Windows Tablet Computer Unveiled

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has unveiled a new, one-piece touch-screen tablet computer from Hewlett-Packard at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and shown glimpses of two similar models from Archos and Pegatron Corp. Tablet computers that run Windows have been around for a decade, but have drawn more publicity recently because Apple is expected to unveil its take on the tablet later this month. In an announcement likely to lead to mass-swooning among tech heads and gamers, Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, announced that video games controlled by the full bodies of the players, instead of a joystick, will be on sale for Xbox by the next holiday season. The new technology is called Natal. According to Bach, it is part of a new generation of technology usable via touch, gestures, and other so-called natural user interfaces.