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.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[Raumkraut]

The XO-2, most definitely: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO-2 [laptop.org]
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:It sucks

[Diabolus Advocatus]

Sure MS might suck as a corporation, and release dodgy software and charge more then acceptable for it, but their hardware division is actually quite good. I have plenty of MS hardware and it [i]is[/i] good quality, far better than the software. Don't paint all their products with the same brush.

Re:Someone over there heard "e-books"...

[bdsesq]

I see a number of significant advantages to a two-page style design:

Having a hinge with all the necessary wires going thru it is not an advantage. Laptops have similar designs but this looks like it will be flexed a lot more often than people move their laptop screens.

Re:Looks like a nice device

[Bat Country]

If you turn the brightness all the way down then read on a tight format black on white (like Microsoft Reader's default format) with a good print font (not a screen font) in a room that's comfortably lit, it's really no different from reading from a printed page. The light levels are identical and the contrast is just as good as reading a low quality paperback. I read on my laptop that way and have for years. It's quite comfortable, as soon as you figure out how to hold the laptop for maximum relaxation (actually less effort than reading a hardback book).

I keep seeing people on Slashdot complain about how intensely bright the screen is and how it's just terrible. Has it not occurred to anybody to turn down the backlight and then read in a well-lit room (which you should be doing if you're reading anyway?)

I can't read outdoors on a sunny day either because of the intensity of the light reflecting from the page, why should I expect to be able to comfortably read from a screen without turning the backlight down to minimum?

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 /.)