Remember that time when you were just totally stumped for ideas on a new Nike Dunk SB color scheme? Well, if you had a
Microsoft Courier -- whose interface concepts have now been detailed extensively in a new video on
Gizmodo -- you'd have little trouble recalling the incident, thanks to fancy tools like an "infinite journal," "grid" and "search" to keep your little virtual scrapbook in order. On display are new gestures that use both the pen and fingers, and seem a little more obvious and common sense than last time around. Copying and "tucking" an image for instance (clipping it to the black binding in the center) is done with a finger, as is a swipe gesture that pulls up the browser, and another swipe that pulls up the home screen of sorts. The pen is more reserved for annotation and sketching, which seems logical. Your journals of stuff can be shared with browser-bound friends, and even packaged up into a customizable virtual Moleskine, elastic band and all. There are still plenty of missing pieces, like a virtual keyboard or pretty much any apps outside of scrapbooking and web browsing, but this iteration certainly looks a lot less theoretical and complicated than what we've seen so far.
Update: ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley
has more details from a "connected tipster" about Courier. According to her, Microsoft is running this on top of Windows 7, similar to how Microsoft Surface runs on top of Windows, and that the concept got its start as a reinvention of Microsoft's OneNote for a strictly tablet form factor. Word is that it's an "incubation project" (as opposed to a more conjectural Microsoft Research project) and Microsoft is apparently aiming for a mid-2010 release. The wildest part is that Microsoft is "leaning toward" the Xbox model of building the hardware itself, which apparently will help speed things along -- and delight hardware partners to no end, we're sure.
posted Sep 29th 2009 12:11PM
Lord on high...this thing keeps getting better and better each moment.
I'll bite sir.
Explain to me how it's better. If you can provide factual reasons why it's better, I'll buy an iPhone now and throw my G1 away.
@Iphoneisbetterthancourier:
Go crawl back into your Apple crate. MS or not, anyone trying to create something new and interesting should be commended. This just raises the stakes in the electronics game and we benefit. But I guess your iBrain can't seem to comprehend that, can it?
@IphoneisbetterthanCourier(aka Steve): Do you ever say anything positive?
"Android is about as open source as the iphone... it's a joke. Google is just as much a parent figure to Android as Apple is to the iphone."
"So are they going to charge a 30 dollar a month data charge AND a 10 dollar navigation charge?"
"BGR is a crap site that just covers blackberries, verizon and At&t. They have very little objectivity in their reporting or reviews."
"Paul A. Chapel.
Eat $hit you liberal puke"
"the soon to be announced tablet will destroy it"
So your 8 year rumored tablet will destroy this design concept?
I mean, at least Microsoft has a track record in tablets which makes this a little more credible. Apple on the other hand has said nothing about a tablet and has repeatedly denied interest in making one. That's not much to be as confident as you are.
How long has this "soon to be announced tablet" got to wait to be announced. I've been hearing murmurings of a very close tablet for years now. Personally, I say don't hold you breath.
I really like the Concept, but I'm curious to see how this thing performs in terms of responsiveness and UI-consistency when/if_ever it actually becomes a real product. MS, by now, isn't even near something like the "Courier". Please, surprise me Mr. Balmer, but I don't see this one coming in 2010 (at least not in that shape which we all fell in love with here).
@Iphoneisbetterthancourier:
Nah... compared to that, Apple Tablet will be more like Comic Sans.
Apple will never produce a tablet - because we well know that Apple doesn't copy MS.
Maybe, every once in a while it's entertaining to get a bunch of dorks that sit here all day refreshing this site all upset over someone liking Apple over Microsoft (or vice-versa).
Yeah, it's immature of me, but so is sitting on here all day (everyday) and commenting on every single post like that Mark character or the rest of you can who read each and every single post, painstakingly deciding whether or not to rate + or -.
I'm with you. This thing looks perfect as a workflow for creative types....and I am not going to be throwing my G1away for an iPhone, either.
Doesn't this seem like Bill Gate's pet project when he pops back into Microsoft every once in a while? He's always been a big proponent of tablets, and this totally seems like something he would do. Hope Bill is reading our comments so he knows how much we want this thing released? Anyone forsee an epic showdown between Jobs and Gates with the battle of the tablets... I think so.
Lots of excitement is coming out the Microsoft camp these days.
