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"Despite its global reach, Microsoft has slowly faded into the shadows of innovation, leaving only memories of its glory days that were Windows XP. Microsoft has struggled to play catch-up in a playground full of &amp;quot;cool&amp;quot; kids, all flaunting their trend-setting exteriors and intelligent, powerful technology. The company put up a fight with the Surface RT last year, but it wasn&amp;#039;t enough to beat off stronger rivals. This month Microsoft makes its boldest move yet in the tablet market, with the Surface Pro finally coming to the UK on May 23 after a relatively successful start in the US - but can the momentum translate across the Atlantic?  Design The Surface Pro has a definite &amp;#039;wow&amp;#039; factor on first sight - it&amp;#039;s slick, it&amp;#039;s modern, it&amp;#039;s glossy. You&amp;#039;ll be forgiven for feeling deja-vu somewhat, as the black VaporMg case is continued from the Surface RT design to make the Pro as light as possible. Unfortunately, this isn&amp;#039;t enough to lighten the load for the Pro, as it is actually 0.5lbs heavier than its predecessor. Most competitors also weigh-in lighter, making it a distinct downside for outside use. However, we believe the unique features compensate for its weight, especially as the model we&amp;#039;re testing has 128GB. On the plus side, the 2lbs that make up the Pro are evenly distributed, making it comfortable on your lap. Surface Pro is also thicker than the RT at 13.5mm and 9.3mm respectively, which isn&amp;#039;t much to grovel about, as it doesn&amp;#039;t stand out as chunky or oversized, but something to work on in the future nevertheless. A flip-out stand is attached to the back with a Windows logo proudly stamped on - much like the design of the Surface RT - giving the Pro a laptop feel for professional tasks. Adjustability would have been a nice touch as the view can be uncomfortable after sometime for the taller among us.  Hardware/Performance From the moment you click the on button, the Surface Pro boots up quickly. Pro is packing a 3rd Generation Intel Core i5 Processor, as well as 4GB of RAM which help the device run smoothly and provide some speed. A full-size USB 3.0 port also provides quick transfers, enabling the Surface Pro to really make its mark. Internet Explorer in desktop mode crashed several times during our review but quickly restored. This made it less of a major problem, although frequent occurrences would surely grow tiresome. There is a reasonable amount of storage space available on the Surface Pro, ranging from 128GB which we tested, down to 64GB. A microSD card slot is also included for extra photo, video and music space, so there is plenty to keep the majority of users happy. Battery life seemed reasonable too but by no means amazing. A hard day of typing, music, games and a movie can knock the battery out in around 4-5 hours easily and generate quite a bit of heat, so it&amp;#039;s not something for long-haul flights without a charger on hand. Thankfully it recharges quickly with the nifty magnetic power port so you can get going on near-full battery again in a couple of hours.  Screen Display and Camera At 10.6 inches in size, the screen has plenty of space to keep you satisfied. The HD 1920x1080 pixels quality gives the Surface Pro a high level of image clarity. The screen has a good level of brightness too, which is easily adjustable.  Images appear detailed and crisp, strengthened by the device&amp;#039;s confident handling of colours. Reading magazines on the device felt immersive, while a test run of Transformers via Netflix also offered a flawless experience. Fast scenes were not distorted or pixelated, every frame remained clear. However, some games like Cut The Rope looked less stunning - reasonable, yes, but there was a noticeable blur with less detailed images. We wonder what a more fast-paced game might turn out like! Two 720p HD LifeCams, front and rear-facing cameras add to Pro&amp;#039;s fun features. Disappointingly, they fail to perform as well as expected as the 1.2MP cameras react poorly to low light conditions and quick movement, making it difficult to get a clear snap, let alone a video. It works well for Skype video chats where low quality is to be expected, but for domestic photo or video use, the camera is a bit behind its time compared to the iPad and other tablets which are able to take better photography.   