Smartphones, tablets and connected bracelets: it’s a busy fall for Microsoft

Windows 10 in your pocket: The Lumia 520, like 30 other models, will soon use Windows 10.

According to Chinese website WPDang, two high-end smartphones using Windows 10, a new Surface Pro tablet and a Band 2 bracelet could all be presented by Microsoft at a special event in October.

Lumia 940 and 940 XL

The most spectacular announcement should concern two high-end smartphones, codenamed "Talkman" and "Cityman," which will be the very first to operate using Windows 10. They should turn out to be the Lumia 940 and 940 XL, at 5.2in (1,920 x 1,080p) and 5.7in (2,560 x 1,440p) respectively. As far as photos go, these smartphones are expected to come equipped with a 20-megapixel camera (new generation PureView) and a 5-megapixel camera (with Flash LED), both equipped with retina scanners to identify users. These phones should come out just in time for the holidays, and in the aftermath, several more Lumia phones should begin using Windows 10 as well.

Surface Pro 4

Microsoft could also use this event to present a new Surface Pro 4 tablet, a follow-up to the Surface Pro 3 that had been presented, in media demos and comparative advertisements, as an alternative to thin and light notebooks, especially the MacBook Air. The new Surface Pro will obviously use Windows 10 and should house a new generation of Intel processor for increased performance.

Band 2

There's a chance Microsoft could also introduce a successor to Band, its connected bracelet. The first generation was equipped with 10 sensors capable of collecting all sorts of data, such as heart rate, number of steps, calories burned, etc. Connected to a smartphone, it also shows notifications for phone calls, text messages, e-mails, social media and weather. It is also fully compatible with Cortana, Microsoft's virtual assistant.

Microsoft seems to prefer hosting a special event to present these three new gadgets instead of introducing them at the IFA in Berlin in September, where the brand will nonetheless have a major presence. — AFP Relaxnews