Microsoft [MSFT] unveiled Windows Embedded Compact 7 earlier today. The new operating system is being designed to function on devices that sit between smartphones and desktop PC’s, ie Tablet computers and low powered netbooks/laptops.

It seems Microsoft has created Windows Embedded Compact 7 because Windows Phone 7 Series isn’t quite enough for a larger screened tablet, and that Windows 7 it’s self is just a bit too much for a tablet to need both in features and performance wise.

Microsoft has created a website explaining exactly what the new OS is and how it can be integrated in to the devices we use. The company is also offering a free trial download so you can see what it’s about yourself before they launch it in the near future. [Read more…]

We first heard of Windows Embedded Compact 7 when the ASUS Eee Pad was revealed on Monday. Microsoft [MSFT] has now announced in a press release exactly what the new operating system is and what it is capable of.

As part of this effort to deliver richer customer experiences across a variety of scenarios, Microsoft will unveil the public community technology preview (CTP) for Windows Embedded Compact 7, the next generation of Microsoft’s widely used Windows Embedded Compact platform for hardware manufacturers of specialized devices. With a $9.5 billion annual investment in research and development, Microsoft is committed to continued innovation and bringing new products to market that meet the needs of customers.

[Read more…]

Carphone Warehouse in the UK has announced that they are to be the exclusive independent retailer of the Dell Streak Tablet that is launching on Friday June 4.

The Dell Streak is available on the O2 network when it launches although Carphone Warehouse are offering their own tariffs which will see the Streak Tablet being free if you sign up for a £25/month mobile broadband contract, and also free if you sign up for a £35/month voice and data contract. You can also pick up the device for £429 standalone.

It isn’t clear if these tariffs are cheaper, more expensive or the same as what O2 will offer, so before ordering make sure you check out the prices direct from O2. When O2 release those prices we’ll update you. [Read more…]

Computex opened up today and as we expected, a number of new tablets were on show. We already covered the new ASUS Eee Pad that will be launching Q1 next year. This next one is the MSI WindPad 100. This Tablet runs Windows 7 and has a 10 inch screen.

The tablet is powered by an Intel Atom Z530 processor that runs at 1.66GHz, it has 2GB of RAM and has 32GB of storage on an SSD.

The WindPad 100 uses Windows 7 Home Premium although MSI has made a number of customisations that bring the Wind Touch UI layer to the device making it more tablet friendly, well that’s the plan if anything. [Read more…]

As well as announcing the ASUS Eee Tablet, ASUS also announced the ASUS Eee Pad.

The ASUS Eee Pad comes in two sizes. The smaller screen size is 10 inches with the larger screen size being 12 inches. The 10 inch model is called the Eee Pad EP101TC and runs Windows Embedded Compact 7 which appears to be a cut down version of Windows 7 and designed specifically for tablet devices.

The 12 inch Eee Pad is called the EP121 and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. This particular model runs a CULV Intel Core 2 Duo processor and is described as ASUS as being able to handle multitasking effortlessly. [Read more…]

ASUS has finally unveiled the ASUS Tablet. ASUS say in the press release that “the notepad goes digital with the Eee Tablet”.

The Eee Tablet is the worlds most accurate and sensitive digital note taking device according to the press release, and has a 2450 dpi touch resolution screen. This accuracy has been designed to give the user the feel of writing on paper. The screen is far quicker than other eReader type devices with a response of just 0.1 seconds making it more comfortable to take note on and view content.

On the back is a 2 megapixel camera and the device has a 10 hour battery life. The Eee Tablet is capable of playing back media content as well as it functioning as a notepad and e-reader. [Read more…]