PrintIT issue48

PRINT.IT 33 www.printitmag.co.uk COMPUTING Portable powerhouse can’t hold technology as it makes it difficult for them to do their jobs,” she said. “HoloLens lets you solve workflows like remote service and remote experts in new ways. If a field worker encounters a problem that they can’t solve, they have to call in a field expert who might not be available for hours or days. Now, they can call in on HoloLens and the expert can see the problem through the engineer’s eyes; the expert can draw onto the screen and show how to solve a problem in minutes. This is out-of-the-box functionality with HoloLens.” Another application is training and development. Instead of having to use manuals or visit computer labs away from their place of work, HoloLens lets ‘first line’ workers train on the equipment they have in front of them. Panay added that the seamless computing experience facilitated by Microsoft’s new Surface devices and HoloLens is backed up by developments in AI and software like Windows Fall Creators Update that improve access to information. “There is something very powerful about artificial intelligence that is happening right now,” he Microsoft describes the Surface Book 2 as its most powerful Surface device to date, offering up to five times the graphics performance of the original Surface Book, twice as much power as the new MacBook Pro and a generous 17 hours of battery life. In the words of Panos Panay, corporate vice-president of Microsoft Devices, Surface Book 2 removes the barrier between the desktop and the laptop by giving mobile professionals “the power of a desktop, the versatility of a tablet and the freedom of a light and thin laptop in one beautifully designed device”. The versatile hinge and detachable touchscreen support a variety of workstyles, including laptop mode (with backlit keyboard attached), tablet mode (by detaching the screen designed for touch and Surface Pen), studio mode for sketching and drawing (with screen folded back on itself) and view mode for sharing presentations and movies (with screen detached, then reattached back to front). Panay added: “Whether you’re a developer, a digital artist, a designer or an accountant, you can bring your ideas to life anywhere, because Surface Book 2 is a portable powerhouse. We made no compromises building the most powerful Surface laptop ever.” Powered by 8th Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 graphics options, the Surface Book 2 can run professional software like Adobe, Autodesk and Dessault, as well as popular games, at 1080p and 60 frames per second (including VR games when paired with a headset and motion controller). It comes in two sizes: a 13-inch model, weighing just 3.38 pounds (available now); and a 15-inch model that weighs 4.2 pounds and delivers almost seven million pixels – 45% more than the MacBook Pro (to be launched in early 2018). said, “The idea that data comes from the background to the foreground. Data is brought to me and formatted in such a way that I can consume it more easily. You can start reading analytics and data in such a different way now. It’s incredible. It’s a revolution.” You can learn more about developments in Microsoft’s solutions and its vision of the future by watching the keynotes from Future Decoded through the following link: https://futuredecoded.com/ content/keynote-videos. The next wave in computing: the Microsoft HoloLens They can call in on HoloLens and the expert can see the problem through the engineer’s eyes