Ignoring the "Host your own party" videos :-P
@Adam :
On the contrary, those "amazing" parties should be commended...
/sarcasm haha
im hosting a windows 7 party and i think other than their video's, the whole thing is pretty cool.
now all they need to do is support some kind of a cause and they'll be the best thing since...
oh wait, i guess bill and melinda gates foundation covers that.
I'm loving this concept, it's so fresh.. MS is going to set a new standard?
Now just make it a reality and I'll bite..
And that, my friends, is what a tablet is supposed to be.
+100
Why do they keep having screenshots of Google search on there and not Bing....
I think the designer making these isn't really with the corporate message; they windows usage scenario is shown with XP.
Heh, good point, kazbaeden. I bet that laptop was supposed to be a Mac, too....The cursor is the OS X cursor. they probably just removed the camera, changed the latch, and threw in IE on XP.
Bing probably wasn't around at the time this video was made.
The video appears to me to be at least a couple years old because of that laptop running XP.
Sounds like it would be a great student device for all ages.
It would also be a great business tool. I work in the industrial automation field and manage a lot of capital improvement projects at various customers. This device would be great for going to a initial meeting and jotting down what the customer is looking for and then expanding on it through a seemingly endless string of follow-up meetings as the project takes shape until its final approval and kick-off meeting, which half the time ends in additional items being tacked on and a new string of meetings spread out over a year+ time frame before the project even starts and then interfacing with four or five other contractors on scheduling and so on. I would love to have this item for work.
But that is the most significant point, it would be for work, or for school, or for any number of tasks that I would never think of. The one thing that would separate it from a Apple tablet is that the fruity flavored one would almost assuredly be an entertainment / media centered device for casual use. While the Courier market could be huge in its own right, I find it hard to believe it would come anywhere near the entertainment focused market would be.
I personally don't care if Apple ever releases a tablet, but I do wish that someone would release a MID-sized tablet that boots quickly, supports any media formats you through at it, have Wifi (N speeds) and bluetooth, touchscreen in a high resolution, SD memory card support and be able to run:
1. Streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon VOD, Hulu, and other web based video services.
2. Internet Radio, Rhapsody, podcasts and other music services.
3. Full web browser with flash and silverlight support.
3. Integrated applications for popular content like Facebook, flickr, myspace, youtube type stuff
4. support for email clients like gmail, outlook, hotmail etc.
5. support for quick and easy installs of applications like games (not Crysis level games just PSP or iPhone type games)
Wrap it all up in a Media Center type interface as the main desktop and drop the traditional windows start menu and UI.
@dennisheadley
I'd love to be able to read this like a book. so the comic book file support would be great as well. But overall, a nice multimedia system like you propose would be fantastic
There was an Apple home page that had the new latest iPod Nanos and said Small Talk, so the video should be about as old as the release of the newer type Nano.
Awesome! The problem with the Apple version is that it won't be a Mac Tablet, it'll be an iTunes Tablet. I hope the Courier rocks Apple. Microsoft feels like the consumer hardware underdog right now.
What Apple Tablet?
in other news, MS fanboys have nerdgasm then stand in line at Bank of America to get home equity lones
Way to make yourself look smart there...
I guess you've yet to finish grammar school?
I think someone needs to lones you a dictionary.
Why? So he can use proper English yet again?
Oh wait. Reply fail.
*hides in corner*
And the applebots who all freaked the f out last night when the apple store went offline didn't?
@ j Stevens.
ULTRA KILL!!!
you win.
I think this looks great as a replacement for a yellow paper pad or one of the current paper/digital notepads but I really don't see this format being particularly useful for things other than being a great business meeting / college class type tool. It would work great for those purposes as you could jot things down and then take it back to your desk and continue to work right there on the original notes to expand them and flesh them out.
On the other hand it is too bulky with the multiple screens to be a lay on the couch and use kind of casual device, pretty much the same two plains to keep positioned problem that makes laptops suck for lounging around. It might make a great e-reader with full color magazines being displayed just like their newsstand counterparts. Try lounging around with a three ring binder and writing, drawing, and just holding it while you do so and you will see its a pain to do. This would be a lay it down on a table type device with mostly pen input.
Well not just college classes, but for every grade. I remember having to write my notes for each class in separate notepads.
