The Smiths may have talked about the panic on the streets of London, but the enormous Microsoft (News - Alert) Surface tablet that emerged in the midst of Trafalgar Square near Nelson's Column recently doesn't seem to be sparking any panic. Indeed, it seems to be sparking plenty of interest, and might even drive some buyers in the direction of the Surface tablet as users try out the gigantic tablet for themselves. That's perhaps the best part of the whole affair: the tablet reportedly works.

Though the “giant” part of the “giant Surface tablet” may be the second best part of the affair—it measures in at an impressive 383 inches (just shy of 32 feet)--the best part is that it reportedly works, at least somewhat. The giant Surface tablet boasts a Type Cover 2, in purple, that feeds back to a Surface Pro 2, and translates to the giant display in the square. USB and microHDMI connections run the whole affair, and there are even accompanying giant controls to run it. The Type Cover 2 replica actually works, through the simple expedient of jumping on the keys. There's even space between the keys so users can more readily walk from one key to the next before jumping on a key.

This actually isn't the first time that Microsoft has gone big in a demo. Earlier, Microsoft showed off Windows 8 on a Perceptive Pixel PC that boasted an 82 inch display. Giant displays were previously used to show off Kinect systems, and Microsoft's co-founder, no less than Bill Gates (News - Alert) himself, has been seen working a Windows 8 display measuring fully 80 inches. But this is significant step up from any of those—by just short of a factor of five, really—and really puts on quite a show.

Microsoft could, frankly, stand quite a show at this point. The Windows Phone (News - Alert) and Surface tablet lines haven't exactly been making the kind of impact that Microsoft would likely like to see from said devices, and that's just as likely not sitting well. Admittedly, what Microsoft really needs to do is better distinguish its mobile products from those of the rest of the market—particularly those running iOS and Android (News - Alert), the two main frontrunners that make up most of the market between the two—but drawing some attention to the existence of the product in the first place certainly couldn't hurt any. 

It really never hurts, in marketing terms, to put a little sizzle into things, but sizzle must inevitably be backed up with steak lest people stop paying attention to the sizzle. Microsoft has certainly been putting quite a bit into its Surface line lately, but in order to make the devices really catch on, Microsoft has to really show off how it's not only different from, but also better than, the current frontrunners.

That's a tall order by any stretch, but Microsoft is clearly putting out a tall proposition in response with its giant Surface in Trafalgar Square. Now it remains to be seen if Microsoft can capitalize on this by bringing steak with its sizzle.