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Surface Pro $100 Price Drop - A Prelude of Things to Come?by Jarred Walton on 8/5/2013 5:40 PM EST
97 Comments
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RobertJP - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkI never managed to get 5 to 6 hours out of my Surface Pro more like 3.5 to 4 with average use. It would be a lot less annoying had it got 6 hours. My new Air gets 8 to 10, less than 12 they claim but definitely in the "use it a ton and don't worry about it" range like a tablet. I'm quite happy with it and I imagine if the next Pro gets anywhere near that much it will be quite tempting. Reply
bountygiver - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkI can get from 4 hours of battery to 6 hours with just a display brightness change.... Reply
jjj - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkThey need to hit 400$ with the cover included and since they can't do that ,they might as well not bother.
If they would go Kabini or Atom and make an effort to hit that price point,the thing would at least be relevant (ofc i still think regulators should now allow M$ to sell x86 PCs). Reply
menting - Monday, August 05, 2013 - link$400 for an ultrabook with these specs? Not likely for a while. That's like saying the Macbook AIR needs to be $500. I probably don't need to remind you that this is NOT on the same level of performance of a ARM equivalent tablet. This is basically an ultrabook. Reply
B3an - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkExactly. I always laugh at comments that say it should be priced around $400... i mean seriously? LOL wut?? It's an Ultrobook in a tablet form factor (or a Ultrabook that transforms). How the hell would it cost just $400? These people completely miss the WHOLE point of the device.
I often wonder if these people were dropped on their heads as babies, or if they were just born that stupid. Reply
Impulses - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkThey just don't need a Surface Pro, but they like the form factor and capabilities... This is where a non-RT Surface RT would really help Microsoft's mobile strategy, but I think we all realize Windows RT had to happen in order for Intel to wake up (and stop sandbagging Atom).
I actually think Surface Pro is decently priced (tho the covers should be included or half their current price), Surface RT is hobbled and not worth the money even at $350, and any ARM tablet running a mobile OS at or over $500 is grossly overpriced... Reply
nathanddrews - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkMaybe once we get Haswell Celerons and Pentiums, we'll see Windows (non-RT) tablets with good battery life, better performance than Atom, and low prices... (and crappy TN panels) Reply
DanNeely - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI don't think we're going to be getting Haswell Celerons and Pentiums. Intel's intending to sell atom 2.0 based processors under those brands; having new Haswell chips under them as well would be too confusing IMO. Reply
MrSpadge - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - link> having new Haswell chips under them as well would be too confusing
Not that Intel cared about that. But they do care if the same performance of Haswell Celerons or Pentiums at a bit over 1 GHz can be reached or beaten by Atom 2 with probalby a significantly smaller die (=cost for them), and maybe even lower power consumption. Reply
name99 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkThe issue is not that the hardware "justifies" a price of $1000.
The issue is: is there REAL demand for hardware of this type?
The theory of the Surface Pro is that there is substantial demand for a tablet that, while it costs twice as much as a "normal" tablet, also has a very powerful CPU and can run Windows apps unaltered. I'm not seeing that demand.
MOST of the use cases for a tablet are what we already know --- media consumption, web browsing, light email. There are interesting enterprise cases like sales terminals, medical terminals, or document archives. None of these require a hefty CPU, and most of them are not helped by being able to run Windows.
Yes, you can always find the one guy for whom Surface Pro is perfect. But you can't build a sustainable business around that one guy. The best MS could hope for is the appearance of some new use case for tablets which simply doesn't work in the absence of a powerful (and preferably x86) CPU. But such a use case has not arisen on the iPad side, and has not arisen during the year or so that we've known about Surface Pro. Reply
Impulses - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI think you're overlooking some very common usage cases, although I agree the Surface Pro form factor is never gonna have mass market appeal... But the Surface Pro seems perfect for a lot of students and mobile professionals who DO need a laptop and could use a tablet and who may very well prefer only ever carrying one device. They don't need gobs of power, but they certainly need more than what an ARM/Atom can provide. You can dock the Pro to a desktop display/USB hub and have a perfectly serviceable workstation for a lot of lighter usage cases. Reply
InsGadget - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkYou really are wrong, people just may not realize what is possible here. Honestly, if I could just have on tablet-sized device that can also be a full computer, that would be a panacea. Now, I'm a PC gamer, so I'm not holding my breath on this any time soon, but one day when I can just take my tablet out into the world for work/play, then bring it home that night and dock it to full keyboard/mouse/monitor, with perhaps a discrete graphics card included in the dock, that would be very awesome. Just because you lack the imagination, doesn't make this dream any less cool. I promise once that becomes reality, more people will want it. Reply
Capt Mikey - Saturday, August 24, 2013 - linkI have Windows PCs, and I use an iPad regularly at home for consumption of news, e-mail, books and surfing. I am often frustrated by getting to a point where the stupid Apple constraints prevent me from completing a task (like opening an encrypted Excel spreadsheet). I have to stop and go upstairs to use a "real computer" to finish. If I had a Surface Pro, I could do it all wherever I am, and plug it in to my large monitor and full-size keyboard in my office. I am just waiting for Surface Pro 2.0 and I will jump. For that functionality $1000 is about right. Reply
vision33r - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI always laugh at these comments justifying the Surface Pro's high price. There are ultrabooks with the same specs for just $499.
There's nothing special about the Surface Pro except it has more memory and Intel's higher price CPU.
The Surface Pro needs to come down to $699 for the 128GB, the only reason it can't because it will wipe the competition and suddenly every ultrabook looks overpriced. Reply
JarredWalton - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkNo, there are not...not anywhere near it. Refurbished ASUS UX31A with 128GB SSD are going for $799 -- so a used Ultrabook with similar specs but no stylus or tablet mode. The Ultrabooks that sell for $499 are first generation devices that are being clearanced, or they're models with HDD and a small SSD cache, and none of them have 1080p IPS displays. Reply
InsGadget - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkAs Jarred says, you are wrong. He covers the reasons. Reply
Da W - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkLol. Googlers got addicted to cheap stuff. Intel sells its chips 300$.
A Kabini surface is in the plans. There will be RT (probably tegra 4), Kabini, Haswell. The Haswell one will still be around 1000$. You can expect the kabini one to be around 500$ and have a decent display. Reply
piroroadkill - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - link$400? Haha, what are you even talking about? Reply
MrSpadge - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - link> i still think regulators should now allow M$ to sell x86 PCs
Surprise, surprise: MS is actually allowed to sell these things! Who would've thought that.. Reply
Daniel Egger - Monday, August 05, 2013 - link$799 or $899 are still a ridiculous amount of money for something as stupid as the Surface Pro. $599 for the 128MB version including the keyboard cover would be in the "just-so-okay" range. You really need to be crazy about the touchscreen and the x86 CPU in order to spring for that amount of money; I'm certainly not. OTOH the Surface RT is slowly reaching an acceptable price tag... Reply
Death666Angel - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkThey should really pay you to own one, don't you think? Reply
Zeratul56 - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linklol Death Angel. I think people fail to realize the processor alone in the surface pro is several hundred dollars. This is not a tablet were almost all of the components are less than 30 dollars. Reply
chizow - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkSorry guys, that fallacy was debunked months ago when the Surface released. The i5-3317u was available in numerous Ultrabooks in the $500-600 range when Pro released, and those same Ultrabooks can be had even cheaper now with 2 in 1s replacing them in the $500-600 slot. Microsoft just seems to think they can charge a $300-400 premium for injected magnesium body and crappy battery life.
I guess they have to pay for all those "dancing on tables" Surface ads somehow, because it's pretty clear the market has spoken: These tablets are nice, but they ain't worth the premium Microsoft is asking. Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI hope you're not referring to ultrabooks with 768p TN screens and crap build quality. I'm sure Microsoft could've gotten the Surface down to $600 if they were willing to release a shoddy product. That would've defeated the point, though. Reply
chizow - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkYep that's what MS was competing with (and losing). They did have a shoddy 768p version though, it was the useless Surface RT and they only wanted $500 for it, yet no one wanted it either. Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkSurface RT actually has a very nice screen, resolution aside. Reply
brianladmano - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkMicrosoft should have released Surface (Atom) instead of Surface RT along with Surface Pro. Those that don't need the power but want long battery life could go for Surface Atom while those that need for muscle could go for the Surface Pro. Why did MS even bother with the Surface RT? Reply
chizow - Thursday, August 08, 2013 - linkI definitely agree with this, but I also see why MS released Surface RT. They wanted to hedge their bets on x86 and not get left out of the "ARM" race. Problem is Windows RT is just so limited in functionality, there's basically no developer support and even less incentive to do so now that the RT has flopped. Reply
Impulses - Friday, August 09, 2013 - linkThat's an easy one, because they could and because as chizow said, it covers their bases. They left Atom to other OEMs... But MS wanted to simultaneously pressure Intel (who basically held Atom in place since it's inception years ago) and also have a fallback strategy in case Intel doesn't come thru with a desirable Atom replacement. Reply
InsGadget - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkSo these cheap ultrabooks you mention have SSDs, 1080p, and excellent stylus support? Reply
chizow - Thursday, August 08, 2013 - linkI can add an SSD, the screen and stylus support aren't worth $500 ($620 with TypePad) to me. Reply
Visual - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkYou really have to try using an active digitizer before you declare someone "crazy" you know...
There have been tablet convertibles since before iPhones were even an idea, and until a year ago they were successfully getting sold at over 2k USD. Granted, not in huge mass-market volumes, but for some people they were worth it.
