mobileu.co.uk

Microsoft/HP tablet revealed ahead of iSlate launch

Microsoft and HP have used this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to unveil an as-yet-unnamed tablet PC ahead of Apple's much-anticipated launch of the iSlate. The ten-inch touchscreen device is powered by Vista replacement Windows 7 and is aimed at bridging the gap between laptops and smartphones.

Rumours are rife that the iPhone manufacturer will release a slate device later this month, but the Microsoft/HP tablet – which doesn't have a physical keyboard – is targeted at customers keen on a device that can simultaneously function as an e-reader and PC, as well as possessing web browsing capabilities. Microsoft's Bing will be its default search engine.

"It's a beautiful little product," Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer told CES attendees including 3,500 journalists, bloggers, analysts and industry peers. "It is almost as portable as a phone and as powerful as a PC."

Microsoft's first attempt to introduce a slate-like computer was a tablet PC version of Windows XP, which failed to take off after being rolled out in 2002.

Technology analysts have already suggested that Apple could do for the tablet market what its iPhone did for smartphones when it eventually unveils its iSlate.