Now, If they threw in a nice calculator, this would be awesome for math class, and almost perfect companion for school.
Anyways, I think that demographic alone is a huge number.
A calculator would be awesome. Imagine something like a handwritten version of Wolfram Alpha. It would be the math students' version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I'll respectfully disagree. I don't mind lounging with my laptop, what I do mind however is being stuck with an adapter that's attached to the wall when I am using my laptop. If this thing has a battery life of about 6-10 hours of actual use, I could see myself skipping the Zune HD I've been waiting on, and picking up one of these. That's assuming that it supports audio. If it doesn't I'll have to pass.
But back to the topic at hand, I don't think that using it will pose much of an issue. The biggest problem with writing in a binder while sitting is that the binder is too bulky (not exactly what I want to say, but I can't think of how else to phrase it). For example, try turning a binder at a 90 degree angle from how you normally use it, and it become MUCH easier to use.
But either way, diffrern't strokes and all that jazz.
It might be a better choice for Princeton's "ebook textbook" trial then the Kindle.
One-note was great software for annotating anything you could run on tablet xp; it was just somewhat of a pain to set u your tablet to be completely useful. If Microsoft has been actually working on improving one-note and other tablet software for the past 5 years, this might actually be a useful device.
I have a Fujitsu Tablet (slate not notebook) available at work, which was arguably one of the best and most expensive tablets ever. It stayed in my closet, because it was not really easy to use. Hopefully this version will be better.
Sounds like it would be a great student device for all ages.
It would also be a great business tool. I work in the industrial automation field and manage a lot of capital improvement projects at various customers. This device would be great for going to a initial meeting and jotting down what the customer is looking for and then expanding on it through a seemingly endless string of follow-up meetings as the project takes shape until its final approval and kick-off meeting, which half the time ends in additional items being tacked on and a new string of meetings spread out over a year+ time frame before the project even starts and then interfacing with four or five other contractors on scheduling and so on. I would love to have this item for work.
But that is the most significant point, it would be for work, or for school, or for any number of tasks that I would never think of. The one thing that would separate it from a Apple tablet is that the fruity flavored one would almost assuredly be an entertainment / media centered device for casual use. While the Courier market could be huge in its own right, I find it hard to believe it would come anywhere near the entertainment focused market would be.
I personally don't care if Apple ever releases a tablet, but I do wish that someone would release a MID-sized tablet that boots quickly, supports any media formats you through at it, have Wifi (N speeds) and bluetooth, touchscreen in a high resolution, SD memory card support and be able to run:
1. Streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon VOD, Hulu, and other web based video services.
2. Internet Radio, Rhapsody, podcasts and other music services.
3. Full web browser with flash and silverlight support.
3. Integrated applications for popular content like Facebook, flickr, myspace, youtube type stuff
4. support for email clients like gmail, outlook, hotmail etc.
5. support for quick and easy installs of applications like games (not Crysis level games just PSP or iPhone type games)
Wrap it all up in a Media Center type interface as the main desktop and drop the traditional windows start menu and UI.
Sorry for the repeat post. The first one ended up it a totally different area about Bing vs Google search in the video for some weird Engadget random post position "feature".
I understand the point that you make, and I would agree that the market for a media tablet on its own would be greater then a school/work focused tablet, but I would argue that either of these tablets would be a companion to say an iphone or smart-phone as opposed to its replacement.
So, the point that I'm trying to make is that people already carry around their media player, in their phone or pmp, and carrying around a media tablet with it is kind of redundant and silly, where as a work/school tablet would make sense because it doesn't overlap function.
I can't be the only person who continues learning after school is finished. I'm not in college anymore, so I don't need to take lecture notes, but I've constantly got 5-10 major learning projects going on at once from Software Design to Woodworking to Gadget Mods, and every single one of those projects requires a lot of learning new stuff. I find it a constant pain to keep track of my thoughts in an organized way when I've got so much new stuff going on at once, and having something like this to jot down notes in separate journals would be a godsend.
Hopefully they'll use midrange Tegra and we won't have to take out equity loans XD
seriously though, I don't mind if this thing doesn't have natove Windows compatibility, as long as it gets decent app support. Something like this without a good Photoshop equivalent would be a sin.
Any word yet on whether this is multitouch resistive or capacitive with a pressure sensitive stylus?
