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We know a smaller Surface product is likely in the works. But exactly how small isn't clear.

Digitimes has chimed in again claiming, this time, Microsoft will launch an 8-inch Surface tablet in June, citing sources at component suppliers.

"Microsoft will launch an 8-inch Surface tablet in June and a 10.x-inch model as early as the third quarter of 2013," Digitimes said.

The display for the 8-inch model will be supplied by Samsung, according to the report.

This differs from what DisplaySearch told CNET earlier this month: a future Microsoft tablet is expected to sport a … Read more

Wondering whether to buy a Windows RT tablet? The status of RT at retail may be a good guide.

As of Wednesday evening, the Microsoft store listed no Windows RT tablets aside from Microsoft's own Surface RT. Tablets like the Asus VivoTab RT are no longer listed (though the Intel-based VivoTab is on the site). Even Dell's XPS 10 -- reduced this week to $299.99 -- is absent.

On the other hand, the store lists more than a dozen Windows 8 tablets based on either Intel Core processors or Intel's Atom chip.

On Tuesday, Microsoft Chief … Read more

Bird Sounds Free allows users to learn more about the birds they are looking for, at least sonically-speaking. It's easy to use and provides crystal-clear bird calls.

Bird Songs Free is a fairly basic app, providing a very basic interface and limited features beyond the basic functionality promised in the title. It opens with a grid of bird pictures. None of the birds is labeled, so unless you know your way around a chart of bird pictures, you'll be largely tapping at random. There is no way to know the accuracy of the bird calls in the chart … Read more

Candy Crush Saga manages to be one of the most compelling, entertaining, and socially-engaging match 3 games currently on the App Store with deep Facebook integration and an addictive reward scheme.

The concept of Candy Crush Saga is very basic. Match three similar pieces of candy to advance to the next level. Each level has a certain number of candy matches needed, with bonuses, combos, and high-score opportunities, all integrated with Facebook for friendly competition. The game is free to play, but there are a number of upgrades, including lives that allow you to keep playing if you lose on … Read more

VideoUpLink for Mac helps users who take frequent videos for sharing with friends to quickly upload them. While it allows the user to save some steps required for this process, it is of little additional value.

VideoUpLink for Mac provides a free trial version, which restricts the uploads to personal Facebook pages. The unrestricted version costs $9.99. The program downloaded quickly and its installation was seamless. The application did have technical support available, and a basic Help menu provided initial user instructions. The main interface is sparse, but easy to navigate, with buttons on the top for uploading and … Read more

When emptying a Mac's trash can, some items may be locked, which prevents removal. Trash It! for Mac is a basic program that forces the trash can to completely empty, but has no additional features and is not a useful program.

Trash It! for Mac is available as a free application. The program downloaded quickly, but there was no installer for the program. Instead of having one program that worked with all Mac OS X versions, the download included two separate folders, one for version 10.8 and one for earlier versions. There were no technical support or user … Read more

Mini Clip's 8 Ball Pool combines the pick up and play mechanics of many of the App Store's most compelling and addictive games with the physics of a realistic pool game to create a very engaging, online-enabled game with dozens of features that are perfect for a quick game of pool or for perfecting your touch screen technique.

When you first start 8 Ball Pool, you can choose to create an account using Facebook or Mini Clip or just play as a guest. The account feature is solely for online play and is optional, so don't feel … Read more

VidBas for Mac allows users to download videos from the Web to view them later while offline, so it may be useful to some Mac owners despite the lack of additional features.

VidBas for Mac comes with a free trial version that restricts the ability to download from the Internet. The complete version requires a $19.99 payment to unlock. The download completed quickly, as did the installation despite the lack of a native installer. Through the program's support menu, user instructions and technical support for updates were present. The main menu was easy to use, but had little … Read more

Windows RT tablets just hit a new low: $299.99.

That's what Dell is selling its XPS 10 RT tablet for online, reduced from $449.

The XPS 10 includes -- as CNET Deals points out -- Windows RT with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 RT; a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor; a 10.1-inch 1,366x768 display; a 28Wh battery rated at up to 10 hours; front and rear cameras; microSD slot; and 32GB of storage.

The discount may have something to do with Windows RT tablets not flying off the shelves -- and becoming as scarce … Read more