In the wake of news reports that Windows 8 will be launched in 2012, it seems that companies are looking to milk Windows 7 for what it's worth, making devices based on the said OS. Microsoft isheavilypushing Windows Phone 7 with the launch of some not too shabby smartphones, while Android is on a roll as well. The Windows Slate project underwent a lot of hiccups before, but the people at Slashsgear.com finally managedto get a hands-on experience of the device last week. I'd say Apple might finally have some real competition here, although it remains to be seen whether businesses will adopt this device in corporate set-ups.

No official word yet on when exactly this business oriented tablet will hit retailers; keen pre-order customers, however, have spotted a ship date of November 17 2010 on their orders, suggesting the 8.9-inch Windows 7 based Slate 500 is just three weeks out. Interested customers might want to pre-order here.

Here are the official specs: