In The News 2-27-15

Microsoft Offers Trade-In For Surface Pro

If you’d like to buy a Surface Pro 3 and own an older version of the tablet, Microsoft wants to make a deal. They’ll offer you up to $650 credit towards the purchase of the Surface Pro 3.

There’s a calculator for your trade-in value here.  It takes into account condition, accessories and what size hard drive your model has installed. For the life of me, I couldn’t get any configuration to add up to the $650 credit, but they were willing to offer $200 bucks for my first generation Surface Pro, while a first generation Surface RT with 32GB of storage and touch cover was only good for $84.  The offer is only good through Microsoft’s website.

The trade-in promotion runs through March 8, 2015.

Google’s Inbox Now Available For iPad

An iPad version of Google’s Inbox is now available for iPad users.  But there’s a catch, first you have to score an invite from Google to be one of the testers. You can e-mail inbox@google.com to request your invitation.

This app is designed to sort our email and only bother you with the most important messages. It bundles messages into groups and allows you just check the highlights. The app includes calendar reminders and reads through your e-mail, takes key information from the messages and adds additional information it feels you might be interested in. For example, if you e-mail a friend about a flight, it might include arrival times and the weather at the destination.  Right now, you need a Gmail account to use the app, but Google hopes to add other mail providers in the future.

  Fitbit Itch – It May Be Time To Take A Break

Some users of the Fitbit fitness tracker are reporting a rash on their wrists  The company recalled some models last year, but users of newer models are reporting the same issues.

The company thinks the itch is caused by the fact that users tend to leave the fitness tracker on on all the time and that sweat and soap can get under the device or that users could be wearing the band too tight and causing friction.  Fitbit suggests that users take a break from wearing the device for a few days.

~ Cynthia