Asus VivoTab RT

Asus has a tradition of producing tablets with keyboard docks, but its Transformer tablets have always used Google’s Android operating system. The Asus VivoTab is the first Asus tablet to use Windows RT, the cut-down version of Windows 8. It's a major departure that pits the VivoTab RT against theMicrosoft Surface tablet, but Asus has stuck with its tried and tested formula and used the Transformer Pad as the base for the VivoTab.

Compared to Microsoft’s Surface, the tablet part of the VivoTab RT is an absolute featherweight. Asus has opted for a 10.1in form factor, half an inch smaller than that of the Surface, and the result is a tablet that, at 530g, weighs 20% less than its rival.

Asus installs a capacitive "178°" wide viewing angle IPS screen in the VivoTab RT. The screen size is 10.1 inches and features a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Compared with the somewhat larger screen in Microsoft's Surface RT (148 ppi), the VivoTab RT has a higher pixel density (155 ppi). Both tablets rely on an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Other tried-and-true specs include a quad-core Tegra 3 chip; an 8-megapixel, autofocusing rear camera capable of recording 1080p video; SonicMaster audio; and long battery life -- in this case, up to nine hours for the tablet and up to seven for the keyboard dock.

With its vivid screen, sturdy build, and sleek user interface, the Asus Vivo Tab RT is an excellent tablet in its own right -- but it can't beat the innovative Microsoft Surface RT.