Microsoft hasn't said too much about its upcoming Surface Pro tablet; the company hasn't even commented on a release date for the tablet - but that all changes today. The Surface Pro release is just "weeks" away, according to a tweet from Microsoft.
"On my way to the factory to check out #Surface Pro coming off the line...arriving in the coming weeks," tweeted Panos Panay, general manager of Microsoft's Surface products.
This shouldn't come as a surprise for anyone that's kept up with all the drama surrounding Microsoft and its Surface tablets. When Microsoft launched its first ever tablet device, the Surface RT, last fall the company announced that the Windows 8 Pro iteration would be released around 90 days later. With the RT released on Oct. 26, the suggested 90-day mark is almost here.
The Surface Pro has a 10.6-inch Clear type Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen with 16:9 widescreen. That means they are among the biggest tablets in the market. If you are not satisfied with the typical 10.1-inch tablet, you can go for the Surface tablet. Along with the touch keyboards with the device, you can turn the machine into a small notebook.
The Surface Pro tablet comes with five Touch Covers. Different from typical keyboards, the Surface keypads provide a smoother typing experience thanks to their touch-based surface. The 3mm Touch Cover can be connected to your Surface tablet with a single magnetic click, so, now you can type text and send messages quite easily.
Surface Pro tablets mount both front and rear cameras. The front camera, named life cam by Microsoft, makes the tablet ideal for video chatting through Skype or other services. Using the rear camera, you can capture images and video clips.
Microsoft puts forward better memory options with the Surface tablets. The device comes in a 64GB version for $899, and a 128GB version for $999. You can also expand the memory using external memory sticks thanks to microSD card slot.
The Surface Pro packs an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, the same fast Core Series chip found in Windows 8 laptops. While the new Intel Ivy Bridge no doubt adds to the Surface Pro's purported impressive speed and smooth handling, as CNET notes, that power comes at a cost to the overall battery life of the device.
"Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are powerful but that power comes at a price. Even the most power-efficient Ivy Bridge chips cannot match the battery life of devices sporting ARM processors, like the iPad -- or Surface RT, for that matter," wrote CNET.
The Surface's tablet housing features a revolutionary kickstand. Along with fully functioning keyboard and track-pad, the integrated kickstand helps you place the gadget in both portrait or landscape modes.
The Pro version weighs a little more, has a larger solid-state hard drive, and has a higher resolution screen than the RT. "Because it can run full-blown Windows 8, the Surface Pro is as much a laptop, ready for serious productivity and entertainment duty, as it is a traditional tablet," explains CNET.
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