allaboutsymbian
March 5th, 2010, 16:05
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/03/03-05-10courier.jpg
We've been dying to know more about Microsoft's Courier tablet / e-book device (http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/22/microsofts-courier-booklet-emerges-said-to-be-in-late-prototy/) ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer (http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/steve-ballmer-hasnt-seen-the-courier-video-promises-zune-integ/) went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We're told Courier will function as a "digital journal," and it's designed to be seriously portable: it's under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn't much bigger than a 5x7 photo when closed. That's a lot smaller than we expected -- this new picture really puts it into perspective -- and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7 (http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/29/new-microsoft-courier-video-details-tablet-interface-exciting-l/), we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6.
As we've heard (http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/04/microsoft-courier-interface-explained-in-more-detail/), the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We're also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there's a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft's e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading. It all sounds spectacular, but all we have for a launch date is "Q3 / Q4", and we have no idea how much it's going to cost, so we're trying to maintain a healthy skepticism until any of this gets official -- call us any time, Microsoft. One more pic showing the interface after the break.Continue reading Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/)
Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/) originally appeared on Engadget (http://www.engadget.com) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
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More... (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/)
We've been dying to know more about Microsoft's Courier tablet / e-book device (http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/22/microsofts-courier-booklet-emerges-said-to-be-in-late-prototy/) ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer (http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/steve-ballmer-hasnt-seen-the-courier-video-promises-zune-integ/) went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We're told Courier will function as a "digital journal," and it's designed to be seriously portable: it's under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn't much bigger than a 5x7 photo when closed. That's a lot smaller than we expected -- this new picture really puts it into perspective -- and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7 (http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/29/new-microsoft-courier-video-details-tablet-interface-exciting-l/), we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6.
As we've heard (http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/04/microsoft-courier-interface-explained-in-more-detail/), the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We're also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there's a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft's e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading. It all sounds spectacular, but all we have for a launch date is "Q3 / Q4", and we have no idea how much it's going to cost, so we're trying to maintain a healthy skepticism until any of this gets official -- call us any time, Microsoft. One more pic showing the interface after the break.Continue reading Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/)
Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/) originally appeared on Engadget (http://www.engadget.com) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/) | | Email this (http://www.engadget.com/forward/19384420/) | Comments (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/#comments)
More... (http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/)