Windows Embedded Compact 7 Could Fill the OS Hole in Microsoft Tablets

Microsoft has repeatedly said it has no intention of lending Windows 7 or Windows Phone 7 as a go-to OS for tablet devices. So what other software is there that allows the company to compete against the iPad and the rising tide of Android OS slate tablets?

Microsoft may have answered our question this week with a public release of  Windows Embedded Compact 7, a new generation of the flightier Windows CE operating system that demands less resources than the full Windows 7 OS yet is not as specific a platform as Windows Phone 7′s smart phone OS (coming later this year).

Many believe the tweener OS is Window’s entrant into the tablet race. ASUS announced earlier this week that one of its upcoming tablets, the Eee Pad EP121, runs Windows Embedded Compact 7. And over at WMExperts.com, the door to the OS has been pulled off  to reveal features that lend credence to many of those expectations. Here’s what they found:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer with Flash 10.1 support built-in
• Windows 7 Device Stage to help with PC-to-device syncing
• Microsoft Exchange support
• Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF software to access and manage documents
• The ability to share files between networked devices
• Support for ARM mobile CPUs

Today’s release includes a test version of Windows Embedded Compact 7, but the full and final release to device manufacturers will take place in Q4 this year.  Hopefully the ASUS Ep121 will paint a picture of Embedded Compact 7′s success or failure as a tablet OS before the full release.