Smaller 7.9-inch Microsoft Surface RT Tablet Rumored for June

The smaller Surface tablet rumors are back. According to Digitimes, Microsoft is working on another Surface tablet, this time in a 7.9-inch screen for between $249 to $299. The smaller tablet, slated to launch in June at the Microsoft Build conference, will supposedly run Windows RT. Samsung will provide the display panels while Nvidia will add a Tegra CPU.

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There’s also the possibility of another 10.6-inch Surface coming down the pike, however that won’t come until the third quarter at thee earliest. The Build event will also see the launch of Windows Blue, a Windows 8 update that promises several improvements, including the ability to boot straight to the desktop.

So far, the Surface and Surface Pro haven’t set the tablet market on fire. According to IDC, Microsoft shipped 900,000 units during the first quarter, well behind both Apple’s 19.5 million and Samsung’s 8.8 million. However, a smaller, more affordable Surface could have potential.  

Intel’s CEO predicted that Windows 8 touch devices would sink to $200 last month. Such a device could run Intel’s upcoming quad-core Atom chip (codenamed Bay Trail). However, Microsoft opted for an ARM-powered Nvidia Tegra 3 processor inside the original Surface.
Via Unwired View 

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The 10 Best Android Tablets

When it comes to tablets, it's been an interesting year for Android. Since Google released its tablet-specific operating system, Honeycomb, we’ve seen a steady flow of high-quality Android tablets. (Pre-Honeycomb Android tablets were another story.) This is a good thing, since they provide viable alternatives to the Apple iPad, which has dominated the tablet market since its first release in early 2010. One of the major benefits of Android over the iPad, the dearly departed HP TouchPad, or the dead-on-arrival BlackBerry PlayBook, is that instead of a single hardware choice, you can access the OS on a number of different tablets.

Overall, the Android tablet experience is a very good one. But not all is perfect, even in the land of Honeycomb. The biggest problem with the platform continues to be the lack of third-party apps. We're coming up on a year after the OS release, and tablet-specific Android apps are still in the low hundreds, while apps designed specifically for the iPad continue to climb into the hundreds of thousands. Given its Google roots, though, Android is the most configurable tablet operating system you’ll find. It's a master multitasker with an excellent notification system, and top-notch integration with Google services like Gmail, Google Chat, and Google Maps. Plus, you get Flash video support.

Turns out that the most compelling Android tablet we've seen so far doesn't even run Honeycomb. Amazon's Kindle Fire uses a modified version of Android 2.3, or Gingerbread, which is meant for phones. It's not perfect, but the smaller 7-inch screen, and Amazon's OS tweaks, along with its own high-quality content ecosystem and on-board Appstore make for one of the best tablet entertainment experiences you can find. And its $200 price, in a market where most tablets cost around twice as much, means Amazon has a real chance to steal some market share from Apple. If the Kindle Fire doesn't do it for you, though, check out the slideshow for a look at our other top-rated Android tablets or compare these tablets side by side.