The next generation of Microsoft Surface was made available for pre-order through Samsung Electronics Thursday, boasting a variety of new features. According to the tech blog TechCrunch, the popular touch screen table is noticeably slimmer, brighter and without some of the chunky supporting software of its predecessor.
The original Microsoft Surface debuted in 2007 as a coffee-table sized touch-screen that allowed multiple people to interact with on-screen activities.
The new Microsoft Surface, called the SUR40, features an Athlon X2 processor in its 40-inch screen to make it much thinner than the original model. It is also free of the pedestal of the original Surface.
PixelSense technology also helps give the SUR40 its new, sleek appearance, TechCrunch said. Because of its inclusion, Microsoft was able to get rid of the 5-camera array that ran the original device. The new LCD panel allows the device to “see” objects, movements and touch gestures in the room as well as track up to 50 touch points simultaneously.
“Every pixel is acting as a camera, so the surface of the PC can actually see,” explained Microsoft earlier in the year.
The new device sells for $8,400, but Microsoft and Samsung have yet to decide on a release date for the Surface. Another tech blog, Mashable Tech, puts the release date somewhere around early 2012.
