Microsoft was actually the first company to showcase the idea of a tablet computer. It was back in 2000, and the Bill Gates presentation certainly caused a stir — and perhaps planted seedling ideas in the minds of competitors. This “computer that you use like a pen and paper” was certainly different than the sort of tablets flooding the market in 2010, and these first iterations never took off.

Microsoft made a second attempt at entering the world of tablets in 2009, when it made an announcement at CES that it was working on the “Courier” — Microsoft’s first broad market tablet computer. If you’ve never heard of the Courier, the reason is probably that it was never completed. In fact, thanks to being overshadowed by the iPad (a product announced just one week after CES 2009), the Courier project was buried in May of 2009.

Now it seems that Microsoft will be making another attempt to break into the market yet again, with a presentation from Microsoft’s CEO scheduled for the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show being held this January in Vegas. While details are very limited, it is expected that at least two different Microsoft-powered tablets — one from Dell and one from Samsung — will be unveiled, with the possibility for versions from other manufacturers being present.

The details and specs of the systems haven’t been released, although some rumors on the Samsung Gloria, including a less than flattering mock-up of the product, have been spreading. The noteworthy difference found on this rumored ten-inch tablet is its slide-out keyboard, making it the first ever productivity-oriented unit.

With the industry leader Apple ahead of everyone else by leaps and bounds, and with Google’s Galaxy Tab and Dell tablet both having a head start, Microsoft will have to present quite an impressive product to win its slice of the tablet pie.