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Unboxing Microsoft's Surface tablet

Beauty is certainly skin deep

Unboxing Microsoft's Surface tablet
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If I'm completely honest, I'm not sure why I decided to buy at Microsoft Surface tablet.

I'm certainly not a Microsoft or a Windows fan, and with various Android tablets, a Kindle Fire HD, BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad, I'm not in need of more tablets either.

Nevertheless, I now have a Surface.

And that's great news, because it's far-and-away my favourite. But that's another story for another article.

Let's just settled down with some pretty unboxing photos.


Amazingly, Surface comes in a box; a box you slide out from another box. It runs Windows 8 RT.


I got a white Touch Cover too. It comes in a transparent box, neatly packaged within some recycled card.


This is the white Touch Cover out of its box.


Down to business. Opening the Surface box, we find a Surface tablet and a power plug and cable.


It's a simple puzzle - only 2 pieces.


Lovely, the power cable is ready to go - one pointy end into the mains and the magnetic end to clip into the Surface.


Small instruction manual. Always useful.


Covered in shiny plastic film, I have picked up my Surface out of the box. It is surprisingly long and thin.


Holding the Surface in my bare hands, the molded magnesium VaporMG casing is very smooth, while the matt finish suggests high end electronics.


On the back of the kickstand is a lightly etched Windows logo. It's the only marking on the Surface's back. You can also see the connector for the Touch Cover.


The Surface is solid to hold, thin but not ridiculously so like the current iPads. It's also nicely bulky - not that it's big, but it's incredibly well built. The quality is clear to feel. Here you can see the tolerance on the kickstand, alongside the power connector, which is slightly recessed.


Now it looks like a stealth fighter. Can you spot the USB port, HD video out, one speaker and around the corner, the power button?


I love that hinge. (And the one on the other side.) The kickstand opens and closes with a lovely clunk.


More ports: volume, headphone jack and one speaker.


Okay, let's actually switch it on - kickstand in operation btw.


I've skipped several set up steps in terms of logging in Microsoft services, setting up email, social networks etc, but this is what your Metro Start screen might look like. (I've obscured my email in the top right corner, if you were wondering what that was.)


So, let's clip on the Touch Cover, which also acts as a cover. Amazing.


Arty close up.


Arty wide angle. <3

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.