Microsoft to reveal HP built Courier slate tomorrow?

It was 2001 that Bill Gates first introduced the Tablet PC in Las Vegas. Tomorrow will see the launch of what could be Microsoft's next take on the Tablet PC right here at CES if the New York Times is correct. According to "people familiar with Microsoft's plans," Steve Ballmer will introduce an HP-built "slate-type computer" during the opening CES keynote. The rumored device is said to be a "multi-media whiz with e-reader and multi-touch functions" in tow that could be available by mid year. So what will it be? The Courier supported by a full-suite of content partners, or will it be just another Windows tablet in search of mass market acceptance? You'll find out tomorrow right here at Engadget.

[Intellectualdiot Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:08PM]

Please be the Courier, please be the Courier.

[Ioncloud9 Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:08PM]

@Intellectualdiot

Please be WM7, please be WM7.

[andthemaniam Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:11PM]

@Intellectualdiot

+1 for the Courier!

[SaintAndrew Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:13PM]

@Intellectualdiot

id give an arm and a leg for a courier. anyone interested?

[Bjay Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:13PM]

@andthemaniam

I see what u did there

[MaX PL Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:19PM]

oh SNAP!

its on like donkey kong, Apple.

[erik1080 Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:40PM]

Ah, how I love competition.

[Jonathan K Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:45PM]

@Intellectualdiot Please be the Courier with WM 7... Please be WM 7 with the Courier...

[KakaduDreamer Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:53PM]

@Intellectualdiot

Never buy first gen devices dude! Me, I'm holding out for the Helvetica.

[sinai Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:08PM]

@KakaduDreamer
let's hope we don't end up with the comic sans

[Kirtay Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:12PM]

@KakaduDreamer Respect.
Comment of the day.

[KakaduDreamer Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:15PM]

@sinai

Dear God, let's hope the Courier doesn't turn out to be Wingdings or Dingbats

[Esat Dedezade Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:19PM]

For those of you wondering why all these people are so excited, check out this sexy beast:

http://gizmodo.com/5380626/courier-user-interface-in-depth/

[trek Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:32PM]

@Intellectualdiot

Consolas > Courier ;)

[aLFaDaRK Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:42PM]

@KakaduDreamer

Oh god yes.

[Olternaut Posted Jan 5th 2010 11:00PM]

@SaintAndrew

Yes, I want the courier too!

[Johnathan Posted Jan 6th 2010 12:29AM]

@Ike Turner Thats my guess as well

[Information Central Posted Jan 6th 2010 3:25AM]

Yeah, because "pen computing" was such a huge hit the first time around.

[therodt Posted Jan 6th 2010 8:14PM]

@KakaduDreamer Smart and witty...Good advice to boot!

[questionexclamation Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:09PM]

Wait what's the difference between a tablet and a slate?

[brothaa Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:12PM]

@questionexclamation
i think its just the cool new word for it

[wjr1985 Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:13PM]

@questionexclamation Slates lack a physical keyboard, tablets can go either way with having a keyboard

[newone Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:27PM]

@wjr1985

No, there's been tablets without keyboards for a long time. Slate is apples word for tablet, like ipod is apples word for mp3 player.

[OwenV Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:30PM]

@(Unverified)

I think by "can go either way" he allowed for the possibility of a keyboardless tablet not being marketed as a slate.

and about apple calling it a slate... I would say something but I think you know better and I am being trolled

[Michael Scrip Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:40PM]

@(Unverified)

The word "slate" describes a particular kind of tablet... and has been around longer than the Apple thing...

"Slate" tablets have no keyboard... "convertible" tablets have the swivel screen... "hybrid" tablets have a removable keyboard... and "booklet" tablets are what the Courier is.

Wiki-ing is fun!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_pc#Forms

[JeremyBenthem Posted Jan 6th 2010 12:13AM]

@questionexclamation
it if were me slates should just be for ARM, basically large pdas,
windows slates already have a name, it's called UMPC, and microsoft tried to make you like it before, and you called it a dumb idea

[Information Central Posted Jan 6th 2010 3:28AM]

What? No. "UMPC" does not imply slate or tablet at all.