Having that at around 1-1.2k now is a great price point, and even a lot of people that thought they didn't need "the touchscreen and the x86 CPU" would be converted if they could try it for a week... Just play some Eve Online or Civ 5 on it and see... Reply
chizow - Thursday, August 08, 2013 - linkBut you can surely see the usage demographic that would find that feature useful and worth the premium might overestimate market demand, right? Reply
ITMedCEO - Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - link$599??? Come on now the Haswell chip by itself is $300. I think you are trying to make the Surface Pro to be a tablet. It is not a tablet only it is also a full PC. So, what would you pay for 2 separate devices??? If Microsoft meets us somewhere in the middle of adding the cost for both - we win!!! Reply
chizow - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkTiger Direct has the 800 & 900 price with no rebate.
Still I'd like to see still cheaper versions starting at 600 with Haswell and Typepad and I'd get one for sure. Reply
Impulses - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkI really don't understand the people that think the Surface Pro (with the Type Cover) should be priced lower than a high end ultrabook... It's effectively capable of doing everything an ultrabook/Air could, while being more versatile (at the cost of some battery life in it's current incarnation).
I also realize the Surface Pro isn't for everyone tho, it certainly isn't for me... For the time being I'd rather just have an ultrabook and a cheaper/smaller Android tablet, but for certain people the Surface Pro can effectively replace both of those devices and I can definitely see the value in that.
I don't think the Surface Pro form factor is ever gonna be the norm, but there's a ton of interesting dorm factors emerging right now. If anything, Surface RT is far worse of a value proposition IMO, even at reduced prices. Win RT was a stopgap, a way to pressure Intel.
On the other hand, a next generation Atom/Kabini in the Surface RT form factor (with an x86 copy of Windows) at a <$500 price point would really shake things up and round out Microsoft's mobile strategy IMO. I don't see how the larger or high end ARM tablets could compete with that...
This coming from someone who just bought a 2013 Nexus 7 and who's used an OG Transformer for two years now btw (which I only bought because I got it for $300 thanks to a $100 Staples discount, otherwise the first N7 would've probably been my 1st tablet). Reply
chizow - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkWell I think that is part of the problem. No wants an Ultrabook if it's going to cost them $1000 of their own money. Anyone who is willing to spend that kind of money is buying whatever flavor of MacBook suits them.
The Surface Pro on the other hand is stuck in an awkward position. It's a lot like a tablet but clearly more powerful than the Android offerings and even the iPad offerings out there. But it's also getting pulled down toward those low-end Ultrabooks and 2-in-1s in that $500-600 range.
Sit it somewhere in the middle, and I think you have a winner. But you still need to iterate and improve. Standardize the Typepad and include it, improve the battery life and thickness by replacing IVB with Haswell (can even be the same speed), make the base model 128GB SSD, and drop price to $800 and I think you have a real winner.
Sure MS makes less per unit sold, but hey at least they will actually be selling units. And I am sure it is better than the current situation they face, writing off $1bn in Surface inventory, only to be forced to cut prices by $100 on dated tech at this point. Saw this coming months ago anyways, it's going to be hard to sell those IVB Pros even at $100 off at this point, and it's going to be hard to raise prices again when they are eventually forced to drop these to $600-700 to clear them out. Probably another big write down coming unless they already accounted for it in the $1bn. Reply
pSupaNova - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkHaswell based Surface Pro's are going to be a hard sell to consumers, because IOS and Android already fulfill most of the computing needs of modern day consumers while being very easy to use and needing very little maintenance.
Microsoft should be pushing 7-8inch RT Tablets and using it excellent Gaming IP.
ARM is Microsoft future in the tablet sector not x86. Reply
name99 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkMS has made three big mistakes in this arena. They have so far admitted (kinda, begrudgingly) to two - that no-one wants RT as it currently exists, and that no-one wants Win8 on tablets.
The remaining admission they have yet to make is that, gee, it turns out Apple was right and touch screens ARE a bad idea on the desktop because it hurts your arm to constantly be raising it. (People experimenting with the LEAP motion controller have already made this point very publicly, but I've yet to see a Win8 supporter concede it.)
MS being what they are, and unwilling to ever throw away a bad idea even if it was last useful in 1997, I expect the way this will play out is a scramble to release a Windows 9 which will retain (till the end of time!) the option for touch on the desktop, but with no-one ever actually using it. (And internally the Office team will gloat about how they were right, and sensible not to waste time supporting it --- so much for "One Microsoft".)
Less clear what the future of Metro on the desktop is. My guess is it will be relegated to the same sort of role as Silverlight and .Net --- you can click on Metro apps and they'll run, but once again MS won't be making a big deal about it as the future of Windows. (To give a non-MS analogy, like Dashboard on OSX, which I actually find pretty useful, but which Apple seems to have abandoned as a failed experiment.)
The interesting part of Win 9, of course, will be what they decide to do for tablets.
I have no idea how that will play out. Double down on Win RT? Or give up there and accept that the only person who will buy a Windows tablet is someone who wants to run specific x86 Windows software on it? Both these options suffer from the fact that they result in tremendous overhead (on storage, in RAM, in energy) compared to iOS and Android, which are both willing to cut out whatever is less than appropriate on a tablet (like paging). MS seems to be hoping it can just power through, that they keep things going until the costs (in storage and RAM) no longer matter, and we've hit a point where paging is a sensible tradeoff on these devices. Maybe they'll make it?
Their third option is to accept that both these choices suck and really copy Apple --- move Win Phone 8 up to the tablet. THAT is the interesting possibility. WIll they have the guts to admit so much of a failure (and tacitly admit that Windows 8 is too bloated)?
IMHO this is the sensible solution. It allows Win8 to go back to what it was adequate at --- sitting on the desktops of Fortune 500 companies, filled with APIs that connect to various servers and databases, filled with hooks to allow for rapidly written in-house software. Simultaneously it gives Win Phone8 a larger base and thus software authors slightly more of a target. It's not a great solution --- because MS has wasted five years, first in denial about the iPhone, then in denial about the iPad, then in denial about what people actually want from both their tablets and their desktops --- but it's the best plan I see going forward. Reply
Impulses - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI'd buy a Zenbook over an Air right now, I think certain ultrabook models are perfectly competitive... I don't think Apple has a lock on the $1,000+ laptop price point. Reply
MykeM - Friday, August 09, 2013 - linkAccording to NPD's report for first half of 2013, MacBook Air owns 56% of the ultrabook market:
It's not quite a lock-in but it's pretty close. And I'm pretty sure the number precludes the latest Haswell MBA which was released less than a month before the report came out. Reply
Impulses - Friday, August 09, 2013 - linkThat's pretty sad considering how far behind the Air displays and SKU costs for RAM/SSD have been falling... At some point ultrabooks are just getting beat down by nothing but marketing. Reply
madmilk - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - link$800 is actually a pretty decent price. That $130 cover on the other hand... Reply
Houdani - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkThey need to drop the 64GB model altogether, and just offer 128, 256, 512 GB versions, starting at $800 and INCLUDE the Type Cover. If they market it as an ultrabook (and treat the removable keyboard as just another feature) they could make a compelling argument.
They can still make money on keyboards, too, by offering alternatives that add an extended battery and/or a hinge for variable screen tilt.
The first gen Surface Pro didn't miss the mark by much; they just priced it poorly and advertised it as a tablet rather than an ultrabook. If they keep the price reasonable, I would seriously consider buying a Haswell powered unit.
I don't think I'll ever need or want the RT variant, though. Maybe they should drop that and scale the Windows Phone OS to 8" screens instead. Unify the Metro apps to work on both platforms with a buy once, install anywhere philosophy and they might taste success. Reply
GTRagnarok - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkI've always said since day one that the type cover needs to be included. That is half of what makes Surface Pro a compelling device. To ask an extra $100+ for it is a big mistake. If Surface Pro 2 can double the battery life, includes the type cover, and come at 128GB and 256GB capacities at the same price, then I think they'll have a winner, and I might even take a bite. Reply
Voldenuit - Monday, August 05, 2013 - link4 GB of soldered-on RAM is a deal killer. Needs at least 8 GB RAM standard, with option for higher-specced SKUs. Reply
dalestrauss - Monday, August 05, 2013 - linkI am so tired of ridiculous comments about the "overpriced" Surface Pro - or that it should be UNDER $500. This thing is a full power ultrabook in a tablet format. It would be nice if they could lower the keyboard price (under $100) but who are all you Apple fanboys trying to fool? A 128gb iPad will set you back $799 (Wi-Fi only) and at LEAST $100 for a Logitech Ultrathin keyboard with NO BATTERY. So, for the additional price of the $129 Type Cover, your Surface Pro delivers USB 3, Wacom active digitizer, micro-SDXC (for up to 64gb additional storage), display port WQHD built in, AND FULL WINDOWS 8 OS - not a watered down smartphone OS. Sure, you get 2x battery life on your iPad, so you can play 2x more Angry Birds. This has gotten to be pure lunacy on the part of the tech press for not taking these idiots to task for mis-characterizing the Surface Pro. AND NO, I have never worked for Microsoft, nor do I own stock in the company. Reply
skiboysteve - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkThis Reply
chizow - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkWhy bother comparing it to iPad? Just compare it to Ultrabooks. It has low-end Ultrabook guts but wants high-end Ultrabook prices. And who buys high-end Ultrabooks anyways? No one. Same market for Surface Pro. That's why it's "overpriced", the market has overwhelmingly spoken and agreed (see latest Microsoft earnings report re: $1bn write down on Surface inventory). Reply
flyingpants1 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkNo, that is all stupid. The Asus Vivobook X202E laptop is $439 on Amazon right now and it has a Core i3 3217U, 11.6" 768p touchscreen, 500GB HDD, and a full keyboard. Why on earth would anyone pay $500 more for a convertible version of the basically same hardware.
