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Windows 8 developer tablets popping up on eBay

Doled out to attendees at Microsoft's Build conference last week, some of the Samsung Windows 8 Developer tablets are already turning up for sale on eBay.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read

From Build to eBay is less than a week. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Some of the folks who received free Windows Developer tablets at Microsoft's Build conference last week are already trying to turn a tidy profit from them via eBay.

A quick search on the online auction site today for "Windows Developer tablet" scored four of the Samsung devices, each selling for a cool minimum of $2,000. Microsoft handed out the tablets as freebies last Tuesday to the more than 5,000 people who attended the developers conference at which the company demoed its upcoming OS.

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Some of the specs listed by the eBay sellers trying to unload the tablet include a second-generation Intel Core i5 processor, an 11.6-inch 1366x768 pixel display, 4GB of memory, and a 64GB solid state drive. HDMI, USB, and microSD ports are also part of the package.

The tablet comes equipped with an UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) BIOS, which can speed up boot times. Microsoft also threw in an option for a 12-month 2GB-per-month data plan from AT&T.

Though virtually similar to the Samsung Series 7 tablet, tech enthusiast site Within Windows says that the unit handed out at Build offered several updates, such as newer firmware and an Option chip for Wi-Fi, phone, and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) connectivity. Other sensors and gizmos discovered include a near field communications (NFC) chip, a Bluetooth chip, a gyroscope, and an ambient light sensor.

Those of you who missed the Build conference and your chance at a free tablet can still try out Windows 8 by downloading the Developer Preview edition directly from Microsoft.