Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 is better than Apple's MacBook Air -- here's 5 reasons why

Nowadays, if you buy a brand new laptop, it is hard to buy an absolute lemon. Unless you scrape the bottom of the barrel at Best Buy and get some god-awful $200 underpowered computer, you should be fine. Hell, even that inexpensive computer may meet some people's needs. However, some of us spend many hours of each day on a computer, so it makes sense to invest in something great. If you are reading BetaNews, I'm sure you fall into that category. If you ask me which computer to buy, I would recommend many (depending on budget), but two stand out among the rest. 
 

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and Apple MacBook Air are great balances between portability, power and cost. Yes, there are more powerful computers, but they are often very heavy and have terrible battery life. Portability cannot be underestimated when it comes to a laptop's value and both of these machines are super thin and light. Last month, my colleague Mihaita pondered the question of which was better based on specs alone. However, as someone who has used both, hands-on, for long periods of time, I am ready to definitively tell you that the Surface Pro 3 is better. Do you agree?

1.Screen Quality 

The MacBook Air 13.3-inch (the model I am using for comparison) uses a washed-out non-IPS display that simply looks horrendous by today's standards. It uses a 1,440 by 900 resolution that makes pixels easily visible. Apple usually makes great hardware, but the screen on the Air is simply not up to its normal standards. It also uses a 16:10 aspect ratio that just is not ideal for surfing the web. 

The Surface Pro 3 however, offers a gorgeous 2,160 x 1,440 resolution display with vibrant colors that hides pixels from the average eye. It even uses a 3:2 aspect ratio which is better suited for surfing the web. I smile every time I look at the beautiful display on the SP3. 

2.Touchscreen/Tablet 

Speaking of the screen, the Surface Pro 3 is also a touch-screen hybrid device that also serves as a tablet. This essentially kills two birds with one stone. Apple users will have to buy a MacBook Air and an iPad for the same experience found on SP3. This is a huge inconvenience for travelers that must pack two devices, two chargers and worry about keeping data synced between the two. 

Even in laptop mode, the touch screen comes in handy when sitting at a desk or table. Many people find a touchscreen on a laptop to be cumbersome and not ideal. True, you wouldn't want to use the touch screen exclusively at a desk, but having the option is better than not having it, and you'd be surprised at how many times I reach out and touch the SP3 display. The stylus is just icing on the cake. 

3.Weight 

The Surface Pro 3 without the Touch Keyboard attachment weighs 1.76 pounds. With it, it weighs 2.41 pounds. The 13.3-inch MBA? 2.96 pounds. Pretty much, Apple's machine weighs a half pound more -- that is significant.
But hold on, an iPad Air weighs 1 pound. So, to get a similar experience to the SP3, an Apple user would have to carry a MBA and iPad Air, which would weigh almost 4 pounds. This means your backpack or briefcase will weigh a pound and a half more with Apple's product. The Surface Pro 3 is so light, that I often have to check my backpack to see if I forgot it. 

4.More (and Better) Software 

I love both OS X and Windows 8.1. However, Windows has the edge, because it has more quality apps and programs. To take it a step further, programs are better too. Don't get me wrong, there is some fine software for Apple's OS, but for someone wanting to get work done, on the go, it is no comparison. Office 2013 is far superior to Office 2011. 

But wait you say, that's not fair because Microsoft makes Office, right? OK, fair enough. I encourage you to read this article that lists suggested apps and programs for the Surface Pro 3. You will see many selections, not only from Microsoft, that blows away the offerings on OS X. 

5.Price

Some people will say the MacBook Air is less expensive, but that is debatable. A Surface Pro 3 with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and Type Cover would cost $1430. A 13.3-inch MacBook Air in the same configuration would cost $1300. 

So, the MacBook Air is cheaper right? Not so fast. You still do not have a tablet. To get the same features from Apple you also have to buy an iPad Air at $499. This means going Apple would cost an extra $370 and you would be juggling two device -- ouch! 

