To all those people who have already declared the idea of a Windows 7 powered slate, or tablet, as dead in the water mainly because it can’t beat the beauty and coolness of Apple’s iPad – don’t count your dead chickens yet.

Much of the talk about those Windows 7 powered slates center around the idea that they will be just like the desktop version but smaller and slower. Well in that case I would like to point you to a project from a company called UI Centric. Their project currently going by the codename of Macallan looks something like this

Yes folks that is the interface for a Windows 7 slate (you paying attention “Baldy” Ballmer? – because you should be). I came across this via the excellent team at The Next Web in a post by Matt Brian and I’ve got to say this is a pretty sweet looking slate.

It is quite easy to see both the Zune and the Windows Phone 7 influences in everything from the typography to the simplicity of the screen layouts. Now apparently UI Centric has built this user interface that sits on top of Windows 7 from scratch and it offers up native multitasking, Flash support along with USB and memory card support. As well it has camera/video chat availability.

The first devices sporting this really cool interface from UI Centric should be shipping out by Q3 but I have a suggestion for Microsoft. Get your act together and team up with UI Centric and a good slate manufacturer (meaning one who won’t be more interested in gouging the consumer) and bring a Microsoft branded slate to market. Just make sure to keep your marketing department away from naming the slate and even better still keep them away from marketing it.

Here is a video courtesy of The Next Web.


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