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The Courier is Coming. Microsoft Event April 12th

By the way, the most appealing thing about the Courier to me compared with the iPad - closed, it should fit into a sportscoat pocket. That's a significant barrier in terms of portability for me and maybe others.

That said ... really don't know enough about it (including when it will actually exist) for it to be a big part of my plans at this time.
 
If it's the Courier and if it's anything like what we saw in the concept videos, I'll get one at launch day.
A digital Moleskine is like a dream for me.
 
Microsoft is going to be late to ever single party until they fire Steve Ballmer. They company has become a total mess under his leadership and the stock price is completely stagnant.

Apple has created an ecosystem is which both developers and consumers are controled with the content they distribute and consumer respectively; every monetary transaction nets them 30% too.

If I was a microsoft shareholder right now ... Where is Carl Icahn when you need him lol..
 
According to Paul Thurrott and CNET, it’s the pink project (Sidekick successor) not the Courier. I have a feeling it’ll be a big yawn like the Surface. They’ve already had their Windows Phone 7 blowout at MIX.
 
I've had a tablet pc many years ago running windows, I most definitely will NOT be buying another one. After a few weeks of using it, I was fed up with it.

It wasn't really the hardware, it was software that made things frustrating. More like hardware didn't meet the software's needs.

I'm sure now it'll run faster, but Microsoft had their chance at tablet pc's and it didn't last. Getting back into the game AFTER Apple doesn't make them look good but there were tablet pc's out a long time ago. Stylus based too which made them a nightmare as well.

Developing apps on them was pretty easy but the market just wasn't there back then.
 
rtabdo said:
The problem with the Courier is based on the videos, its purely a productivity tool/journal.

Yes, the UI is beautiful, but I don't see how a device like that (the way it's shown) would be really useful to average customers. I don't want to browse the web with a big black bar in the middle, or watch a movie that way either.

In fact, i bet a Courier type of software could be made for the iPad.

We'll see what they have to show. Maybe its the HP Slate 🙂

But right now as I see it, the way the Courier is looking, it looks la lot less practical than an iPad.
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agreed! i'm still waiting for an iCourier app for the iPad. that would be awesome!
 
What we've seen of the Courier is pretty limited - basically restricted to how an architect or shoe designer might use it. That doesn't mean those are the only apps or will always be the only apps.

Killer app of the iPad, to me, is battery life.

Killer app of the Courier, to me, might be that it fits in a coat pocket.

But again ... too many unknowns to seriously compare it with any current devices. But to the guy who said he's tried Microsoft tablets before ... can you even really call this a tablet? I guess it technically is, but it seems radically different from any tablet I've seen from any manufacturer, including the iPad.

And to the guy who wants a courier app on the iPad - I agree that a jot-down-notes, doodle type app would be a big plus (and maybe it exists) - but the Courier has a software-hardware combo and (I imagine) feel that I think it would be tough to emulate on a device with one big screen.

To be more specific ... if the Courier could do wifi, 3g, Web browsing, facebook, IM, photo viewing, video viewing, had 10+ hours of battery life in common uses, and fit in my coat pocket, I'd probably buy one.
 
I wouldn't hold your breath for the courier. All the "demos" are essentially artists renderings, not a functional OS.

This is a typical MS concept that seems super awesome and then when they finally (if ever) release it it underwhelms.

I'd say 2011 would be optimistic at best since MS can't even seem to get a decent OS on their smart phones for at least 5 or 6 years now.

Same thing happened with origami. They promised XP based OS on $600 hardware with 4-5h battery life. Well is has been since 2003 and such device never came.
 
shakenmartini said:
I wouldn't hold your breath for the courier. All the "demos" are essentially artists renderings, not a functional OS.

This is a typical MS concept that seems super awesome and then when they finally (if ever) release it it underwhelms.

I'd say 2011 would be optimistic at best since MS can't even seem to get a decent OS on their smart phones for at least 5 or 6 years now.

Same thing happened with origami. They promised XP based OS on $600 hardware with 4-5h battery life. Well is has been since 2003 and such device never came.
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hmm. i was essentially thinking of an app that is fairly similar to Browser Duo in terms of interface. you have a fullscreen notepad (input text, scribble/paint all over it etc) with the option to then split the screen and load a web browser or your photo album in one of the splits. that way, you can keep selecting images or screenshots on one screen (that is in the web browser mode or photo album mode) while flicking through the notepad or pasting the information on the other screen. while not requiring all the functionalities of Microsoft's Courier, the key would be to have a clipping facility to clip images or screenshots from one screen onto the top middle portion of the screen and dragging and dropping the images or screenshots to the notepad portion of the app. i think its useful for design brainstorming and ideations.. in my opinion anyway. lol.
 
shakenmartini said:
This is a typical MS concept that seems super awesome and then when they finally (if ever) release it it underwhelms.

I'd say 2011 would be optimistic at best since MS can't even seem to get a decent OS on their smart phones for at least 5 or 6 years now.
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What's up with this thread, has everyone been in a coma over the past year?

