Is Microsoft planning a mini Surface with ‘Kinect' gesture technology?

Microsoft was expected to launch a smaller version of its Surface tablet in October but it never materialised. Now it turns out that the project was put on hold while the company's engineers wrestled with last-minute tweaks to the Xbox One games console.

Now, according to a number of sources, including W. P. Dang (spotted and translated by WM Poweruser), the Surface Mini is back on and when it debuts in early 2014 it is expected to feature gesture and facial recognition technology very much like that found inside the company's Kinect system.