Tulsa World, Okla., Robert Evatt column

Source: Tulsa World, Okla.自存倉Sept. 29--This last week was a tale of two tablet families, and the contrast between them was striking.Start with Microsoft's announcement of the Surface 2 and the Surface 2 Pro. The Surface 2 drops the RT name but not RT itself. Windows 8 RT can run the stuff in the new tile screen but not stuff in the desktop screen or stuff made for Windows 7 or earlier.As you might expect, it has a beefier processor than its predecessor, along with 25 percent better battery life. Microsoft has also thrown in a camera light sensor and shaved about 4 grams off the weight. It starts at $449.The Surface 2 Pro, aka "the one with actual Windows 8," is 20 percent faster, has a 75 percent improvement in battery life and starts at $899. Both models look mostly like the first versions.The Pro's battery boost was something sorely needed, but all the other tweaks sound like the minimum a company can do to justify a new model name. Even the prices are the same or, in the case of the Surface 2, just $50 less than the launch price of the original models.This wouldn't be a bad move if we were talking about your average company, but the Surface tablets have been selling poorly to the point Microsoft had to take a $900 million writedown because of them. Prices on the new versions still don't compare favorably with other tablets in the case of the Surface and other laptops in the case of the Surface Pro, especially when you throw in a Microsoft-branded keyboard cover that starts at $120.There's pretty much zilch that would convert someone who isn't already a big fan.Now look at Amazon's Kindle Fire updates, announced just two days later. The Fire HDX comes in 7-inch and 8.9-inch flavors, each with a higher-resolution screen, an operating system update, a tech support button, TV-streaming capabilities, significantly stronger processors and a slimmer body.The 8.9-incher is nearly 7 ounces lighter than the previous 8.9-inch Fire. The 7-inch version will run $229, and the 8.9 will cost $379.The current Kindle Fire sells well, so Amazon could have easily gone with incremental upgrades and called it a day. But even with its strong position, Amazon came out swinging with hefty improvements and new features. It sounds compelling enough to grab some new customers, and I'm mini storageooking forward to trying it.The conventional wisdom in the tech world is that companies need to keep looking for the Next Big Thing or get left behind. And there's some truth to that.But last week showed some companies are better at keeping the Old Thing fresh than others.App of the Week: Angry Birds Star Wars II (iOS, Android, Windows Phone)Somehow the latest installment of Rovio's avian empire isn't an uninspired cash grab. Angry Birds Star Wars II packs in an impressive number of characters from the entire movie series with an impressive array of powers.I'm embarrassed to admit it, but my favorite new one is Jar Jar Binks, who can attach his tongue to anything and swing around like a wrecking ball.That's before you add in the diverse and creative stages to smash, an achievement system that keeps you motivated to unlock things and the ability to swap in any character you want in any stage. Plus, "joining the pork side" and throwing pigs at birds is a fun twist.The newest Angry Birds again manages to be the best.Rovio, 99 cents??算?? Suggest an app for App of the Week at robert.evatt@tulsaworld.comSilicon's future -- sans siliconWe're one step closer to a post-silicon world, as Stanford University scientists built a working computer out of carbon nanotubes.This is an intriguing move because this could help us get beyond the limits of silicon. As computers get more powerful, they need ever-smaller transistors. With silicon, you could soon hit the limits of just how small these circuits could get as soon as 2020, according to researchers.But carbon nanotubes, which are assembled at the molecular level, hold the promise of creating even smaller transistors, along with lower power requirements.It'll take some time, however, before you can buy a tablet running on them. The prototype computer is downright primitive -- running 64-bit Windows on it would take "millions of years," according to one of the scientists -- and the transistors they've made are relatively huge.It's still a good first step.Follow us on TwitterFollow @RobertEvatt to get the latest tech news and insight from World technology writer Robert Evatt.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存