Microsoft announced this morning that consumers can now pre-order its Surface tablet, the latest mobile contender to Apple's iPad. Orders placed today will ship on Oct. 26, the same day a promotional blitz for the new tablet will hit 65 Microsoft stores, according to CNN.
The Surface will also go on sale in eight international locations.
At 10.6 inches, the Surface tablet is larger than the iPad or any of the 10.1 inch-mobile devices. However, the Surface display's resolution at 1280 x 720 pixels, is lower than that of the Apple iPad's Retina display resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels.
Available at Surface.com, it starts at $499 for a 32GB version, and $699 for the 64GB versions, compared to Apple's WiFi $499 16GB version and $599 64GB version. I'm making the WiFi-only comparison because there is no cellular service available for the Surface Tablet. That's right, it's WiFi-only.
But if you want a keypad it will cost another $119 for the Touch Cover keypad, which is only 3 mm deep. For real keys, you can purchase the Touch Cover for $129, or you can buy the $599 Surface/Touch Cover Bundle. The more expensive version comes with the Touch Cover, as reported by CNN.
The new tablet has a lot of great features which are sure to attract customers. They include 802.11N Mimo Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth 4.0, an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, dual microphones, stereo speakers, and two 720p cameras one on the front and one on the back.
It weighs in at 1.5 pounds, just slightly heavier than the iPad's 1.46. Other features include a full 2 GB of RAM, an HD-out port, a full-sized USB 2.0 port and a micro SD-slot, CNN reported.
The Surface's RT operating system is based on Windows 8, MicroSoft's new touch-friendly operating system, also scheduled for release on Oct. 26. Rumors have it that the iPad Mini will debut at a private event three days earlier.
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