Microsoft Surface Pro–coming in January…

So we finally have some initial specs and pricing for the upcoming release of the Surface Pro tablets. Basic specs include your choice of either a 64 or 128 GB SSD, i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 10.6 inch 1920x1080 10 point touch screen (this is higher resolution than the Surface RT, 1366 x 768), a Digitizer Pen for Pen input, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, 42E-h battery, (2) 720p front and rear facing cameras, microphone, stereo speakers, full-size USB 3.0 port, microSDXC card slot, Headset Jack, mini DisplayPort (that can output a 2560 x 1440 resolution), and the following sensors: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass.

Priced at $899 for the 64GB version and $999 for the 128GB version there are a couple things that concern me about this device. First and foremost is the short battery life. The Surface Team confirmed that it will get half of the 8-10 hour battery life that the Surface RT has. So at 4-5 hours that is really pretty poor for this type of device. Is is a powerful i5 Ivy Bridge processor so we should see good performance and with the unit only weighing in at less than 2 pounds, for many the battery life might not be an issue. However, I would have liked something between 7 or 8 hours to get one through a full day at work.

For a person on the go that wants the lightest computer  possible in a form factor that makes it great for doing intake data collection (medical) or a writer that is on the move this is something that might really work for you. I live with both my iPad and my Nexus 7 at my side pretty much 24x7. My phone is less of concern for me anymore since I have gotten a 7 inch tablet (I just slide the tablet in one of my pockets without a problem). It would have been nice if the keyboard had been included in the price but that will be something that you will need to add to your basket when you purchase this tablet. Also missing in this tablet is Microsoft Office, so you will need to add that back in as well.All in all if you are in need of tablet that will allow you to run your Windows 7 applications and want something that is light and in a tablet format then you may be a candidate for this version of the Surface.