Microsoft and Blackberry cut Surface and Z10 prices

Microsoft and Blackberry have both cut prices on their flagship products in a bid to boost sales.



Microsoft dropped the price of the 32GB Surface RT to £279 from £400 in the UK, with the 64GB model's price down by the same amount to £359.



And in the US, Blackberry has cut the price of the Z10 phone to as low as $49 with a contract - down from $199 four months ago.



Both firms have developed the devices to show off their latest software.



And both have tried to compete with Apple, Google and Samsung on smartphones and tablets - with limited success.



"It's a big deal for both companies," Tony Cripps, a telecoms analyst at Ovum, told the BBC. "Competing with the Apples and Samsungs of this world is tough, and it's a difficult climate to put out high-end products when the market is so dominated by a couple of players."


In the US, the cheapest Surface tablet went down to $349 (£230) from $499.