It won't be running on Tegra if it's running on top of Windows 7.
Tegra uses ARM cpus which cant run Windows 7.But a Dual core atom 330 with Nvidia Ion will surely rock on a tablet like this.
Posted before the update. My interest has lessened in this now, as I'm willing to bet it will be more expensive than I want it to be due to the Win7 inclusion and hardware requirements.
It's a good thing the other 3 comments I tried didn't submit, as the update would have negated them :0
Uh oh Apple tablet hopefuls, this thing looks a lot more promising than an oversized touch screen running iphone os. Did Microsoft beat Apple to it?
I think if I were a college student or if I took prodigious notes in business meetings this would be a great tool. This would also help me visually brainstorm design ideas, much like an actual tablet of paper. I can't see how it would change my life otherwise. How would this tool be so useful as to be groundbreaking?
Microsoft beat Apple to the punch with announcement, but until both tablets actually come to fruition, I'm just going to sit here and speculate quietly.
Okay, maybe not quietly because this things is pretty frakkin cool.
What I think Microsoft has over Apple in this arena is experience. Apple has really only been in the touch arena for a couple years with the iPhone, which is small format and limited to only finger inputs.
Microsoft has been integrating pen and touch into Windows since 2002. Now in 2009 pen and touch is fully integrated into Windows 7 and provides a great user interface. With XP tablet I found myself in laptop mode for everything other than taking notes. With windows 7 the tablet experience is so fluid I find myself in tablet mode unless I'm typing a long paper. I'm even typing this on the multitouch keyboard at about 40 WPM with minimal mistakes.
Microsoft has experience with handwriting recognition which is near perfect and customizable, as opposed to Apple's inkwell which is marginally usable only if you print. Microsoft has made public tons of exciting research into multitouch, single touch, and pen user interfaces and software. Apple just has the iPhone.
So while the standard line is "an Apple tablet will be amazing because it's Apple and Apple is always amazing" as an actual tablet user, I'm just not seeing it. All we have to go by is the iPhone, which is leagues different from an actual tablet.
+1
I hate to be the one to mention this but if history is anything to go by, experience doesn't really seem to count for anything as long as you have a good product. Microsoft might well have a lot of experience in this area but they have hardly cracked it. While I find the Courier to be intriguing, it has not answered the question of "what do I need it for?", although I suspect that this is a flaw with the whole tablet concept. It's pretty looking but doesn't really seem to do a whole lot more than anything else. For example, dragging graphics off a web site is hardly revolutionary. Ultimately, what we have here is a glorified notepad that is probably more hassle to use than a real notepad, which is where I suspect that things will go wrong for it.
@ Kelmon: Since you asked "what do I need it for?"
May I ask then, What do you need? I can tell obviously, you don't need this, but what do you think another tablet would offer you that you would really need, that your phone or laptop doesn't already offer?
I personally think that a digital sketchpad/notepad in book form is very desirable and useful, since I have a dozen different notebooks that I use, I would prefer to be able to carry everything with me at any time, which is more of a convenience then a hassle.
It doesn't need to be revolutionary, just useful.
I'd have to agree.
Going by the rumors, the Apple tablet seems to be nothing but an iPhone enlarged. It serves no different purpose. Nothing to differentiate it from the others.
This is something totally different. More than just a tabelt PC, more than an e-book.
This is like notebook, planner/PDA, and netbook put into one functional device made easy to carry around in book form.
I love the concept. And if they can deliver, it will be a hit for educational settings.
Uhh... Apple's been doing touch and handwriting ever since the Newton, which was released in like '93/'94
And let's face it, up until Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows Mobile was a gigantic, awkwardly designed joke. That's 6 versions of it and they still couldn't get it right. Not to mention that the Zune HD's browser is so bad that it's almost broken.
@ tres
I'll do this forum style.
Uhh... Apple's been doing touch and handwriting ever since the Newton, which was released in like '93/'94
>>>And before them, others were doing it with the tablet and pens. Whoopty doo. The point is, that Microsoft advanced CURRENT touch technology.
And let's face it, up until Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows Mobile was a gigantic, awkwardly designed joke. That's 6 versions of it and they still couldn't get it right.
