A closer look at Microsoft's Surface tablet (pictures)

Microsoft unveiled its new Surface tablet today at a last-minute mystery event in Los Angeles.

Lynn La

Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.

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Lynn La

June 18, 2012 5:42 p.m. PT

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Just at the Surface

It's only been a few hours since Microsoft's official announcement of its newest piece of hardware, the Surface tablet. Though CNET was able to get hands-on time with the device, here we also present vendor shots from Microsoft's own press department.

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A look at the side

The Surface itself weighs only 1.5 pounds and measures 9.3 millimeters thick. Its Touch Cover keyboard is only 3mm thick.

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Can't go wrong with a kickstand

With the built-in kickstand, users can sit back and enjoy while viewing videos or Web chatting.

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Two keyboards, two OSes

In addition to the Touch Cover, there's a thicker, more traditional keyboard called Type Cover. The Surface itself will also come in two versions, one running Windows RT and the other running Windows 8 Pro.

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Renaming the Webcam

The Surface comes with rear- and front-facing camera dubbed LifeCams. Though there's no word yet on the specs of either camera, the rear-facing camera is angled at 22 degrees to offset the angle of the kickstand.