Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Uncephalized — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:01:00 -0000

I am so excited and will buy one the instant I can IF IF IF it actually performs anything like the video (which I have watched a dozen times).

I will buy it even faster if I can set it down, tilt one of the screens up, get a virtual keyboard on the bottom screen, and use it like a netbook. That would be my ULTIMATE portable device. But I doubt MS would ever do something that sensible. :P

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

sudzzz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:44:39 -0000

What's funny is that Apple has not confirmed anything about the existence of a tablet; yet it still happens to be in the limelight here, being compared to the Courier. I don't see how the Apple Slate/Tablet gets so much hype for no g*d d*mn reason.

As for the whole dual screen vs. single large screen, I too would take the dual screen. Touch typing on the same screen with both hands can be painfully annoying, especially when you can't view the screen bcoz of your fingers blocking it.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Name — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:34:05 -0000

that (convert second screen to keyboard) actually would be really, really cool.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Ideas That Work! — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:21:20 -0000

Although I am a committed Mac user (5 Macs) who would have never considered purchasing another Windows device, I am very much interested in the Courier--even with the pending launch of the Apple Tablet. The Courier seems to be geared towards business use and that's me! It is my plan to go paperless in 2010, but I haven't seen anything from Apple that would make me believe that the Apple Tablet will streamline my workflow. Microsoft on the other hand has done just that. The only concerns I have is stability and hardware limitations, and compatibility. I think this device could be a big success if it were compatible with other operating systems like OS X and Linux. Just a thought and I am wait anxiously to see the final product. For now, go Microsoft!!! Sorry Apple, but I have to call them like I see them, and I just don't need another media specific device. Business specific with media capabilities is OK, but not just another media player with a larger screen and with a stylus.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Name — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:00:11 -0000

This thing is awesome, just perfect. It will be able to replace the desktop for me. I certainly hope that it will have 3g capabilities.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Name — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:02:58 -0000

I was searching for a tablet PC to buy today and came across some good ones but, it totally blew me away when I saw the Apple Tablet. I had completely had my mindset on buying the Apple Tablet when it comes out. However, soon after, I came to the Microsoft Courier and my intentions completely turned around! The Microsoft Courier is the ULTIMATE!!!

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

kr_metal — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:51:35 -0000

Thick and heavy? That's a desktop computer. The courier is a tablet, and when folded it looks like its not much thicker than the average book. FOLDED. A stylus is for people who prefer to naturally write. And who knows? a security system could be used for that, a specific handwriting style. So you want a tablet that you can easily snap and break? That's from Apple. The whole screen would break if you snapped it against your knee or something hard. The courier can be snapped in half sure, but it can be repaired.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

honest apple fan boy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:09:37 -0000

I agree. Uni students will find this design infinitely superior to the scratch fest giganto-ipod

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

I love everyone — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:07:32 -0000

Tell that to Nintendo's DS that wiped the floor with PSP, it's about integrating modern technology into devices that are integral to our lives i.e. replacing books and dayplanners with something that is of a similar physical appearance.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

idego — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 10:06:19 -0000

Well it is Micro$oft so expecting it to be new and innovative is asking a lot. If this device works like the video shows it has a lot of potential but again, it's Micro$oft and this thing could just be another Surface, which I don't see anyone using.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

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Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:57:26 -0000

Please Come out with a fully functional tablet soon. Not those first gen failures. I could really use it for College.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Will Entrekin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:56:46 -0000

Considering that the Apple Tablet is still just a rumor, and Apple neither has a Tablet nor even announced one yet, this really wouldn't be an alternative to it. A Microsoft alternative to the Apple Tablet would be a vaporware device a bunch of blogs drool over while Samsung confirms they've supplied some processors for it but meanwhile Redmond actually announces nothing. Or am I wrong? Has Apple confirmed/announced their Tablet now?

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

RJ — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:57:46 -0000

The double panel makes it foldable and easier to carry with you. If they would add the feature that you can put it in landscape position where one panel acts like screen and the other is a touch based key board, I do not need a seperate laptop anymore.

