Surface Pro wields a Core i5 processor and full support for legacy Windows applications.

After months of anticipation, Microsoft finally settled on a launch date for its upcoming Surface with Windows 8 Pro (Surface Pro from now on) tablet. It will be available in the U.S. and Canada starting on February 9, 2013, through all Microsoft retail stores, Microsoft's online store, and at Staples and Best Buy locations in the U.S., as well as from a number of un-named locations in Canada.

And in this corner, featuring Android 4.1 and a $149 price tag: Asus MeMO Pad.

Perhaps because the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week was so heavily focused on Windows 8 devices and technologies, Asus chose to wait for the dust to settle before introducing its Android-powered MeMO Pad tablet. Or maybe Asus didn't want anything else to overshadow the fact that it's launching a 7-inch Jelly Bean tablet for just $149. Could this be the beginning of a new generation of low-cost Android slates?

Dell's Latitude 10 tablet starts at $499 and runs a full version of Windows 8.

For $499, Microsoft will sell you its Surface RT tablet, which delivers a gimped version of Windows 8 designed for ARM-based hardware. It's fine for running apps and surfing the web, but it doesn't support full fledged Windows applications, not unless you step up to a Surface Pro slate. The two problems there are availability and price; you can't yet buy a Surface Pro, and when it comes out, it will cost $899 or more. This is where Dell's new Latitude 10 tablet has a decided advantage.

Throughout the month of January, Amazon is offering its Student Prime members a $50 discount on the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" tablet, bringing the starting price down to $249. That's a pretty good deal that more than offsets the cost of a Student membership, which runs $39 per year. For those who are unfamiliar, Amazon's Prime program offers members free two-day shipping on millions of items with no minimum order, free instant streaming to its catalog of movies and TV shows, and a free Kindle book to borrow each month from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.