Merseyside-based Zoostorm has announced that it will be one of the manufacturers helping to keep Steve Ballmer's promise of Windows slates before Christmas, with the arrival of the Zoostorm SL8 due on 1 December.

The SL8 is an 11.6-inch tablet, measuring just 14mm thick. It is powered by an Intel Atom N450 processor and has 2GB of RAM.

On board, you'll find 32GB of storage via a SSD and there is also a mini-HDMI port as well as multiple USB ports.

Connectivity will be via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11n as standard, with a 3G option available as well.

It will come loaded with Windows 7 Professional and feature Windows Live Essentials as well as being fully compatible for use with Microsoft Infopath on a Sharepoint or SQL Server.

Zoostorm owner, Sion Roberts said: "The iPad is a fantastic product, but ultimately it is a home media device and has severe compromises for business use. That’s why when we started the development of the SL8 we concentrated on the features that are important for business; compatibility, security and usability and we married them with the best features of the iPad".

The Zoostorm SL8 will go on sale on 1 December and will cost £499 plus VAT for the non-3G model and £579 plus VAT for the 3G one.