There is no point in making something with high build quality if nobody buys it. Microsoft could have made a hit mainstream device, but they made an expensive niche piece of junk. They should do a slightly cut-down version.
The 64GB version should be $600, 128GB $700, and a REAL keyboard that holds the device up properly for $100. In other words, it should not cost more than $800, about the price of a 128GB Samsung ultrabook (significantly less than a 128GB Air). Reply
jimbo2779 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkBasically the same hardware? Are you for real?
A low end i3 is not the same as an i5, a cheap as possible 768p TN panel is not close to the high quality 1080p screen in the surface, an HDD does not compare in any way to an SSD.
What you are looking at is a laptop built to be as cheap as possible and comparing it to a tablet with mid to high end components and a very high build quality with lots of features that aren't even in the laptop.
Your comparison is ignorant and holds no water. Reply
madmilk - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkIntel is screwing themselves with the Turbo Boost branding. The i3-3217 has a higher labeled clock speed, but in the vast majority of applications will only be 2/3 as fast as the i5-3317. Reply
flyingpants1 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkOh boy.. I'm not denying the Surface is more expensive. It's just not worth anywhere near $500 more. Or do you upgrading the SSD, CPU, panel and chassis cost over $100 each? More like $30-50 each.
Looking at component cost alone, A 64GB SSD is not much more expensive to include than a 500GB HDD.
Most of those low voltage i3s are actually identical to the i5, just without turbo. Even then, it is not a huge performance drop like going from i5 to Atom is.
The 1080p screen should have been an option.
Then there's the build quality. The Asus Vivobook is also not built "as cheaply as possible" either as it is made of aluminum. As for the superfluous features, they shouldn't make it in if they pump up the price too high. Again, there is no point in creating a premium device if NOBODY BUYS IT.
Like I said, they should have made it cheaper, or failing that, made a slightly cut-down version. As it is, they are selling an Ultrabook with 4GB RAM and no keyboard for $900. I think $800 including keyboard is reasonable, and drop the retarded 64GB model which should not exist. Reply
InsGadget - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkYou really don't know what you're talking about. Reply
phillyry - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - link+1 (what he said) Reply
phillyry - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkjimbo2779 that is Reply
phillyry - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkThe Asus Vivobook X202E laptop you just described is absolute garbage (based on specs alone) and should not be included in this conversation. Netbooks are cheap too but that's the point: they're cheap. This is meant to be a premium device. Lets not compare netbooks and MacBook Airs here. The Surface Pro is clearly competing with the latter (and 64/128GB iPads). Reply
InsGadget - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkRight on. I do appreciate intellects. Reply
seapeople - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkSo it's your opinion that there is no need for double the battery life (from 5 to 10 hours) in a small, portable, mobile device? Not much reason to read the rest of your post. Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkPersonally I'm hoping they release a variant with Kabini. Including the keyboard cover would be nice, but honestly not totally necessary as you can just use a cheaper Bluetooth keyboard that'll give a better typing experience anyway. Reply
JarredWalton - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkWhy do they need Kabini? The only reason would be to get the price $100 lower, but it would also deliver half the performance. Kabini is only somewhat faster than the current Atom offerings (not even 2x faster in most cases), and Silvermont will basically beat out Kabini when it launches. But both of those are really going up against high-end ARM offerings, whereas the Haswell ULT parts are 2-3 times faster and can easily handle full Windows apps. Kabini could be okay in a new Surface RT type device (only with full Windows, not RT), but it wouldn't be a good fit for the Pro -- "Here's the new Surface Pro, with less performance than the original Surface Pro but a $100 lower price!" Reply
JPForums - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkFor a minute there, I thought I disagreed with you, but then you said "it wouldn't be a good fit for the Pro". I totally agree that Kabini is a bad fit for the Surface Pro. I always thought a Kabini or Silvermont based Surface x86 would be nice. I'm pretty sure the price difference between the Pro and x86 versions would be more than $100. Atoms are somewhat price competitive with ARM offerings and I rarely see AMD in a position of charging a premium over Intel. Granted they would use a higher end Silvermont or Kabini, but that shouldn't change the overall cost very much. They may have to sacrifice some extras like (unfortunately) the Wacom digitizer, but I see no reason why they couldn't use a nicer display than the RT. I could see the price stratum falling into place at $350-$400 for Surface RT, around $600 for the x86, and say $900 for the Pro. I do think they would be in a better position if they at least offered keyboards with additional batteries and/or port expanders. The current offerings could still be sold at a lower price point. Given the price of android keyboards with touchpad, batteries, and sometimes extra ports, I don't see any reason why this can't be done. That said, I'll still pay extra if the quality justifies it. Reply
mrdude - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkPeople are suggesting cheaper chips because of the biggest issue with Microsoft's Surface lineup: price. There's little doubt that Intel takes the largest share of the BoM in the Surface tablet.
I think Microsoft needs to address a plethora of other factors before they can get to the hardware aspect. For example, they're OS is still far too bloated and requires a higher capacity drive for storage. Microsoft isn't giving you 64GB because they want you to have the extra space, but because that's pretty much the bare minimum for one of these things once you install just a few applications. Likewise, the performance/processor issue is the same. Win8/Metro was often too heavy for the Tegra 3 and the legacy landscape requires a costly Intel processor in order to be viable as a laptop and/or tablet.
The whole "it's an Ultrabook" argument only holds water if Ultrabooks themselves were selling well. But if I recall correctly, Intel has had to slash its sales figures every year since they've introduced the platform, and laptop sales are still being cannibalized by tablets.
People want cheap small tablets and they don't give a damn about x86 and Win32/legacy support on said cheap tablets. Microsoft, and consequently Intel, need to seriously rethink their approach here. Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI'm not saying they should have Kabini *instead* of Haswell, but in addition. Kabini's performance is more than good enough for most people's usage, and I'm quite sure it'll shave more than $100 off the price. Intel isn't selling Haswell for cheap. Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkBasically, I'm thinking three tiers of Surface: Surface RT with whatever ARM flavor, Surface "Lite" with Kabini (or possibly even Temash, depending on how MS wants to prioritize battery/performance) in the $500-600 range for people who want full Windows but don't need expensive Intel silicon, and Surface Pro with Haswell. Reply
Impulses - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkThat'd be great, if their two existing tiers were even selling to begin with. I think RT just goes away eventually to be replaced by Kabini/new Atom variants... Has the RT Surface sold any better than the Pro despite the lower price and larger discounts?
Ultimately they may just come to the realization that not a lot of people want a 10" converge device... Just like the ultrabook market is sorta nichey. A 10" hybrid device (specially the beefier Pro) ends up being too cramped for serious work and too large/heavy for light media consumption.
The number of people that are really better off with a laptop and a tablet in one device is just not that large IMO. Specially as prices for low end ARM tablets continue to fall and people continue to be willing to compromise with low res laptops with poor build quality (good laptops in and of itself aren't a mass market game). Reply
ddriver - Thursday, August 08, 2013 - linkAccording to the benchmark here on anand, Kabini is about twice as fast as a current gen atom in single threaded Cinebench, THREE times faster multithreaded, a little below 2 times faster in 7ZIP benchmark, over twice as fast on Kraken, OVER TEN times faster in 3D Mark Physics, about NINE times faster in Graphics, WHOOPING SIXTEEN times faster in GL/DXBenchmark.
Obviosly, Kabini offers a considerable performance improvement over current atoms, even Bay Trail will only match about the same performance as Kabini, while GPU will likely be worse.
So all in all, a Kabini based surface is a good idea, considering AMD chips have much lower profit margins, they are still better than atoms and comparable to cheapest i3 processors while being even cheaper. Reply
Krysto - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkUnlikely. Haswell is at least $100 more expensive than IVB, so there's that. At best they'll manage to maintain the $900 price. Reply
JarredWalton - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkHaswell can basically target the same prices as Ivy Bridge. It's just the OEMs taking more profit that would increase the price, but since MS can put Windows on the Surface for free it's not as much of a problem to lower the price. I'm okay with the original price points, though, as long as the Haswell variant either: includes the keyboard, doubles the SSD size (so the 64GB model becomes 128GB and the 128GB becomes 256GB), or find some other way to make the new model more compelling other than Haswell improving battery life. Reply
chizow - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - link$100 more expensive based on what data? Intel almost always slots in the new successor chips in the same performance bracket at the same price points. There's a lot of fat (or Mg) that needs to be trimmed on Surface, those visions of 50-60% margins need to come back down to reality. Reply
maximumGPU - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkSurface has better CPU, (much!) better screen, and better storage (SSD vs HDD), not to mention all other extras you get. So how is it basically the same hardware? Reply
chizow - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkSSD isn't a consideration because on most Ultrabooks you could just replace the mechanical HDD with a 120GB SSD. High-end 120GB SSDs from Samsung and Kingston were selling for $60-70 late last year (I bought 3 of them), so like most OEMs, Microsoft is trying to charge over 100% premium on SSD storage. No thanks, another big complaint about Surface, the inability to add RAM, swap storage, etc.