And it's "PDAs".

[NokiaFan Posted Jan 6th 2010 8:45AM]

@questionexclamation
apple fanboys are gonna say "tablet was invented by apple"!!!

[Shidell Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:09PM]

Apple: "...They took our job?"

[jincongz Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:12PM]

@Shidell Next thing you know, they'll take Apple's Jobs!

[mmaestro Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:56PM]

@jincongz The question is, how would Apple do with Ballmer in charge? I think they should do an exchange for a year.

[Stereotype Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:46PM]

Stereotype: "...you took my avatar?"

[JeremyBenthem Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:53PM]

@Stereotype
Bill Gates: "I'm pretty sure we came up with that first..."

[Stoichiometry Posted Jan 6th 2010 3:17AM]

@Stereotype

No he didn't! (There's a ® on yours and none on his.)

[MrPotK Posted Jan 6th 2010 4:10AM]

@Shidell dey Turk erh jurbs!.... de durk er durs!... durk der derhhs!!!!

[FallenArms3 Posted Jan 6th 2010 6:32AM]

@mmaestro SteveSwap. Put it on TLC.

[safe travels Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:09PM]

I had one of those things in the picture a few years back. awful device...

[MBN Posted Jan 5th 2010 11:29PM]

@safe travels I'm sorry you didn't like yours. I still use a TC1100 as my MAIN PC, really! Its form factor (removable keyboard, clips into leather portfolio) is irreplaceable. Sure, its specs are outdated, but it still handles XP and office documents quite well.

It still gets plenty of wows from people, and collecting signatures on contracts on the screen is essential to my business.

[AstroSeven Posted Jan 6th 2010 8:36AM]

@(Unverified). I use my TC100 as my main productivity and mobile pc. Its pretty easy to keep a TC1100 as a mainstay in 2010 given windows 7 works better on it than the xp tablet it shipped with.

[cayton Posted Jan 6th 2010 9:50AM]

@safe travels I absolutely love my TC1100. Put Windows 7 on it this semester.

[Bjay Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:12PM]

Courier FTW
Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier Courier

[Chefgon Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:14PM]

Microsoft, don't waste your time with this garbage. Just give us the Courier. That's all we want. Courier. Give me the Courier. Courier.

...Courier.

[trainwrecka Posted Feb 18th 2010 11:54AM]

@Chefgon

We all want flying cars too, but they were just made with a computer for the movies. Just like the courier... they just are not real.

[TSIG Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:17PM]

I smell a lawslate.

[Kerensky97 Posted Jan 6th 2010 3:42PM]

@TSIG Yeah, because NOBODY has ever made a tablet yet; just Apple and their unannounced, unofficial device that might be released later unless its not, then it won't.

[fatslug Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:17PM]

- Full Windows 7 Home or Ultimate, no Starter sh8.
- Intel Atom or Core 2 is good
- 2 GB of RAM
- Make it thin and the less bezel the better
- Make it for under $500 and you've got millions of sales

[10nisman94 Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:28PM]

@fatslug Core i3 would be better than core2

[HighestRanked Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:36PM]

@fatslug millions of sales that will be returned within a week after consumers discover hardware specs themselves do not produce positive user experiences. Pretty much what happened with the Zune (minus the millions of sales of course.)

But hey, if you wait a month after this thing is released you'll be able to score one of these super cheap on e-bay.

[Jeff Posted Jan 5th 2010 9:50PM]

@fatslug

Oh, and one more thing...

-Make it not say HP on it

[fatslug Posted Jan 5th 2010 10:07PM]

@HighestRanked

Windows 7 has great tablet support in it. Sorry this isnt a iTard device that you were hoping for.

Windows devices sell in the hundreds of millions, Apples computers not so much. That's reality buddy.