“Thinnest, Coolest , Most Powerful PC ever made” – Panos, Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/october2015event/en-gb/live-event – watch the presentation yourself !
Microsoft are making some ground breaking products as we speak. HaloLens is a virual reality game headset which brings the gaming into the room. Microsoft Band has been upgraded to make health and data seemless with your device. People are exercising more as a result. Lumia 950 and 950XL can connect with contiuum to a display box that links your phone to an 1080dpi display on your tv making your tv a display monitor. Surface Pro 4 has slightly larger screen and greater power. Lastly, Surface Book is combo Surface Pro with a laptop keyboard and which is thin as a clipboard. There are 110 million active Windows 10 devices will these devices make a difference to those with the need for assistive technology. Classrooms will be pleased if they can use the Lumia 550 to work in lessons and “plug into” a monitor and show the class what they can do. Many pupils with dyslexia would love the power of the pocket and being able to share their work without touching the school network would please school networks all that would be needed would be the display box and a bank of Lumia 550’s. We won’t know the drawbacks until we can try them in our hands! That is at the beginning of November 2016.
The band might provide a monitoring device for pupils with the most complex needs to have health monitoring. For PE and Science data logging could be a more immediate and relevant experience for all pupils. Being fitter, more active, reaching their potential is what the Microsoft Band can offer.
Surface Pro 4 and the SurfaceBook ( sounds very Apple like!) offers lightweight, powerful systems that schools may wish to integrate into their school networks as time goes on as the costs will limit their introduction. Especially as their appears to be a slight backlash to mobile technology in school. SurfaceBook has a 13.3″ screen which I personally like. Again this is a combo so its a tablet and a pc with power. And the performance and battery power is what schools like as well as being lightweight to carry. Also, the SurfaceBook doesn’t have the flap at the back like the Surface Pro’s 3 and 4 which is a selling point for me who always seems to have fall off a knee. The Surface Pro’s need a flat firm surface to work from which is their drawback and for our clients with assistive needs simpler opening and staying in position is clearly a winner! Let’s see where these products go to in a years time. In the meatime here is a link to some video about the SurfaceBook:-
AccessAbility Solutions 