Touch, pen or keyboard? The touch screen capabilities are highly responsive on the Surface Pro. The device frequently responds instantaneously to a tap, but there were times when we felt compelled to click again as it seemed it had not sensed the click or was simply taking too long. What makes the Surface Pro so good is its clear understanding that touch isn&amp;#039;t always best. The Surface Pen is included with the device while a Touch Cover and a Type Cover are also available. The pen certainly made life easier in desktop mode as elements are much smaller and less &amp;#039;in your face&amp;#039; than the Metro touch tabs. The tablet detects the location of the pen, offering a small indicative dot when about 1cm away from the screen.  While we liked the pen, we found simultaneous use with the other hand difficult, as the device appears to block other touches when it senses the pen close by. This is handy for accidentally leaning from arms but your second hand becomes redundant when it could help speed tasks up a little. Unfortunately, neither the Touch Cover or Type Cover are included with the device, but if you decide to buy one, we highly recommended the Touch cover. It&amp;#039;s incredibly lightweight and clicks into place perfectly without any messing around. It does feel strange to have no familiar sound of clicks and you&amp;#039;ll probably press harder than necessary at first, but after a while you will easily adapt to it and realise how great it is. It really is the most useful accessory, as the on-screen keyboard takes a lot of space. In contrast, we didn&amp;#039;t feel so affectionate for the Type Cover. While it gives a traditional laptop feel with typing, we found the keys hard to use with larger fingers. The touchpad also seemed too sensitive, sending the cursor speeding across the screen and frustratingly shaky.   Operating system/Apps The operating system is a winner for the Surface Pro, offering the interactivity of a tablet in Metro while keeping the traditional elements in the desktop mode. If you&amp;#039;re not familiar with Windows 8, it may take a while to navigate between menus and find what you want, but it will quickly become second nature. Microsoft&amp;#039;s Store offers a wide breadth of free and paid apps which are continuously growing, making it a stronger competitor against its rivals. Standard apps are included on the device, such as Explorer and Bing, but you&amp;#039;ll be forgiven for noticing the distinct absence of Office. It&amp;#039;s there, but you will have to pay as it&amp;#039;s not included in the tablet. This is a shame as Office is a standout application on any device, so it could have been a stronger selling-point for Microsoft had they bundled it in. The company is also keen to push connectivity with its other services, such as the Xbox, by linking accounts. You won&amp;#039;t get far without an outlook email account as it is required to access many Microsoft apps, which can be annoying if you don&amp;#039;t already use their email services.  Pricing The Surface Pro has a lot to stand up against in a crowded market. Though it has much to boast about, its price won&amp;#039;t be one of them while cheaper alternatives exist. The 64GB model will cost \u00A3719, while you can double the capacity to 128GB for \u00A3799 - just \u00A380 more. Given the amount you can store on the Surface Pro, we reckon the larger model is worthwhile for the little extra. Verdict Microsoft has definitely fast-tracked into the 21st Century with the Surface Pro. What sets it apart from its competitors is its multi-function ability to be a tablet and a replacement laptop when you desire, which many tablets lack. Preloaded apps such as Office really bring the Surface Pro down we think, as the popular package is what distinguishes Microsoft, yet it&amp;#039;s insistent on the user paying for it separately. The pro is slick, flashy and iconic. It has the ability to be a hub for entertainment as well as professional tasks, making it ideal for a wider variety of users. It&amp;#039;s a shame that the high price tag will probably exclude a large number though. While we loved the Touch Cover, we&amp;#039;re not sure this tablet, like so many, could ever replace desktops and netbooks for word processing tasks, as it is still fiddly. The Surface Pro should shake up the market somewhat but we think there is still a bit of work to do to make the tablet easier to use and lighter. Nevertheless, it is a warm welcome back to innovation for Microsoft. We&amp;#039;re pleased with the overall product but we feel the price is too steep for many.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/news/a481876/surface-pro-review-a-breath-of-fresh-air-for-a-tired-microsoft/>