Microsoft Surface

While the race in the mobile world continues, Microsoft seems to be getting its dominoes falling in the right place one after another. In June earlier this year, Steve Balmer announced the company’s first tablet device that will hit the market by the end of October to go head to head with the market leaders , the iPad and Galaxy Tab. Prepped with the latest and the world’s #1 operating system, Windows 8, Microsoft Surface, will be a game changer!

So what makes this tablet worth checking out; At the most basic, the Microsoft Surface line consists of a pair (for now) of 10.6″ tablets running Windows 8 or Windows RT (the ARM-friendly version of Windows 8).

Both tablets have a Gorilla Glass 2 display and magnesium casing that’s supposed to make for very stiff, sturdy hardware. Both come with an integrated kickstand for hands-free viewing of content or for use as a faux-laptop with the addition of a keyboard(that comes with a series of different colors). They both also have a full sized USB port as well as video out( we didn’t see that before on a  tablet).

The ARM-based, Windows RT model is running on an Nvidia Tegra chip, presumably the Tegra 3+ that is being using in other Windows 8 tablets. This model comes in 32GB & 64 GB configurations and is 9.3 mm thick and weighs 676 grams (about 24 ounces). It’s set to launch concurrently with Windows 8. No price given other than that it’ll be comparable with similar hardware.

The Pro model runs on an Intel Ivy Bridge i5 processor. The Pro comes in 64 GB and 128 GB configurations and is a bit larger than its little brother: 13.5 mm thick and 903 grams (about 32 ounces). It’ll ship a few months after the RT model and again, no price offered.

WE SAID THIS: This should be interesting! Microsoft is not going to let the banking on the tablet world just slide…