It was only a matter of time. Windows 7, in all of its multitouch-capable glory, has finally found its way onto a next-generation tablet PC. The X9 has a 10.1" touchscreen, runs Windows 7, and comes from Chinese manufacturer Cool Rui. Shanzai.com had a chance to get a sneak peak at the tablet, and they've got a whole bunch of photos of it in action. There's no confirmed date for the X9's US release, but it is expected to launch here.

The X9's screen is billed as dust, scratch, and fire resistant. It can support a pixel resolution of 1024 x 600, and runs with an Atom 270 processor. The chipset is a standard 945GS, and the tablet also packs 1 GB of RAM and a 160 GB hard drive. The X9 sports a card reader and 3 USB slots as well. This gadget will have 3G support AND a SIM slot. To cap things off, there's also a 1.3 MP camera.

A dark, dirty part of me wants to buy this, grab a data plan from Verizon, hook up a Bluetooth earpiece, and use this thing as an oversized smartphone. Skype+Google Voice should make this gadget at least the equal of any smartphone out there. Of course, the X9 won't fit in my pocket, but that's really a rather minor issue.