Conclusion
Overall, both the Surface Pro 3 and MacBook Air are great laptops -- the Surface Pro 3 is simply better. For the money, you are getting more features and access to more apps and programs. Even though the MBA overall is solid, the fact that Apple in 2014 can sell its customers a laptop without a touchscreen is beyond me. Not to mention, the display quality is so poor in comparison to the Surface Pro 3, that it is hard to believe they are both being sold in the same year. As someone who has spent a lot of time with the Surface Pro 3, I can assure you it is the real deal. 

The MacBook Air had a long run as the king of thin and laptops, but now it must be said -- All hail the new king, Surface Pro 3! 

‘Jump Street’, ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ at top 2 spots

Sequels ruled the cineplex this weekend as young cops and a young dragon duked it out at the box office. 

"22 Jump Street”,  the follow-up to the 2012 comedy, scored a surprise win at theaters with $60 million, according to studio estimates from box office crunchers Rentrak. 

The debut exceeded the projections of analysts, who expected a neck-and-neck race between "Street"and the animated comedy "How to Train Your Dragon 2."Both were expected to collect about $50 million. 

But audiences were in the mood for a laugh. "Neighbors"marked the last broad comedy of summer, and that came out more than a month ago. Since then, moviegoers got a steady diet of action and drama. 

"Street"hit the funny bone of critics and fans, earning an 83 percent approval rating from critics, says Rotten Tomatoes. According to Cinemascore, audiences gave it a collective A-minus. 

"Dragon"was no slouch, taking second place. And it could have legs, thanks to reviews and word of mouth. About 92 percent of critics gave that movie a thumbs-up, while audiences gave it a straight A. 

 
Both films also ended the two-week run of original films ruling the box office. Along with "Maleficent,"the teen drama "Fault in Our Stars"topped theaters. Still, analysts say, studios did sequels right this time. 

"Hollywood may be mostly out of ideas,"says Reagan Sulewski, analyst for Box Office Prophets. "But the ideas they’re reusing, at least this weekend, are pretty strong.” 

"Maleficent"was third with $19 million, followed by the Tom Cruise action film "Edge of Tomorrow"with $16.2 million. "Stars"rounded out the top five with $15.7 million.

Happy Father’s Day : Save up to 50% off movie backup tool from Pavtube

What dad really wants for Father's Day? Save up to 50% movie backup software for dad! 


  
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. 

While 2014 Father’s Day is nearly here, it's time to show your appreciation to thank the man who most shaped your life! Have you prepared something for your beloved Daddy yet? But do you want to make a unique gift that will be truly memorable? 

Why don't you take a look at Pavtube Father's Day Speical Offers?

https://www.facebook.com/pavtubefans?sk=app_201742856511228&ref=s

To celebrate Father’s Day together with you, Pavtube Studio now offering up to 50% off software as the 2014 Father’s Day Special Gifts. Backup your dad's favorite Blu-ray/DVD movie to IOS/Android gadgets, HD TV, home theatre or game console. Even better you can make a father's day video for your beloved dad on your own! It’s more precious than just picking up something on store casually! 

Like our Facbook page to get it Now! Expires on June 21, 2014. Never miss it!

https://www.facebook.com/pavtubefans?sk=app_201742856511228&ref=s

The Rover review – an Australian road movie that runs out of road

Robert Pattinson proves his acting chops in David Michod's mysterious follow-up to Animal Kingdom – it's just a shame it squanders its early promise. 

 

 
It’s time to put away those Robert Pattinson jokes – the kid can act. He showed more attachment to the elephant in Water for Elephants than co-star Reese Witherspoon, but then he probably knew better how it felt:Twilight turned him into the most gawped at mammal on the planet. He cut like a blade through the first film, cheekbones set to stun, as pale as a rock star in recovery, summoning a palpable sense of threat. 

