Surface Pro 3 hits Europe and Asia on August 28

Three months after going on sale in its native US and garnering a host of positive reviews in the process, Microsoft's latest premium notebook-cum-tablet will be going on sale in a further 25 countries at the end of the month.

When Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 3 to the world's tech media on May 20 the company was quick to stress that it was not a device designed to compete with the iPad or any of the premium Android tablets. It was meant to be a device that combines the best features of a tablet alongside the things that make a notebook indispensable, but without compromises.

It was a massively bold claim and on paper at least, its specifications and performance -- an all-day battery life, a 12-inch HD display and the latest generation Intel processor all integrated into a device that weighs in at 800g -- seemed to back it up.

And for once, apart from a couple of niggles about the quality of its keyboard and how easy it was to prop up on your lap while using as a notebook, most tech reviewers seemed to be in agreement.

By chance or by design, the European roll-out also coincides perfectly with the start of the school year, so if you're in the market for something as portable as a tablet but with the processing power to get some work done, then a new Surface Pro 3 could be well worth checking out.

On August 28 it will go on sale in 16 European countries: Austria; Belgium; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Ireland; Italy; Luxembourg; the Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; and the United Kingdom.

And on the same day it will also be arriving in China; Hong Kong; Taiwan; Korea; Thailand; Malaysia; Singapore; Australia; and New Zealand.