Samsung and Microsoft announced today that the next generation of Microsoft Surface is now available for pre-order through Samsung resellers in 23 countries worldwide including the United States, via the Samsung Electronics website at http://www.samsunglfd.com/solution/sur40.do.

Initially unveiled by Samsung and Microsoft earlier this year, the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface features PixelSense technology, which gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras.

"Customers across a wide range of industries currently integrate Microsoft Surface and make it relevant to their business needs, creating immersive, collaborative and meaningful experiences," said Somanna Palacanda, director, Microsoft Surface. "With the Samsung SUR40 available for pre-order in 23 countries worldwide, Surface computing will now be more readily available for education, financial and professional services, healthcare, hospitality, retail, manufacturing and resources, and other commercial business environments to help deliver interactive digital content, drive sales, showcase brands, and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty."

The Samsung SUR40 with PixelSense technology makes it possible for people to share, collaborate and explore together using a large, thin display. The device is recognizing up to 50 points of simultaneous touch.

The device features a 685 in2 panel (40-inch diagonal) and a 1,920x1,080 (16:9) display, with an 8 ms response time and 300 cd/m2 brightness. It is powered by an AMD HD6750M GPU and an AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core 245e (2.9GHz) processor. It's weight is 39.5 kg.

Software developers interested in creating solutions for the Samsung SUR40 can get started immediately by visiting the Surface Developer Center. The site provides free access to the Surface 2.0 software developer kit, featuring the Input Simulator, which enables developers to write Surface applications on any Windows 7 machine, as well as other developer-related resources.

Microsoft is accepting pre-orders of the $8,400 device in 23 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Product availability in additional markets is expected in the coming months.