The series emasculated Edward as it wore on, shoving him to the side of the action, while Bella grew increasingly impatient – it was the only vampire series in which the vampires were afraid of the virgins, and exploited Pattinson’s greatest flaw as an actor: his passivity. He was coolly dissipated in David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis, as a megastar essaying the end of the world in blacked-out limo shades, but the film, and the role, both stayed well within the confines of the comfortably numb. In his new film, The Rover, Pattinson tries a different tack in his pursuit of a world seen without yellow contact lenses: he acts his socks off. 

When we first see him, he is face down in the Australian outback, bleeding out into the dirt. He’s been abandoned by his brother (Scoot McNairy), who heads up a gang of thugs making their getaway in a truck, with another member bleeding in the back. What they have done, or even who they are, is never made clear. The film, directed by David Michod, is set “10 years after the collapse”, in a future where resources like petrol and water have gone much the same place as the world’s reserves of narrative exposition. 

The whole thing is told in the mythic-elliptic style first pioneered in the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone and later retrofitted as pulp by George Miller in the Mad Max films, where the post-apocalypse means never having to explain yourself. This movie gives nothing up. 

So we never find out the exact circumstances that led to Pattinson being left for dead, or why he is speaking in a southern white trash accent, while everyone else speaks Australian, or why he is being hunted by squadron of American soldiers. Did he desert? What is important is that he crosses paths with Guy Pearce, about whom we know even less, except that a) he never cracks a smile, b) he looks pissed even before the gang make off with his car, and c) he wants it back. That’s how mythic he is: his character is carved out in the dust cloud left by his actions. He’s the Man With No Ride Home. 

Can’t wait to own great DVDs/BDs on week on June 9, 2014

Top1: Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey (2014 TV Series)

DVD and Blu-ray
    

   
A documentary series that explores how we discovered the laws of nature and found our coordinates in space and time. (60 mins.)

Stars: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stoney Emshwiller, Piotr Michael 

Top2: Non-Stop (2014) 
DVD, Blu-ray and Amazon Instant Video 
 

 
An air marshal springs into action during a transatlantic flight after receiving a series of text messages that put his fellow passengers at risk unless the airline transfers $150 million into an off-shore account. (106 mins.)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Stars: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery

Top3: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) 
DVD, Blu-ray and Amazon Instant Video
 

 
Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. (105 mins.)

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Stars: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh

Top4: Ray Donovan (2013 TV Series) 
DVD, Blu-ray and Amazon Instant Video
 

 
Ray Donovan, a professional "fixer" for the rich and famous in LA, can make anyone's problems disappear except those created by his own family. (60 mins.)

Stars: Devon Bagby, Liev Schreiber, Paula Malcomson, Kerris Dorsey

Top5: Resurrection (2014 TV Series) 
DVD and Amazon Instant Video
 

 
The lives of the people of Arcadia, Missouri, are forever changed when their deceased loved ones return. (43 mins.)

Stars: Omar Epps, Frances Fisher, Matt Craven, Devin Kelley

Top6: Klondike (2014 Mini-Series) 
DVD and Blu-ray
 

 
The lives of two childhood best friends, Bill and Epstein, in the late 1890s as they flock to the gold rush capital in the untamed Yukon Territory... (274 mins.)

Stars: Abbie Cornish, Marton Csokas, Ian Hart, Greg Lawson

Top7: All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Blu-ray and DVD Combo
 

 
An upper-class widow falls in love with a much younger, down-to-earth nurseryman, much to the disapproval of her children and criticism of her country club peers. (89 mins.)

Director: Douglas Sirk

Stars: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead,Conrad Nagel

Top8: A Short History of Decay (2014) 
DVD and Amazon Instant Video
 

 
A comedy from an original script by Michael Maren, about a failed Brooklyn writer, Nathan Fisher, played by Bryan Greenberg... (94 mins.)

Director: Michael Maren

Stars: Emmanuelle Chriqui, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Bryan Greenberg, Linda Lavin

See the titles new on Blu-ray and DVD this week. And hope you have fun! If you want to more comfortable, you can transffer thses DVDs and Blu-rays to your all devices and enjoy it everytime everywhere! More details you can know from : http://www.multipelife.com/

Film Review: ‘Burning Blue’

 
Top guns in love struggle against institutional homophobia in a tone-deaf melodrama well past its sell-by date. 

