Microsoft Courier existence confirmed on the company's JobsBlog?
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted March 23rd 2010 4:00PM
posted March 23rd 2010 4:00PM
That last bit -- you know, about the Courier -- was linked to our recent post which revealed a handful of images, video, and possible factoids on the device. Though that bit of the writeup has been canned, you can see that the post was tagged "courier," and the original text is still hanging around RSS (as seen above). So, does this mean Microsoft is getting close to actually giving us some meat on this thing? We can't know for sure if the info above is 100 percent solid... but it's certainly telling that this device is on the lips of Microsoft employees who also happen to work on PR campaigns for the company -- and they moved quickly to get it offline. What do you guys think?Do you already know everything about Project Natal and the Cloud? Is Blaise Aguera y Arcas' jaw-dropping TED talk on augmented-reality Bing Maps and Photosynth last month's news? Then check out some of the online chatter surrounding new releases of Window Phone 7 series handsets, Internet Explorer 9 and the upcoming Courier digital journal."
[Thanks, Ian]
It lives?
@Vman Still in the egg is more factual.
@ThatDudeSolo
no. IT FUCKING LIVES!!!!!
@Vman
Between the this and Windows Phone 7 Microsoft keeps taunting me. Microsoft just release it already so I can give you my money...
I can just see Balmer in a castle, dressed as a mad scientist, laughing like a maniac and waiting for lightning bolts to bring his creation to life.
What do I think? I remember Balmer's face when Josh asked him about the courier and he was more than obvious; Microsoft will certainly be making the device.
@Vman I just played Duke Nukem Forever on it.
@Vman It can smell us.
We can only hope!
@Xcelerate Definitely keeping my "slate funds" in my piggy bank until this thing either is launched or I know that it won't be.
Of course it exists, but will I ever get my hands on it while it is still bleeding edge? I doubt it.
They will won't let me buy a Surface for a personal coffee table.
@CT you can buy one. All you gotta do is fill out the order form. It'll just cost you $10,000
@CT
build your own! nuigroup.com
Awesome!
I damn well hope so!
It looks like Microsoft is seriously getting their act together.
While I'm intrigued by the courier the actual size of it seems pretty small. Which sucks. I'd love to have a tablet/e-reader but I want a decent sized one.
@TheLondonExchange
I second that thought. If it came in a 10" diagonal format or something more viable for note-taking in class... something with an e-reader or somethign to read books and then take notes on the other side. I'd spill dollars and dollars in MS's direction.
@TheLondonExchange
I suppose that's your opinion, however, I like the idea of a small digital journal. I'd like it to be small so that I can easily carry it with me (and if it's small enough, put it in my pocket).
If it was small enough, I might never actually need a smart-phone...
@chewbacha
It's been said that once folded it's the size of a mole-skin notebook or a 5x7 photograph.
@Bengal34
Which is exactly what I want :-)
The below link suggest that touch and pen is still research.
http://community.research.microsoft.com/blogs/alpineinker/archive/2010/03/17/postcard-from-the-future.aspx
@delgadilloaaron well, they can ALWAYS improve technology
@delgadilloaaron Indeed it was deleted... noone's faster than Engadget though ;)
@Brent1700 Very true. The one interesting thing about that link is that they added a ton of people to the research team. I guess they allocated more money over to them.
There are a ton of components that suggest that the courier is a possible device including Ntrig screen, Project Gustav, InkSeine, Project Codex, and Cross Patent deals with Yahoo http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/02/22/microsoft.deal.may.hint.at.courier.plans/
Hell! add a Qi pixel screen and there will be nothing in the world that will be able to touch it.
@delgadilloaaron yea, I've seen InkSeine. It looks crazy. If msft can pull this off, like REALLY pull off the Courier, it will be one of the most amazing and useful devices ever created. I can't wait.
@delgadilloaaron
Pixel Qi is overhyped. The last thing the Courier needs is a LCD that takes a quarter of the power of a normal LCD when it isn't using a backlight, in black and white. If they're actually coming out with a device 1" thick that has two screens, Pixel Qi is a terrible choice.
Mirasol was the real eye-popper at CES. That tech refreshes fast enough for smooth video playback/effects, and while doing so uses a fraction of the power of comparable E-INK DISPLAYS. Sit back and pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, full color reflective display using less power than an e-ink reader... and zero with a static image.
Nothing less is going to allow this to be as functional as the videos we've seen, with the supposed dimensions (two 1/2" thick pieces), and have battery life that is at all usable. I really hope MS was the partner the Mirasol reps were tight-lipped about and not Amazon.
