As always, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is kicking off CES 2011 with his own keynote presentation. Last year, he took the time to talk a lot about Windows 7 and how its ability to work better with touchscreens have enabled the OS to be more compatible with tablets. He even demoed a couple like the HP Slate. Well this year, it's rumored that Ballmer will be unveiling a brand new Windows 7 tablet that will be manufactured by Samsung and be apart of their Galaxy S line.

Samsung currently has their Galaxy Tab which runs Android and has a 7-inch screen. This tablet, however, is rumored to be named Samsung Slate and follow up more on the iPad. It will have a larger 9 or 10-inch display and have a similar shape and size. It will run Windows 7, or perhaps a modified version of Windows 7 to be a bit more compatible with an ARM CPU. Unlike other tablets though, this will have a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Yes, it will add a bit of thickness to the device, but if you are a content creator rather than a content consumer, this may already be the tablet for you.

Right now there's no killer tablet for Windows 7. iOS obviously has the iPad, Android's would probably be the Samsung Galaxy Tab (although that might change shortly), and even BlackBerry is coming out with the PlayBook next year. Launching a Windows 7 tablet at CES would put Microsoft right back in the game. Still, the question remains whether or not Windows 7 is really an optimized experience -- or even a good one.