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Microsoft Courier: dual-screen touch tablet

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I like this concept...

Two things however.

1) Do NOT make the screens glossy. Whose bright idea was it to start making portable device screens glossy? I cannot use my laptop outdoors because of this. I saw someone backing into a retail display and knocking it over in London a couple of weeks back as he tried to angle his laptop to just see WTF was on his screen. This is one trend that needs to go. Matte please. Methinks it would be a more pleasing surface to use a pen with too.

2) Do we have technology yet that basically makes such screens finger-print proof? I am very very anal about keeping screens clean, and it's something that makes me dread touch screen displays. We need tech that is print-proof and that has coatings with anti-bacterial properties etc. (a bit like laptop keyboards I guess).

edit - also, needs a high quality camera, better than the crap that usually comes with portable devices. Particularly if you want designers and the like to flock to this (which seems to be a common user scenario in these vids).
 
I promise I'm not trying to be nasty as this looks great, but what exactly would one use this for- at least in a way that would generate massive sales?
 
JGS said:
I promise I'm not trying to be nasty as this looks great, but what exactly would one use this for- at least in a way that would generate massive sales?
Click to expand...

I think designers...researchers...people who make things and brainstorm and come up with ideas etc. People who work on paper a lot coming up with stuff. I would like one if I can have seperate journals for different things, one for each project I'm working on, one for motivational/aspirational brainstorming and goal setting. I hope there's a webpage archiver built in to this thing too. A scanner would have been nice too, for 'clipping' things from the real world, books, magazines, newspapers etc.

I know there are services out there that let you 'clip' things from the web and archive them etc. but having a nice little device like this that takes the idea further could be very useful to a certain type of person.

That's not necessarily a huge market, of course. I dunno, maybe they're making a play for credibility among the 'creative types' who would normally lay down their lives for Apple. That could also be a challenge however...Apple is very dominant among the type of demo that'd probably go for this product.

I actually see this kind of product as more the natural evolution of e-readers like kindle and sony's line. This is the sort of path I expect(ed) them to go down, a sort of more general creative tool build around information be it books or magazines or the web etc. Microsoft would definitely be missing a trick if this thing doesn't also serve as a e-reader.
 
It's the kind of idea that Minority Report futurists would dream up.

Cool but ultimately impractical and not reflective of cultural and technology adoption trends.
 
I'm late to this but...

This is typical Microsoft overpromising through sizzle video (see: Natal) and underdelivering until the third or fourth iteration.

Pen and finger interaction looked required for full functionality. Are the drawings implying that this will be two Cintiqs taped together!?

I saw at least three different UIs in there. What exactly is the conceptual difference between horizontal page flipping and vertical page flipping? This looks like it needs more training than a Day-Timer organizer system.

In short, this thing is a non-existant mess of concept CGI and marketing buzzwords (SmartAgenda, Pagestream, InfininteJournal).
 
JGS said:
I promise I'm not trying to be nasty as this looks great, but what exactly would one use this for- at least in a way that would generate massive sales?
Click to expand...

I'd use something like this during meetings, I'm constantly jotting stuff down in a notebook. Here's hoping the interface is well-designed, fast, and notes can be easily sorted/tabbed/etc.
 
looks like it's real

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/

We've been dying to know more about Microsoft's Courier tablet / e-book device ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We're told Courier will function as a "digital journal," and it's designed to be seriously portable: it's under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn't much bigger than a 5x7 photo when closed. That's a lot smaller than we expected -- this new picture really puts it into perspective -- and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7, we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6.

As we've heard, the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We're also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there's a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft's e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading. It all sounds spectacular, but all we have for a launch date is "Q3 / Q4", and we have no idea how much it's going to cost, so we're trying to maintain a healthy skepticism until any of this gets official -- call us any time, Microsoft. One more pic showing the interface after the break.
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03-05-10courier.jpg
 
Saw this earlier as well, and not sure what to make of it. Looks like interesting tech, and it's much smaller than I was expecting. I'd like to see more about it and see some video of the actual product in action. Seems to be searching for a very different niche from the iPad.
 
this plus built in one note wirelessly synced to my computer could be very interesting as a note taking tool for work.
 
Day fucking one, this is a much better concept than the iPad.

Although, I see this as a separate device than an e reader.
 
i think this actually works a little better being smaller. Looks tempting, but i'm planning on getting an unsubsidized smartphone in Q4 (possibly WP7-based) so i don't think this'll be in my budget or needs.

we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6.
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Windows Phone 7 Series is built on Windows CE 6 but is it's own OS. Pink is supposedly running WP7 as well.
 
I like it. it's wacky and a little complex but it's also small and, hell, i could actually use this for work.

i love that it's not just a skin on windows and that it's 180 degrees different from the iPad.

if it's not too expensive, I'll get one.
 
Kung Fu Jedi said:
Seems to be searching for a very different niche from the iPad.
Click to expand...

yep. probably the neogaf niche. it's more pda sized, not sure if I could really write that small and if it would really be useful. i.e. if i need to do productivity, am I better serve by a laptop or an actual notebook.
 
I like the idea much more than the ipad but it looks too small to be a good e-reader/device. 5x7 (x2) is not a terribly big device.
 
Glad it turned out to be real. I completely agree w/ those saying the concept is better than the iPad. I love that it can be folded up to protect the screen. Hopefully they will succeed in all aspects of the execution as well.

Edit: Wish it ran on a variant of Windows 7 though. :(
 
Yeah I'm probably going to get this. It is much more useful to me than the iPad. I'll get both though - iPad for fun, this for my work.
 