Windows 7? Windows Mobile 7? Zune HD? Project Natal? Microsoft has been coming back fierce as of late.

And the Kia references? Hyundai/Kia are ripping up the automotive scene right now like no one else. There's not a single automotive journalist out there that is not gushing praise over their entire 2k11 lineups.
 
Update: Windows expert Paul Thurrott says definitively that this will not be a Courier event, rather it will be entirely focused on Pink phones, as does CNET's Ina Fried, who adds that they'll be released on Verizon as rumored. We can't say we're surprised, but we're seriously hoping Microsoft makes that tablet a reality.
 
Ballmer was on the Engadget Show last year saying he hadn't even seen the Courier - this was after the first demo had been released for public consumption.

Glad he's not captain of my tech ship!
 
It's very unlikely that it's the Courier, Rather - It's regarding Zune and Pink.

Firstly, Microsoft is launching the Zune in the 64 Capacity - That's been confirmed already. Secondly, the theme for the invitation is 'Share'. In order for the Courier to fit in, it's going to be quite difficult.

However, it could easily be related to Zune and the Pink Smartphone as

The color theme for Pink is 'Green', which fits with the invite's color scheme. The Pink recently passed the FCC, and that it very much 'shares' Zune's ability to 'Share'. So - it's most likely Pink + Zune rather than Courier.
 
Beau10 said:
What's up with this thread, has everyone been in a coma over the past year?

Windows 7? Windows Mobile 7? Zune HD? Project Natal? Microsoft has been coming back fierce as of late.

And the Kia references? Hyundai/Kia are ripping up the automotive scene right now like no one else. There's not a single automotive journalist out there that is not gushing praise over their entire 2k11 lineups.
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I was a longhorn alpha tester and Win 7 is what longhorn was supposed to be 5 years ago. Yes you heard me right. The things that were supposed to go into win 7, which became vista still haven't materialized, and those that had never came until win 7

Zune Hd is the music player MS should have released in 2004, right when the iPod was gaining steam. Instead MS dumped plays for sure for zune, 2 years too late. As to the rest, they are vaporware.

MS still hasn't delivered a tablet or touch device worth a darn, despite 7 years of pushing the platform without innovating.

I still remember when Gates ran the show and MS was an innovative company. Yeah, there were bugs and viruses, but MS was on the edge of tech.

In fact I am a Mac user today because I was and alpha tester for Win 7 and gave up. Everthing innovative that the engineers tried to put in got stripped out of Win 7 and we are left with the OS that should have been Vista. I just gave up, because the MS project leads were not listening to the feedback from their live alpha users.

Windows phone 7 is still 6 months away and is the phone MS should have delivered in 2007 BEFORE the iPhone dropped. Instead, we are WAITING until late 2010, probably 2011, for what should have happened in 2006.

Project Natal. Where can I buy that? Yes again, more promises to update the xbox to be more like the Wii from 3 years ago.

So yeah I agree MS is coming back. They are leaving 2003 and coming into what was happening at apple and others in 2007.
 
The Zune has a decent interface, as does Window's Media Center. A hybrid of the two would work great as a tablet OS. As for Project Natal, MS isn't alone. Sony's working on motion-based gaming too. Neither company could of predicted how much casual appeal the Wii's motion controls attracted.
 
Apple has been in an up phase for a while due to sequential successes of the iPod and iPhone, and Microsoft has been in the doldrums a bit due to the lack of success of Vista. Neither situation is likely to be permanent. They're both great companies filled with legions of smart people. I think Microsoft's corporate culture has been less conducive to to producing innovation, but these things have a way of turning around.

Same with Sony, btw.
 
Only if I see photo's + videos of a working physical product with OS before late June, I MIGHT reconsidering buying an Ipad and waiting for more information on the courier, but I seriously doubt the courier can be as open (software/app wise) as the Ipad is with the appstore.
 
wombat888 said:
Apple has been in an up phase for a while due to sequential successes of the iPod and iPhone, and Microsoft has been in the doldrums a bit due to the lack of success of Vista. Neither situation is likely to be permanent. They're both great companies filled with legions of smart people. I think Microsoft's corporate culture has been less conducive to to producing innovation, but these things have a way of turning around.

Same with Sony, btw.
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For a company with legions of smart people they sure have been acting like huge morons for over 5 years. And it's not just about vista, it's about everything, drm for music, no music management software worth its salt, rebranding a toshi player as zune, vapourware announcements galore, crap mobile phone platform, too late to the mobile phone segment... This are not just mishaps, this is a train wreck...
 
What was the last successful MS product?

MS success is not due to the quality of their products, people should know that already.

Now they having some real competition with Apple taking a better share and popularity in the market, and I'm happy new OS are approaching in home computing like Chrome OS or Android.

The market has change and developers are interested in more platforms/OS than just MS.

I foresee MS falling from its throne in less than 20 years if they don't start to be innovative.
 
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