![]() ![]() It's around the back that one of the most distinctive hardware features is found - the kickstand. When combined with either of the keyboards that Microsoft offers at launch, this becomes a surprisingly capable laptop replacement. Its 1.5 pounds means it hits the scales at 0.1 pounds greater than the latest iPad, but for some reason it feels heavier still. Full dimensions are 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37 inches (275 x 172 x 9.4mm), considerably wider and taller than the new iPad, but only 0.2mm thicker - not bad, considering you get that full-sized USB port out of the equation. Finally, tucked behind the fold-out kickstand on the rear is a microSDXC port, which means near-infinitely expandable storage is just one tiny little chip away.įitting all those ports means this slate is on the large side, and not just because of the display. On the left side is the 3.5mm headphone jack positioned just above a volume rocker. Up top you'll find a pair of microphones along with the power button, which can be found toward the right edge. Then comes the right speaker, with its mate to be found over on the other side. We can't help but be slightly disappointed it isn't USB 3.0, but having this port is incredibly useful - as is the micro-HDMI connector that sits above. Microsoft's option requires a good bit more precision and doesn't hold nearly as tightly.įollowing up the right edge the next port you'll find is a full-size USB 2.0 connector that's ready and waiting for thumb drives, keyboards, hubs, mice and anything else you can throw at it. With MagSafe it seems like if you get the plug anywhere near the connector the two pull themselves together. We do, though, wish that connector was a bit more grabby. ![]() It's here that the device's AC adapter plugs in, that custom plug meaning you'll have to bring it with you whenever you hit the road, but this does at least mean it pushes more juice through than your average USB connector and therefore charges faster. On the lower-right is another, similar but incompatible magnetic connector, this one with only five pins. It has six contacts, providing power and data connectivity for Microsoft's first-party keyboard covers and, hopefully, more peripherals down the road. The first, and biggest, is on the bottom of the tablet. That rim around the edge is perforated in many places, much more than your average tablet, including two new proprietary magnetic connectors. As we saw when we got to go behind the scenes of the device's design and development, that 16:9 display and size were custom-crafted to make the most of Windows RT's ideal orientation and, as we'll detail in the next section, the quality of this panel mostly makes up for its relative lack of resolution. In fact, its display clocks in at 10.6 inches, nearly a full notch greater than the new iPad, but its resolution is far lower, at just 1,366 x 768. This inclination makes for a very reassuring feel when walking around carrying this tablet under one arm, and also gives room for a display that is slightly larger than your average 9.7- or 10.1-inch slates. The material feels amazing in the hand and here it's used to create a structure that is quite complex, flat on the front and back of course but with the sides angling outward, connecting a facade slightly wider than the rear. It's constructed using Microsoft's Vapor Mg process, which relies on vapor deposition to create this distinctive tactility, which we found ourselves quite drawn to. The exterior of the slate is a cool, matte surface that looks dark and feels quite strong and durable. Is this, the Surface for Windows RT, good enough to erase decades of mediocre touchscreen Windows devices? Will it help Microsoft and its latest operating systems float up to the top of the tablet hierarchy? Your answers lie just below the break. It's a very apt definition for what Microsoft is doing, attempting to go from zero to hero on the tablet hardware front in just one shot. ![]() That is, the verb: to rise up - for something to appear that was not there before. This new Surface device could be said to relate more closely to the active form of the word in question. That device lives on as PixelSense, thus putting a period at the end of one definition of the word, a definition Microsoft kindly requests we put behind us as we move on to something that is wholly different. It marked the repurposing of a name that was already quite familiar to us - though in the guise of a big table. When Microsoft unveiled its Surface tablets with a flashy, top secret Los Angeles event, it didn't just mark the beginning of a new (and utterly critical) phase for the history of the company. ![]()
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