Word is that Nokia has scrapped plans of releasing an 8-inch Lumia tablet. And on the same day, we have reports that talk about the possibility of an exciting mid-sized tablet from Microsoft. A Surface Mini has always been on the cards, ever since the Windows 8.1 update that ushered in the very first sub 10-inch Windows tablets from various OEMs. To think that Microsoft might be working on their very own hardware, much like the Surface Pro but only smaller, is entirely plausible.

　　The latest report says that the 8-inch Surface Mini will sport a 1080p resolution display panel. But that isn't the most exciting part. It also reveals the possibility of Microsoft integrating air gesture recognition. The spec sheet also includes Windows 8.1 and an Intel Bay Trail based Atom processor.

　　Nothing else is known as of now. Perhaps more details will come to light at CES next year.