Nokia's Windows Tablet Could Sport a Battery-Boosting Keyboard Cover

More details about the alleged Nokia Windows RT tablet continue to surface. In fact, the latest report claims that the reported Nokia slate will take the Surface head-on with book-like case cover that brings kickstand and keyboard capabilities to the tablet. That's cool in and of itself, but the cover also sports a battery that can be used as an emergency power supply for the tablet if the tablet's charge runs dry.

The actual Nokia tablet will pack a 10 hour battery life, sources tell The Verge. (The Surface RT tablet lasted 7 hours 43 minutes in the LAPTOP Battery Test.) Even better, the slate will reportedly include a fast charge feature similar to the one found in select ThinkPad products, rapidly restoring the tablet's charge to 50 percent in a brief period of time.

The same sources claim the Nokia slate will pack cellular connectivity—a feature missing from the Surface—and as such, will appear on AT&T shelves when it launches. That's hardly a surprise, as AT&T and Nokia are close partners, with Ma Bell being the exclusive retailer of Nokia's Lumia 920, the premier Windows Phone 8 handset.

Nokia's tablet will have both a USB and an HDMI port, the site reports, with the cover packing another pair of USB connections. The 10.1-inch tablet could make its debut at Mobile World Conference in February.

HTC is also rumored to be working on a pair of Windows RT tablets for release in 2013, including a 12-inch model and a 7-inch version that can allegedly make phone calls.