Also, why do people keep saying the Surface has a much better CPU? The i5-3317U is a mid-range CPU at best that is found on any low-end Ultrabooks starting at $400. It's not some amazing technological wonder just because it's an i5, sorry. Reply
Impulses - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkThat's kind of a strawman argument IMO... Your facts are mostly right, but a ton of ultrabooks have either sealed in or custom form factor SSDs, and prices for something like the 120GB M500 or 840 are back up to $100+ (I bought a second 120GB 830 for $70 too btw, my 4th SSD). Nevermind the fact that swapping drives and migrating and OS install is not something the vast majority of the market would attempt.
Everyone overcharges for storage anyway, even Google at the very low end with the N7 will milk you for $50 if you want $10 of extra flash (and most people seen blissfully unaware of USB OTG). It's only slightly more egregious on a Surface Pro because of the class of device, but it's pretty much an industry norm now. Apple's laptops aren't any more upgradeable... Reply
chizow - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkNo a strawman would be trying to make a perceived weakness of a product (expensive, fixed storage) a strength and selling point relative to the competing options when the competing options allow you to cheaply and easily swap out storage for your own storage.
Yes some ultrabooks and tablets are difficult to open, but none so much as the hot-glued Surface Pro that all but guarantees destruction if you try to replace internal components. Just a quick search showed most all of the competing low-end options from Lenovo, HP, Dell, Asus show they are easily opened with either screwdrivers or spudgers and use full-sized 2.5" SSDs, mSATA at the worst.
And no, not everyone is going to do this, but it the fact it is an option makes it easy to reject Microsoft's proposition of expensive storage in a fixed format container for those who are willing and capable to make such simple adjustments.
But Apple does it, so that makes it OK? And we want to talk about strawman arguments? ;) Reply
Impulses - Friday, August 09, 2013 - linkFair enough, the point is that the lack of expandable RAM/storage is hardly one of the main factors holding back sales. It might lose them a small percentage of enlightened enthusiasts but that's about it. (English isn't my first language btw, sorry for the expression misuse) Reply
chizow - Friday, August 09, 2013 - linkIt's np, you do have some salient points on the topic, but I do think you are overestimating the market demand for the key features of the Surface that are often used to justify it's premium. My point is that while many might not replace a low-end Ultrabook with an SSD, many more will not find a 64GB or 128GB SSD to be a deciding factor going into a much higher price point.
The biggest problem however, imo, is that Microsoft created this device with the MacBook Air in sight and priced it similarly without realizing those consumers are not so quick to give up their MBAs. Reply
flyingpants1 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkThe point is the COMPONENT COST. Compare the Surface specs to the X202E.
A 500GB HDD is $60 on Newegg. A 64GB SSD is $65 on Newegg. Ohhhhhh myyyyyy goddddddddd! The Surface is SO MUCH MORE better and expensive, oh my god!!
...So yeah. The difference on Amazon between an X202E with i3 and i5 is about $100, so I'll even give you that one. The i5 model is $530.
The price difference between a 768p and 1080p panel is small. If it was really so huge, they should have made it 900p or left it as an option. No excuse there.
Asus could make a $500 Surface Pro today if they wanted. You can't charge $1000+ for something with 4GB soldered RAM and expect it to sell. Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkOther OEMs have made Surface Pro analogues. They are not anywhere near $500. So the idea the Microsoft is overcharging is bunk. Reply
flyingpants1 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkThey are all overcharging too. For the last time, the components are not expensive. Reply
Kulli - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI think the biggest problem in Price here is Intel.
They charge to much for there CPU/Chipsets.
And Ultrabooks is nothing else like a smaller lighter Laptop.
In my opinion these so called "Ultrabooks" are just improved Laptops, they cant get always get faster. So its just evolution to get smaller and lighter in mind that flashdrives are dropping in price the need of a drive gets loss.
As as already some one qouted out, high end Ultrabooks dont sell well. So Intel should maybe rethink their price behavior on their mobilechips at least they have something like a monopol for x86 chips if we consider that AMD is not an equal player on the market today.
At the Suface, i think it is really nice device. Sure it have some weaks like i.e. not including the type/touch cover, the not perfect Windows 8 (8.1 maybe improve it), batterylife could be better, and the price but what i think is driven by Intel's "so called Ultrabook blaaaaa advertising CPU/Chipsets no one cares about" Reply
PNN - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkAre ultrabooks supposed to be "improved laptops"? They don't even feature full voltage CPU's! How could they be faster than standard laptops with i5/i7/qc-i7 CPU's?
I think of ultrabooks as lightweight, thin, small (<14) laptops. One step ahead of tablets (my 2012 MBA is the perfect tablet-replacement), but one step behind laptops. Reply
Impulses - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkThey're more laptop (more powerful) than most people need tho, OTOH most people don't appreciate a decent keyboard or build and are happy to spend $600 on a mediocre screen they'll probably live with for 2-3 years... Complacency is a big part of the reason for slow ultrabook sales. Apple can make a fancy ad where they pull a MBA out of an envelope tho and suddenly they make it sexy and worth having... Reply
cjs150 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkAs someone who has just come back from holiday where I took both a tablet (rooted Nook HD+) and an ultrabook I believe MS have misunderstood the market completely.
My tablet is 9" (I also have an old 10.1" notebook). It is fine for gaming, movies, ebooks, email and short documents. But it is not something I can do serious work on. If I need to amend up a document of more than a few pages (or a spreadsheet of more than a few columns) I fire up the ultrabook.
Maybe because I am getting old and my eyesight is not as good as in years gone by (or too much red wine on holiday) but I just cannot do serious work on a screen of less than 13" (Mac is wonderful).
So the surface pro is a dud for me. Powerful enough to be useful for work but too small a screen to be functional for serious work. Yet overpriced and with too poor a battery life to be useful as a general entertainment device with light work abilities Reply
Impulses - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI think a ton of people would share that view, specially amongst enthusiasts and professionals who would pay $1K for an ultrabook or convertible (the rest of the market isn't even willing to pay that much for either anyway).
I know Anand was pretty bullish about devices like the Pro potentially replacing both a tablet and a laptop, but he's IN that very niche market that would actually WANT that (very mobile users, students, etc).
I think a lot of people would opt for the increased ergonomics of separate dedicated devices. Not like a Nexus 7 + a decent ultrabook/MBA would cost significantly more. Reply
andrewaggb - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkYeah I kinda agree. My hope for surface-like devices involves a docking station to meet my use cases. If you are always on the go with nowhere to dock then I don't think a 10" screen will ever cut it for document editing/creation. Reply
flyingpants1 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkI agree. I think there are 4 main categories of device: phone (5"), tablet (7-10"), laptop (13-15"), PC (19-27"+). Trying to cross categories and do everything... just means you end up getting more things wrong. Changing screen size while still trying to maintain usability. And terrible battery life..
OTOH, Intel is targetting $400 Convertibles with Silvermont. Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkCan't disagree more. I have no desire to constantly switch between a tablet and laptop when it's perfectly feasible to have a convergence device. Reply
flyingpants1 - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkBut not feasible for all, because a 10" screen does not suit everyone as an everyday machine or even a main laptop. And that's why the Surface is a niche product.
Meanwhile you can easily get a cheap 14" ultrabook with the same CPU in the Surface, and a real keyboard, AND 7" tablet for less than $670 on Amazon right now. You can just take the tablet when you want to mess around or on long train rides and leave the giant laptop at home. No sense in paying $1029 for one device, unless you have money to burn. Did I mention niche product? Reply
chizow - Friday, August 09, 2013 - linkI think a lot of people would agree with this also, but they also aren't willing to pay $1000+ for the privilege. I think Intel is getting the idea though as there are a ton of 2-in-1 convergence devices slated to launch for ~$600 later this year. Maybe then Microsoft will realize Surface Pro isn't going to gain any traction at $1000+120. Reply
gillisr - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkAs others have mentioned, your use profile determines if the Pro is worth the cost...to you. Here is a profile where it is perfect.
--55 year old PhD student, constantly shuttling between home, school, library, classrooms, meetings.
--lots and lots of professional reading--pdf's, e-books, electronic textbooks, etc.
--need to run high end statistical package in class and in meetings (SPSS, for those of you who know what it is)
--create and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations
--make presentations
--run full-blown Adobe Creative Suite
--kids need gaming machine at night and on weekends
--and so on
I was a high school teacher and watched students struggle with electronic documents/books. They did not like switching windows back and forth, either on a desktop or on a laptop. Sure, they could do it, but they didn't like it.
Enter the Surface Pro. Download the teacher's powerpoint presentation, take notes right on the slides with the stylus. Organize every lecture in a One-Note file. Take pictures of demonstrations with the built in camera, then add them to One-Note. Pick up and move on to the next class.
The key for me was realizing that this device is built for a second screen. At home I use an old 17" monitor, at school I use a GeChic OnLap monitor. You do not realize how much more productive you can be with the statistics program open on one monitor and the document you are preparing open on the Surface Pro. Others in my classes are amazed at how such a seemingly simple change makes a huge difference in productivity. And, the Surface Pro charging brick has a USB port, so the monitor draws power from the brick, not the battery, and I have a DisplayPort to HDMI connect to the monitor without having to worry about USB drivers.
Could someone do all these things with a laptop? Sure. Can they fit the laptop and a second monitor in their backpacks? My friends with MacBooks don't have the extra room in their packs, and my load is much lighter. Could someone do the same things with iOS or Android tablets. No. I tried using a good Android tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard to take notes in class. It just wasn't the same. Could someone else adapt to the limited functionality of Office-like suites on a tablet? I guess so. But I do not need to transfer files from the tablet to my laptop or desktop, and the program environment is the same wherever I go. I found that to be very important after a semester or two. And no, Google Docs does not work well enough across platforms for me and my group members.