>>>Firstly, nobody mentioned Windows Mobile. We were discussing full fledged Windows XP/Vista/7. And as for your attack of WinMo, the problem it had wasn't issues with the software inherently, it was that you needed a stylus to accurately use it. If you don't like that fact, move along. But WinMo in and of itself has no problems. (speaking of 6.1 specifically). Have you actually tried a current version of WinMo. And not a stock ROM either. Those universally suck. I'm talking a ROM cooked by a talented chef. (now I'm hungry).
Not to mention that the Zune HD's browser is so bad that it's almost broken.
>>>You are actually the first person I've heard say that. But being that I haven't actually used it yet, I'll refrain from commenting. What exactly is wrong with the browser.
It's easy to pick on Windows Mobile circa 2007. You forget that for a decade they had the most advanced cell phone OS in the business. While Microsoft was in the game Apple was sitting on the sidelines.
I don't think you will find many who object to the assertion that Apples mobile OS shook up the game. Now companies like Microsoft and Palm are playing catch up. However, catch-up, in many cases, is now complete. I'll be happy to put my tweaked out 6.5 against your iPhone any day. I may not have a fart app or a digital compass but I can do just about everything that I need to. And the good news is, Windows Mobile 7 is right around the corner. Let's regroup and talk then.
"I may not have a fart app or a digital compass but I can do just about everything that I need to."
Never laughed more at an Engadget comment than this line right here. So true.
you need it for a more natural enhanced user experience, in both form and function that a non tablet notebook can never dream to offer?
"Apple's been doing touch and handwriting ever since the Newton, which was released in like '93/'94"
And judging from inkwell it hasn't progressed since then. Inkwell is terrible. It is only usable with neatly printed letters, so if your handwriting is sloppy or cursive or any variant of cursive/print like mine is, it's nearly useless. Handwriting recognition in windows 7 is over 90% accurate out of the box, and with minimal training and learning it approaches 100% very quickly.
"Ultimately, what we have here is a glorified notepad that is probably more hassle to use than a real notepad, which is where I suspect that things will go wrong for it."
Which is what I use my Latitude XT for when you get down to it. It's a glorified piece of paper. But I am so much more productive on it. All my text books are scanned on it, so I have my entire library with me at all times. All my notes from every class I've taken over the past 4 years are in it, so I can reference anything I've ever written down. I can search my handwriting, draw diagrams with vector shapes as quickly as I could free hand. I can clip diagrams from text books and put them in my notes. I can tag equations, graphs, or derivations and create a study sheet which aggregates those tags across multiple notebooks.
The list goes on... so, as a student the question "what do I need it for?" is answered very easily. What can I do with it take a little imagination, but I feel the possibilities are endless.
@j Stevens.
Ah, don't get me wrong on this subject, I don't think ANY tablet form of computer is good for me. Over the years I have owned various PDA devices in the hope that they'd make life easier but they never did and they were all abandoned. I highly doubt that I am going to find Apple's iTablet useful but I am very interested to see how they pitch it. Ultimately, I keep coming back to plain paper and pens for the sort of things that these devices might be useful for me for, i.e. taking notes in meetings and the like.
This would make my life so much easier. Currently use a tablet PC and OneNote... this is just a whole new level for my line of work..
@Kelmon:
I base MY assumption that the Macbook Air was a flop on the fact that it's never brought up in an overly-gloating fashion during Apple events, claiming that they have 100% percent 'thin and light' marketshare.
When did Apple last reveal how many Apple TVs they've sold? In years, say?
Now when did Apple last reveal How man iPods/Phones they've sold? to the nearest minute.
@CJ
Frankly, when was the last time that Apple discussed the sales of ANY computer that it makes outside of the categories of notebooks, desktops and servers? I don't think I have ever seen sales figures for any particular model or even the sub-categories like MacBook Pro. So that you haven't seen any figures for the MacBook Air is hardly new nor something to infer sales figures from. Why people like to bash the MacBook Air is, frankly, quite beyond me since it is damned good at the job that it was made for.
I'm guessing that the Engadget comment system got messed up again here.
remember how 'exciting' UMPC as origami was? I dont care about any hype from M$ or $NE now, unless they show the real thing.
That's ridiculous. Do you also ignore any hype about Apple because the Macbook Air was a flop? Or because of the Apple TV? Or, better yet, because of the Pippin?
