Microsoft re-enters mobile hardware market

[Mitlov]

For the first time since the Zune HD, Microsoft is selling Microsoft-branded mobile hardware instead of just software on other people's hardware: the Microsoft Surface tablet.

Magnesium case
Gorilla glass 2.0
10.1" 1366x768 screen (Tegra 3 version running Windows RT) or 1920x1080 screen (Intel i5 version running Windows 8)
Weight of Tegra 3 version is comparable to the iPad; weight of i5 version is about 50% higher
Two USB ports (2.0 on the Tegra 3 version and 3.0 on the i5 version)
HDMI port
Integrated kickstand
Screen cover that doubles as a keyboard when laid out forward (can be purchased with either touch keys or physical keys)

Gallery here: Microsoft Surface with Windows RT hands-on pictures and video | The Verge

Thoughts?

[Mi An]

I'm curious about the same thing everyone is dying to know -- what protocol the smart cover keyboard uses to connect with. Is it wired? BT? I only read it was super thin and figured that wasn't the type of accessory you'd want to plug in often. Could it be the very first bluetooth 4 keyboard?

[Mitlov]

I'm curious about the same thing everyone is dying to know -- what protocol the smart cover keyboard uses to connect with. Is it wired? BT? I only read it was super thin and figured that wasn't the type of accessory you'd want to plug in often. Could it be the very first bluetooth 4 keyboard?

It's wired. If you look carefully, there's some sort of connector in the middle of the bar that attaches via magnets to the Surface.

Surface Touch Cover - Engadget Galleries

[r0k]

I'm very impressed with the keyboard cover. I've seen some third party bt keyboard covers for iPad and I'm surprised MS beat Apple to release one of these.

I use MS mice with my Macs all the time and I prefer them to any mouse Apple makes (or has ever made) so I expect these keyboards to be good quality. Now as for the OS on the surface. Well that's another matter altogether. I doubt I'll have much of an interest in either the RT or the Pro version of Windows 8. It's enough of a sacrifice for me to suffer with Windows at the office.

[Varjak]

There's more info in that first post than all of the Times's pieces. Good job. However, I also read somewhere that the Surface also included a card slot of some sort.

[Mitlov]

Yeah, there's a MicroSD card slot on the Surface RT and a MicroSDXT card slot on the Surface Pro. Here's an official spec sheet for both (note: some details of the original post were wrong, such as stating it was a 10.1" screen instead of the actual 10.6"):



Microsoft Surface Specs - Business Insider

[LandSurveyor]

I wonder if either one of these can be a replacement for a home desktop. I don't need the horsepower at home that I need for a work computer (which I still prefer to be a desktop - I have two 22" screens on my current one) but even if everything else is great, there's no substitute for a full-sized screen.

Yet I wonder if it wouldn't be a usable compromise given the portability. If the carriers start offering the promised shared data plans, it might finally crack the market for tablets open.

if an optical drive and a HD can be attached via USB and the usual suite of programs are fully functional AND if the device can to it all without bogging down, I might consider one. My XP is really showing its age.

[Hook]

If the carriers start offering the promised shared data plans, it might finally crack the market for tablets open..

One carrier did start offering the shared data plan, but the only thing it cracks open is your wallet!

Verizon Finally Unveils ''Share Everything'' Shared Data Plan Discussion

[Mi An]

iPad keyboards have been mostly a 3rd party affair. Android keyboards have been mostly an Asus affair. From memory, in addition to MS and Asus, I seem to recall someone else, maybe toshiba or someone pulling a similar 1st party offering on win8. I wonder if windows 8 tabs might increase activity in this area across all platforms. This reminds me of the early days of netbooks, when keyboards were practically unusable, until they finally settled into a near full keyboard size even when a bezel had to be added to the screen to even it all out. Now it's more a question of ease of docking and carrying, but I do see some progress for netbookers like myself looking to replace one with a tablet.

[NamelessPlayer]

I wonder if either one of these can be a replacement for a home desktop. I don't need the horsepower at home that I need for a work computer (which I still prefer to be a desktop - I have two 22" screens on my current one) but even if everything else is great, there's no substitute for a full-sized screen.

Yet I wonder if it wouldn't be a usable compromise given the portability. If the carriers start offering the promised shared data plans, it might finally crack the market for tablets open.

if an optical drive and a HD can be attached via USB and the usual suite of programs are fully functional AND if the device can to it all without bogging down, I might consider one. My XP is really showing its age.

If you don't need Crysis-crushing horsepower, the Pro version might just do the trick with the DisplayPort and USB 3.0 ports, so long as you can live with only one external monitor. After all, it's a full x86 IBM PC-compatible like all the Windows Tablet PCs we've seen to this day.

Anyway, the Pro version has definitely caught my interest, but there are a few make-or-break questions that remain unanswered:

-Great, there's an active pen digitizer, but is it Wacom, N-trig, or maybe some other digitizer brand we've never heard of? Wacom would be the best choice.

-1920x1080 resolution in a screen that size? I'm impressed, but is it outdoor-viewable? AFFS+ panels excel at that, but I haven't seen any of them with a resolution higher than 1280x800.

-Does the Type Cover have good tactile feedback? I'm pretty picky about my keyboards, being a mechanical keyboard fan and all, and it just seems too thin to be viable (unless they've only shown pics of the Touch Cover).