So, there you go. The Surface Pro meets my use profile perfectly. I am more productive than other students with laptops or tablets. I don't struggle with document/program compatibility. And my kids love it for Netflix.
Oh, and I haven't run into a situation yet where I did not have access to an outlet for a period greater than 4 hours. I don't know what kinds of jobs people have, but every meeting room, classroom, library room, and study area that I visit has somewhere to plug in.
I wish the price would come down, but after 6 months of use I feel I am getting value for my money.
Your opinion may vary. Reply
Impulses - Friday, August 09, 2013 - linkThat's a perfect usage case for the Surface Pro (like I said many times:students and highly mobile professionals)... But it's still kind of a niche IMO, any student below the college level doesn't need that degree of versatility and many college students would still need to add a better keyboard and a larger display to make it usable as a primary workstation for long hours of work (not that 13-15" displays and scissor switch keyboards are ideal, but they're at least usable). Reply
UpSpin - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkPeople here say the Surface Pro doesn't sell because of the high price. Well, the price is high, and should be lower. Still, I doubt it would sell at a lower price either.
The issue is Windows. Windows is not as usable on a tablet as Android or iOS is. The Office Suite is unusable on a tablet and so all the other standard Windows programs, including the OS.
Specialists had a use for such a tablet PC, as long as they use Photoshop.Sketchbook or other specialized note taking software. But to make it tablet friendly for the masses they had to include Metro, which is far from finished and Metro Apps are lacking, too.
So people who want a tablet buy an iPad or Android tablet, which is passivly cooled, lighter, cheaper, and better to use as a tablet thanks to a tablet optimized OS and touch optimized apps. There are even Android tablets with WACOM pens, too.
People who want Windows buy an Ultrabook because it's more powerful, and has a keyboard and touchpad, which both are a requirement for 99% of Windows programs.
In my opinion MS has to further improve Windows for touch. They have to ditch Windows RT and combine it with the normal Windows 8. They have to add ARM support to Windows 8 to remain competive in the hardware section. They have to finally make Office touch friendly.
But I doubt that MS is able to do this. Too many incompatible programs, drivers, ... Too much work left.
In constrast, Android is much more flexible right now. (runs on anything, you can do with it whatever you want), so I doubt that Windows will be able to remain competive over the next few years. Reply
Ytterbium - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkWindowsRT is Windows8 compiled for ARM, so they did that already? I'm not sure what you want, x86 that would apps compiled for ARM or ARM with x86 compatibility, I guess this? All the store apps are multiplatform so it's abstracted what hardware you run ala flexible.
MS already announced and demo'ed alpha version of office for Modern Interface, so the office for touch is in the pipeline, maybe next year? Reply
kyuu - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkWith a stylus, most of the usability concerns of desktop applications is negated. Nobody with any brains is expecting their legacy x86 apps to have a UI suited to tablet in the first place. That doesn't mean having the ability to run them isn't desirable.
Also, there is already a large library of Metro apps in the Windows 8 marketplace. Metro Office is in the pipe, but MS really has to nail the new UI in the first try or people are going to scream bloody murder, so you can't expect them to rush that out.
And if you're expecting Android or ChromeOS to replace Windows in any serious way, you're delusional. They (and iOS) will certainly encroach on the laptop market as some consumers switch to tablets and cheap-o Chromebooks for their basic usage patterns, but they aren't going to make a dent in the desktop market (which isn't going to go away anytime soon). Reply
Alexvrb - Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - linkDon't let the facts get in the way of a good flame post, Mr. Walton!
Anyway the Surface Pro is a well built, high quality device. Too expensive for my needs, though. I'd be happy with a cheap Temash unit by one of the other manufacturers. Reply
mgilbert - Wednesday, August 07, 2013 - linkStill obscenely overpriced... Reply
piiman - Saturday, August 10, 2013 - linkOh B3an if only everyone was as smart as you. NOT
You do realize not everyone in the world knows computer hardware? In fact I would say 99% don't have a clue and all they want is something that looks cool and doesn't cost more than their morgages. So how is that knot on your head where your mother dropped you? Reply


text:
A strong, cool southerly change will bring welcome relief to residents in Brisbane on Monday, signalling a pause to the sweltering heatwave conditions.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Michelle Berry said the cool front would begin to move in Sunday night, with the coming days likely to be free from the previous week's record-breaking conditions.
But Ms Berry said the soupy humidity settled over Brisbane would remain in place until Monday night, leading to moist and showery conditions.
Electrical storms and dry winds in the surrounding south-west and westerly parts of the state would continue to fuel severe fire dangers in those parts Ms Berry said.
"There's more chance of a bit of rainfall for the south-east but not much for those other parts of the state," she said.
"Tomorrow, we'll see some showers – lots of moisture and precipitation in the morning – then tomorrow evening we'll see the humidity really start to drop off making for pleasant conditions by Monday night and into Tuesday."
Brisbane is looking for a top of 31 degrees on Monday, with showers possible for Tuesday amid an expected high of 28 degrees.
Clouds are likely to settle in by Wednesday and Thursday, when temperatures are set to rise again.
Australia's exceptionally hot weather has made headlines around the world, with Moomba in the far northeast of South Australia on Saturday recording a maximum temperature of 49.6 degrees - the highest temperature recorded in Australia in 15 years.
In Queensland Thargomindah - about 1100 kilometres west of Brisbane – hit 45.1 degrees on Sunday while nearby Birdsville reached 43.1, a few notches below the state's all-time record of 49.5 set on December 24, 1972.
Australia's record is held by Oodnadatta in South Australia which hit 50.7 degrees in January 1960.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
BAFTAs: what the winners said
Steve McQueen talks about modern slavery as 12 Years A Slave wins best film; Cate Blanchett dedicates her BAFTA to Philip Seymour Hoffman; Barkhad Abdi says Greengrass believed in him before he believed in himself.
Host Stephen Fry welcomed the star-studded crowd by saying the BAFTAs are "the greatest night of the British film calendar, if there is such a thing." He joked that there were "faces so familiar you want to lick them."
He welcomed guests including Prince William, President of the Academy, into "the plush womb of the resplendent Royal Opera House" in Covent Garden, London.
Fry got Leonardo DiCaprio to blow a kiss into the camera.
Tinie Tempah and Laura Mvula kicked off the show with a duet of Heroes, and Tempah set the mood for a lively evening by high-five-ing Prince William.
Outstanding British Film
Oprah Winfrey, nominated for The Butler, presented the Outstanding British Film prize to Gravity.
Producer David Heyman said the prize was "beyond belief and best of all it recognises everybody involved with the film, we had the most incredible crew on this film. And Framestore and the team who created the visual effects were incomparable."
He also said "we wouldn't be here without our wonderful director, Mr Alfonso Cuaron." Cuaron added a hearty "gracias."
British Shorts
British Short Film winner James W. Griffiths (alongside Sophie Venner) of Room 8 said "any one of [the fellow nominees] could have won, they were all fantastic." He thanked Bombay Sapphire for funding the film.
British Short Animation winners were directors James Walker, Sarah Woolner and Yousif Al-Khalifa for Sleeping With The Fishes.
"I imainged this, but it was like a pipe dream," Al-Khalifa said. Walker thanked the NFTS and its director NIk Powell.
Production Design
Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn won the BAFTA for Production Design for their work on Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.
- INTERVIEW: Catherine Martin
Fry lent Martin his reading glasses to read her list of thank-yous. "Film is a profoundly collaborative artform, we stand on the shoulders of an incredible team, of more than 300," Martin said.
"We owe him [Luhrmann] an enormous debt of gratitude…He always follows his own heart…he takes cinema to new places… [he is] a maverick who affords us the opportunity of truly doing our best work."
Sound / Editing
The Gravity team winning the Sound BAFTA started with Glenn Freemantle joking, "they said there's no sound in space but here we are." He paid tribute to the support of David Heyman and Warner Bros.
The Editing prize went to Rush's Dan Hanley and Mike Hill. Director Ron Howard picked up the prize on their behalf.
- INTERVIEW: Ron Howard
"The editors wanted me to make it clear that I've got them locked to the Avids on the next movie they're making [Heart of The Sea]," Howard said. "They thought this was the most challenging movie that we'd ever undertaken…it was a labour of love."
He joked, "I think they'd thank me, there would be tears, you should be glad they aren't here. This award says I should be thanking them for the creative energy they bring to every project, especially Rush."
America-born, Denmark-based filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer accepted the BAFTA for Best Documentary, The Act of Killing.
He said: "Thank you everyone who worked on The Act of Killing, in the UK, in Denmark, in Indonesia. The film is starting to catalyse a change for how Indonesia talks about its past."
He asked Western governments to take responsibility to their role in these crimes. He dedicated the award to his Indonesian co-director who worked on the project for eight years.
Make-Up and Hair / Costumes
The American Hustle Make-Up and Hair team, inexplicably snubbed for an Oscar nomination, landed the BAFTA thanked their colleagues in costumes and director David O Russell.
The trio, Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell and Kathrine Gordon, thanked the actors for "sitting for days and hours" in their trailer for the elaborate looks.
- FEATURE: American Hustle
Catherine Martin became a double winner for Costumes for The Great Gatsby.