@Mark
I think the issue here is that Microsoft has "form" in this area. Maybe they have cracked the problem this time (I personally doubt it, based on what I've seen so far) but their past "accomplishments" in this area gives definite cause for doubt. Let's be fair here - they keep trying the Zune idea and its still not worked out properly, even with the HD.
I'd also disagree that the MacBook Air was a flop. What are you basing this on? However, I'd agree about the Apple TV.
If by not worked out properly you mean is the best PMP on the market then yes you are correct. I'll admit the Zune does need to integrate fart playback better currently it is a real pain to get these noises onto the device.
@Apd123: Kelmon is making valid points, I see no reason to be rude here.
@Kelmon: I'd disagree about the Zune HD, simply in the fact that we should wait to see actual numbers before reaching such conclusions. For the Macbook Air, I was simply saying from what I've heard(mostly here) it just hasn't sold well. I figured some would disagree which is why I threw in the Apple TV and the Pippin(just to be super safe). The point was just that you can't pre-judge a company based on some past mistakes. Every company has its failures and its successes, and none should ever be discounted(unless they're actually going under).
@ Apd123
"If by not worked out properly you mean is the best PMP on the market then yes you are correct."
Maybe in your market, cause it can't be bought where i live and thus rendering your statement pointless.
@ Kelmon
You can't really call the Zune a failure at all. Microsoft is not a new company and they obviously know how to push a product. There is a consistent support from Microsoft for the Zune service and device. They are pushing it, slowly for whatever reason, but they will no doubt make it work eventually. Maybe not as dedicated device but with software and service. They are joint-basing their whole digital entertainment ecosystem with Zune and Media Center.
The same can not be the said for Apple TV or the MacBook Air which to some are considered failures. Apple doesn't do anything new with them, there is no hype behind them after their initial release they just sit there available in the store, with hardware refreshes like larger hard drives. Apple neglects them. Compare how they structure their iMacs, MacBooks, and iPod lines. Huge events dedicated to them with tons of hype for them. They obviously can't push Apple TV and the Air.
@Mark
My issue with the Zune HD is simply that Microsoft has, again, attempted to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory that means that the device will become another "also ran". Yes, it has got some great hardware (by all accounts) but the decision not to allow 3rd party development of applications for it is completely nuts given the state of the competition. Microsoft already has a boatload of software that runs on their Windows Mobile platform and it beggars belief that this software was not enabled for the Zune. To be honest, I kinda feel sorry for them, but their mobile strategy continues to be a mess.
With respect to the Air, and other devices like it, I think you have to be very careful about what you describe as "a failure", which is a term thrown around this site by readers without really thinking about it. The MacBook Air was never going to be as big a product success as, say, the 13" MacBook or the 15" MacBook Pro because those are mass-market products. Rather, the Air was aimed at those people who bought things like the old 12" PowerBook - people who wanted a small and light notebook computer. I have absolutely no idea how many units it sold or how many Apple hoped it would but my point is that neither does anyone else here so you have nothing to measure its success by. All I can say is that it will not need to sell as many units as more popular notebook models before Apple will have considered it a success. Mind you, I expect that the emergence of the netbook phenomenon will have have had an impact on its sales but I don't know by how much.
You guys should add some more snark, I see some gaps.
I must have this I was born to own this. Please let this make it to market. I work wholesale customer service and I could take notes and even orders on it. And reading a zinio mag on it would be great. I own a 360 and a zune hd come on let's go for the hat trick release this soon.
It seems like this would be a better way for those Princeton students to access their textbooks and make all their notes.
I don't know if this will have a virtual keyboard, although they have one already designed for the ZuneHD that could be ported over pretty easily. I think it will just use handwriting recognition.
I'll have mine with "Don't Panic!" on the back, thanks.
and for between AU$400 and AU$700
Vote this man up.
I'm honestly not sure about this device. On the one hand, a 2-screen device that folds up into a notepad size would be convenient to carry and much more practical than a traditional tablet PC. Additionally, if the handwriting recognition works well then it could be useful for making notes in a meeting and be far less annoying that someone tapping away on a laptop. But I can't help thinking that just using a normal notepad is going to be quicker, easier and cheaper...
I tend to think that something like this is only going to "got" by people who already have a use for tablet PCs. For everyone else I don't see it replacing a traditional computer and an accessory system that isn't a cellular telephone isn't likely to be particularly popular. And ultimately, this is what this thing is likely to be - an expensive accessory that will be hard to justify, particularly at a time when IT budgets are tighter than a duck's backside...
