Microsoft faces competition for its Surface Pro 2 tablet, and it's from an expected source: One of its own hardware partners, Dell.



From Computerworld:

A week ago, Dell introduced the Venue 11 Pro, a tablet-slash-notebook slated to go on sale next month. The 10.8-in. tablet, which will run Windows 8.1 and is powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor code-named "Bay Trail," will be priced starting at $499 -- less than half the price of the entry-level Surface Pro 2, the Microsoft-designed and -made tablet set to launch Oct. 22.

Like the Surface Pro 2, Dell's Venue 11 Pro can be partnered with an optional keyboard that doubles as a cover, a different keyboard that features a built-in battery for longer life away from an electrical socket, a stylus, and a docking station that sports multiple USB 3.0 ports and a display-out jack for transforming the tablet into the engine of a desktop system.

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