That new picture makes the thing look tiny. I like the concept, definitely -- it'll be interesting to see when it comes out (2011? 12?) and what type of pricing they're targeting.
 
Still don't know anywhere near enough about this device to get excited, but I like what I see.
 
The leaked Courier video from Fall '09 totally blew me away. Balmer never admitted it was real, when being grilled on the Engadget Show, but I love this thing.

It looks very *gasp* practical.
 
Would you rather this thing was small enough to fit in your pocket or would you prefer the real-estate of a larger tablet?

I'm confused by the size of the thing...seems small...but not small enough to fit anywhere convenient...so why not make it bigger?
 
Liu Kang Baking A Pie said:
How so?
Click to expand...

I'm a lot more intrigued than the ipad. I like the idea of pen-like writing rather than touchscreen for actual writing. I like the foldable design idea rather than a flat pad for portability. I like the dual-screen layout for reading (fits my natural reading paradigm). I dunno, I'm interested. Then again, I was never interested in an ipad in the first place, which to me also doesn't seem to fill a good niche. Really the only thing I can think of that I'd rather do on an ipad is watch video.

I like the idea much more than the ipad but it looks too small to be a good e-reader/device. 5x7 (x2) is not a terribly big device.
Click to expand...
I'm confused by the size of the thing...seems small...but not small enough to fit anywhere convenient...so why not make it bigger?
Click to expand...

Isn't that the same size as the ipad though (IIRC the ipad is roughly 10x7 itself).
 
I'm not sure how this is more exciting than the iPad, it just seems like a very different device with a different audience. The pen based options will certainly appeal to a specific crowd, but it also seems a bit limited in some ways, but I guess we'll have to see more to know for sure.

Both the Courier and the iPad will tread a lot of the same ground. For instance, the iPad will obviously be useful for taking notes as well, just in a very different way. Some will prefer the handwriting option some will prefer the typing option.

Both are going to have their strengths and weaknesses it seems, but it also seems they are very much pursuing a different crowd.
 
Ninja Scooter said:
because its not made by Apple and is not so trendy. Its called the Zune effect.
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or because its actually designed to be written on. Pretty simple. The Ipad is a giant ipod touch for media consumption. This looks like your not limited by just touch alone and not limited to just apps alone.
 
RubxQub said:
Would you rather this thing was small enough to fit in your pocket or would you prefer the real-estate of a larger tablet?

I'm confused by the size of the thing...seems small...but not small enough to fit anywhere convenient...so why not make it bigger?
Click to expand...

Why does it need to be bigger? Plenty of screen for reading and taking notes.
 
Shog should be around to tell all of you that this sort of thing has been around forever. I use a janky old Toshiba with a pen that syncs OneNote.

If it's really cheap, I can see the appeal. I feel like I saw a thousand of these book style pen tablets at CES earlier this year.
 
Karma said:
Why does it need to be bigger? Plenty of screen for reading and taking notes.
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It doesn't need to be...I guess I'm just curious if people would want it to be.

To me, the reason you'd make it small is so it can fit in your pocket and be portable. If it's not going to be any easier to carry around then a laptop due to size, why not make it bigger?

I'm not saying it has to be bigger, I'm just curious why they picked this in-between size of "not small enough to fit in a pocket, not large enough to do detailed work."

Not a knock, just an observation and curiosity.
 
This is very productivity oriented whereas the iPad isn't. From that standpoint, I could see it winning over business and design types that just want something for jotting down ideas really fast and prefer using a pen for such practices. Really, I don't think the two are competing for the same crowds. Which is probably better for them both.
 
Vinci said:
This is very productivity oriented whereas the iPad isn't. From that standpoint, I could see it winning over business and design types that just want something for jotting down ideas really fast and prefer using a pen for such practices. Really, I don't think the two are competing for the same crowds. Which is probably better for them both.
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, this thing is going to be waaaaay too small to type on with an on-screen keyboard, so you aren't going to be manipulating PowerPoints, Word documents or Excel documents.

The iPad's on screen keyboard at least gives you some method of interacting with those documents, even if it would be less than ideal...it would still be waaaaay more ideal than having to pen-based input these types of things.

The "work" everyone thinks they are going to be doing on this device is note-taking only...right? What else could you do on this?

...not saying this doesn't look awesome...just curious what people really see themselves doing on this thing for work outside of taking notes and doodling.
 
Vinci said:
This is very productivity oriented whereas the iPad isn't. From that standpoint, I could see it winning over business and design types that just want something for jotting down ideas really fast and prefer using a pen for such practices.
Click to expand...

winning over what? iPad in a business world? maybe. A real (lightweight) notebook? Not likely.
 
RubxQub said:
For what it's worth, this thing is going to be waaaaay too small to type on with an on-screen keyboard, so you aren't going to be manipulating PowerPoints, Word documents or Excel documents.

The iPad's on screen keyboard at least gives you some method of interacting with those documents, even if it would be less than ideal...it would still be waaaaay more ideal than having to pen-based input these types of things.

The "work" everyone thinks they are going to be doing on this device is note-taking only...right? What else could you do on this?

...not saying this doesn't look awesome...just curious what people really see themselves doing on this thing for work outside of taking notes and doodling.
Click to expand...

How big is the iPad screen? How much of that screen is used for the keyboard?
 
luoapp said:
winning over what? iPad in a business world? maybe. A real (lightweight) notebook? Not likely.
Click to expand...

Winning over pieces of paper, desktops, and notebook computers. Nothing else does it like this so far.
 
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