Still, I'll be interesting to see if the concept makes it into production.
It replaces a laptop completely, I mean, if you need a keyboard to type a lot, plug in a USB $7 one!
And why would all Couriers be expensive? I could have Netbook specs for a cheap version (120Gb Drive, 1Gb RAM, Atom, etc.). All the way to top of the line (500Gb double hard drives, 8Gb RAM, Cuad Core, etc.)...
I think you're right in general. But there are a few problems in your logic. Were your post true, and people would just stick with notepads rather than buy any kind of tablet concept, the same reasoning would say that people would stay clear of e-book readers because, after all, you could just buy a book. This looks like the exact same concept of, say, the Kindle, but applied to the notebook(as in actual paper notebook, not laptop) realm. No need to shuffle around notebooks for different projects/classes/drawings/whatever, it's all in one device and easy to access.
I think the problem with past tablets has been poor implementation, rather than a lack of market. They seem to have the touch screen just randomly thrown on a device that works perfectly well without it. Since a huge part of Windows 7 was a push for multi-touch, they've actually integrated it really well, so instead of a desktop OS with touch support slapped on, you have an OS that was actually made with multi-touch in mind. Basically, it's kinda like the difference between the BB Storm and the iPhone.
I agree with you Kelmon that side to side it will probably always be easier to use an actual notepad as opposed to a digital one. However, while easy usability is super important, with almost any thing that has become digitalized it's about the convenience. It's easier to go to Walmart to buy a CD and pop it into your CD player, but it's way more convenient to buy music online and sync it to your mp3 player or phone and have all your music accessible without changing CDs. I think if they push this to education, which is a huge market because a lot of us go to school at least for a decade, it could be a huge success on that side of the spectrum. More and more literature is become digital and if there is a device that can hold all you books, along with work, notes, and whatever else you need effectively educational system will implement and at least a good amount of college students would adopt. So while you are true that it may be easier to write on paper, you still have to look at how it can make greater improvements a single sheet of paper could never do.
@hugomarquez
Pardon? Sorry but this device is not going to replace a laptop or desktop computer, at least not in the near future. it could, indeed, replace a netbook because I expect the performance will be roughly comparable but I do not see anyone trying to work on one of these things full-time. If it ever launches then I think you can guarantee that it will sync with a normal PC.
If it costs more than a pad of paper and some pens then it will be considered expensive since that is what it appears that it will be replacing in the office.
@Mark
I really don't think that you can draw parallels between the notebook/tablet relationship and books/ebooks. I'm sorry but I just don't see it. I essence, however, I do think you are right in that if you favoured a notebook over a tablet today then you won't favour a Courier tomorrow. My problem with this is that over the years I have tried various PDAs that, essentially, were bought as replacements for a pen and paper but the end result was that even with the extra features that the PDAs offered (calendars, email, document viewer, etc) I'd end up back on a paper and pens because it was less hassle. Ultimately, that's been my experience of such devices - they're supposed to make things easier but in the end they just give you hassle. Maybe this implementation will sort out all the problems but I can't help thinking that it is just going to be more of the same.
@WixosTrix
Ah, you have picked up on my old mantra that explains why digital downloads will win out over (technically) superior physical formats like CDs and DVDs - convenience is always king as long as the quality is "good enough" because humans are inherently lazy. The problem here, I think, is that I am not convinced that the device is going to make things more convenient. Rather, it looks like technology for the sake of technology. Once the technology behind them gets to a good enough standard then I will be quite interested in an E-Book Reader myself because the idea of on-demand downloads of books that I can read in a way that doesn't hurt my eyes is appealing (i.e. it is more convenient than a trip to the book store and the quality is "good enough" when compared to a traditional book). But in the case of the Courier I cannot really see how it is going to make my life any easier than it is already and that is where it falls down for me. If I was a shoe designer then I can see how this would be useful, and maybe you do something that would benefit from this, but for me I cannot see how it is going to do anything more conveniently than what I already do today.
Well I see your point, and my answer is dont buy it. Like really its not that hard to figure that out. I agree with you on the pen and paper part, though , 9 times out of ten its way faster. However , its physical , it can be lost or damage. This tablet , like all other electronic devices, can store, copy and manipulate the same data.