When Quentin Tarantino riffed on the homoeroticism of “Top Gun” in his famous cameo from the otherwise forgotten 1994 indie “Sleep With Me,” little could he have known that, two decades later, the LGBT community would get a fighter-jock opus to call its very own. Optimistically dubbed “Brokeback Top Gun” in some quarters of the Internet, writer-director DMW Greer’s “Burning Blue” certainly harbors such outsized ambitions, but they’re poorly matched by Greer’s leaden direction and a didactic screenplay about the tortured lives of military personnel living in the shadow of President Clinton’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Bearing a distinctly musty odor confirmed by its 2011 copyright date, this day-and-date Lionsgate pickup never achieves dramatic liftoff.

Poorly concealing its origins as a stage play (first produced in London in 1995), “Burning Blue” unfolds mostly as a series of stilted, talky scenes set in and around a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier where a couple of hotshot pilots find themselves getting too close for Uncle Sam’s comfort, in and out of the cockpit. To all outward appearances, Lts. Daniel Lynch (Trent Ford) and Matthew Blackwood (Rob Mayes) are a couple of straightlaced — and straight — young recruits with loyal wives/girlfriends waiting for them at home and, if they play their cards right, a couple of highly competitive slots at the Navy’s Test Pilot School. But all those smoldering glances Lynch keeps trading with the guitar-strumming Blackwood in their shared barracks come to a head during a night of shore leave in New York that begins like “On the Town” and ends up somewhere close to “Cruising.”

Greer, who was a Navy chopper pilot himself, certainly deserves credit for wanting to shine a light on the difficult lives of LGBT servicemen working in a climate of thinly veiled persecution — a situation, an end title card informs, that has only marginally improved since the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2011. But good intentions don’t count for much in art, especially when Greer muddies his own with a fairly ludicrous subplot involving a dogged NCIS investigator who suspects that a “gay cult” may be responsible for three seemingly unrelated fatal flight accidents (the implication being that a gay soldier would rather crash and burn than risk being outed).

It doesn’t help matters that Ford and Mayes both seem to have been chiseled from the same block of wood, with no fairy godmother around to turn them into real live boys. Even if they did, they’d still have to speak or react to dialogue like “Taxpayers get nervous if they start hearing their warriors sniveling” and “We are warriors paid to defend the country, not spill our guts and frolic in the daisies” — a mission that might have stymied even Laurence Olivier.

Given its subject matter, “Burning Blue” turns out to be a surprisingly chaste affair, though nearly all of the actors — even those playing allegedly straight characters — seem to have been directed by Greer to leer at one another with the intensity of sex-starved Victorian maidens. Of the principals, only William Lee Scott shows signs of a real personality as a coy Southern pilot who doesn’t ask or tell, but always seems to be one step ahead of the game. Staged with a complete lack of visual energy, the pic manages to make even its occasional shots of fighter jets in flight about as exciting as a minivan rounding a corner.

Film Review: 'Burning Blue' 

Reviewed on VOD, New York, June 6, 2014. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 104 MIN. 

Production
A Lionsgate release of an Articulated Pictures production in association with Harbor Picture Co. Produced by Andrew Halliday, DMW Greer, Arthur J. Kelleher. Executive producers, John Hadity, Mike Harrop, Sig De Miguel, Stephen Vincent. Co-producers, Lester Petracca, Nicholas Petracca, Michael Sirow, Andrew Tobias. 
Crew
Directed by DMW Greer. Screenplay, Greer, Helene Kvale, based on the play by Greer. Camera (color), Frederic Fasano; editor, Bill Henry; music, James Lavino; music supervisor, Ruy Garcia; production designer, Robert Savina; art director, Jack Ryan; costume designer, Amy Lynn Zwart; sound, Mikhail Sterkin; sound designer/supervising sound editor, Marshall Grupp; re-recording mixers, Cory Melious, Tony Volante; associate producers, Rick Buhr, Dan Critchett, Michael Nutt; line producer, Kamen Velkovsky; visual effects supervisor, David Isyomin; visual effects, & Company; stunt coordinator, Manny Siverio; assistant directors, Daniel Lulgo, Shahrzad Davani, Thomas R. Kazansky; second unit camera, Erin Henning; casting, Sig De Miguel, Stephen Vincent.

