Engadget claims that they have been leaked information about the rumored Microsoft tablet device, the Microsoft Courier. In fact, they are reporting that tablet may hit store shelves as early as the second half of this year.

The Courier will be a direct competitor to the Apple iPad. It will be very portable, will weigh just over a pound and will be less than an inch thick.

It is also rumored that the Courier will not be running Windows 7 as previously believed, but a Zune HD/Windows Phone 7 Series style user interface will be used. The Microsoft Courier is also expected to use a Tegra 2 chip, similar to the one used in the Zune HD.

The Courier will also include a built-in camera, headphone jack and stylus. The screen is also rumored to have support for multi-touch gestures. The device will feature handwriting recognition and be based around writing and drawing, and could also include e-book support, like the iPad.

Engadget is also reporting a Q3 or Q4 2010 launch for the device.

Check out the leaked video below: