At an event in Los Angeles, Microsoft has just announced its first tablet called the Surface. The tablet screen is a 10.6″ unit and is covered by Gorilla Glass.

The new tablet is 9.3 mm thin and weighs 1.5 lb. The case is built out of magnesium. Windows chief Steven Sinofsky describes the process, stating, “liquid metal is formed into an ultra rigid and light frame.”

The tablet also has a 3 mm fold out keyboard that doubles as a case, complete with trackpad. But this is no ordinary keyboard. The entire surface is multi-touch enabled. For those with multi-touch misgivings Microsoft came prepared, with a second fully tactile clickable keyboard, which is ever-so-slightly thicker. The tablet also features “digital ink” a pen-input technology that samples at 600 dpi.

There are two versions of the new tablet. The first is built on Intel Corp. (INTC) Core i5 Ivy Bridge processors. Cooling is accomplished through some slick perimeter venting. A second Surface is based on forthcoming ARM chips.

Specification of Microsoft tablet Surface:

Windows RT model

WEIGHT: 676 g
THICKNESS: 9.3 mm
PROCESSOR: Tegra 3
DISPLAY: 10.6” ClearType HD Display, 1366×768 pixels
BATTERY: 31.5 W-h
I/O: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
SOFTWARE: Office Home & Student 2013 RT, Touch Cover, Type Cover
EXTRAS: VaporMg Case & Stand
SSD: 32 GB, 64 GB

Windows 8 Pro model

WEIGHT: 903 g
THICKNESS: 13.5 mm
PROCESSOR: Core i5 (Ivy Bridge)
DISPLAY: 10.6” ClearType Full HD Display, 1920×1080 pixels
BATTERY: 42 W-h
I/O: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
EXTRAS: VaporMg Case & Stand, Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block
SSD: 64 GB, 128 GB

Watch the video of Microsoft Surface Tablet: First Look