Months of hype, fanboy fawning, and dub-step soundtracked commercials have all lead to this: Microsoft will finally unveil its first ever tablet, the Surface, today in New York.

How to live stream the event

If you want to follow the event live Microsoft is offering a live stream today from 11:15 a.m. EDT here.

Microsoft won't be streaming the whole event, just the keynote, so, the stream will be live for just about an hour on Microsoft's website.

In addition to the Windows 8 launch webcast, Microsoft is also holding a separate webcast to solely focus on the Surface tablet at 1:30pm EDT. The second broadcast will spotlight the Surface's hardware, demonstrating its main features, and functionality as well as covering all of the different purchase options that will be available to consumers when the device finally goes on sale tomorrow, Oct. 26.

Live blogs

If you'd rather follow along in real time check out these various tech sites live blogs for up-to-the-minute news from Microsoft's event.

Slash Gear

CNET

The Seattle Times

Wired

Reviews:

Reviews for the Surface RT are just beginning to flood the Internet. And while there are some generally positive, and even genuinely fond reviews of the tablet, many, such as Gizmodo are creating a new narrative for the first Microsoft tablet: the device is great, and promising, but is defined by unmet expectations.

TechCrunch: Matt Burns argues that this really isn't a tablet. "It's not a legitimate alternative to the iPad or Galaxy Note 10.1. That's not a bad thing," he says. "With the Touch Covers, the Surface RT is a fine alternative to a laptop, offering a slightly limited Windows experience in a small, versatile form. Just don't call it an iPad killer." 

Wired: "It is a new thing, in a new space, and likely to confuse many of Microsoft's longtime customers. People will have problems with applications - especially when they encounter them online and are given an option by Internet Explorer to run them, only to discover this won't work. But overall it's quite good; certainly better than any full-size Android tablet on the market."

Wall Street Journal: "Microsoft's Surface is a tablet with some pluses: The major Office apps and nice optional keyboards. If you can live with its tiny number of third-party apps and somewhat disappointing battery life, it may give you the productivity some miss in other tablets."

The New York Times: "How incredible that this bold, envelope-pushing design came from Microsoft, a company that for years produced only feeble imitations of other companies' fresh ideas. And how ironic that what lets the Surface down is supposedly Microsoft's specialty: software."

ZDNET: Despite its high price and software shortcomings, ZDNET loves the device. We're guessing they're either on the Microsoft payroll, or legitimately want to marry the Surface in a candlelit commitment ceremony.

"For a first-generation product, the Surface with Windows RT is astonishingly polished. It's not a replacement for a full-strength PC, but as a companion device that offers light weight, excellent entertainment options, and the ability to use full-featured Office apps, it's irresistible. I also expect the ecosystem around the Surface, notably productivity apps, to improve by leaps and bounds in the next year or so. This is a product that will get better with age. Enthusiastically recommended."

Gizmodo: Sounding like a child who found out Santa wasn't real on Christmas morning, Gizmodo is "technologically heartbroken." 

"Surface is a fantastic promise, and holds fantastic potential. But while potential is worth your attention, it's not worth your paycheck. Surface RT gets so many things right, and pulls so many good things together into one package. But it is undercooked."

"After the initial delight of an evolved tablet wears off, you'll groan-because Surface brings the appearance of unity, but it's really just the worst of both worlds. Instead of trading in your laptop and tablet for Surface, a cocktail of compromises that fracture the whole endeavor, you'll miss them both urgently."

"It's Windows on Surface RT that's the greatest letdown of all, the lethal letdown, because it's not Windows 8, but Windows RT. You can't tell the difference by looking at them, but you certainly will once you use it. Windows RT is underpowered (everything opens and syncs slightly too slowly), under-functional (you cannot install a single app that's not available through the Windows RT app store, which offers a paltry selection), and under-planned (the built-in apps can't feel like Lite versions of something better)."

"In the end though, this is nothing more than Microsoft's tablet. And a buggy, at times broken one, at that, whose "ecosystem" feels more like a tundra."

Microsoft Surface tablet features

The RT sports a 1366x768 HD screen, while the PRO has a 10.6-inch Clear type Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen with 16:9 widescreen.

That means they are among the biggest tablets in the market. If you are not satisfied with the typical 10.1-inch tablet, you can go for the Surface tablet. Along with the touch keyboards with the device, you can turn the machine to a small notebook.

The Surface tablet comes with five Touch Covers. Different from typical keyboards, the Surface keypads provide a smoother typing experience thanks to their touch-based surface.

The Surface tablets mount both front and rear cameras. The front camera, named life cam by Microsoft, makes the tablet ideal for video chatting through Skype or other services. Using the rear camera, you can capture images and video clips.

Microsoft puts forward better memory options with the Surface tablets. The device comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB options. The 128GB is available only with Surface Pro. Further, you can expand the memory using external memory sticks thanks to microSD card slot. That is, you can store enough data including music, software items and video in external clips.

The 3mm Touch Cover can be connected to your Surface tablet with a single magnetic click, so, now you can type text and send messages quite easily.

The Surface's tablet housing features a revolutionary kickstand. Along with fully functioning keyboard and track-pad, the integrated kickstand helps you place the gadget in both portrait or landscape modes.

According to Bloomberg, Surface will only be able to go online using a short-range Wi-Fi connection. This is a stark contrast to Apple's iPad 3, which has a 3G option, and a faster LTE connection.