SURFACE RT USER GUIDE FULL

The big difference lies in the pressure-sensitive film keyboard on the inside of the Touch Cover. It's made of a synthetic material that protects the screen from fingerprints and even small amounts of liquid.

The Touch Cover resembles an Apple iPad Smart Cover, in that it protects the screen, and also puts it to sleep and wakes its up by closing and opening the cover. Our review unit is the $699 top-of-the-line version from Microsoft, which includes a Surface Touch Cover. The Surface measures roughly 7 by 11 by 0.37 inches (HWD), making it smaller than the Apple MacBook Air 11-inch, but a smidge longer than the current Apple iPad. The Surface certainly looks like the prototypical 'Post-PC' device: Its tapered and squared off sides make it look more like a prop from the Avengers than one of the rounded tablets on the market right now. This is the conundrum we find ourselves in while we look at Microsoft's first true computing device. However, since the tablet uses Windows RT and a more economical ARM processor, the Surface isn't compatible with the majority of existing software made for Windows 7 and XP. The Surface has the same user interface as upcoming Windows 8 laptops and tablets, thanks to Microsoft's Windows RT operating system.

SURFACE RT USER GUIDE FULL

Plus, it has an ace in the hole that makes it feel like a 'real computer': The Surface comes with a full copy of Microsoft Office 2013 (Home and Student Edition). As is, it's aimed at users that want to do more than simply consuming media and websites, with innovative keyboard covers that make some of the more expensive Windows 8 tablets' docking solutions look absolutely clunky by comparison. Priced to compete with the Apple iPad, the Surface tablet with 64GB of storage comes with a 10.6-inch, five-point multi-touch screen. The Microsoft Surface with Windows RT ($699 as tested) is Microsoft's first entry into the wild world of tablets.

Surface rt user guide