She thanked her assistant costume designer Whitney Anne Adams who has collaborated for 16 years, as well as the film's hair and make up team for "doing an amazing job."
"I am very lucky that the wardrobe department I have worked with for more than 20 years, I call them my Golden Girls."
Original Music
Gravity won the Original Music BAFTA for Steven Price, who said "Alfonso [Cuaron] shared every second of this."
He added: "Thank you to my mum and dad for having such an amazing record collection when I was growing up."
Animated Film
Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee thanked their 600-strong crew when they collected their Animated Film BAFTA for Frozen.
Lee remembered John Lasseter singing Let it Go during production.
Outstanding Debut
Steve Coogan, who joked about being a young turk with a pager on his belt 25 years ago, presented Outstanding Debut to a surprised Kieran Evans for Kelly + Victor.
- REVIEW: Kelly + Victor
"I was definitely not expecting this," said Evans. He thanked producer Janine Marmot for sticking by him for eight years, as well as Warp's Peter Carlton and Robin Gutch, plus Colin Burch and Julia Short at Verve.
He also thanked the city of Liverpool for inspiring the film. He thanked his mum for introducing him to Hitchcock films and his dad for driving him to art college.
Supporting Actor / Actress
Kicking off the acting prizes, a surprise Supporting Actor win went to newcomer Barkhad Abdi, who won for Captain Phillips.
He thanked Paul Greengrass "for believing in me before I believed in myself."
He added: "I want to thank Tom Hanks for everything," and shot a big grin in Hanks' direction. He thanked his fellow actors that played the other Somali pirates, "we came from nothing," said the Somali-born Minnesota resident.
- INTERVIEW: Tom Hanks & Barkhad Abdi
- FEATURE: Captain Phillips
The Supporting Actress BAFTA went to Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle.
The actress couldn't attend the London ceremony because of her shooting schedule. Director David O Russell said it was a huge honour for her, and she wanted to thank the producers and her co-stars and the writers.
"Here's to the great privilege of telling stories," he added.
Cinematography / Contribution
The Cinematography honours went to Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity.
Alfonso Cuaron accepted on his behalf, thanking "Sandy [Bullock] for giving this film a soul and a beautiful face." He thanked "the Framestore nerds for making the space adventure possible."
The Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema was presented by Juliet Stevenson to filmmaker Peter Greenaway.
"Working with him in 1987 Drowning by Numbers, I found myself stretched to my limits in many interesting ways," she recalled.
Stevenson called him "visionary and inspirational…he seems to relish going to edges….he has no time for convention or orthodoxy." She added: "His films perplex, bedazzle, provoke and seduce."
Greenaway said: "I'm very surprised to receive [this award]." He said he saw it as an encouragement to "people who believe cinema has to continually be reinvented."
Screenplay awards
The Original Screenplay BAFTA went to Eric Warren Singer and David O Russell for American Hustle.
Singer said: "I was breastfeed from a very young age on British cinema, it was a huge part of my life, so thank you BAFTA."
Russell thanked Singer for bringing him the story. He added: "I have to thank the actors who it's been my privilege to work with. I write for them, they inspire me, they make me write better and do everything better. It's their humanity."
Fry later corrected Russell's grammar, saying he should have said "with whom it was a great privilege to work."
The Adapted Screenplay BAFTA was awarded to another surprise winner, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope for Philomena.
- INTERVIEW: Steve Coogan
Coogan said: "This story started four years ago with a newspaper article." He thanked Martin Sixsmith and the real Philomena Lee, "her story has been told, she has been heard, but there are 60,000 women who lost their children and their story is not over."
He thanked the "dream team" including director Stephen Frears, Pathe's Cameron McCracken, producer Gaby Tana and his "dream cast choice" Judi Dench.
Pope thanked BBC Films' Christine Langan for bringing him together with Coogan.
Rising Star
The EE BAFTA Rising Star Award, voted on by the public, was accepted by recent Screen International Star of Tomorrow Will Poulter (Son of Rambow, We're The Millers).
"Genunitely this is such a huge honour, I'm so grateful for EE and BAFTA and all the members of hte public who voted," he said.
Being considered among fellow nominees Dane DeHaan, George MacKay, Lupita Nyong'o, and Lea Seydoux, he said: "I'm geniune fan of all your work."
Gravity won the BAFTA for Special Visual Effects, for Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould and Nikki Penny.
"On paper this film was a crazy idea," Webber noted. "Massive thanks to all the crew at Framestore for all their incredible talent and incredible dedication to this."
He thanked George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, "without their amazing performances all the visual effects in the world would have been pointless."
He remarked on Cuaron's "unbelievable courage and determination" in getting Gravity made.
- INTERVIEW: Chris Parks, stereo supervisor, Gravity
Film Not In The English Language
BAFTA honoured Paolo Sorrentino's The Great Beauty for Film Not In The English Language, adding to its Golden Globes win.
Italian filmmaker Sorrentino thanked lead actor Toni Servillo and all the other actors and crew and dedicated his award to late director Carlo Mazzacurati.
Actor / Actress
The Leading Actor prize went to Chewitel Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave.
He got the night's biggest round of applause thus far, and a wolf whistle from Tom Hanks. Ejiofor said "I'm so deeply honoured and privileged to receive it."
He thanked director Steve McQueen "for his passion, his artistry…this is yours, by the way. I know that, you know that, I'm going to keep it, but it's yours."
He also thanked his castmates as an "extraordinary group…everybody brought an extraordinary passion."
- FEATURE: 12 Years A Slave
The Leading Actress award went to Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine,as widely predicted.
"Jasmine was the most extraordinary opportunity for an actress," she said. "It was such a gamechanger for me."
She dedicated the award to "an actor who is a continual touchstone for me…the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman.
"Phil, your monumental talent, your generosity and your search for truth… will be missed not just by me…You raised the bar continually…This is for you, you bastard, I hope you're proud."
Best Director
Gravity's Alfonso Cuaron was named Best Director.
He said: "You cannot tell from my accent but I consider myself a part of the British film industry.
"I've lived in London part of the last 13 years and I've made half my films here. I guess I am a good case for curbing immigration."
He thanked Sandra Bullock, "without her performance everything would have been nonsense."
"I want to share this award with all the artists that live 'downstairs' and made this film possible," including the teams at Framestore and Warner Bros. He called producer David Heyman his "friend and partner".
Best Film
The night's top award, Best Film, was presented to 12 Years A Slave.
Steve McQueen thanked his mother for never giving up, and paid tribute for his cast, in particular Lupita Nyong'o of whom he said "a star is born."
He said there are "21 million people enslaved" that the world cannot ignore and that hopefully in 150 years another filmmaker would not have to tell a similar story.
Producer Dede Gardner dedicated the award to the descendants of Solomon Northup, the real-life subject of the film.
- FEATURE: 12 Years A Slave
Backstage, McQueen said: "The way the public here has supported the picture…it means a hell of a lot," and that he grew up watching the BAFTA ceremony on TV.
Brad Pitt said: "We're just so proud of the film…we're very proud of our work here, it means a lot to us because of the people we got to work with." "Most of all it's a story that says we're all the same, and freedom and dignity are everything," he added.
BAFTA Fellowship
Prince William joked that he should call Helen Mirren "granny" as he and Jeremy Irons presented Mirren with the BAFTA Fellowship.
"She is one hell of a dame, of course she should be a BAFTA fellow, anything else would be an oversight," Irons said.
Mirren, who received a standing ovation, said: "My journey to this place…began with a great teacher, Alys Welding, who died two weeks ago at the age of 102. She introduced me to the world of literature…I'm standing up her thanking Mrs Welding and all the great teachers who have inspired the many great people sitting here in this room."
She thanked everyone from directors to the people who run the honeywagon on set. "I thank you all, all of you, from my past."
She quoted Shakespeare: "Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and are melted into air, into thin air: And like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on; and our little life Is rounded with a sleep."
She added: "My little life is rounded with this honour."
Backstage, she added: "I take it as a sign of encouragement to carry on."
Readers' comments (3)
No matter how proud one can be that so many British creatives have contributed to the most talked about films of the preceding year, this year's BAFTA Awards have underlined a pressing need for an answer to the following question and that is: "What it is a British film, after all? Though one might agree with Mark Twain who said that: "There are lies, damned lies and statistics", in this case one could argue that statistics do not lie. According to the BFI statistics unit, the figures for 2013 reveal a UK film industry increasingly reliant on US inward investment to fill its coffers, with inward investment from international film productions accounting for 81% of production spend in the UK last year. While nobody could argue with the fact that inward investment remains vital to the UK economy, the number of domestic UK features produced in the UK fell dramatically last year to 166 [that number is expected to rise as more sub-£500k productions are reported to the BFI throughout the year] from 242 in 2012, the lowest level in at least five years. At the same time there was a decline in the number of UK films produced for more than £500k and less than £500 k. Encouraging inward investment is and it will always be very important and who could argue with the merit of it? Yet, it is very sad to see the adverse effects of those very same measures introduced to boost the domestic skills base, its revenues and its prestige.
As somebody who is a British film school graduate, but who lives and works in Europe and that both in national and supranational funding bodies, I can not but deplore the legal framework which has put Britain adrift from the European continent and its underpinning principles of cultural diversity in favour of a complete subordination to the dictates of the market place and let's not mince the words: Hollywood. To the detriment of home grown talent focused on telling British stories, and whitnessing to its uninqueness.
