Technology Spectator
If you're looking for a poor man's notebook you might be disappointed, but there's actually more to Microsoft's Surface than meets the eye.
Microsoft is a latecomer to the consumer tablet revival but it's gone back to the drawing board with Windows 8, delivering a range of gadgets which are built from the ground up with touchscreens in mind. First out of the blocks were the new Window 8 touchscreen notebooks such as the Acer Aspire S7, but Microsoft's $559 Surface tablet presents a more intriguing taste of things to come.
The Surface sports a bright 10.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display which does an admirable job of handling outdoor glare. Hefted for weight it feels identical to Apple's original 9.7-inch iPad at 680 grams, but thinner and with a larger footprint. The taller 16:9 display also feels awkward in portrait mode if you're familiar with Apple tablets. The Surface feels more natural in landscape mode and has a built-in kickstand for resting on its side.
You wouldn't call it ugly, but the Surface is no sleek and slender fashion statement like the iPad 4 or petite iPad Mini. That's forgivable because, as is often Microsoft's way, the Surface puts substance before style. Turn it over in your hands and you'll find front and rear cameras, along with a micro-HDMI video output, full-sized USB2.0 port and micro-SDXC card slot to complement the 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. Such impressive connectivity options are a taste of the versatility to come as you delve into the Surface. You also enjoy access to 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, but there's no sign of 3G/4G cellular models at this stage.