I can picture myself sitting in a meeting where I have a document (e.g. minutes) in the lefthand panel and the making (handwritten) notes in the righthand panel. Notes can be selected by drawing a box around it (as outlined in the demo) and linked to the document in the lefthand panel by dragging and dropping. This is a major paradigm shift in usability that the machine adopts itself to me rather than I need to adopt myself to the machine.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Anne — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:58:41 -0000

Microsoft? It looks thick and heavy and who wants a stylus unless it's only to draw?
Windows? Puhleeze. I've used computers since 1983 - AT - IBM - Wordperfect in DOS - The very first version of Pagemaker - All Adobe products in both Windows and Mac environments - early Apple machines - Mac 512 K --- early Mac laptops - many versions of Windows - Dells - Acers - HP - Powerbooks - PowerPC - Macbook - Macbook Pro --- The non-apple products have been at work. I have always owned Macs at home. I can't imagine Microsoft ever creating a product I would actually want to buy.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

DivinoAG — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:00:14 -0000

My problem with that logic is precisely that: you cannot compare it to the mythical Apple Tablet, because it is nothing more than a myth.

For years people speculated about what could one day become the iPhone, and when it finally became real, it was nothing like anyone expected, in both good and bad ways. And yet, people are comparing and criticizing new ideas and new products against this dream they have of what the iTablet could be, when in reality (assuming it becomes real), this device probably won't be anything like whatever they imagine it will be.

The Courier, as far from retail as it might be right now, is a real product. At least a real direction for a product, something that can be criticized. Comparing this to the iTablet is comparing it to The Perfect Device I Imagined From The Best Components Without Regard For Price™: it's not only unrealistic, it's unfair to the people that are trying to create good products you can actually buy for a reasonable price.

Personally I also think that is sad to see anyone regard a company only interested in profit like Apple (and any other company, for that matter) as this all-knowing, never-wrong entity that turns all it touches to gold. Makes it really hard for them to notice its mistakes, which are not few.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Tim — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:01:27 -0000

Sorry, you're right of course. I just find a hardware prototype way more convincing that a product is coming to market than a software prototype. This video could've been created so early on in the process there's no saying what the final product will look like. You may as well compare it to the completely nonexistent Apple tablet. We can imagine what that might be like based on existing products like the iPod Touch. But if Microsoft did make a product like this it would certainly shake things up.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Tim — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:51:32 -0000

I read Gizmodo's article and it didn't say either of those things.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Jonesy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:15:48 -0000

1000k? Good Lord, a million for a tablet??! Only kidding, I know what you mean!

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

jim — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:24:25 -0000

Just replace one of the screens with a paper pad and you'd have a winner -- at least for business use. Think of inventory managers, car salespeople, doctors or real estate agents.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Moe Jerome — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:47:24 -0000

Also there are physical prototypes as well. They are to be displayed at Microsoft Stores when they open. Check out Gizmodo's article.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Moe Jerome — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:46:06 -0000

The Zune software is very light weight and portable. With Microsoft's new head of E&D, J. Allard, I'm sure Microsoft's portable OS's will be extremely light weight. As it stands, Windows 7 is not a huge resource hog at all. I'm speaking out of experience and data check.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Doug — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:13:28 -0000

"As it stands, Windows 7 is looking to be pretty good."
So I understand (as another Mac user ;-) but Windows is very heavy on resources, and portable devices need great battery life, instant on (don't you just love that about the Macbook?) and a snappy UI - all of which are difficult with a bloated OS on a small device. I really hope they do get it together, as competition is always good, but I'm not holding my breath. As Leon says, the corporate drones are likely to kill it off even if the engineers make something cool.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

DivinoAG — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:02:31 -0000

First of all, a computer animation IS a prototype. An interface prototype, to be exact. That's how you test interactions on the system before you have the final hardware, or how you display to the management/client/suppliers/investors what the final device will look like when work on the interface is farther ahead then work on the hardware.

Second, to quote the source article on Gizmodo, "Courier is a real device, and we've heard that it's in the 'late prototype' stage of development." So that's that.

Re: Courier: Microsoft Has an Apple Tablet Rival, And It Looks Impressive

Tim — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:53:55 -0000

A prototype? There isn't even a prototype here-- no actual physical device. Just 3D computer animation. This thing could be years away from production, if they even plan on producing it. That said, there are several really interesting ideas here, but I question Microsoft's ability to produce something one can interact with so effortlessly.