It was a sorry sight to see that the home grown gems such as "The Selfish Giant" by Clio Barnard, recognized as a athorial tour de force by so many film festivals, and yes, that in Europe and beyond, losing to "Gravity" on a purely technical matter, as in "Gravity" being able to contend in the "British Film of the Year" category in the first place.
A serious re-think of qualifying films is needed and I am sure that Nik Powell, in his capacity of the BAFTA president and director of the NFTS and not so long ago vice-president of the EFA, could offer some pointers.
In my opinion, Britain needs a serious re-think about what is a British film after all, and adjustment of its cultural test, which as it stands, now clearly favours American films shooting in Britain above any European co-production endveour.
Maybe this is something powers that be, ambiguous of their stance on Europe, welcome, but I am sure as hell that it is not something that the British filmmaking community thinks should be a foregone conclusion.
While festivals reward creative merit, Baftas and Oscars, enjoying the benefit of hindsight, normally reward creative merit that translated to box office.
It's because members of the industry vote and they know that money keeps the lights on. If inward investment goes away it won't create a space for domestic films, just a plunge in PAYE yield.
We have a better chance of making creatively and commercially successful British films while the Hollywood 3-ring circus stays in town.
The argument is not about making inward investment going away, but keeping things in balance.
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text:
CALNE Town scored twice midway through the second half to decide the fate of the three points in their Wiltshire derby at Warminster Town.
The home side were left to rue a succession of missed chances as the Lilywhites bagged the victory at Weymouth Street.
Calne took the lead on nine minutes when Glenn Armstrong's free kick was met by Tom Slater, whose touch took a deflection on the way in.
Warminster roared back and carved out a number of opportunities, including one which saw Jake Jefferies clear off the line, but the red and blacks eventually equalised when Louis Sparey found the net.
Warminster continued to pressure the visitors, forcing goalkeeper Jamie Bartlett into a number of saves.
Calne retook the lead on 67 minutes when Tom Slater won possession and fired into the corner.
And the Lilywhites sealed victory seven minutes later when Tom Boakes chipped home.
Corsham Town moved up into sixth position with a 2-1 win over Ashton & Backwell United, Gary Banks and Matty Jenkins on target.
Mark Robinson scored twice as Chippenham Park beat Almondsbury UWE at Hardenhuish Park, bu Devizes Town were overturned 3-0 at home by Wincanton Town.
Melksham Town were held to a goalless draw by Willand Rovers in the Toolstation League Premier Division.
Pewsey Vale's recent good run in Sydenhams League Division One was brought to an end as they squandered a two-goal lead at New Milton Town to lose 3-2.
Tom Ballard and Tom Ritchie netted for Vale, but the game was won for Milton by Sam Groves, Elliot Head and Kabba Jack.
Malmesbury Victoria hit back for a point at county rivals New College in Swindon in Hellenic League Division One West.
In the Premier Division, Wootton Bassett Town held Thame United to a goalless draw.
Alex Hiscock opened the scoring just after the half hour for College, but Vics hit back almost immediately as Ryan Latham replied.


text:
On March 12, Ohio
State Extension's Jim Hoorman spoke to a small crowd at the Putnam
County Educational Service Center. While a snowstorm closed school and
raised road advisory levels outside, Hoorman talked about one effective
way to combat flooding by planting radishes, winter peas, red clover and
other cover crops. He said that the plants' roots hold the soil in
place, reducing soil erosion. By reducing soil erosion, the plants also
reduce both the rate and quantity of water that drains off the field. In
tandem with field tiling, although less of it due to the cover crop
effect, 80 billion gallons of water could be slurped up and out of Main
We have an agricultural industry that is the biggest
business in Northwest Ohio. It takes in a lot of land that could act as a
sponge during flood events, land that could make good use of the
retained water. So, what's the hold up? Hoorman says the biggest
stumbling block to increasing the percentage of farmers who plant cover
crops is tradition.
In my mind's eye, I see my grandpa driving the
Farmall as it pulls the wagon that I'm riding in, mown Sudan grass
falling all around me. I know now that this eight-inch grass is used as
an organic cover crop, hay or silage. Grandpa probably planted it for
all three, especially as fodder for his Jersey cows. I just thought it
smelled really good and it was fun to watch my uncles throw linseed oil
at each other while they painted the new collecting wagon.
hadn't always planted Sudan grass. He was always trying new things, new
ways to boost production of that rich, buttery Jersey milk. I was in
college when he landed a contract with County line cheese, a major coup
in his farming career.
As our planet seeks to right itself, change
is all around us. Those red-winged blackbirds are a good month ahead of
schedule. The town of Hinckley had its annual buzzard festival on March
15, yet I saw my first turkey vulture of 2014 on March 1. Beekeeping is
moving inside village, town and city limits as apiculturists try to
keep honeybees flying, pollinating and spinning the sweet stuff. If a
cover of clover intertwined with six-foot radishes can keep people in
their homes and help revitalize a downtown or two, maybe that's worth
trading a few traditions that could be holding up positive changes.
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Information published on this site is not for republication in print or web media without the expressed written consent of Putnam Sentinel Media.


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Manti Te'o was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the National Football League (NFL) annual Draft on Friday, ending an anxious wait for one of the game's most scrutinised and controversial players.
Te'o was a notable absentee when the NFL's 32 teams made their first-round selections the previous night but he was the sixth man picked when the second of the seven rounds got underway in New York on Friday.
The Chargers, who have released a slew of veteran players, opening the way for the new crop to make their mark, traded up to get Te'o as the 38th overall pick.
They gave up a fourth-round pick to Arizona just to move up seven spots and ensure they got their man.
"That means a lot to me," Te'o said in an interview with chargers.com, the team's official website.
"Being a Charger means a lot to me right now. It's a great organisation.
"I want to reward them for picking me. I'm going to do whatever it takes to help us win. "
When former Chargers defensive back Jim Hill announced that San Diego had taken Te'o, there was loud roar from the crowd inside Radio City Music Hall, where the draft was taking place.
Te'o, a 22-year-old linebacker who played his college football with Notre Dame, was not there, steering clear of the spotlight and opting to watch the national telecast instead from Hawaii, where he was born and raised.
An All-American player who finished runner-up in the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best player in college football, Te'o's private life has superseded his sporting career.
He became a source of fascination for the American public when it was discovered earlier this year that he was the victim of an elaborate hoax about a fake girlfriend who supposedly died, but never really existed.
"It's definitely made me stronger," Te'o told the Chargers' website.
"Dealing with adversity, it can hurt you or make you stronger, and it definitely made me stronger. That's how I feel right now."
Heavily scrutinised then widely ridiculed, Te'o's hopes of being selected in the first round draft began to fade as the story gathered momentum.
He did not play at his best in the national championship game against Alabama and questions about his ability to make it in the NFL were raised after he performed poorly at the NFL Combine, where prospective players show off their skills.
The teams considered most likely to select him in the first round went looking for other players, but he seemed a perfect fit for the Chargers, who play a defensive scheme similar to Notre Dame, that suits his skills.
"It's great motivation for me to go out there and just get better and that's what I intend to do," Te'o said.


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A growing campaign to ban smoking at outdoor eateries is pitting public health advocates concerned about secondhand smoke against business owners worried that new restrictions could drive away customers.
Nearly half of the county's 18 cities have adopted some form of prohibition on smoking at outdoor dining areas, with Oceanside and Carlsbad recently passing measures of their own.
The Vista City Council took up the issue Tuesday night at the suggestion of Councilman Cody Campbell, but postponed a decision after council members said they wanted more time to study and fine tune the proposed ordinance.
Advocacy groups such as the Vista Community Clinic and the North Coastal Prevention Coalition have pressed North County cities to ban smoking at sidewalk cafes and restaurant patios, saying secondhand smoke is hazardous to patrons and restaurant employees.
"For me, it's very emotional," said Gena Knutson, manager of the Tobacco Control Program at the Vista Community Clinic.
Knutson said she is a cancer survivor and has had several family members die from cancer.
For years, Knutson and her group successfully lobbied cities to tighten restrictions on smoking in public areas, such as parks, beaches, bus stops and train platforms. Most recently, her group turned its attention to outdoor dining areas.
It's what local residents want, Knutson said, pointing to the results of surveys conducted by her group in Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad and San Marcos.
But not everyone agrees. Some business owners say the smoking bans infringe on their right to offer patios for smoking patrons.
"I just feel that people have to make their own choices," said Leroy Tardy, owner of the Vista Village Pub, which has a patio where people can smoke.
Last week, the Oceanside City Council voted to ban smoking at restaurant patios on public sidewalks. Carlsbad approved a similar ban last year that prohibits smoking in unenclosed dining areas.
Chula Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, National City and Solana Beach have also implemented smoking bans at outdoor eateries.
Some business groups are divided over smoking bans.
Jacqueline Reynoso, executive director of the National City Chamber of Commerce, said the city's 2009 prohibition on smoking in open air dining areas has been well received by the business community in her city.
"National City has always prided itself as being family friendly and many restaurants already had the practice of not allowing smoking," Reynoso said.
The chamber endorsed the ordinance and worked with the Institute for Public Strategies, a nonprofit public health advocacy group that pushed for the ban, Reynoso said.
But the board of the Vista Chamber of Commerce is opposed to such a ban in that city, fearing it may chase customers away, said Chief Executive Officer Bret Schanzenbach.
Advocates say the fear of losing customers is unfounded because many more customers prefer to eat at nonsmoking establishments.
