A cellular Nokia-manufactured Windows RT tablet may land early next year, 'sources familiar with' the company's plans told The Verge. Unique to the device is a "battery-equipped cover" that acts as both a kickstand and keyboard, akin to the Microsoft Surface. The battery will reportedly last for ten hours, accompanying two USB ports, an HDMI slot, and a 10.1-inch screen. Expect support from AT&T out of the gate. An official announcement is forthcoming during the Mobile World Congress.
The Surface RT, which runs the same operating system as the upcoming Nokia tablet, has been criticized for its limited app marketplace. But, as the saying goes, the apps appear wherever consumers flock, so if Windows RT devices take off in 2013, there is a good chance that Microsoft's ecosystem will evolve in lockstep with user adoption.
Nokia's device sports a display just 0.5-inches shy of the Surface's 10.6-inch screen. Other Surface RT specs include a 1366x768 HD resolution, a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, 2BG RAM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 5-point multi-touch, and 8 hours of battery life. The Surface Pro, a premium version of the device releases into the wild in January, with improved specs that include a 64-bit Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, an upgraded display with 1920x1080 HD resolution, built-in sBitLocker encryption security, USB 3.0, a headset and cover port, a microSDXC card slot, a Mini DisplayPort, and "full digitizer and ink support with Palm Block technology." The Surface team announced on Twitter that the Pro will have "approximately half the battery life of the Surface RT."
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