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[Nvyseal]

That rumored Apple-rival slate isn’t being unveiled, but Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is announcing some minor pieces of news during his keynote this evening at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Highlights:

—Microsoft’s Bing search engine will be the default search engine on HP PCs worldwide; previously, the relationship was only effective in the U.S. and Canada. Microsoft’s MSN will also be the default home page on HP PCs.

—The next version of Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV platform lets users stream content not only on their TV but also on their PCs and phones.

—A new ‘Game Room’ on the Xbox’s online service, Xbox Live, will have more than 1,000 arcade-style games over the next three years. Microsoft also says the service now has more than 20 million members, up from 17 million a year ago.

—The controller-free ‘Project Natal’ for the Xbox will be available in time for the holidays 2010.

—And about that “slate” Ballmer is showing off. It’s a touch-enabled tablet PC running Windows 7 from HP.

Miss the keynote? Read the Live Blog