Early Details On Courier, Microsoft's Take On a Tablet

rbanffy points out an article on Gizmodo about Courier, a tablet (or more accurately, a booklet) in development at Microsoft. "The dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multitouch, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. They're connected by a hinge that holds a single iPhone-esque home button. Statuses, like wireless signal and battery life, are displayed along the rim of one of the screens. On the back cover is a camera, and it might charge through an inductive pad, like the Palm Touchstone charging dock for Pre." A concept video shows off the ability to use the two different screens for separate purposes, like browsing the web or a photo album on the left and using the right as a notepad or workspace.

Comments

Looks like a nice device

[sopssa]

Courier actually does look really nice. I have been thinking of buying a eBook reader, but the fact this has dual screen with multitouch makes me want to wait for this one, and that it can act as a tablet too. It makes it a lot more book like which you can see from the pictures too.

Besides eBook reader this would be a nice device to browse the web or do some work in the bed or sofa.

And I'm suprised to say this but compared to Apple's tablet this will probably be more open (in the not-restricted-to-apples-store way) and have a Windows platform. I hope they reveal more details soon.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[manekineko2]

To me this thing is in a completely different category from eBook readers.

What you're really paying for on eBook readers and the real benefit is an e-ink display, which this most certainly does not have unless Microsoft has made some technological breakthroughs they're not sharing. If you get an eBook reader that uses regular LCDs you're right back in the realm of trying to read a book that's printed on top of a lightbulb that's switched on, with the accompanying battery requirements of powering said lightbulb.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[Raumkraut]

The XO-2, most definitely: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO-2
Asus are also working on something with a similar form-factor, last I heard.

It's almost like companies noticed that the original XO laptop spawned the whole netbook craze, and decided they wanted to be in on OLPC's next big idea.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep. Anyone who likes a device and can think of why they'd like it is obviously a plant.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[Anonymous Coward]

It still has a backlit screen. I have yet to be able to read any ebooks on lcd or any other backlist screen. I've tried on my desktop, my netbook and my iphone.

At this point, it's e-ink for ebooks or nothing.

Yep. Only e-ink for me for future readers. What's funny is that the only people that I know who have bad things to say about ebook readers are those who don't actually read. For some reason, they seem the most opposed to this change, yet they're the ones who won't be affected by it in any way (sort of like the hyper-religious and gay marriage). Everyone else seems at least interested, and when they see how you can use an e-ink device in full sunlight, they're pretty much convinced that's the way to go. That's not to say that other devices won't work for casual reading (iThings, netbooks, this thing, etc), but as far as truly dedicated reading devices go, e-ink has a HUGE advantage.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[Golias]

I would mostly be using it in a bed to read something or surf the web and so on.

You can just come out and say that you want it for porn. It's okay.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[ozmanjusri]

Anyone who likes a device and can think of why they'd like it is obviously a plant.

In this case. it's pretty likely.

Anyone who's been around long enough will see this footage has all the signs of a typical Microsoft marketing puff piece.

Check out this video. See any similarities? Can you tell us what happened to the innovative product being marketed? Do you remember Origami? Natal? Surface?

Microsoft operating systems are too bloated and slow to make an interface like this work, it's just another attempt to convince shareholders that their research money isn't being wasted.

Ignore it. Nothing of value will come of it.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[Anonymous Coward]

I've seen Surface in action and used it. It is very fast and responsive and actually everyone who used it was greatly impressed. Resolution was great...good enough to inspect x-rays and MRIs in detail.
As far as the other projects you mention: not every R&D project becomes a product...that is the nature of R&D. I, for one, am glad to get a glimpse into what people are working on and thinking about. If MS didn't show these R&D efforts, you'd be the first one complaining how secretive they are.
You are clearly too biased against MS (yeah, I know, welcome to /.)

Re:Looks like a nice device

[BrokenHalo]

I guess its antecedents are open to debate. One thing that concerns me (but only a little) is from having looked at the demo video, it looks rather as if Microsoft have adopted the finger gestures (or whatever they're called) that Apple just nabbed a patent for a couple of months ago. IIRC there was a /. thread about it, but I can't find it at the moment.

OT: Given how long Slashdot has been in existence, one might be forgiven for getting a bit cranky over Slashcode's inability to perform a simple keyword search on their own content.

Anyway, back on-topic, the patent might only extend to mobile phones, but in a way (for once) I hope it doesn't. Having a 400-lb legal team with Microsoft's budget behind it might be just what it takes to nuke the patent from orbit.

Re:Most important question...

[Canazza]

You can have any colour you like, so long as it's Beige

To make this device truly useful...

[Bicx]

one of the screens could be replaced by a full Querty keyboard for rapid word processing. You could then hold it in your lap while typing with the speed of both hands.

Re:To make this device truly useful...

[Foofoobar]

Querty? I think you put your keys back in the wrong order after cleaning your keyboard.

Re:To make this device truly useful...

[Bicx]

Uhat are you talking about?

The Origami Project

[p0]

Remember that? Wasn't it supposed to do this shit 3 years ago? Here we go again.

Can't Wait...

[swanzilla]

...dual blue screens of death

Re:Looks very nice but...

[Brandee07]

The UI is just another part of the mock-up. It looks to be very dependent on handwriting recognition for character input, like entering the URL, which is very, very difficult to do right. (Has anyone done this well enough to be useful yet?)

There's no evidence that the UI in general is any more developed than the hardware side of the device- and until someone actually gets their hands on one, we won't know if the UI is any good or not. Remember, this is the same company that produced Vista's shutdown menu.

I like it... but

[rAiNsT0rm]

I've always been a huge proponent of a dual screen laptop. A ton of people cry about the lack of a tactile keyboard and it always ends there. Haptic feedback is getting better and I can see that as the future but for now something like this is needed. A single screen tablet just isn't useful or natural and they never truly caught on. This type of device is. I think it should actually be oriented as a regular laptop with a simple sensor to know the orientation change to portrait mode and function as shown in the demo videos. Just having the option is better than making it a portrait only device for no real reason.

My other concern is that Microsoft is not good at UI design. Occasionally they have flashes of brilliance but on the whole they fail miserably in this regard. Apple is not always better, so this isn't some fanboy argument. What they should do it farm out the UI to a design firm, something along the lines of Art Lebedev. Let it be truly revolutionary instead of being handcuffed by old ideas and methodologies.

Foe me, you give me those two things and make it a bit thinner but strong and I'm totally sold. I don't think it needs to be netbook cheap even, a fair range of $1200-$1600 and I think it is a winner. Teachers, students, professionals, ebooks, etc. in one device is a disruptive technology.

Re:Most important question...

[Penguinisto]

Even better question: Will they ever bother selling it?

Microsoft has a nasty habit of fending off emerging threats by promising vaporware products that do the same job, only somehow better. In many of these cases, it's main job isn't to do $functionality, but distract attention and hype away from competitors (like, say, Apple's rumored tablet thingy), then the proposed product gets quietly buried once the hoopla is over.

It's a great way to suck the oxygen out of an emerging concept that threatens any sort of status quo... after all, Microsoft's profit margins got socked in the gut pretty hard by the whole netbook emergence.