Steve Ballmer Expected to Show Off New Slates at CES

From DailyTech: Microsoft always has a big showing CES in Las Vegas each year – this year, the big focus from Microsoft will undoubtedly be Windows Phone 7 along with the first scheduled major update for the smartphone OS. Another of the big pushes that is expected from Microsoft is a tablet or slate announcement.

The New York Times cites a source close to Microsoft that says Steve Ballmer will be showing off a new slate computer to combat the iPad in the tablet market when he takes the stage for his keynote at CES 2011 next month. Ballmer did this same thing last year when he showed off the HP Slate that has only just started to trickle onto the market in the last month or so.

According to the NYT sources, devices that Ballmer will highlight will be come from Dell and Samsung among other partners. The device from Samsung is about the same size and shape as the Apple iPad, but is thicker to accommodate a slide out keyboard.

The iPad is the clear leader in the tablet market in the U.S. and Microsoft and all other tablet makers are looking to topple Apple from the top.

The source added, "[The Samsung tablet is] similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin. It also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing." The tablet is said to run Windows 7 in landscape mode and have a layered interface that will be used when the keyboard is tucked away and the tablet is used in portrait mode.

The NYT also cites another unnamed Microsoft source that claims Ballmer could also be showing off a new tablet that is running Windows 8 along with companion devices for the next version of Windows. Microsoft is rumored to be encouraging software partners to build apps for the new rash of tablets that use HTML5. The apps would reportedly not be sold as an app like iPad users are used to, but hosted on the seller's website.

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