encyclopedia that allows you to look up car part functions and the definition of services so no one can take advantage of you. Create an online estimate for your car issues, and if you're not happy with the in-person estimate you were given, the site will help you find a reputable auto repair shop in your area.

Car mechanicSo, the next time you see that check engine warning, follow these tips to avoid getting taken for a ride.

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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/16/saving-on-car-repairs-savings-experiment/

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Is The Green Mountain-Snapple Deal A Harbinger Of Better Things To Come?

Success of this agreement could also pave the way for other deals targeting some of the lesser focused beverages such as ciders, iced teas and hot cocoa within the K-cup segment.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/10/12/is-the-green-mountain-snapple-deal-a-harbinger-of-better-things-to-come/

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The International Organized Crime Industry Is Worth $870 Billion

Mafia Germany Shooting Ndrangheta

International organised crime is worth 870 billion dollars, the head of the UN's office on drugs and crime (UNODC) said Monday, urging greater coordination in fighting it.

"We are able to quantify the cost of transnational organised crime, it is $870 billion (672 billion euros)," UNODC executive director Yury Fedotov told a crime conference in Vienna.

"But we cannot calculate the misery and suffering caused to millions of people by these illicit activities," he added.

The perpetrators are "smart, sophisticated and largely opportunistic," he said, calling for better international cooperation to tackle highly mobile organised crime groups.

Some 800 ministers and civil society representatives are attending the week-long conference on transnational crime in the Austrian capital.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/J7M7seTDdag/the-international-organized-crime-industry-is-worth-870-billion-2012-10

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Judge: Yellow Pages Will Continue To Be Chucked At Your Door & Subsequently Thrown Away Because Of 1st Amendment

You hear the “kerthunk!” at your door and you know the dinosaur has landed. And by dinosaur of course we mean the Yellow Pages and by landed we mean the ginormous book you likely no longer need because of a thing called the Internet has been chucked onto your property. It seems they won’t stop kerthunking, either, as a judge … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/10/15/judge-rules-its-yellow-pages-constitutional-right-to-be-chucked-at-your-door-subsequently-thrown-out/

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