With
Trent Ford, Morgan Spector, Rob Mayes, William Lee Scott, Cotter Smith, Michael Cumpsty, Michael Sirow, Mark Doherty, Chris Chalk, Tracy Weiler, Gwynneth Bensen, Jordan Dean, Johnny Hopkins, Haviland Morris, Karolina Muller, Dylan Rafferty Brown, Tammy Blanchard. 

Rip 3D Blu-ray disks to SBS MP4 for playback on ATV 3 on Mac

“Our family are all movie fans. My questions is that is there any software can rip 3D Blu-ray disks to SBS MP4 watching on an apple TV and can do home videos?” 

To answer the question above: 
  
As one of the best BD/DVD disc handling tools on the market, Pavtube 3D BDMagic for Mac would be the suitable application to do so. It is capable of ripping 2D/3D Blu-rays to side-by-side (also known as Left/Right 3D mode) 3D formats with good results, like MKV, MP4, MOV, AVI and WMV. 
  
The contents below guide you through the process of copying 3D Blu-rays to MP4 movies in side-by-side 3D format for playback on ATV 3 on Mac. 

Guide: How to rip Blu-ray disks to SBS MP4 for playback on ATV 3 on Mac ?
  
Step 1: Install and launch the latest Pavtube 3D BDMagic onto your computer; then click "Load files" to import Blu-ray, Blu-ray ISO/IFO or Blu-ray/DVD folder. Choose subtitle, language or forced subtitles in the main interface. 

Step 2: From the Format bar, find "3D Video" catalogue, you will find several presets for Side-by-Side 3D, Top-Bottom 3D and Anaglyph 3D. You can choose the one according to your device specification. MP4 is usually the recommended one. 

   
Step 3: Click "Settings" to adjust bitrate, frame rate, 3D mode and depth according to your own need.

Tip: If you want to rip Blu-ray movies with multiple audio tracks and subtitle sincluded, Pavtube ByteCopy is the best choice. Besides output good 3D effect, it is also able to encode the original soundtracks into 5.1 channels with your wanted language.



Step 4: Hit the "Convert" button to rip your Blu-ray movies to SBS 3D MP4 video for 3D TV. When it finishes, click the "Open" option to locate the created 3D video and transfer your 3D Blu-ray movie to 3D TV for entertainment. 

What’s more? What Apple TV Supports
There are some others, but the core ones we care about are:
Containers - MP4
Video Codecs - h264
Audio Codecs - AAC, AC-3 (via passthrough) 

After conversion, you can stream the SBS MP4 filse to you ATV 3 on Mac. In actually, If you want to rip 3D for the true 3D effect, you can read:Convert DVD to Side-by-Side 3D MP4 for playing with TV on Mac
  
Announcement:

Aiming to improve customers' experience and product improvements, Pavtube Studio recently launched its new official website - multipelife.com.Along with the new website, Pavtube has migrated its all BD/DVD Copying & Ripping software products to the new site with some brand new names, fantastic discounts waiting for you:

Blu-ray Ripper (Windows/Mac) -> BDMagic (Windows/Mac)
 
More detailed information is published on prweb.com.
  
See also: 
Convert 3D MKV movie files to 3D MP4 files on your 3D devices
Play Blu-ray with 3D TrueHD audio using home theater projector
Watch Blu-ray/DVDs and HD Videos on Alcatel OneTouch Pixi 7 Tablet
Rip 2D Blu-rays to side-by-side 3D MP4 or MKV for playing on a 3D TV
Convert Blu-ray to Samsung Smart TV?
watch rental 3D Blu-ray Movies on iPad/iPhone/iPod without Any Time Limit