Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer unveiled a new HP tablet computer on Wednesday, beating Apple's hotly anticipated move into the market.

Apple is expected to announce a new device (dubbed the iSlate) on January 27, though the company has not said anything about it publicly.

Ballmer showed off the new HP device at the end of his keynote speech at the CES technology show in Las Vegas. Ballmer said that the device would be available later this year, without detailing pricing or when the device would hit stores.

After Ballmer, Microsoft's entertainment and game chief Robbie Bach announced that a new installment of the hugely successful Halo game will be out this year, and its controller-less game system Project Natal will be in stores by the holiday season. Project Natal is a controller-free gaming experience that tracks movement of the body and facial expressions, and even responds to a gamer's voice.

Microsoft also announced Mediaroom 2.0, the next version of the company's Internet Protocol Television solution for service providers.

Mediaroom 2.0 gives service providers the ability to offer their subscribers features such as these:

- The ability to stream live and on-demand content to the TV but also devices such as PCs and phones
- The same on-demand experience on the PC with Windows Media Center in Windows 7