The most popular stories on BetaNews this past week: May 18 -- May 24

It should come as no surprise that this week's big news was Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 unveiling. Brian had been looking forward to the NYC event and was at the event to get hands on with the new device. There's certainly a lot to love about Microsoft's third generation tablet, but there is that price to consider. If you like the look of what you see, the device is available for pre-order right now -- and if you're undecided between the Surface and a MacBook Air, Mihaita compared the two. Maybe you're one of those who thinks it’s a niche product.

The Surface Mini failed to make an appearance, but there are still lots of other tablets to choose from -- although they are yet to make much of an impression in higher education, unlike Chromebooks which have found their way into Welsh schools. Will Microsoft's tablet manage to attain the longevity of Apple's iPad? You'd be forgiven for thinking that hell itself had frozen over at the news that work is underway that will make it possible to run Android and iOS apps side by side on the same device.

Could Google kill off the Nexus brand as well as Google+ as well? Joe is among those who think it would be a bad idea. Following last week's "right to be forgotten" ruling, Google prepared an online tool to deal with requests and also managed to earn itself a 100 percent rating for protecting user data. Another 100 percent rating could be assigned to Norton after the company offered a guarantee that all viruses will be removed from the systems of Norton Small Business customers.

But of course there was plenty more going on as well. China upset Microsoft by slapping a ban on the use of Windows 8 on government PCs while German gamers were able to get their hands on Wolfenstein for the first time -- albeit a version free from Nazis. More censorship was to be found in the App Store where a marijuana growing game was shown the door. On the review front, I took a look at a touchscreen monitor that failed to win me over, and Brian played around with a PC with a difference.

The latest security problem found eBay telling it's user to reset their passwords after a database breach and it wasn't long before the company came under fire for the way things were handled. Security issues were found in the Outlook.com Android app which left emails and attachments easily accessible in unencrypted form. Online, Microsoft expanded its 22tracks music site, and Any.DO finally gained a web app.

Another week under our belts, here's to a restful weekend in preparation for another busy seven days.