Last night, Microsoft revealed details of Courier, its new tablet prototype. The dual-screen device comes with a stylus and a hinge, making old-school day planners look primordial. PCWorld has more on this potentially revolutionary business tablet:
It’s not clear whether Courier will ever hit store shelves, as the device is just one of many tablet prototypes that Microsoft is developing, according to a CNET report. Nevertheless, with rumors swirling about an Apple tablet, and Courier’s similarity to Asus’ upcoming E-reader/netbook, it looks like the tablet concept could turn out be popular after all.
Courier looks like it could revolutionize personal business devices. Details are scarce about what the Courier can do, but so far we know it comes in the shape of book with two, 7-inch screens (presumably in color), built-in camera on the back, and Wi-Fi. Courier embraces a vast array of user inputs including multitouch gestures like pinching and flicking as well as a stylus for handwriting and drawing.
We’ve got no details on how Courier would handle tasks like e-mail or if it has a microphone or Webcam for VoIP and videoconferencing, but the Courier concept does look like an excellent digital replacement for the traditional paper planner. Unlike other digital planners like PDAs from Palm and Research in Motion, Courier appears to merge the best of the paper planner — two pages and large writing spaces — with a computer’s capability to manipulate and index data.
Courier is for those who want a smartly designed day planner that will probably be able to do other things like play videos and run other entertainment applications, just like a smartphone can.