How about a capacative touch screen on one side (if it isnt already) and the ability to turn it on its side, for a netbook-mode with a keyboard filling bottom screen? And only when in the mail app.
This is great, but writing emails with a stylus takes annoyingly long. Plus, when writing takes annoyingly long, people's handwriting worsenes. Hand-writing recognition failure is followed by more annoyance. Especially if you are a fancy-prancy shoe designer who bought this thing in the first thing to be fancy-prancy superfast and fancy-prancy super-efficient.
From the look of it, it does seem to have capacitive screens on both sides. Looks like it's using Wacomm(spelling?) tech for the stylus. For handwriting, we'll have to wait and see how well it does. They do have a VK built into W7 though, so it would seem kind of silly for them to not even allow it as an option. Guess we'll just have to wait.
I will buy this...... If this works as designed (most likely better) I will buy this no matter the cost. MS has made me fall in love with it again.
Wow is all I can say. I have been following this since I heard about it a few weeks ago. I am a huge Apple fan and have been awaiting a tablet from them for a long time. I am honestly more excitied by this project from Microsoft. Partly because it seems more real and official. This would be perfect for my needs from what I can tell, especially if they get some way for keyboard input. The form factor, inclusion of the camera, and input mode are great. I hope that they can get good battery life, screen is good, etc. I am looking forward to see how this one turns out. Kudos to the developers from what I am seeing and the example videos showing it's uses I think they are off to a good start.
You are correct portable devices are generally not designed for the standard 9-5 worker in a cubicle.
One question, battery life, it has two screens that has to burn up battery's. so I assume some more Oled =)
problem - It WONT run win 7 applications.
I don't see that as a problem. Tablet PC runs Windows applications and nobody gives a shit because the different interfaces clash too much. If they're going for a fully touch UI then the applications need to be designed solely for that UI and not M/KB, otherwise the device loses a lot of its appeal. The real problem is, can they get enough Courier specific applications developed to make the device worthwhile?
Blown away I am, simply blown away.
I can see this in the universities more so than I can see the eBook reader replacing actual books.
-
My big question here is: how much will it weigh and will MS pull the same old crap they did with most things they seem to come out with, most recently the old zune and the zune HD also the first Xbox and the Xbox 360. They promised this, that and the other. Then when the actual thing came out it was only this, no than and no other. It was only their second version of the devices that actually did all they said it would do.
-
All in all I am hoping for the best as this device does have a market and would do well.
This is definitely a very interesting product. The biggest problem I see is the usability vs price vs capabilities trade-off. So far it looks very slick, but that has a lot to do with the fact that the videos show very limited use (basically just note taking, web-browsing, and cut & paste). And people aren't going to be willing to pay a lot for a device with so many limitations. So if they want to sell it for anything more than a couple hundred dollars (which they'll have to if they don't want to lose money) it's going to need more features (calender, games, media player, productivity software, etc...). But the more features they add to it, the less slick it's going to look and the more they start running into the kinds of problems they have with Tablet PC. I'll be very interested to see if Microsoft can find the right balance between these three aspects of the device.
Ron George seems to work on some of the UI features for this device. He was inquiring users input and wish lists, so you can go to his website and voice your hopes for virtual keyboard, calculator, games, videos, etc. just in case those features are not actually there already. Hopefully in the next few days, as more in depth videos emerge, we get to see whats missing.
Ron's website:
http://rongeorge.com/design/gizmodo-posts-about-courier-microsofts-new-tablet/
If they're leaning toward the "Xbox" model of hardware that means instead of the RRoD it's going to burst into flames and exhume 451 degrees Fahrenheit of heat (see what I did there)?
Microsoft is showing the world how a Tablet is done.
I'm not sure if the technology needed to make this concept good is available cheap enough yet or in the next year. The Tegra APX 2600 now on the Zune HD supports dual displays, but it only supports one LCD at 864x480. The next Tegra APX will need to be an order of magnitude better to properly support Courier. We're talking dual 8-9", 1280x768 screens (160-180 ppi) to make it really sing. Need serious horsepower to push that through. The screens themselves won't be cheap either. I wonder if this will end up being another expensive premium platform like UMPC. The videos aren't aimed at students. They're aimed at creative types, people who have a lot more disposable income.