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Microsoft Surface deliveries delayed in UK, sold out in US



Microsoft Surface deliveries delayed in UK, sold out in US

Online orders of the Microsoft Surface RT tablet have been delayed by a week in the UK, with deliveries now coming on November 2.

The Verge reports that stock of the Windows 8 tablet may be being held at UK custom, meaning a slip from the original on sale date of October 26.

Those who pre-ordered the device have received an email confirming the delay: "The release date for the preorder product has changed," it reads.

"The product listed below will now be available on 02 November 2012."

Three week wait in the US

Beyond the delay for UK buyers, those in the US have snapped up all available pre-order stock and the 32GB and 64GB versions of the ARM-based tablet are now listed as "sold out."

Those ordering Stateside now face a three week delay while supplies are replenished.













Facebook to host Nov. 1 Gifts event at FAO Schwarz in New York City



Facebook to host Nov. 1 Gifts event at FAO Schwarz in New York City

Facebook new and improved Gifts has rolled out to a small number of users so far, but that's likely to change at the top of next month, when the social network site holds a Gift-focused event in New York City.

Facebook's press event is scheduled to take place on Nov. 1 in the home of high-end toys, FAO Schwarz.

Yes, that's the same Fifth Avenue retailer at which Tom Hanks danced to songs on a giant floor piano.

While there's no word as to whether or not Mark Zuckerberg will perform "Heart & Soul" and "Chopsticks" on the famous keyboard, the Facebook CEO should go into great detail about the new physical gift-giving program.

Ho-ho-ho

Facebook Gifts is expected to get a big push ahead of the holidays, as it's seen as a new way for the company to make money on mobile platforms (we've never written that sentence before).

More than half of its traffic accesses the site from mobile's hard-to-advertise-on screens.

Partners like Starbucks, Happy Socks, The Honest Company and Cheryl's Cookies by 1800 Flowers are also hoping to benefit from the new giving-and-receiving initiative and the now-one billion users who populate Facebook.

Facebook 'Questions' will go unanswered

With the advent of one new product comes with the demise of another: Facebook Questions for users.

A Facebook representative confirmed to TechRadar that the company is retiring its user-based questions-and-answers feature to "focus efforts elsewhere."

"Pages and Groups will still be able to ask Questions," noted the Facebook representative. "People will also still have access to their old questions via timeline."

This comes at a time when there are more than a dozen question and answer competitors out there.

The most notable rival is Quora, which, interestingly, was started by two former Facebook employees, Adam D'Angelo and Charlie Cheever.













Nintendo offers convoluted solution for Wii U in-game voice chat



Nintendo offers convoluted solution for Wii U in-game voice chat

Early Nintendo Wii U adopters will be able to voice chat within games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 but not without embracing a convoluted solution.

Nintendo has confirmed that voice chat will be available only on some games, but players will require a licensed wired headset, plugged into the touchscreen GamePad, with no wireless solutions on the horizon.

To complicate matters further, the company's Xbox-style Pro Controller, which will be used for games like Black Ops 2 and Mass Effect III does not have a port for a headset and does not feature a microphone.

This means Wii U gamers will need to plug the headset into the GamePad - they otherwise would not be using - in order to chat in-game with other players. Hardly ideal.

No wireless options?

Both controllers are Bluetooth ready, meaning wireless headsets are possible, but Nintendo has yet to hint at any plans to introduce them.

So far, the only three games confirmed with voice chat for online play are Black Ops 2, Mass Effect III and Assassins Creed III.

The Nintendo Wii U is launched in the UK and the US on November 30 and is available to pre-order now.










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