Microsoft's recently released, first-ever tablet, the Surface RT, topped Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in a "shoot-out," and even bested Apple's iPad 3 in a battery of tests conducted by display testing firm DisplayMate Technologies.

The Surface RT's display outperformed all of the standard resolution full size 10-inch tablets that DisplayMate has tested to date in its "Shoot-Out" series, said Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies, in a Nov. 13 research note.

"On-screen text is significantly sharper, it has a better factory display calibration, and also significantly lower screen reflectance than the iPad 2 and all full size 1,280x800 Android tablets," said Soneira in the statement.

For example, The Surface RT (1366x768) bested the 1,280x800 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on small-text readability - reportedly due to Surface's sub-pixel rendering - and on calibration. Surface RT's display got a rating of A-, versus B+ for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 display.

The Surface RT's screen was not as sharp overall as the high-pixel-density iPad 3 or 4, said Soneira, although the Surface RT "is comparable or better than the iPad 3 in all test categories except two: Screen Resolution and Color Gamut," he added.

"This is a great start for Windows Tablets and brings much needed competition to the tablet marketplace," he said.

The next version of Microsoft Surface, Pro, due early 2013, will boast a much higher pixel density of 1,920x1,080, have an Intel Core i5 processor, and actually run a full version of Windows 8 — Windows 8 Pro.

As the release day for the Surface tablet approached, early word suggested there was high demand for the devices. Microsoft started taking pre-orders for the Surface RT tablet in mid-October, and promptly reported a shipping delay of up to three weeks for the $499 model. The tablet went on sale on Oct. 26 to a limited sales channel: online from Microsoft, or at its 65 stores across the U.S. and Canada- 34 of which are temporary "pop-up" stores.

User excitement for the devices may have been exaggerated, though. Despite a $400 million advertising blitz for the Surface, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer admitted sales of the Surface RT began "modestly," he said in an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien recently. Ballmer did not disclose any sales figures.

What's more, a majority of U.S. adults have never heard of Windows 8. According to a recent survey released by the Associated Press, in a telephone survey of 1,200 U.S. adults, 52 percent had never heard of Windows 8. Granted, that statistic is slightly offset by the fact that the survey was conducted a mere two weeks following the operating system's launch.

Some of the first customers of the Surface RT have complained that the Touch Cover for the tablet, sold separately for $100, is splitting where it connects to the tablet, and that the Microsoft logo on the back is starting to rub off.

Ballmer off-set the lower-than-expected sales figures and assuaged any investor anxiety. The Microsoft CEO said he expects stronger initial results for the more advanced Surface Pro tablet - which runs the full version of Windows 8 -when it launches in early 2013.

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.