The two sides are putting some politicians, such as Vista Mayor Judy Ritter, in a bind. Ritter said she sympathizes with nonsmokers but is opposed to too much government regulation. She said she did not know how she might vote on the ban.
"It's tough for me because I don't smoke," Ritter said. "When I go to a hotel and I get a smoking room, I ask to change rooms but I believe in smaller government."


text:
Even though the Redskins are 1-1 and the Giants are 0-2, they're both in the thick of the NFC East race.
The injuries Dallas has sustained and the walkabout Philadelphia is on make the division a blurry mess in which anything could happen.
So when Washington (No. 21 in AP Pro32) visits the 3 1-2-point favorite Giants (tied for 26th in AP Pro32) on Thursday night, plenty is on the line for a September game. The winner can be considered a legitimate threat, at least for now. The loser — not even New York if it falls a third straight time — can be dismissed.
"It's definitely good to hurry up and get another shot," said Giants DE Cullen Jenkins. "It's real frustrating. You want to win every game. To have the chance and be up and just not be able to finish it off, that's the most difficult part of it. You have to move on fast, because you have to gear up for the new game. At the same time, you still feel it.
"We're 0-2 right now, and that's the facts. We've got to get a win ..."


text:
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/12/2012 (1713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The pace of new-home construction in the Winnipeg area slowed for the second straight month in November, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said today.
The agency said 327 new single-detached and multi-family housing starts were recorded last month in the Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes Winnipeg and 10 neighbouring municipalities.
That was a decline of 11 per cent from the 369 recorded in the same month last year, and came on the heels of a 36.1 per cent reduction in October.
The slowdown was evident in both segments of the market, with single starts down 10 per cent to 178 units, and multi-starts down 13 per cent to 149.
But despite the recent slowdown, total starts were still running 25 per cent ahead of last year's pace after the first 11 months of 2012 — 3,896 units versus 3,120.
Nationally, CMHC said the pace of housing starts fell for a third straight month.
There were 17,646 actual starts last month, which translates to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 196,125 units, down from 203,487 in October.
The decrease was mainly attributed to declines in single-detached and multi-unit housing construction in Ontario and British Columbia, the agency said.
— with files by Canadian Press


text:
At Clifford's Supper Club, we can tailor our service to meet any of your needs. Whether it is dine-in or carry out, catering or banquet hall needs, you can enjoy our fine food any way you like it! Known for our Famous Friday Fish Fry and our Steaks, Chops, & Seafood, our staff prides itself in bringing you high quality food and service.
Call us today for details about our catering and banquet hall services or to order our fine food for carry out!
All food and beverages provided by Clifford's Supper Club.
(See banquet menus.)
Wedding & Specialty Cakes Permitted.
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text:
Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
House of Albrecht Duerer
The location and the lobby are the only redeeming qualities of this hotel/hostel. Its very close to the main train station. Bedbugs! I will never come back to this location. It was perhaps the worst hostel/hotel experience I've ever experienced. Once I discover my bed was infested with bedbugs, i immediately went to front desk and requested a room change, by now it was 12:30am and the lobby staff were rude and unhelpful. They charged me full price for a solo room, in addition to what I had paid for the hostel room. They gave me a card key that didn't work 3 times in a row, and finally went up to the 2nd floor room to open the door and the 4th key didnt work, by now it was close to 1:30 am, I had moved my luggage up and down 5 times by now. They used a master card key to finally get the door open and then Never gave me a key to my room. Not only were they incompetent, they had zero customer service skills. Never staying there again.


text:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The time has come to enroll for health insurance if you don't have it. But be warned.
"Patience is a virtue. This is a new program starting out," said Ned Pope, of Epilepsy Foundation of Florida.
That means it's already experiencing problems.
If you need help ironing them out, you can go to what's called a "navigator," a person who can walk you through the process.
In Jacksonville, the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida is one of eight recipients in the state to receive a federal grant to educate people through the Affordable Care Act.
"It's not for us to recommend anybody any type of coverage or any path to coverage," Pope said. "We just want to make sure that they have the ability to access the platform and understand their options as far as the exchange is concerned because it's brand new."
Here's what you need to know in a nut shell.
The Affordable Care Act does not affect the military, those on Medicaid, Medicare, or people who already have insurance through their company, unless they believe they can get it cheaper.
If you have a preexisting health condition, you can now get insurance and need to. And if you're in the high percentile of the federal poverty level, you will likely be eligible for a government subsidy to help you get insured.
The Affordable Care Act will also help employees of small businesses whose bosses can't afford to insure them.
ACA coverage will be broken down into different tiers: gold, silver, bronze and platinum. If you're really healthy, you'd probably fall under bronze.
If you have a medical condition, you probably need a higher medal. You may be paying higher premiums, but your insurance would cover a bigger percentage.
You don't have to enroll now. The important thing is you do so soon before the deadline passes Dec. 15 if you need insurance but don't have it.
"Be diligent in exploring all of the resources that are available to you to gain a full understanding of how the health care exchange is going to work, and that will better arm you when it's time to make a decision about what sort of coverage you want to purchase for yourself or your family," Pope said.
Enroll America volunteers prepared packets and went out Tuesday to canvass neighborhoods and educate the 300,000 uninsured in the area, about how to get insured.
"About 59 percent of the people have no idea what Oct. 1 means, have no idea what's coming down the pipe," said Tony Penna, of Enroll America. "To those people who have chosen not to get health insurance, I don't think they realize that they're one illness or one broken leg away from personal bankruptcy."
To sign up online, go to healthcare.gov.
Copyright 2013 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
what is the address for sending the capsules?
Collect Your Wine Capsules!
We are now collecting Sutter Home wine capsules for Sutter Home for Hope 2012! Since 2001, we've helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for breast cancer research, treatment and education benefiting thousands of families across the country. For every Sutter Home capsule (or twist off receipt) you mail in from August 1 - December 31, 2011, we will donate $1.00* to finding a cure.
Please mail your capsules to:
Sutter Home for Hope
Promo ID: SHFH12
PO Box 426022
Del Rio, TX 78842-6022
What's a capsule, you say? Watch this quick video to find out which piece to send in.
*Sutter Home will donate a combined maximum of $100,000.00 to City of Hope for the mail-in capsule promotion.
H Helen!
Please mail your capsules to:
Sutter Home for Hope
Promo ID: SHFH12
P.O. Box 248
St. Helena, CA 94574
Visit http://www.sutterhomeforhope.com/ for all of the details on this program.


text:
Prosecutor says mother beat son because he showed signs of being gay
Jurors deliberated for more than an hour before finding Jessica Dutro, the 25-year-old mother of four accused of beating her 4-year-old son to death in 2012, guilty on all counts.
Dutro died in August 2012 after he was beaten so badly that his intestines were pierced. Formerly residents of Oregon City, the surviving three children are currently staying with Dutro's family.
Jurors heard closing arguments on Wednesday morning, and Dutro was found guilty of seven counts, including five counts of murder by abuse, one count of murder and one count of second-degree assault.
Dutro's sentencing is set for April 18.
Prosecutors said Dutro abused her oldest son Zachary Dutro-Boggess so severely that she punctured his intestine, allowing bodily fluids to seep into the rest of his body.
Dutro and her boyfriend, Brian Canady, were caring for Zachary and his three siblings at the Good Neighbor Center homeless shelter on Southwest Greenburg Road in August 2012, when Zachary was rushed to the hospital.
On Tuesday, jurors heard from Beaverton Police Det. Michael Hanada, who said Dutro had been searching for several items online the day after Zachary was taken to the hospital.
According to Hanada, who examined a laptop computer and phones belonging to Dutro and Canady, Dutro reportedly searched online for anger management classes and searched the Craigslist free stuff section, as well as looking at homes and jobs on the classified website.
Last week, jurors saw Facebook messages between Dutro and Canady posted months before his death.
In one, Dutro wrote a Facebook message to Canady expressing concerns that the child would grow up to be gay.
He walks and talks like it ugh, she wrote in a post to Canady about how she was making Zachary stand against the wall after he angered her. It pisses me off.
Senior Deputy Districy Attorney Megan Johnson said the message established Dutro's motive of abuse. Zachary's older sister, now 8, testified on Friday that while three of Dutro's four children received beatings, Zachary received the brunt of the attacks.
The story has gained nationwide attention, being featured on the several websites and TV networks, including The Huffington Post and Nancy Grace.
No Canady testimony
Last month, Canady pleaded guilty to lesser charges of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault. He agreed to testify against Dutro in the trial, but was not called as a witness in the prosecution's case.
Dutro's attorneys Scott Sharp and Chris Colburn said Canady was the one responsible for killing Zachary, pointing to his confession of doing it prior to his arrest.
Before his arrest, Canady told police he had no idea how Zachary could have sustained his injuries, then said he might have accidentally stepped on him in the night. That story changed again after Canady said he kicked the air in anger, accidentally delivering a roundhouse-kick to the 4-year-old.
Eventually, Canady said he got into an argument with a tenant at the shelter and gone to the family's room, where he kicked the boy in the abdomen with his shoes on after Zachary didn't listen. The incident reportedly took place two days before the boys' death.
That was the story police believed when he and Dutro were arrested on Aug. 20, 2012, but prosecutors said Canady later changed his story again, claiming he had given a false confession in order to protect Dutro.
On Tuesday, attorneys questioned another resident at the Good Neighbor Center who testified that her 4-year-old daughter heard a loud noise coming from the room, when the boy was allegedly being abused by Canady.
Closing arguments were given Wednesday morning.