@SilverTrumpet Thanks for the info!
Courier is becoming a sort of a Big Foot... I hope we see it in the next few years
@kyphem
...or becoming the next Apple tablet? This is brilliant! Marketing scheme or not, Microsoft has u. In a feeding frenzy!!!!!!!
Enjoy Microsoft, enjoooooooooooy!!!
ha! "and the upcoming Courier digital journal" is no longer in the post..
http://microsoftjobsblog.com/blog/microsoft-innovation-number-one/
@pekingkuck
Ah for fuck sake
YEAH, it does exist!!!! Microsoft will most likely provide more info once WP7 is released. (crossing fingers)
But Microsoft! I neeeeed one NOOOOOOOW!
@Flaystus
How is the zune hd doing? I mean I'm guessing not well since I haven't heard shit about it since all the initial hoopla and engadget circus.
Nothing about sales reports from MS or any other source.
My guess is that it's failed but I'm honestly not sure.
@TheLondonExchange I heard about it on the Engadget podcast for one. -1
@TheLondonExchange
I don't own a Zune HD. It was not a product that excited me away from my iPhone. I understand its a very nice device. I can see the market for it unlike the original zune which I did own for a time and hated.
@TheLondonExchange
Mine's providing me with hours and hours of high-quality music in an attractive and well-built package.
@TheLondonExchange
well, it's doing okay. Just because an mp3 player doesn't outsell the ipod doesn't mean it isn't a good (or superior) product...
@TheLondonExchange
The Zune HD was quite clearly a test run for WP7S. A huge number of the people on the WP7S teams come from the Zune HD team. I'm personally enjoying the 30 hour battery life on my Zune and the hilariously responsive interface. But that's ok, keep acting like the Zune is a dead product. It doesn't degrade my experience with the device in the slightest.
yes!!!!!!
Can the final project please keep this code name?!
Myth: CONFIRMED!
@Jeff
Pah, accidently on purpose.. ;)
@Jeff
Engadget: Don't try this at home... We're what you call experts.
This is the first time in a long while that I am excited to see what a Microsoft product can do. Apple if this courier is half of what that video shows then you are in trouble with the iPad just sayin
@Kinte Kunta Everything I own is Apple, but if you think for a second that a huge iPod touch is going to do half of the stuff that this Courier will do you drink the coolaid more than I do. I refuse to buy in to the nonsense that Apple likes to feed it's faithful consumers. Innovation is passing them by and they refuse to see the change. They need to start delivering on their products and frankly the iPad shows that they won't. Sure the iPad will sell like hotcakes and to be honest if I can get my college text books at a reasonable rate then I will replace my 200lb bookbad with an iPad, but I am not spending 500-800 for something that I have to continue to spend a fortune of my hard earned money in the app store just to use. I know that flash runs poorly on Macs, but come on you can't just forget about it. I can get by without flash but multitasking that is a huge joke. I hope they have plans in the future to change this.
The Zune HD doesn't hold a candle to what the Courier can do in my mind. Apple needs to wake up and smell the roses and stop telling us the consumer what we want. Sit back and listen for once and the market will tell you what we want and need.
@Kinte Kunta
Apple has a larger share of the mp3 player market. Microsoft has a larger share of the computer market, which is what courier should be aimed at. Just saying.
it shouldn't matter to us which sell better as long as they're great.
I want courier to come out and be kick ass because I want one, and I hope iPad does well too. I want all American companies to do well and make great products. too many americans here wanna hate on microsoft or apple when they should really support both companies. if we want apple or microsoft or google to fail, what country are we really supporting.
@Kinte Kunta Ok, you need to chill out. Way to be a fanboi. Anyhow, nobody ever expected anything much out of Zune. Zune was just a me-too product.
Courier on the other hand appears to do things we truly have never seen before.
@angermeans
However aren't people claiming that tablets are different and separate from computers and phones?
All in a lil category themselves?
THe prob with the whole "MS is going after the comp segment" is that that is the same target group that is eating up iPhones and iPods. People will want to do more than just work and that means music, etc. Apple is good at delivering very entertaining devices that keep people interested...MS not so much.
I highly doubt Apple is worried about the Courier. True MS may be targeting a certain group of people but I think Apple is casting a wider net which means it has a greater probablity of success. Aside from the lack of multitasking (which only the Apple haters are bitching about) its just as likely a computer geek would buy an iPad as a grandmother who just wants it for visual books or w/e...