When Microsoft first launched its Surface line of products, it caused quite a stir in the mobile PC market. It may have taken a couple of iterations to get things dialed in to the point they are today, but simply entering the market with its own branded hardware put Microsoft in the position of essentially competing with its partners. Microsoft had a specific vision for the future of Windows-based mobile products, however, and decided to develop hardware that embodied that vision.

Now that we?re a few years removed from the introduction of the original Surface and Surface Pro, it's clear that Microsoft's vision has merit, and now virtually all of the company's major OEM partners are producing at least a few machines that were partially influenced by the Surface. The product we will be showing you here today, HP's Spectre X2 is as similar a machine to the Surface Pro what we have seen to date. The form factor, detachable keyboard design, kickstand and overall look at feel of the machine are very ?Surface-like?. But HP has made some well thought-out changes and packed the machine with different hardware, and the end result is rather interesting...