Samsung Gloria & Dell Tablets To Star In Ballmer's CES 2011 Microsoft Keynote?

Microsoft is tipped to present a number of new tablet PCs during CEO Steve Ballmer's CES 2011 keynote, with brands including Samsung and Dell expected to provide hardware running the Windows OS. According to the New York Times sources, one of the devices is a Samsung slate that's "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"; that fits in with rumors of the Samsung Gloria, a 10-inch Windows tablet rumored last week.

The Samsung is also said to have "a layered interface" which would be activated when the keyboard-slide is closed and the Gloria is held in portrait orientation. It's unclear whether this interface is of Microsoft or Samsung's development, but the latter was suggested in the original Gloria rumors.

It seems Microsoft is still unwilling to give up their work/play dual functionality angle on Windows tablets, continuing to push the concept of a single device that can be used both for content creation and content consumption. "The company believes there is a huge market for business people who want to enjoy a slate for reading newspapers and magazines" one source claims, "and then work on Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint while doing work."

Meanwhile, Microsoft is also tipped to be readying a demo of Windows 8, the next iteration of their OS, complete with more tablet-centric customizations.