In the hopes of rejuvenating its foothold in the tablet market, Microsoft has announced a pair of new Surface-oriented devices that will make their way to retail starting next month.
The first device is the Surface Pro 2, which comes with an improvement to battery life, as well as a dual-angle kickstand for working in your lap or on a table. It also comes with a new Power Cover, which includes a built-in extended battery in case you’re running low on juice. The battery life now lasts 10 hours, meaning you can use it throughout your work day with ease. A secondary docking station will also be available, enabling its use as a sit-down laptop at your desk. It also comes with a number of USB ports, as well as an Ethernet port and 3.5mm audio in and out.
The second tablet, the Surface 2 (replacing the Surface RT), is equally impressive, with a lighter and thinner build than the original device. It has a longer battery life as well, and comes with a Tegra 4 chip set featuring 72 graphics cores, twice the WiFi speed of the original Surface, a USB 3.0 port and a full HD screen. It also comes with a built-in 3.5MP camera front-facing camera (and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera), and instant Skype connection.
Purchasers of these devices will have access to a free Skype International subscription for calls, as well as access to 200 GB on the cloud storage service SkyDrive for approximately two years’ time.
The Surface Pro 2 will come in 64GB and 128GB configuration while the Surface 2 will come with 256GB and 512GB configurations. Pricing is set to start at $449 for the Surface 2 and $899 for the Surface Pro 2, plus additional pricing for accessories. They will release on October 22nd.
Source: TechCrunch
